3Q/3A Special Edition

All your [SYSTEMS] Questions

Apr 11

This 3Q/3A is coming to you a bit early because we have a big announcement coming tomorrow (and more all week, for that matter)!

Since we are heading towards the last few days of eligibility for the [SYSTEMS] Graphic Novel Sourcebook, we received a LOT of questions both in the comments and in the email this week all around the topic of the book, and the other content we are working on for subscribers.

We’ve been answering some of them personally as they come in, but I wanted to take this week to get the basics in one place. So I’ve taken the liberty of boiling down the basic questions. (Feel free to share this post if you see someone asking these questions in the comments.)

And before we begin- a reminder: there is still time to subscribe at annual or founding level to get our copy of the [SYSTEMS] Graphic Novel Sourcebook FREE and IN PRINT (shipping not included). Reserve your copy today:

You ready?

Q1
How will you get my shipping information?

A1 There’s no need for you to do anything right now.

Shortly after the cutoff date to qualify for the [SYSTEMS] Graphic Novel Sourcebook, we’ll be sending an email to you (in coordination with our partners at Zoop) to collect your shipping details and payment.

Q2
What’s the status of production on the book?

A2 Nearly complete.

Of the 12 comic stories, 8 are done, with the remaining 4 well into production simultaneously (more on those later this week). You are looking at over 100+ pages of original comics by over a dozen of the industry’s top creators. That’s before we get to the various word-building essays and designs you’ve seen explored here.

The cover is finished. The layout/pagination is set. And Sasha is working through the brilliantly conceived interior page designs.

We’ll be sending the final of the book to print here at the top of May.

It’s clocking in around 200 pages total and is probably the best-designed object I’ve ever been a part of.

NOTE FOR PROCESS JUNKIES: Here’s a look at the Excel doc I keep open on a second screen so I can see at a glance the different stories. It’s the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing I update before I wrap up for the day.

An anthology is a specially designed creature meant to destroy the will of editors of all ages, so this doc holds many of the secrets that keep me sane. (Obviously, I had to delete and blackout some of the info, but this will give you an idea of the scope of the project you’ve seen developed here.

NOTE FOR YOUNG WANNABE EDITORS: A dependable, creative letterer is worth their weight in platinum. SO STAY AWAY FROM RUS WOOTEN!!

Q3 When will I get my book?

A3 Estimated arrival is mid-to-late July.

We have been working very closely with Zoop and our printer, and hope to have the book in your hands in just a few short months. If that changes, we’ll update everyone here.

If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. Every industry under the sun has been hit with rising costs and supply chain delays, and comics especially have been severely impacted by paper shortages.

We think announcing a book this size (200 pages!) at the end of January, and delivering by the same Summer sets a good, high standard. This was important to the entire team. And in fact, one of the biggest reasons I felt like I could take the leap to this new venture was that I could see the team took seriously its responsibilities to the subscribers and readers.

If you consult similar recent crowdfunding-style projects, the timeline for delivery is usually more like a year and change for something like this. This was not a book already in production. The work was made right here, in front of you, in real-time.

We have you to thank for this book’s existence and cannot wait for it to be in your hands! (And my hands!)

Bonus Question: What about my other shipped rewards?

Back in August of last year, we promised a set of shipped rewards, to our first 500/250/100 Annual subscribers, as well as our Founders. At the time, with shipping rates skyrocketing, we were unable to offer those rewards outside the US- but promised at the time we would try to find a solution.

So when we hatched the plan for the [SYSTEMS] Graphic Novel Sourcebook, we finally had our answer. As such, those rewards will go out with the hardcover and softcover shipments of the book, and as long as you’re able to pay the shipping cost, we can send them anywhere in the world. Bundling these things together made more sense for everyone.

Bonus-bonus Question: What about monthly subscribers?

We understand not everyone can afford to pay for a Founding or Annual subscription all at once. We also value our monthly subscribers immensely—that’s why we’re making a digital version of the [SYSTEMS] Graphic Novel Sourcebook available to ALL our paid subscribers regardless of level. That way EVERYONE can see the world they’ve helped build here.

While we’d love to be able to offer printed/shipped rewards to monthly subscribers, the reality is from a financial standpoint it simply isn’t possible. Printed items are expensive to make, and we rely on the upfront money from a subscription to cover the cost of those items. With a monthly subscription, one could subscribe for a month, qualify for the reward in question, then UNsubscribe, which would put us deep in the red each time it happened.

But rest assured, we’re working hard to find new benefits and rewards that everyone can be a part of. Exciting things are on the way on that front.

The next few months are going to blow your mind with several unannounced projects and formats that will surprise even the not-easily-surprised.

Hopefully, the above answered any lingering questions about what’s coming up.

It’s going to be a helluva week filled with 3W/3M news and announcements. Be good, stay strong… and don’t tell anyone I gave you a sneak peek!