Shipping Update & The Failurist
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jun 23, 2020 at 02:08:02 AM

Dear friends,

We are pleased to report that production on all states – paperbound, hardbound, de luxe, and de morte – is well-underway.  Paperbound copies will be completed this week, hardbounds by mid-July, and de luxe by the end of July.  We experienced a shipping delay of about two weeks due to – of all things – difficulty in obtaining the proper PVA-neutral glue in the quantity needed.  All art supply stores in Portland were either closed or out of it, and shipping from the nearest supplier took two weeks longer than expected.  With about ten gallons of glue obtained, we're back on track.

We have been monitoring the international shipping situation closely.  Unfortunately, it does not look good at present.  Covid-19 has caused massive delays in worldwide postal service.  We sent five test packages in early May to see whether we could expect problems with our international shipments.  The package to Australia has only just arrived, the package to Japan arrived last week, and the packages to Belgium, Finland, and Argentina have yet to arrive.....  For our European backers (about fifty of you), we are considering carrying the books across the Atlantic ourselves, and shipping from within the European Union.  This way, you should receive your books reliably and quickly.  For all of our other backers worldwide, we are continuing to look for solutions and are in contact with local postal systems.  

More very soon as we finish the production of paperbound and hardbound copies.  In the meantime,

We are very excited to present "The Failurist" by Markus Zusak.

Last week we finished production of The Failurist, an essay by the great contemporary novelist Markus Zusak.  It is No Reply's fifth book.  The edition is limited to only 127 copies, of which 45 were reserved via our "Collector Tiers" on this campaign.  Thank you to all of these collectors!!!

If you haven't yet reserved a copy, we hope you will consider doing so!  Zusak's essay is captivating, and we are proud to publish the first edition.

You can add a copy of The Failurist to your pledge by reserving it on our website.  Be sure to use the code "REDDEATH" at checkout to waive your shipping!  While it is a joy to publish revered classics like The Masque of the Red Death, we hope you will also support our endeavor to publish original works by great contemporary artists!

Reserve your copy now!

With that, some photos of the newly finished edition:

As we begin to reach the final stretch of production, we want to thank you for your support once again.  It really makes our work possible, and means the world,

The No Reply Team

Shipping Timeline
almost 4 years ago – Sun, May 24, 2020 at 11:36:48 PM

Dear friends,

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all our collectors here in the U.S. – and best wishes to all around the world!  We hope everybody is safe and well.  This project has backers from 27 countries and 46 U.S. states!  Our whole team is excited to know that our books are going to bookshelves around the world.  In a word: Incredible!!!

As we mentioned in the last update, our bindery (which had been in business for nearly a century) has closed – likely permanently – due to the Coronavirus.  We are heartbroken and will miss their work greatly.  Most hand-binders are closed, and even if they weren't, few have the capacity to bind hundreds of books.  Therefore, it has taken some time to find a suitable replacement.  

But past is prologue, and we believe we have found a good solution – the book is headed into the bindery this week!

Our best estimate for shipping is now:

Paperbound and Hardbound copies will begin to ship in June. De Luxe, De Morte, and Collector tiers will begin to ship in July.

When your book has shipped, you will receive an email with a tracking code!  However, you can of course inquire about the status at any time.  It's never a burden to answer your emails, so please feel welcome to reach out at any time!

Our next update will include all the wonderful photos our bindery can provide!  Until then, very best wishes, and we cannot wait to send you your books,

The NRP Team

Update to De Luxe and De Morte books
almost 4 years ago – Sun, May 24, 2020 at 06:03:34 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Printing is DONE, and further updates!
about 4 years ago – Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 12:40:51 AM

Dear friends,

It has been a trying month for all.  We hope you're safe and well.  Production on The Masque of the Red Death has continued apace, despite some delays caused by the Coronavirus.  (Details below.)  The team has been hard at work, and we have plenty of great news to report.  We have also been catching up on some literature.  Some quarantine recommendations so far:

Thoughts by Blaise Pascal.  (Everything up until "The Wager," especially.)  Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.  (Heartbreaking!)  Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle series.  (Especially if you find yourself suddenly with a LOT of time.)  Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov.  (It's SO good.)  

Updates on production

We have a few pieces of great news:

• Printing is DONE!  And we think you'll be pleased with the result.  With letterpress, a skilled printer can vary the impression of the printing.  Too much "bite" and the letters are overly apparent on the other side.  Too soft of a "kiss" and the impression isn't enough to distinguish it from digital printing or be felt by touch.  We think Jenn has struck the perfect balance!  The impression is distinct without being distracting.  We can't wait for you to see her work.
• We've been posting photos on our Instagram, and will continue to do so, so be sure to follow us!  (We're also posting the photos below.)
• The edition is now in the binding prep phase.  This is probably the least glamorous part of production, but it's just as important as the rest!  The signatures must be folded, cut, collated, and sewn — all by hand.  It takes hundreds of hours to do it well.  With binderies closed due to the Coronavirus, our whole team is pitching in to be sure that the edition is ready to go as soon as they reopen.
• Despite the usual tanneries being closed, we have obtained the leather for De Luxe and De Morte copies.  We're using the highest grade leather, sourced in Morocco and tanned in Scotland.  The grain is natural and is absolutely lovely both by sight and touch.  
• After a month of trying, we were finally able to obtain the bookbinders board needed to bind the Hardbound, De Luxe, and De Morte books.  Because of the success of the campaign, we were also able to upgrade our boards to the highest quality available.  They're thicker than originally planned (and originally showed in the campaign photos) and will mean an all-around better book.
• While it's still difficult to judge the affect of Coronavirus on our production timeline and shipping, we are hopeful that shipping in June is still possible.  We'll keep you updated when we know more!

Now, two bits of bad news:

• Our bindery, a wonderful shop which has been in business for nearly a century, is closed for the duration of Coronavirus, and, we are extremely sad to report, may close permanently.  We are hoping that we can bind the edition with them, but may have to find another binder.
• We are having trouble getting — of all things — the dye we need to make the paste paper which the books are bound in.  We want to match the color of the paste paper to that of the illustrations, which requires a precise cocktail of dyes.  At the moment, our usual suppliers are closed for the duration, and we are having trouble finding exactly what we need elsewhere.  If we continue to be unable to find what we need, we'll approximate the color using acryllics, which should lead to a very similar result. 

Numbering / Lettering

This week, our editorial team assigned the copy numbers/letters!  We did our very best to connect everybody with something they preferred, but in some cases it wasn't possible.  (Of the eleven people who requested "42," only one could emerge victorious.)  If you are interested in knowing the number/letter you were assigned, please feel free to fill out this extremely short form, and our editor will reach out:

Numbering / Lettering Form

In the case that you received what you requested, Hurray!  In the case that you didn't, our editor will be more than happy to help you find something you like better if it's possible.

Now, some photos!

We expect to have another production update for you in the next two weeks and, hopefully, an updated shipping timeline!  In the meantime, you have our very best wishes, from six feet away,

The No Reply Team

"The Masque of the Red Death" and Covid-19
about 4 years ago – Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 01:18:55 AM

 Dear friends,

It seems that the global pandemic affects all — even letterpress printed handbound books!  We are facing a number of challenges which may lead to a delay in the delivery of The Masque of the Red Death and the other books in this campaign.  Among the challenges we face are:

• Our editor, Griffin, may be quarantined in Belgium — 10,000 miles away from No Reply headquarters.
• Valeria, our illustrator for The Great Man, is from Northern Italy.
• The bindery where our books are bound is closed for at least two weeks.
• Our platemaker is closed for at least two weeks.
• The Independent Publishers Resource Center in Portland, where certain odds and ends of the project take place, is closed for at least two weeks.
• Backerkit, which holds our surveys, has been significantly affected by the shutdown in the Bay Area.
• Our supply chain for bookbinder boards and paper is significantly disrupted.

The great news is that the printing for the edition is FINISHED and Jenn has done a wonderful job.  We will be posting more photos of the work soon.  The pre-binding process (folding, collation, sewing) should be able to go ahead as planned in the meantime!

So, will there be a delay in delivery?

We don't know!  The whole team is still committed to delivering the book in June — whether we have to find new suppliers for materials, or work around-the-clock once our bindery and platemaker reopen.  We'll keep you updated, but — as you can see in our campaign film — there are a lot of small steps, and a delay due to Covid-19 in any one of them will cause a delay in delivery.  

And, of course, there are more important things than fine press books.  Which is to say, PLEASE STAY SAFE! 

Warm wishes from the whole team, 

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