We have gotten several emails worrying about the vellum orders, so to catch everyone up.
06/08 Preorder opened.
07/08 Preorder closed.
07/08 -07/18 Adjustment period: we checked addresses, fixed issues, and merged the addon packs with the original orders.
07/20 Fulfillment started, and we sent out an email, a blog post, and a store notification that we expect 4-6 weeks for fulfillment.
Why is it taking so long?
Bookplates. Every pack and every addon pack has a bookplate. Some people ordered multiple packs per order. It is taking us a while to sign everything and personalize. To date we shipped about 1,000 orders and ran through over 2,500 bookplates, which we had to reprint.
That said, we are about 1 week behind where we planned to be.
What happened?
We went back for a vellum reprint.
You are looking at a small portion of 6,000 pages of vellum.
It looks lovely if you hold it up to the light. Unfortunately, when you put them into a book, you get…
That’s the original print run on the left and the new one on the right. Everyone looks like they drowned themself in orange spray tan.
Something was wrong with this batch of vellum paper. It took the ink oddly. We can’t fill the orders with spray-tan Clover. That is a no.
We went back to the printer, and they were super amazing about the reprint. But it took them over a week to get another order of the paper in. We should be getting this print run on Friday, and everyone is prepped to work through the weekend, so we can catch up.
What will happen to the oversaturated vellum?
Giveaways. We might do a pack of Everard, Arvel, and Silveren, as they are the most presentable, mark it as damaged vellum, and sell it dirt cheap down the road. Right now, we need to fill the orders.
If you are worried, email the store, and I will find your order and confirm that all is well and if it is not well for some reason, I will do my best to fix it.
We apologize for the delay. We hope to still hit our original target of getting everything out the door by the end of this month.
They look fabulous, so pretty
Maybe Clover has been on holiday?
😆 On holiday, that’s a nice thought!
Lol, imagine Maggie introduces the concept of PTO to Rellas
Well the paper problem was annoying. I’m just amazed at all you do!! When do you have to start on Maggie 3?
Please don’t stress the authorlords out by asking about Maggie 3 before they’re done with Maggie 2. We have to safeguard their mental health!
House Andrews is so good to the Horde. We appreciate you making sure to correct print issus and wanting to get us the best vellum.
We will w*it with most sincere thanks…
Can I ask about the Maggie summer box (which now looks like it might become a Christmas Box?)
Didn’t mean to add this post as a reply…. Sorry
After vellum and rewrites to Maggie 🙂
sorry I have no idea if this is true but I think I remember seeing on a Reddit thread that HA feel kinda uncomfortable being called yk the author l’s. no shaming, just informing for future!! ( if that is true of course )
It is true, we have been asked not to call them authorlords as it makes them uncomfortable, but it slips sometimes or not everyone has seen it, it’s not a big problem 🙂
What is “yk the author 1’s”?
“you know, the authorlords”. AL used to be what the BDH fondly called them, but they are more comfortable referred to as House Andrews.
Thanks.
Damaged vellum may be good to use to make resin notebook covers, trays, etc. need to consider….
Hmmm
Happy Planner covers… what a brillant idea…
Hugs…..
I think they look great, I’d be happy with either, and wouldn’t have thought they look too tan if you hadn’t mentioned it.
Your perfectionism makes your books and world building shine extraordinarily! Give yourself a break and maybe don’t try to be uber perfect with merch.
My opinion only, but I’m well and truly invested in your not burning yourselves out before you’ve finished as many storylines as humanly possible! 😉
They’ve just been spending time outside, making soap and practicing!
That’s a lot of vellum! Thanks for caring so much about quality. I will take extra good care of my book and its beautiful vellums. Hang in there!
Just sending “good vibes.” Thank you for all you do for us!
That’s a lot of orange spray tan. Maybe Maggie and Clover were testing out a new product and got carried away?
Wow, what an awful surprise to get, especially when you’re buried in editing, too. I know you’re intense about getting things done, but don’t forget to take care of yourselves. You have to come first, so you can do all the rest. Based on my order number, I’m in the next batch but I can wait. I have faith in you. You will get there. If the vellums have to wait so you can get editing done, I’m fine with that. Just take care of yourselves, please? =)
+ a whole bunch
Thank you! We get the order when we get it, and that we get this beautiful artwork at all is amazing! Thank you for all you do to support the BDH!
I think you are amazing authors and people in general. You take care to make sure all you produce is of the highest quality. I can’t think of any other authors that go to the levels you do for your readers and fans, especially to feed the horde with different merch while you continue to write and meet your deadlines. I am in awe and very grateful!
haha spray tanned clover. I kinda would of liked to be a fly on the wall when you realized the difference. Maybe you should wrote a scene where a test soap gives an orange hue. Then they can be test soap mishaps and sell for regular price.
Thank you so much for the care you guys take with EVERYTHING!!! The Horde does not deserve you!!!
And don’t we have editing craziness going on too?!?
Love and serenity to all.
I am chalant, but will be patient.
That’s a lot to do. I am in awe about how much you bend over backwards for the BDH. No wonder we love you so much!
Even spray tan clover is beautiful.
In the no good deed goes unpunished with the Horde. Y’all are too good to us and we get spoiled. Thanks for all you do!
It’s summer tan Clover 🙂
House Andrews & Mod are AMAZING. Thank you so much for loving BDH (and our crazy) 😀 <3
LOL oh no, not spray tan Clover!
Honestly you are the most lovely and generous authors we could ever ask for. I hope people are being kind and understanding to you. You deserve all the p*tience in the world. It is worth the w*it. 🙂
You guys are so amazingly good to us. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed the orange tan! Lots of good wishes for shipping and processing the rest of the orders
You all are awesome! I would wait much longer without worry and still be grateful for my order whenever it arrives….next month…Valentines 2027…don’t care. It will come; there will be joy.
You are people. Life happens. Issues pelt us like Texas hail sometimes does. I care about you. You make my world better by sharing your gifts and talents. I am so very grateful. Take time for you and know you are worthy of rest, understanding and support.
Thank you for all you do!
Is this going to be like those misprinted stamps where Self Tanned Clover becomes a collectible? 😉
I’m very sorry about the extra work for all of you and please hang in there and don’t let it get to you!
As the saying goes, you need to pivot here:
If the off colour only shows up when the vellum is being looked through in a book, then maybe the solution is to use the “damaged” vellum pictures in a way that keeps them opaque: backed with a piece of blank paper and then laminated as notebook covers or placemats or something similar that you can then sell as extra merch items at three times the price….
Lmao spray-tanned Arvel actually feels very in character!! 😂
Keep your chin up, House Andrews! You are doing amazingly.
Ok! I have to admit I was getting a tad worried. You had this order number listed on the store page and it just never updated 🤪. Thanks for all the extra work above and beyond! Especially given everything else you need to do. They are going to be so amazing!
The California DMV must be using that same paper as my newest drivers license looks like I have the sunburn to end all sunburns.
Thank you for your amazing attention to detail and all your fan services to the Horde! Feel free to push my order until the end, as House Andrews mental health and other priorities is much more important. I will nonchalantly wait and it will be like a fun surprise whenever I receive it
You guys are more professional and transparent than a lot of merch small businesses I’ve bought from. Wild because they do merch fulfillment full time!
Thanks for the update. I hope one day we can also get Luisa’s art as vellum.
Thank you for all you do! The Horde loves you! 💩 happens! 😊
I really am astonished that you guys are doing all this yourselves! You love your horde very much – and we are so grateful! – but PLEASE don’t stress yourselves out over vellum orders! We can w*it!!!
Thank you for Vellum update. I am waiting patiently, but as I live rural, have P.O. Box, it’s nice to get the 4-6 estimate shipping so I know when to make more frequent trips to the post office to check my box.
You guys are amazing, you work so hard for us Hoard and always make sure everything is perfect for us, we are so spoilt 🥰 Thank you!!
You’re such an amazing team. The open communication as well as the obvious care are an awesome combination.
Can I ask an annoying question from the UK?
How are things progressing with that distribution issue?
I’m still pining for vellum with a British accent.
I got my order today and did a whole presentation to my dad and sister about how cool the sheets were. they were both highly unamused… the woes of book nerds in a non book nerd family 🥲
Deep appreciation for the quality control. I would also like to say that in a world of characters I deeply love, Clover is THE BOMB. She is one of my favorite characters ever and that’s saying something.
Thanks for the quality control. Don’t rush though. if I get mine before I move in December all is good
Is it just me or do others in the Horde read every blog post even though it has nothing to do with them? LOL. I did not purchase any of the special editions and am in Canada so no merch for me yet but I can’t skip a blog post! This is the power of the Horde. Hmmm, if you gave the orange-spray tan vellum away, could you send to Canada if we just pay the shipping??
Is Everard included too??
Yes, the vellum sets include 6 images: Arvel, Clover, Everard, the Man from the Garden, Solentine and the Sun Margrave.
You can see the Sleepless Duke vellums in the top 2 pictures above:)
I don’t want to bother everyone if my order is just in the delayed group. Is there a time frame for when we need to reach out if we haven’t received our order?
There will be updates, so please check in with the blog or the front page of the store, but as the article says, not before the end of August at least.
I love these so much and appreciate the time and care y’all are taking to ensure they’re right. This is something I wish I would have been in the horde sooner to be able to order myself.
evil grin,
so I dont get in trouble for thinking things right? Just writing them down?
just checking…
Bwahahahahahahahaah
Thank you for the update.
Personally, I’m in no hurry – it will be a nice addition when I reread (AGAIN) before getting the next book!
Also, orangey spray tans do have a bad connotations (at least for me) right now!
I saw this update and prepared to be p*tient, but then my vellum arrived! It’s absolutely fantastic!
Thank you for all your efforts. I got my order including addon, and it was perfect! I am going to frame the original vellums, and put the addon into my special edition book.
my ADHD means I forget I placed an order for these until it gets mentioned on the blog again.
I’m both sorry it’s so much work, and so appreciative of the time and care, and attention to detail ya’ll put into your craft and product and how much you care about fans.
I became a fan in early Kate Daniels, and have deeply enjoyed literally everything ya’ll have chosen to share with The Horde.
Always looking forward to the next thing and the rereads of the current, but with the caveat of wishing you care for yourselves and your things!
Just a comment on the vellum with the odd printing. Maybe they can be upcycled into lanterns with LED lights. Or use as suncatchers on windows. They still look pretty.
Will you still be reopening in August?
I’ve gotten mine already! Someone tried their hardest to bend the envelope but they were thwarted. The velum and all other contents escaped unscathed. All your hard work in testing was so worth it! Thank you so much for everything you do for us.
We so appreciate all your hard work and dedication to perfection in every aspect of your work and merchandise! And while I know that bumps and challenges are a normal part of running any business, my heart hurts that you are having to deal with this—especially when you are also in the editing frenzy with Maggie 2. For my part, I’ve stopped checking the website and am determined to exercise patience—hard as that may be. I’ll be ecstatic when my order arrives whatever the date. Please take time to care for yourselves in the midst of all this work.
I received my package this week. The vellum and all the contents are perfect – despite the postal carrier bending the sides to fit it in my mailbox. Thank you for all the wonderful things you do for the Horde.
Well there be vellum for the Inn Keeper Series?
Shout out to House Andrews!
I treat all my preorder books and such as a delicious treat. I order, then file the order info away. When the order arrives it’s a lovely surprise!!
Also, I tend to order from small shops and they typically do take longer.
I feel that the saturated version of Arvel kinda suits him. To me at least, it gives him a deeper tan since he is from a costal region.