Ladies and Gentlemen, your halftime entertainment... Beyonce!
over 1 year ago – Sat, Dec 10, 2022 at 10:17:48 PM

Just kidding. But we are at the halfway point! And the view from here is pretty awesome... 😊

You successfully helped us unlock the Challenge Coin stretch goal yesterday, and we would have revealed the next stretch goal then, but we thought we might've had another day or so to figure out a particular detail about the next goal at $125k: gilded page edges on the slipcase books. If you're unsure what that means, it is printing or foil coating added to the edges of the book pages, something like this:

We have printed a few books with metallic foil gilding like in the example above, but we have a different idea for the HOLMES v ARSENE books. We just need to confirm with the printer that our idea is viable and achievable. So until we get that confirmation, we can only say that if we reach that goal, the slipcase books will be gilded, but we will reveal exactly how later.

Please note: This gilding will only be applied to the slipcase editions of the book (including the slipcase upgrade-w/-spacer copies of SCARLET)! Standalone copies of SCARLET will not have the gilding. (All copies will include the ribbon bookmark, however -- both slipcase and standalone copies.)

Yes, we realize that the original printing of ARSENE did not include gilding, so some of you existing ARSENE owners and completists may want to consider upgrading your slipcase-w/-spacer add-on to a full slipcase tier (and then perhaps gifting your existing, non-gilded copy of ARSENE to a friend or loved one) so that both slipcase books match, but that is up to you. We recognize the dilemma this introduces, but there really isn't a practical way to retroactively gild your existing ARSENE copy's pages, and gilding will look soooo nice... 😜 We promise we aren't intentionally trying to George-Lucas you into purchasing multiple copies of a book by constantly adding tiny changes! We really had no way of foreseeing that there would be a second book or slipcase set when offering the original ARSENE printing. For what it's worth, both versions of ARSENE will look identical from the outside of the slipcase on your shelf. 😊 

If you are an Original ARSENE Backer who upgrades to a full slipcase tier, message us when we get into Backerkit, and when we confirm your original ARSENE pledge, we will add one of the silver "Original Backer" bookplates to your pledge.

NEW SLIPCASE PROTECTION

We also wanted to speak to a question a few folks have mentioned regarding the shipping of the slipcase, particularly some worries a few have raised over potential damages in delivery. With shipping still being a bit of a free-for-all, with prices still scraping the ceiling, congestion and staff shortage delays, and handling still being less-than-ideal with some regional couriers, it is very understandable to want some insurance that your books will arrive without the dreaded crushed corners or other damages. Slipcase sets can be heavy, and heavy items run the biggest risk of damage in transit. We've had to address that with a dozen or so backers on previous (heavy-item) campaigns, and have been working on improving the process with each iteration.

This time, you'll be happy to know that we are adding protection to each slipcase set at the factory. Here is an example of how the slipcases will be packaged:

The world is still an unpredictable place, and there's no way to guarantee pristine perfection in delivery when there are literally dozens of faceless individuals handling your package between points A and B, but we believe this added measure at the factory will be a big help. 😊 It costs a bit more, but we think the peace of mind is worth it.

That's all for now -- we'll have another update shortly (probably when the next stretch goal is met)!

Thanks, everyone!

Roaring out of the gate...!
over 1 year ago – Thu, Dec 08, 2022 at 08:15:04 PM

Hello, everyone!

Welcome to the Kickstarter for SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN SCARLET! 

For those of you new to Kickstarter or new to our campaigns, it is wonderful to have you on board! And for those of you returning from a previous campaign (such as our ARSENE LUPIN project, for example), it's great to have you back! 😊

We are FLOORED by the outpouring of support in just these first two days -- THANK YOU!!! We had a feeling this book would find some interested followers, but like ARSENE LUPIN before it, we had no idea how enthusiastically that interest would manifest! Certainly, HOLMES is a more popular literary figure, but without a doubt, all credit must go to Vincent Mallie's evocative take on the characters and the period itself. We are so happy and proud to bring his work to such an appreciative audience!

Having blown past our initial goal so quicky (10 minutes!), many of you have already started wondering about Stretch Goals. With a full day's worth of data entered into our homemade, high-tech, stretch goal schedule-o-meter, we were ready to reveal the first goal this afternoon... until it was unlocked before we could even get the graphic posted! So here's a look at the first TWO Stretch Goals, with the first one already unlocked!

The interiors and ribbon will now match those in the ARSENE LUPIN hardcover. 😊

For those new to Kickstarter and unfamiliar with the concept of "stretch goals," we will unlock FREE Bonus Items when we reach certain milestones during the campaign. Most of these "stretch goals" are physical bonuses that will be added to pledge orders for free, but wherever logical, we'll add digital copies to the digital-only tiers as well.

We have eight Stretch Goals planned and have paced them out so that something could potentially be unlocked every 2-3 days... assuming the campaign continues to perform beyond the first few days. That's the thing about Kickstarters: you never know how things are going to go... An exciting campaign can launch big and then peter out and plateau in the middle with few-to-no new backers joining the party. That's where the stretch goals come in, as rewards to YOU WONDERFUL BACKERS for spreading the word to all of your friends, family, and peers who may also want to join the fun! 😎 

We always hope that being one of Kickstarter's "Projects We Love" will draw in the casual browser, but word-of-mouth and personal grassroots support go a long way. After over 20 campaigns, we think we've gathered some of the best backers in the world, and we would love to give you all the sun and the stars for your support! We are still a very small company (two of us, with help from some outside vendors), so every little show of support means the world to us.

Okay, that's all we have to report for now, but we will no doubt be posting updates rather frequently. We will also try to respond to comments as regularly as possible, but unfortunately, we aren't able to monitor the boards all day (we have books to make, too), so if you have specific, urgent questions, you might get a faster response by messaging us directly here on Kickstarter. We'll try to get back to you within 24 hours whenever possible.

Thanks, everyone! This is going to be a great wrap to a wonderful year!