Cemetary Dance - the most frustrating of publishers. Why do we even encourage them by forking over our hard earned readies with the promise of upcoming books when we all know they'll mess around for ages and keep coming out with crappy excuses - I'm sick of them. I've had Slade's Death Door paid for for 18 months and I keep getting told it's coming, it's coming. Same with fpw's stuff - more delays. I was very p***ed off having to buy a hardback copy of Sims after spending a small fortune on the CD version only to get half a bloody book!!!! Now the same's going to happen with Midnight Mass - I got an email today saying Sims4 & MM will be out in the summer.
Borderlands and Grant don't treat their customers like this (in my case they haven't anyway).

Thanks for listening to my rant - I just got the email from CD so I'm a tad miffed!! I'm away for a Partagas robusto and a 15 year old port to calm my inflamed senses!!
Have a good weekend everyone
cheers!!
Steve, Bonny Scotland

Cemetary Dance - the most frustrating of publishers. Why do we even encourage them by forking over our hard earned readies with the promise of upcoming books when we all know they'll mess around for ages and keep coming out with crappy excuses - I'm sick of them. I've had Slade's Death Door paid for for 18 months and I keep getting told it's coming, it's coming. Same with fpw's stuff - more delays. I was very p***ed off having to buy a hardback copy of Sims after spending a small fortune on the CD version only to get half a bloody book!!!! Now the same's going to happen with Midnight Mass - I got an email today saying Sims4 & MM will be out in the summer.
Borderlands and Grant don't treat their customers like this (in my case they haven't anyway).

Thanks for listening to my rant - I just got the email from CD so I'm a tad miffed!! I'm away for a Partagas robusto and a 15 year old port to calm my inflamed senses!!
Have a good weekend everyone
cheers!!
Steve, Bonny Scotland

It is VERY frustrating, but I'd rather have them around then not. Since I'm one of those strange "collectors", I don't mind too terribly purchasing the regular editions while waiting for the Limiteds. As limiteds go, they are inexpensive, and the quality is decent. They've also introduced me to some authors I may not have found on my own that I now enjoy. Their release dates are to be taken with SEVERAL grains of salt (and some 15 year old port).
:p

Hi Tim - their books are beautiful and relatively cheap but I hate the delays. When someone says it'll be available on such and such a date, it should be ready there or there about not 18 months after solicitation
I'm a pharmacist by profession - if I tell a patient 'Come back in 10 minutes and your prescription will be ready', I fully intend to have it ready. If not, I would say the customer would be quite entitled to chew me a new arse and stop coming to my shop!! CD don't seem to have this work ethic and quite happily take our cash and have a 'You'll get it when you get it' attitude! I do believe in supporting the small press but only if they deserve that support by coming up with the goods. If they didn't charge your card until shipping I wouldn't mind but they've got nearly £200 of my money. DMGrant don't charge until shipping and they're a small operation! Borderlands *do* charge when ordered but they ship on time - hell, CrissCross shipped early!

Steve
PS The port was excellent and I had a Ramone Allones robusto instead - the 1st one I've tried and by god it was excellent!!!

Thanks for listening to my rant - I just got the email from CD so I'm a tad miffed!! I'm away for a Partagas robusto and a 15 year old port to calm my inflamed senses!!
Have a good weekend everyone
cheers!!
Steve, Bonny Scotland

Port? You're living in the land of single malt scotch and some of the finest ales on Earth, and you're drinkin' Port? BTW, I've become hooked on Scottish ales. Any recommendations?

Couldn't agree more on the cigar though. Back in my college days, I would save up my money for Partagas and Macanudo cigars. I stopped smoking back in '89 due to ulcer problems--never got the taste back after I had the ulcer repaired.

It is VERY frustrating, but I'd rather have them around then not........Their release dates are to be taken with SEVERAL grains of salt (and some 15 year old port).
:p

.....and some Valium, and Prozac, and eventually Cyanide.

If they didn't charge your card until shipping I wouldn't mind but they've got nearly £200 of my money. DMGrant don't charge until shipping and they're a small operation! Borderlands *do* charge when ordered but they ship on time - hell, CrissCross shipped early!

Steve
PS The port was excellent and I had a Ramone Allones robusto instead - the 1st one I've tried and by god it was excellent!!!

Shocklines and Gauntlet also don't bill until shipped, do they?

Hi Tim - their books are beautiful and relatively cheap but I hate the delays. When someone says it'll be available on such and such a date, it should be ready there or there about not 18 months after solicitation
I'm a pharmacist by profession - if I tell a patient 'Come back in 10 minutes and your prescription will be ready', I fully intend to have it ready. If not, I would say the customer would be quite entitled to chew me a new arse and stop coming to my shop!! CD don't seem to have this work ethic and quite happily take our cash and have a 'You'll get it when you get it' attitude! I do believe in supporting the small press but only if they deserve that support by coming up with the goods. If they didn't charge your card until shipping I wouldn't mind but they've got nearly £200 of my money. DMGrant don't charge until shipping and they're a small operation! Borderlands *do* charge when ordered but they ship on time - hell, CrissCross shipped early!

Steve
PS The port was excellent and I had a Ramone Allones robusto instead - the 1st one I've tried and by god it was excellent!!!

Hi Steve - That is a lot of money you have tied up with them. I understand where you are coming from. With most small presses one expects to receive a limited edition BEFORE the regular published edition hits the chain stores. I don't understand CD's habit of rarely meeting deadlines either. It seems to me that they owe it to the author, and the readers, to have books like Midnight Mass and Sims out BEFORE the mainstream version.

I rarely order through CD's website. I usually go through Shocklines.com. You will receive a discount on the cover price (usually 20% on CD), you aren't billed until the book ships, and the customer service is exceptional. And yes, they ship internationally. Borderlands Press and Gauntlet Press (to me) are in a league of their own. Their service is just what you hope for.

Tim in Colorado (who's girlfriend wants you to send out some Tennant's).
:p

Shocklines and Gauntlet also don't bill until shipped, do they?

Shocklines doesn't, Gauntlet does (unless you order Gauntlet from Shocklines).

Hi there, I'd have to agree with Steve BIG TIME about CD Pubs. I've ranted on about them on the old FPW board, and the Graham Masterton messageboard on many occasions in the past. I cannot fault CD with the quality of the limiteds at all, fine books uniquely and beautifully presented, BUT their customer service and shipping schedules leave MUCH to be desired. The SIMS collection being the PRIME FPW example..........although, I did have to wait three years for a Masterton limited from them, so don't know what the interest on that money for all the other people who pre-ordered and paid was, but Mr Chizmar is nicely coining it in I think. I know that they're a small press, BUT, they've either got some HUGE issues with their printers and bindery who are not delivering the goods and schedules to them (in which case, I'd ditch em' and get someone who can do the job), or good old Rich, is spending far too much time STILL, jetting around the country drumming up new business, to invite more pre-orders for yet more books to be published in the very very very distant future. They seem to have a problem with veracity in their customer services dept as well. I emailed them about the Masterton SEPSIS chapbook about a year after I'd originally ordered it with them, and was told that they were STILL waiting for Graham Masterton to send back the signed limitation sheets !! So I emailed Graham and asked him what he was playing at - Graham's answer was 'I sent them back to CD at least 6 months ago............' mmmm.........I know who I believe. Personally, I think that CD would do themselves a lot more favours if they gave REALISTIC and HONEST publication and delivery schedules for their books, DID NOT charge you until shipping, and were a tad more honest about what's happening when you enquire about these books you've ordered. I don't personally order books from CD now, and vowed to never again do so, and thus get my CD books through other suppliers who do NOT charge my CC until they ship to me, and as with Shocklines, you get a nice discount. I cannot praise Gauntlet high enough though, not as big an outfit as CD by the looks of it (but not far off I think), and when they say you're gonna get something, you sure as hell do. Barry Hoffman runs a Fantastic business, and should be commended for it. It's a shame that a lot more authors don't steer clear of CD pubs, and go with reliable publishers like Gauntlet. Rant over!!! Laters, Kev.

.....How you doin'? I had a feeling you'd be in agreement here.

fpw - why do you get CD to publish your stuff?. I'm sure you're as frustrated as we all are with them. I know you'll be keen to support the smaller presses but CD seem to be consistently the worst of the bunch.

Steve
PS Thanks to everyone for the advice re: Shocklines. I think I'll get all my limiteds through them from now on. I've dealt with Matt a few times now and the service is excellent
PPS Kev - did you sign up for one of the Salem's Lot limiteds? Mail me for details if you missed it