Learning Curve: The actual Slow Boat From China
Hello everyone,
After a bought of world travelling, I've got an updated ETA for the books. We're expecting them to be in our offices on June 19 or 20.
Probably the biggest thing I didn't know when I started this project was the amount of time on the back end. Previously, I've been using only digital presses with fairly fast turnarounds. But in making a board book, this was not an option. And when I needed to order 3,000 copies, it really, really wasn't an option.
The phrase "slow boat to China" used to be a poker term, for a player that didn't realize he was slowly and surely losing his money to professional players. The idea was that China was the farthest place they could think of, and back in the 1940s, travelling by boat was officially "slow."
But naval freight is still the main way to get things from continent to continent. And on May 13, 2012, The Monster Alphabet left Hong Kong to pass through the Panama Canal and up to New York.
It's due to hit land on June 7. But then we've got the waiting game of customs, plus waiting for it to be loaded onto a truck and shipped down to Columbia, MD (about 200 miles south of New York). Which puts the ETA at June 19 or 20.
1,166
Backers
$25,078
pledged of $500 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Dec 16, 2011 -
Jan 19, 2012
- 5 created · 22 backed
- Darren J. Gendron 278 friends
- Website: hellowithcheese.com
Pledge $1 or more
63 backers
A PDF of the book. This is automatically included in all other backer levels.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2012Pledge $12 or more
530 backers
A copy of the book sent to anywhere in the USA or Canada.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2012Pledge $17 or more
76 backers
A copy of the book sent to anywhere other than the USA or Canada.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2012Pledge $22 or more
337 backers
Two books, sent anywhere. For more books, just add $10 per book to this reward ($32 for three books, $42 for four books, et cetera).
Estimated delivery: Mar 2012Pledge $28 or more
45 backers
Flash cards and a book - Each flash card is currently designed at 4.25"x5.5" with rounded corners and a glossy finish. Note: the size of the card is subject to change based on the number of orders for the package. International backers, please add $5 shipping and handling.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2012Pledge $39 or more
44 backers
Fridge magnet set and a book - Each magnet is 2"x3.5", featuring its letter, the art of the monster, and the name of the monster. International backers, please add $5 shipping and handling.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2012Pledge $55 or more
36 backers
The fridge magnet set, the flash cards and a book. International backers, please add $5 shipping and handling.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2012Pledge $80 or more
12 backers
Wholesaler package - 10 books, shipped anywhere.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2012Pledge $100 or more
17 backers All gone!
One of the original pieces of art from the book, plus a copy of the book signed by both O and Dern.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $150 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Baltimore, MD - April 20, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system. (note: This date is flexible)
Estimated delivery: Apr 2012Pledge $150 or more
1 backer All gone!
Washington, DC - June 8, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system. (note: This date is flexible)
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $150 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Los Angeles, CA - June 26, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $150 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Los Angeles, CA - June 28, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $150 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Indianapolis, IN - Aug. 17, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2012Pledge $200 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
London, UK - May 24, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system. (Note: This signing package includes Obsidian)
Estimated delivery: May 2012Pledge $200 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Atlanta, GA - Sept. 1, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system. (Note: This signing package includes Obsidian)
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $250 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Toronto, Canada - May 11, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system.
Estimated delivery: May 2012Pledge $250 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
San Diego, CA - July 10, 2012 Book Tour Appearance: 20 copies, plus Dern for a 3-hour signing and reading at your store or library. If this is purchased as a gift for a library, the books must be donated to the library system. (Note: This signing package includes Obsidian)
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $500 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
The Banner Year Level - To celebrate what our 2012 is shaping up to be, we'll need a tour banner. The Banner Year backer gets our banner (55 inches tall and 24 inches wide) when we're done with it in 2013. We'll keep track of each tour stop on the back of it, and O will add some drawings to it. And we'll throw in the last original piece of penciled art, the Raijū, and a nice package of 10 signed books.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013
Comments
Creator Iván Cavero Belaunde on June 20, 2012
Hi Darren, I sent a couple of messages starting a few weeks ago but I haven't heard back at all. I'm a backer at the book+art+magnet+flash cards level and I'm going to be moving sometime this summer, do you have an update when you're planning to send these out? If it's too late I may have to change my address and there seems to be no way to do this. Please advise. Thanks.
Creator Lisa G. on June 9, 2012
Thank you for all of the interesting info in the updates!
Creator Rezwan Razani on May 30, 2012
I've always wanted to visit the Panama Canal. Scroll down this post on Roosevelt for a cool Panama Canal song. http://www.fusionenergyleague.org/index.php/blog/article/roosevelt
Your books will get here around my birthday and before my nephew's. Very auspicious. Can't wait to get it!
Costs. At the end of this, it would be great if you could break down the costs of this endeavor in a pie chart. What I like about kickstarter is the education about what it really costs to do something. Most people have no clue and we live in a world where we discount each other's work. I look forward to the day when we have a thriving marketplace of many people with many unique products expressing their vision. In order for this to be sustainable, people will need to be able to make a living doing this. Great to get some practical perspective on the material process of realizing dreams. Thank you!
Creator koen de beer on May 30, 2012
Half of the fun is in the waiting..... !!! So the longer it takes, the bigger the other half gets ... ;-))
Creator Darren J. Gendron on May 30, 2012
There's a couple of different shipping costs. But the cost of getting the books from the printer to me is costing 71 cents a book, or $2,130. There's also the cost of shipping the books from me to the backers, and that'll be closer to $4,000.
Creator Meghann Kinsey on May 29, 2012
Yes, like stated above, I appreciate the updates, and I also didn't realize everything that went into getting a book printed and shipped out. It is interesting to see what all goes into it. I wonder how much of a books price is from shipping.
Creator Jarrod O on May 29, 2012
We appreciate the updates. I am learning something in this process also. Can hardly wait!