Hello and happy Tuesday!
To everyone who has received their rewards, thank you so much for all of the gorgeous photos and reels you've shared and tagged me in! Social media has never been particularly kind to me and the Gilded Blood series, most likely because of the "Blood" in the title. So shares mean the world, especially when you substitute "Bl🩸d" (or something similar) for BLOOD 🧛🏻♂️
(If only the world of social media were run by vampires! GB would have gone viral AGES ago rather than making me weep and claw for every like! 🤣)
Photo by Rachel Grace Micallef <3
For those of you who are waiting for your Biscuit + rewards, I want to personally thank you for your kindness and patience. (And for posting snarky memes like this one Angel K. shared in the Renergades yesterday, which made me laugh so hard it earned Angel a signed naughty sticker in the mail.)
As the owner and CEO of my company, I try to shield my employees from as many of the slings and arrows of entrepreneurship and publishing as I possibly can. (Particularly because the last thing I EVER wanted to do was own my own company. Entrepreneurs are NUTS! (Said as a harried, begrudging, and crumbling-at-the-seams entrepreneur 🤣))
I try to do much the same for my readers, sharing joys and jokes as much as possible while protecting you guys from the ulcer-inducing tribulations.
But it's about time I give you all a glimmer of what's been going on behind the scenes regarding Biscuit. Tariffs, as you all know, caused a major headache as well as a huge slowdown. We had to pause prototype production completely while the entire world dealt with the horror and ensuing chaos of the Trump administration charging American businesses upwards of 150% punitive surcharges on Chinese exports without first giving us the incentives and infrastructure to produce those products on American soil. There ARE no massive plushie factories here. There ARE no major book printing facilities here. Hell, we don't even have the tree population to support such a factory.
Suffice it to say, I took a financial hit on both plushies and books. (And NO, you guys are not paying a penny more to compensate. That's on me and forever will be. Y'all have been through enough in this crazy world.)
Anyway, once tariffs decreased a bit and fees were paid, Biscuit's production restarted. But unfortunately there were some extremely time-consuming, back-and-forth design reiterations happening as Geekify worked through translation/creative issues to finalize a new and improved Biscuit prototype.
At long last, that design has been finalized, and John Taylor, the owner and CEO of Geekify, is personally overseeing production to ensure Biscuit is made to the highest standards while also expediting fabrication. The factory estimates an additional 20-25 business days to stuff, sew, and finish QA'ing Monsieur Bisskiss. After that, he'll be placed on a boat to sail to U.S. shores.
As promised, I will be paying extra out of my own pocket to ensure several dozen are air-shipped ahead of time so we can fulfill the rewards of those backers who pledged the most and quickest. Though this project would not have happened without all of you collectively, those intrepid souls helped prime the stage and algorithm for a phenomenal Kickstarter that blew away ALL expectations.
The good news is that Dani, myself, and our incredible fulfillment team have shipped out OVER 800 ORDERS in a little over 2 weeks. Which means that by the time Biscuit arrives to my warehouse, we're going to once again FLY through fulfillment (pun intended) ;)
Some of you have messaged me to ask about paying extra to split your shipments. While we can't do that for everyone, if you have an autumn anniversary, birthday, or other special circumstances that require you to receive your books by a specific date, you may email support@rachelrener.com with your Kickstarter backer number and full name and we can send you a quote to split your books + Biscuit into two shipments.
ONLY Kickstarter supporters can request this favor, not those with late pledges or preorders.
We thank you for your continued understanding and patience as we navigate this new and challenging world of plushies, and appreciate your kindness and understanding more than we can say!
In the meantime, if you're dying for some special edition books you DON'T have to wait for, the revamped Amethysts & Alchemy sprayed-edge hardcover, the Silver Blood Special Onyx Edition Paperback, and the pink Gilded Blood omnibus + slipcover are officially off pre-order and in stock!
A&A in all its sprayed edge glory:
@authorrachelrener Amethysts & Alchemy features gems, minerals, rivals to lovers, and an emotional support pig with his own emotional support piglet stuffie... Need I say more?
♬ Classic Rock - Mang Kokow
✨A New and Expanding Team! ✨
Please help me welcome Bex, my new Content Queenie and the Renergades' newest Fabmin!!
A few fun facts about Bex:
- She has 5 tattoos and wants another! (Any recs?? )
- She's a self proclaimed crazy cat lady
- She can touch her toes!
She's also extremely talented and has made some of my favorite reels ever!! She'll be posting some of those here in the group from time to time, so please be sure to give both her and them tons of love.
Welcome, Bex!!! We love you already!!
*
That's all I've got for now! We're still fulfilling a few dozen more complex KS orders and plan to have those finished in the next two weeks. In the meantime, I've asked John to provide us with weekly updates on production and will keep you guys informed every step of the way!
PS: Will I see any of you at Dragon Con this weekend?? I'll be on 8 panels and also signing books at the Gather and would love to see you there!
Cheers!
❤️Rachel
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THE BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
