Red Markets is a game of economic horror, where the world has ended and the rent is still due.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Important Announcement: Przemek Lech, Red Markets, and the 48 Hour Countdown
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Sep 01, 2017 at 12:31:21 AM
We're really coming down to the wire here. Please read carefully; we only have 48 hours until BackerKit surveys are locked down. We will be getting to the brass tacks soon, but before that...
Przemek Lech
Przemek Lech is an illustrator and concept artist out of Canberra, Australia. Midway through the Red Markets Kickstarter, “Prez” approached me with some fantastic character designs and a desire to work on the book. He was utterly professional, quick, and skilled throughout…
...then I went and forgot to include his name on the contributor’s page.
The book was already printed by the time someone clued me into my dumb mistake. But this isn't so much a mistake as a sin. I've erased this talented person's name from a book after his fine work deeply shaped its message; hell, his art is some of the first included in the book! He sets the tone! My mistake in leaving him off the page may have been an "honest" one, but sometimes mastery of a skill is tantamount and equivalent to morality. I really failed in my responsibility as a publisher on this one, and I feel like a real piece of shit for it.
Prez has been an utter saint regarding this issue (note I'm intentionally not using the word "professional" despite the fact that he clearly is one; a professional would remain so after rightfully gutting me for this screw up). He even forgave me the responsibility of making this update part apology. But he deserves more than that, so we'll be using his art for the remainder of this update and hopefully boost his SEO. I'd also appreciate it if you hit up his DeviantArt or ArtStation to heap praise upon his work, share a heartfelt "fuck Caleb," or, better yet, hire him to make you some pretty pictures.
His name is entered in the latest version of the PDF and any editions/reprints we may have moving forward. I've also made a contributors page on the website to ensure the book can be claimed as the bravura artistic achievement it is by its dedicated staff...even if their boneheaded publisher has another brain fart.
There are still 36 outstanding backers that are owed physical rewards and don't have their surveys completed.That's a pretty good number out of 1570 backers, but I don't want anybody leaving disappointed if there is any other way.
If you are one of those backers and didn't fill out the survey because shipping costs were too high, we took care of that.
If you read the explanation about shipping costs and are still bent out of shape about them...sorry? I've said my peace on the issue. No shipping = no book AND no refund. Good luck with your protest.
Sadly, the ill-informed are going to be in the same boat as the obstinate come August 2nd. This is the SEVENTH update in two months regarding BackerKit and fulfillment. Hebanon Games has hordes of people waiting to ship your products, and I've been screaming about the deadline on every platform I have available. I'm not going to be held responsible for contact information that isn't updated after all this effort. I've done everything I possibly can.
Legitimate mail screw ups will still be fixed, of course, but the fault has to lie on my end or in the hands of the fulfillment service. All these updates are to make sure everyone has their card information, contact info, and address correct and ready to go for Saturday.
It approaches. Prepare yourself.
A Quick Plea to International Backers
The printers are shaving off enough hardbacks and softcovers to fulfill international orders and sending them to Kixto in the UK. The US backer orders and the remainder of the books are headed to the US distributor. This means that the number of books I send to the UK has to be as close as possible to the number of books ordered by international backers. Any extra books left overseas will likely not be available to reship to my home (not without destroying all profit I might make from selling said book). If the pallet is short...well, we know how much everyone loves international shipping rates out of the US.
So if you're considering adding-on a hardcover at 11:59 pm CST on August 2nd, please do so today instead. If you've got friends holding off on pre-ordering until the 11th hour, please don't wait. If you plan to cancel a preorder or add-on, do me a solid and alter the order now so your former book isn't thrown into the Atlantic. I've got to keep Hong Kong updated on how many books go on each pallet, and earlier is better.
Why didn't she read the updates? WHY?!
So Close
Okay, that's the end of my nagging/mea culpa fusion update. I'll have another reminder Saturday morning. As always, thanks for the time and support. Let me know if you have any issues that need my attention via message or in the comments.
BackerKit Deadline Approaching!
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Aug 25, 2017 at 06:50:56 PM
Proofs Approved
The printing process has gone well. I've received and approved the F&G proofs. "Folded and Gathered" proofs are the last step before seeing a finished project. The page quality and color is exactly as it will appear in the book, and the pages are cut to the dimensions of the final product. All that remains is to sew the signatures (the packets of pages) into the binding of the hardbacks and paperbacks. You can see what the F&Gs look like below.
There's my baby with her guts spilled out all over the table...
Just waiting on binding
I've already confirmed shipping addresses and timetables with both Kixto and IPR. They are both ready to receive pallets. The dice have already been shipped to site, and international dice already have their VAT paid. We're just waiting on Asia Pacific to finish the binding, load up the pallets, and send the books on their way.
Sept. 2nd Deadline
We are on pace for the September 2nd deadline. Here are some things to note.
If you do not complete your survey and pay shipping through BackerKit by September 2nd, you will not receive physical rewards. The need to pay shipping fees through BackerKit was communicated during the Kickstarter campaign and subsequent updates. Hebanon Games has neither the money, time, inclination, nor responsibility to debate, renegotiate, or acquiesce on the issue of shipping fees. The majority of backers have already filled out surveys and prepared for the charges (thank you!). Those that do not pay their shipping fees by the September 2nd deadline will not receive a book; their books will be resold to the general public once Red Markets goes live on IPR. This information is being mirrored on our BackerKit account, the Red Markets websites, and the author's personal accounts; "I didn't hear about it" will not be accepted as an excuse.
If you cannot be charged through BackerKit on September 2nd, you will not receive physical rewards. Hebanon Games is not responsible for the individual finances of backers; the funds for shipping fees, add-ons, and pre-orders need to be made available September 2nd. Errors in charging cards by BackerKit and/or Stripe will be dealt with by the publisher and through those services. Errors in charging cards that result from a failure to enter the correct card number are the responsibility of the backer. Efforts will be made to help in instances where mistakes were made in good faith, but the book's shipment will not be delayed by individual billing issues. Hebanon Games will not be paying to ship rewards in instances where cards could no be charged.
Add-ons and preorders will no longer be available September 2nd. All physical add-ons and pre-orders (i.e. books) will be shipped along with original backer rewards (i.e. books and occasionally dice). Additional copies of Red Markets and preorder copies for those who missed the Kickstarter will not be available through BackerKit after Sept. 2nd. From that point forward, physical copies must be purchased through Indie Press Revolution and other licensed distributors. If you have friends that still wish to preorder the book before Sept. 2nd, please direct them to the following link: https://red-markets.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Please ensure your address, credit card information, phone number, and email address are all updated in BackerKit (NOT Kickstarter) before September 2nd. This information is of vital importance to the delivery of your goods. The need for an address is obvious, as is the means of paying shipping fees. The contact information is necessary in case fulfillment services need to contact you to resolve problems.
Again, CHECK THE FOLLOWING ON BACKERKIT
Address
Credit Card Info
Phone Number
Email Address
Finally, Digital awards will be distributed electronically through BackerKit as they become available. I will resume my typical progress updates once the shipping of physical rewards is completed and out of the way.
Timeline
That's everything people need to know about the upcoming deadline. For those interested in more details, here's what I can tell you.
September 2nd: Backerkit surveys are locked, credit/debit cards are charged, and preorders/addons shut down
September 5th: Hebanon Games pays shipping fees to the printer, and the pallets exit China headed towards their respective warehouses.
Approx. 1-2 weeks: Pallets of books arrive in the USA and UK.
Soon After: I transfer the shipping/handling/packaging fees collected from BackerKit to the fulfillment services. Red Markets goes on sale through IPR.
Upon Payment: Fulfillment services begin shipping backer rewards, add-ons, preorders, and first sales to customers.
TBD: Books and/or dice arrive at the whim of your national postal services.
In Future: Funds collected from the Backerkit tipjar, preorders, add-ons, and sales will go towards a new round of contracts for the layout, art, and writing of stretch goal digital supplements.
If there are additional questions or comments, please let me know in the comments or via direct message. I can be found on twitter @HebanonGCal. Don't forget to listen to my podcast The Mixed Six, and the many Red Markets actual plays over at RPPR (with another campaign in progress).
Again, thank you for all your attention and support. Here's hoping we'll all have books very soon!
September 2nd: BackerKit Deadline
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Aug 08, 2017 at 10:02:45 PM
Hello,
Here's an update for everyone on the inside baseball currently going on with Red Markets. I've been given the following timetable by the printers.
August 8th: F&Gs exit China This stands for "Folded and Gathered." It's the entire book assorted into its final order. The only thing that has yet to be completed is trimming pages and binding. This is also called a "non-approval proof" because there's basically nothing we can do about errors at this point. However, I can pay to alter pages by hand if something is serious enough, but that's going to have to be a flagrant problem. Hopefully, we caught all of those during the last proofing phase with the help of the fantastic backers that contributed to the Group Proofing Document.
August 16th: F&Gs arrive I'll need to go over the proof when it arrives and "approve" it. Like I said, preview is more the point than approval at this stage. The review should go quickly and take little more than an email to execute. If it doesn't, I'll need to sob, tear out my hair, and actually deal with any problems; that could delay matters (especially the sobbing part). August 30th: Advanced Copies I should get to see an actual book in my hands by this date. Regardless of how it looks, tears and writhing around on the ground will likely be involved. It could be my-child-was-just-born sobbing or stock-market-crashed-where-is-the-nearest-window sobbing, but I'll probably need a bit to compose myself either way. Don't expect much in the way of online communication for a few days. It's likely I'll slip into some sort of catatonic fugue state.
September 5th: Ready-to-Send At this point, the books will be ready to ship to IPR (domestic backers) and Kixto (international backers). I'll pay the last 20% of my printing fee, they'll load them on a ship, and off they go. This 20% was budgeted in the Kickstarter, so it is ready and waiting. I'll be ready to go as soon as the pallets are loaded. Upon Arrival I've already packaged the dice by hand and sent them off to IPR and Kixto. Upon arrival of the books, I'll need to pay the combined shipping, packaging, and labor costs to IPR and Kixto before they start assembling rewards and sending them out.
Tentative Deadline for the BackerKit: September 2nd
Backerkit warns me it can take up to ten days for funds to transfer once cards are charged. Charging cards on the 2nd gives me two weeks for the money to arrive and a little less for the slow boat from China to get books to the USA and UK fulfillment warehouses.
At this point, the plan is to charge accounts on Saturday, September 2nd. When cards are charged, we will stop collecting pre-orders, finalize addresses entered into BackerKit (NOT Kickstarter; BACKERKIT), and any backers with shipping fees unpaid will not receive their book. By charging on Sept. 2nd, I can get the money to the fulfillment services promptly and start shipping to individual backers and preorder customers immediately. This would put the earliest books on doorsteps around late September/ early October, though I can't promise exactly when they will arrive. The changes in international shipping mean packages will not be tracked and remain at the whims of multiple national postal systems.
This date is tentative in that it may be pushed back. The timeline I received from the printer is, in many ways, a best case scenario. As you may have noticed, the process is almost entirely out of my hands at this point. Any delays that happen will be news to me as well as the Red Markets community. If things do get pushed back, I'll let everyone know and leave the BackerKit up for pre-orders that much longer.
But since I know the earliest possible charge date now, I figured I would share it now and let people plan accordingly. Being open and honest about timelines and cost has never bit me in the ass before, right? :-)
Other News
Summer is ending and the old day job is starting up again. Between that and the minutia of printing and shipping, I've contributed nothing to other stretch goals or rewards in the last month. Sorry.
In better news, the new PDF on BackerKit has bookmarks now and a lot of corrected typos. Go download a fresh copy if you haven't already.
Fans have also been making a ton of cool stuff, some of which fulfilled our social media stretch goals better than I ever could. You can check it all out at the redmarketsrpg.com resources page. Adam L's character generator still had me in awe when Eric Bright coded a web app that basically runs the whole game for you. Eric's still adding to it, so go check it out and give him some feedback. Then Daniel went overboard and created three separate campaign sheets for designing scores and tracking NPCs, a playmat that blows my crappy PowerPoint job out of the water, and a printable GM screen I couldn't have made with twenty years InDesign experience and a genie. As if those over-achievers weren't enough, the LifeLines Forums are active with a ton of talented people that are pumping out high-quality material every hour of the day. Get on there if you haven't yet already.
As for you going to the Mr. JOLS of nerdom this year, I sadly can't make it on account of work. The entirety of the RPPR crew will be there though, so be sure to check out their events. If you want to hear me, I'm still on their podcasts as well as doing my own thing on The Mixed Six.
Hit me up in the comments or @HebanonGCal if you have questions.
Finally, FILL OUT YOUR BACKERKIT SURVEYS IF YOU HAVEN'T YET!!!
Shipping Costs Reduced
almost 7 years ago
– Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 01:09:38 AM
TL;DR
International Shipping Costs Reduced: Shipping costs have gone down for every country besides the US. Cheaper shipping costs should be reflected on your BackerKit account by the time you read this.
USA Shipping Unchanged: Shipping in the United States has remained the same, though I’ve expanded the number limit for add-on copies.
Still Time to Fix Issues: It will still be at least a month (probably more) before any charges are run through the BackerKit system. There is still plenty of time to make adjustments if something isn’t right (for instance, if I forgot your country on the shipping table). If you have questions, or if your shipping bill has not gone down by the time you read this, please let me know in the comments. I will ensure all prices reflect the new shipping rates as soon as possible.
Expanded Add-on Limit: Add-on shipping has been adjusted as well, in addition to expanding the number of available copies people can use to expand their order. I’m sorry for the original limitations. I failed to anticipate individual backers wanting more than one copy.
In General: I’m sorry for any confusion or unpleasantness my inexperience has caused. I have worked hard to better the shipping situation and will continue to do so.
More detailed explanations of the developments listed above can be found later in this update.
New Shipping Arrangement
I’m approaching this task in reverse order. I’ll deal with the present situation first before attempting to unpack the last few weeks.
Currently, the books are being printed by Asian Pacific International in Hong Kong. The original plan was to send the complete print run to the Indie Press Revolution warehouse in Gerlach, Nevada. From there, Jason Walters of IPR would fulfill Kickstarter backer orders. The majority of the remaining books would stay in the warehouse to be distributed through IPR. I would drive out to Nevada at the first opportunity and pick up a few boxes for contributor’s copies, review copies, and units for convention sales.
As of now, I’m contracting with KixTo in the UK. They’ve done fulfillment with Arc Dream, Chaosium, and Pelgrane Press before. I will now be splitting the print run into two pallets before it leaves Hong Kong. One will go to Gerlach, NV as originally planned; the other will go to the KixTo warehouses in the UK.
New shipping costs will be reflected on your BackerKit accounts already, but here’s a quick preview of the new prices:
Prices are based off a book of the following dimensions:
Books W/o Dice
Weight: 5lbs 2oz
Dimensions:
· Length: 12.5 in
· Height: 2 in
· Width: 10 in
The prices in the spreadsheet are converted from GBP to USD (multiply by 1.3). $2.83 USD was added for the cost of the armored carton. Dice will be added to the same box. The labor, extra packaging, and VAT for the dice are being paid with the shipping fee charged with the original dice pledge levels. Prices were rounded up to the nearest dollar to account for taxes and possible raises in international fees that could occur while the book is being printed.
What does this new shipping arrangement mean?
Shipping costs have been drastically reduced for all international backers.
International backers can expect wildly differing arrival dates. Shipping freight at the cheapest possible rates means arrival can be unpredictable, even counter-intuitive (France might get books, then Germany gets books two months later after Japan, etc). What limited assurances on speed that were provided by USPS flat-rate boxes are now gone. If the country next door gets their books before you, there is nothing I can do to alter that situation.
There will likely be more damage done to books in transit. This is not the fault of KixTo, IPR, or myself; it’s a fact of international freight. I am purchasing the best possible packaging I can afford while simultaneously reducing the shipping costs. Sufficiently damaged copies will be replaced at the cost of the publisher so long as damaged units are returned to Kixto and documentation (read: pictures) of the destroyed packaging is provided by the recipient.
There will be no ability to track packages, as that would again raise shipping rates
The Previous Shipping Quote
The previous quote was based on a medium flat-rate USPS box containing a package of the above dimensions, plus the shipping, packaging, and handling fees quoted to me by IPR.
For those who don’t believe me, calculate the cost yourself. The book weighs in at 5lbs, 2oz without dice. Calculate price based on Shape and Size (option on the lower right hand corner): https://postcalc.usps.com
Too much work? I’ll fetch some previews…
Figure 1: UK
Figure 2: Canada
Figure 3: Sweden
Figure 4: Australia
Notice that the medium flat-rate box is the cheapest available option for a book of Red Markets’ dimensions. Media mail is not available outside the US. Envelope options are even more expensive than boxes and provide less protection in transit. An A4 book (81/2 x 11) will not fit into a small flat-rate box. Even if I had not written more than the planned pages, a book of the originally promised size would have only been pennies less.
Also note that these are not prices generated by IPR; they are prices demanded by the US government. Jason and IPR have nothing to do with the costs. Please stop calling and emailing hateful messages to him and his employees. If angry international backers piss off my distributor to the point where he drops my ass, this situation doesn’t improve for anybody. Considering the grief they’ve had to deal with over the past few weeks, the fact that IPR hasn’t dropped me yet must mean the warehouse is staffed by saints.
While my inexperience in international distribution and over-eagerness is certainly at fault regarding the initial launch of the BackerKit, I don’t bear responsibility for the US Postal Service. USPS doesn’t take my calls. I don’t control the government. I didn’t even vote for them. There is nothing I can do to effect policy change in the US Postal Service.
The second explanation as to why the Red Markets shipping costs were high compared to a previous Kickstarter is simple: the person running that campaign was more knowledgeable than me. They had the experience necessary to secure an overseas fulfillment service early in the process.
I sincerely apologize for originally failing to do the same and for any distress I caused with the initial BackerKit quote.
For those that care to read them, I have explanations for my blunder. I hadn’t initially imagined the campaign could do more than a POD code until we hit our 48K stretch goal. In my rushed research for a solution, I thought I would be saving money for stretch goals by not forcing the majority of backer base to supplement international backers. As I pointed out above, international prices were cheaper when the project funded a year ago, and there was some math to support the idea.
But that’s no excuse for what happened a few weeks ago: the original plan was naïve and inexperienced of me. I apologize deeply for any anxiety I caused.
As a token of my sincerity, I am covering the entirety of the extra shipping costs for sending an additional pallet out of Hong Kong; those costs will not be passed on to backers. I’ll also be shipping the Chessex dice claimed by international backers overseas out of my teacher’s salary (money charged during the KS to get them to Nevada is not sufficient to get them overseas). If nothing goes wrong and there are no more unexpected costs, I’ll be personally supplementing the new shipping arrangement to the tune of a few thousand dollars.
Lastly, I will further delay paying myself for writing and editing Red Markets. By financing the newly reduced shipping costs with my own personal funds, we can hopefully protect the stretch goal budget and keep releases from being too long delayed.
Why No POD?
Aside from the fact that we announced on multiple occasions we were no longer considering Print-On-Demand before the Kickstarter finished? No one wants me to go back to POD.
For those that trust me to enter the specifications for them, here’s what comes out the other side:
Softcover Premium Color
Hardcover Premium Color
Those printing costs would have been paid by the backer in addition to shipping costs (as promised in the pledge levels when the Kickstarter was still POD). That means prices would have been very bad for paperback backers with the old shipping rates. The price would still be too high with the new shipping rates.
But let’s assume you reduced the color quality beneath what hardcover backers will be getting from the Hong Kong press.
Softcover Standard Color
Hardcover Standard Color
It’s true that shipping would be cheaper for UK backers because DTRPG has a press located in country, but shipping costs from Lightning Source would be similar or higher than what we’re currently being quoted by KixTo. That shipping price would have to be paid in addition to the cost of printing the book, as was originally promised at every print level before the project evolved beyond POD. In short, prices would equal to or higher than what we currently have arranged for what is now a product with substandard color. The images were not designed for that color resolution.
Additionally, retooling the whole book to fit the print guidelines of a completely different printing press would take months and untold graphic design man-hours: money that would have to either come from my depleted savings account, the stretch goal budget, or backers themselves.
A Black-and-White book would be cheaper all around, but now paperback (primarily international) backers have a black-and-white book while everyone else has a hardcover glossy color. Finally, the problems of re-engineering the print specifications and color gradients of the whole book still persist.
We are not using POD. I paid an extra per-copy printing cost to produce the paperbacks from our Hong Kong press specifically to avoid such dips in quality. The interior pages are the exact same quality as the hardcover; only the binding and cover material are different.
The promise of the Kickstarter was print + shipping. Now the charge is for shipping alone. Print + shipping through POD doesn’t get cheaper until the product quality reduces drastically. If I broke a promise regarding POD, it was to provide a better quality product at a cheaper cost.
Going Forward
The new shipping prices are as low as shipping prices will drop. They will go no further. The prices are, as of this moment, non-negotiable. Attempts to contact me as if I have some further control over the situation aside from draining my own bank account (which I’ve already done…completely) will be ignored. Refusal to read the multiple resources and rationales provided to explain the price does nothing to change the actual price.
As I stated earlier, refunds or replacement copies will be provided to domestic and/or international backers that can sufficiently demonstrate irreparable damage that occurred during shipping. Please preserve all packing materials of damaged books, document the failed shipment with pictures, and return the damaged materials back to the fulfillment house. Message me on Kickstarter if the shipment fails and I’ll provide an address where pictures can be sent. In short, if the book didn’t get to you in working order, replacement books and refunds will be provided at the publisher’s expense.
I have also acknowledged my faults in the initial launch of the Backerkit. I was naïve and launched without fully anticipating backer needs or seeking better solutions. For that, I am deeply sorry. Money is no small matter, and the fact that the initial quote caused anxiety for anyone pains me. I hope my continued, demonstrable efforts to fix the problem are enough for the aggrieved to forgive me. Regardless, I promise to learn from this experience and do better in the future.
The Unpleasantness
As for international backers asking me for a refund because they don’t wish to pay the international shipping prices at all: no.
If the refund demand is couched in unfounded accusations – such as claims that I have betrayed or scammed people – the answer is still “no.” In cases where the attacks have descended into slurs, curses, and other harassment, the answer is “hell no.”
I’ve made the costs as low as I possibly can. Every backer at the physical level was promised they would have to pay a shipping fee. Every international backer was promised that the cost would likely be quite high. I’m making good on my promises, and when my initial attempts were not sufficient to backers’ needs, I worked diligently to correct the situation. I continue to do so. The book is still shipping early, with more content and less cost than originally promised.
Failure to settle the bill in full will not result in reimbursement. The Kickstarter funds have been spent on talented artists, editors, and graphic designers. I couldn’t give the money back if I wanted to. And I don’t want to. We have used the money to make a beautiful RPG book. To do so was always the stated purpose of this Kickstarter, and it is being fulfilled.
For my faults in this process, I have apologized and paid for my mistakes. I have incurred great financial expense and mental anguish to satisfy the largely responsible, reasonable, and concerned international backer community. To this overwhelming majority, I would like to take this opportunity to offer my thanks for their patience.
But at the hands of a very vocal minority, I have been subjected to racist tirades, rude comments, and death threats on a daily basis since the launch of the BackerKit. I have been accused of every crime under the sun despite my constant attempts to remain in clear communication with backers. These have not been easy weeks. Sleepless nights have made a difficult solution to shipping problems even more difficult (hypothetical problems, I might add, as no cards have yet to be charged). Admittedly, my enthusiasm for this project has withered under a salty tide of digital bullshit.
This project must operate under the constraints of certain systems. I’ll continue to help reasonable people as much as I am allowed within the confines of these financial realities. But as of now, customer service for assholes has officially ended.
Further attempts to harass me or threaten my family will be reported and removed from every internet platform upon which I can exert any a modicum of control. While the physical violence promised in empty internet threats ignores the cowardice it takes to make such threats in the first place, I must also address the few “brave” international madmen promising to back up their tantrums with a plane ticket: you can expect to be met with the full force the law and the complete exercise of my constitutional rights.
The real concerns of civilized backers persuaded me that I needed to find a new shipping arrangement. The harassment campaign has persuaded me to start treating threats to my safety seriously. Nothing has persuaded me to start negotiating with comment-thread terrorists.
If you’re still angry and wounded about my little RPG after reading this, I suggest you get over it or get gone. You certainly won’t be getting your money back.
I apologize to the supportive and reasonable people that have had to read this ugliness. I’m aware that the majority of the Red Markets community is made up of great people, and I’m very grateful for their continued support. This will be my final statement on the issue.
Back to Business
Outstanding Surveys: To those that have delayed completing their BackerKit survey, I would suggest doing so now.
However, I acknowledge that any hesitance to finish the survey is my fault, so further delay is understandable. It will still be weeks before any credit cards are charged through BackerKit. I will make it clear in updates before cards are about to be run. I will also send reminders out before we reach the point of no return and surveys must be filled out.
Preorders: Also, if y’all don’t completely hate my ass yet, I would greatly appreciate anyone who would distribute the preorder link to their interested friends. After all, shipping did just get a lot cheaper: https://redmarkets.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
For Those Reporting Errors: I’ve made a tracking sheet for typos in the PDF. I can’t promise we will be able to fix everything (there is a fee for altering proofs as we get closer to the printing process), but I’ll correct as much as I can afford. Those that have been collecting error reports can enter them on this table: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FMANGc9-onkplyIC0nt4oShh_R1LRF8FaDcxf3N6ohk/edit?usp=sharing
Other Progress: I’m currently in the process of reviewing final proofs. When that’s done, I have two chapters to finish in the novel before it is ready for editing. Progress across the board has been slowed by the shipping crisis, but I’m hoping for a burst of productivity before the school year starts.
In Conclusion: If you have comments or questions, please read the update completely before hitting the keyboard. If something still needs my attention after that, I’ll be happy to address it.
Thank you for your patience and continued support of Red Markets.
--Caleb
Shipping Concern Update
almost 7 years ago
– Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 01:11:11 AM
So much for a victory lap. There were some errors in the initial BackerKit setup, and some confusion about shipping in general. Let me correct my mistake and explain the rational behind other choices.
The $80.00 Error
There was an error in the shipping tables regarding US shipping. I apologize. It was charging the regular $8 shipping for US backers for pledge, but $80.00 for add-ons. I have since corrected the error. It should be $8.00 media mail for US books.
Where the $8.00 US Cost comes from
Media mail for a book of that size is $4.56. Then there is packaging costs for the shrink wrap to bind the dice tube so we can use media mail. Then there is the cost of the media mail box. I'm paying labor myself.
International Rates
The international rates were quoted to me from Indie Press Revolution, our distributor and fulfillment company. Prices are based on the weight and dimensions of the book. The cheapest method of shipping the book from a US distributor is a medium flat-rate box. Media mail pricing for books doesn't apply outside the US. Shipping prices represent the quote given to me, plus $2 for the box.
The rates are high. In many cases, they are higher than the book itself. I know this sucks, but I also don't what to do to lower that rates quoted to me. This was discussed previously in updates on this page, as well as extensively within the game industry as a whole. The confusion regarding POD is also understandable, but RM grew beyond the scope of that project during the campaign, it was discussed, and POD would not resolve the shipping issues.
The difficulties regarding shipping internationally are precisely why I hired an expert in fulfillment like IPR to execute shipping. These are the quotes I was given. I don't know how to get them any lower than this.
I will, as I have for the last few months, continue investigating ways to lower international shipping costs. If you are concerned, you may hold off paying your fees until we reach closer to the deadline. However, shipping internationally is very difficult for every Kickstarter, and it has been expensive for years. I'm not confident I will find a better solution.
In Closing
Again, I apologize for my error in the US shipping for add-ons. It should be corrected. I hope the above explanation and links clarify things internationally.
I'll continue online for the remainder of the day, answering questions as quickly as I can.
