Yes, Your Hail to the Victors is Coming
So I received almost a hundred emails this weekend, and at least that again in the weeks prior, from Kickstarter backers asking when their books should arrive; obviously we need an update.
Your books are fine, and are shipping on schedule. It’s just that, as we mentioned previously, our schedule this year was backed up four weeks from normal. This had nothing to do with the printer or shipping. It’s because our whole staff had medical issues ranging from serious to life-altering this spring, and then we had a website relaunch. The last article wasn't submitted until after the date we usually have the first shipment of books in hand.
I spoke this morning with our printer to get the latest status of your books and understand how they’re going out. The short of it is most of you should get your books this week or next, and only a very few should have already. The magazines were printed and bound three weeks ago, and since then they’ve been trying to get them mailed out as quickly as possible.
This can’t physically happen all at once. The printer created a pile of books, a pile envelopes, and a pile of addresses that I provided, and each order had to be manually stuffed, which was going on all last week. They go out in batches to a mail house, which takes about a day to process everything before they get into the regular mail, and then it's a few days unless you're unlucky or international.
They expect to finish the pile today. All orders of 2 or more went to the mail house already, the last of them on Friday. That means the first batch probably only hit mailboxes on Saturday, and books will still be tricking into mailboxes in about 2 weeks, unless you got your address to me too late (in which case we've communicated) or you're one of the 21 people who didn't get me an address this year.
By the way I bought a book too—it's a standard 1-book purchase—and I will let you know when mine arrives as a baseline. The signed books should come in a few weeks as well. Right now Brian is in the process of signing them.
Once again I'm really sorry we can't go any faster. Believe me when I tell you I wish there was some way to magically teleport a large stack of books into a large stack of envelopes. I would also like the ability to make exact copies of Jake Long on demand.
If you receive a book that’s damaged please take a photo of it and email me, and we’ll get you a new copy (the photo is necessary for us to get the post office to refund the shipping—we eat the book). Otherwise I thank you deeply for your patience.
August 6th, 2018 at 10:36 AM ^
Put me in for one Jake Long and one Taylor Lewan, please!
August 6th, 2018 at 11:14 AM ^
Thank you for the update Seth
August 6th, 2018 at 11:19 AM ^
Completely missed the ordering period. Too late to get one?
August 6th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
Nope! Hit the store: https://mgoblogstore.com/collections/mgoblog
Those will go out from Underground Printing's warehouse in Ann Arbor so it's not on the same timeline as the Kickstarter orders but they tend to get those orders turned around pretty fast.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
They are sold at local stores too right (Literati, MDen, etc.)? Will they have copies in now?
Yes.
- Underground Printing
- The Bo Store
- M-Den
- Literati
- Nicola's
August 6th, 2018 at 11:23 AM ^
I vote that next year the 1 book people get theirs first.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
we eat the book
So do I send it back for you guys to eat it, or will you come to my apartment and consume it there for my viewing pleasure?
August 6th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^
Were you gonna eat it?
August 6th, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
That’s weird. I've had mine for two weeks now. Did not kickstart, bought with two day shipping.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
WELL?!?!?!? Are the Fishers fishering or not??? Inquiring minds need to know!
August 6th, 2018 at 11:40 AM ^
Fuck yeah we did.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
Suck it, bass.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
Hot damn thats a good day
August 6th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
We go with a friend who's a charter fisherman in Anchor Bay. My grandpa's grandpa owned a cottage up there and used to fish with the charter guy's grandpa. When I was a kid we'd all ride out there in my grandpa's huge Cadillac together, and my grandpa would always point at some tiny little house and say "That right there--that was my grandpa's cottage!" Funny thing is I don't think he ever pointed at the same house twice.
On a hot day all the fish in Lake St. Claire collect in the cool grassy drop-off near Strawberry Island. Also catch a bunch of rock bass and the occasional sheephead (freshwater drum) but we throw those back. I know Henry's looking for new customers (his are getting pretty old and starting to die off) if anyone wants to book a charter.
Grew up fishing Lk St Clair off the old dock in Anchor Bay where the city park now stands. Had a lure that was a bass magnet it seemed. One of the worst days of my life as a kid was loosing that lure snagged on the bottom of the lake somewhere.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:12 PM ^
Nice catching. How does bass taste? I have never thought about keeping bass to cook, but I'm sure if you fry it it would taste good. Also where is my book?
August 6th, 2018 at 12:40 PM ^
Bass taste good fried or grilled. I don't eat any over 18-20 inches though. They tend to get really fishy tasting. The smaller ones are good to go though. Not as good as bluegill/crappie/perch/walleye but good eating.
Smallies are DELICIOUS but they have a mud line (or mud vein) that you have to cut away or else they taste "fishy." I think most people don't realize it's there but it makes a huge difference in the taste. The smaller they are (you don't keep them if they're under 14 inches) the better the flavor. We like to have a big fish fry after catching them and that takes care of the perch and smaller bass. The larger cutlets become fish tacos or pate.
Not to mention bass are fun to catch. Very active on the line.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^
Some nice sized perch there!
August 6th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
We need to have a talk about keeping those little guys.
I personally wouldn't keep anything that is close to the legal limit. I've tried to convince people to release smaller fish or more importantly the large breeders, but if you don't share the same mindset it is like talking to a wall.
Bass legal limit is 5 and 14 inches. We measure and throw back all the little guys. With 5 licenses on the boat and 4 fishing we usually don't have to worry about limiting out but this trip we had to keep count.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:40 AM ^
"It’s just that, as we mentioned previously, our schedule this year was backed up four weeks from normal. This had nothing to do with the printer or shipping. It’s because our whole staff had medical issues ranging from serious to life-altering this spring, and then we had a website relaunch."
August 6th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
Okay, fine, but when is Brian going to litter my Twitter feed with Ann Arbor real estate zoning and amateur soccer updates--- Oh! Nevermind. All set there.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:03 PM ^
All part of our master plan to starve readers for Michigan content so they'll buy HTTVs.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
Seth, I appreciate what you folks are going through with your various illnesses and hope recovery happens quickly. Should something like this happen in the future, why not get some temporary help to stuff the envelopes? If kids are smart enough to get into Michigan, I suspect you could find a few of them capable of doing some of your grunt work for a reasonable price.
The stuffing is all happening at the printer's, in Minnesota, and getting temp staff like that is expensive. That also took just over a week, which is fine.
The labor shortage we had this spring was Ace and I were both in and out of hospitalization with Brian getting a bad thing in there. I ended up writing the recruits, the letter from the editor, and most of the opponent previews this year in addition to my feature and editing the whole book. We're hard to replace.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
Sometimes you eat the book, and sometimes, well, it eats you.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
It does have Rashan Gary on the front and Chase Winovich on the back, but I'm sure there's a tackle or two inside who can protect you.
Sheesh. I’m glad I bought The Wolverine instead this year.
August 7th, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
You can get both, you know. The content is so different we don't consider each other competitors.
August 9th, 2018 at 10:24 AM ^
Christmas in August!! Tremendous work gentlemen.
August 11th, 2018 at 8:05 AM ^
Would it have been quicker to wait until it was available for purchase and get it that way??
August 15th, 2018 at 4:07 PM ^
Still no magazine and taking off on an international trip tomorrow. Did mine get pushed to the end of the shipping queue because my last name begins with Z? If so, very lame. Bummer for sure if I won't be able to read it until after the season starts.
Edit: the magazine arrived today just before heading off to the airport. Seth, you are a Golden God!
Comments