Hello, this is Mod Fen. I’m the finance, production, and shipping mod for this project now that my role as writer, graphics, and layout mod are completed, and I’d like to give you all a rundown on the production issues that we’ve faced and where we’re at in terms of getting everything shipped out.
And no, we are not a scam.
Unknown to us, a global paper shortage as the result of COVID-19 has and had impacted the ability to have paper products produced, particularly in bulk. This shortage seems to affect book and magazine retailers the most, with increasingly long delays in production based on how many copies and what paper stock you’re asking for.
Back when pre-orders closed, I reached out to our original book vendor, uploaded our files, and . . . silence. I messaged them using the in-site function, emailed them, and when I hadn’t heard anything by December, I cancelled the order, got a refund, and moved on to Steuben Press.
The refund took a while to process. I don’t know why. It could have been technical issues, my bank trying to figure out if it was a fraud, or the original vendor not wanting to have the order cancelled. Regardless, the money was returned, I fixed a few issues I noticed with the PDF is regards to bleed and typos, and sent our files to Steuben. It took a lot of back and forth, as their site was being changed and they were using an outside link to get them, but we were finally in production.
The issue? The paper shortage.
At the time of ordering, we were told that it would take, at the earliest, 5-6 business weeks (or 30 days) to receive our books. Steuben did caution that it could take longer, as we were ordering over 100 of them. As of writing, our books have not shipped out.
I do have all of the merch. It’s sitting in my living room. I have bubble mailers to pack everything. I even found a way to lessen the shipping cost while still having everything mailed out quickly.
I did think very hard on just sending the merch out and then the books, when they arrive. However, the truth of the matter is that we don’t have enough to handle double shipping. With having to go to Steuben, who was more costly, we have just enough money left to ship everything out with the original plan.
I know that this is frustrating. I’m frustrated. I’ve modded several previous zines, and never had issues like the ones that have plagued RRC from the start of production. I am in contact with Steuben, who continues to say that they’re working on the order but are experiencing delays. I’m doing everything I can to get these books so I can finally ship out all of your orders, but my hands are pretty much tied at this point.
I know that we’ve asked for a lot of patience. I know that it seems like we’re not updating frequently, but we just don’t have anything to say other than, “We’re sorry. We’re working as hard as we can to get the books.” All we can do is ask for more patience while we ourselves wait for an update on when the books will arrive.
To close, I will say that I’m sorry. I really am. And if you would like a refund, just send a message to us with your email and order number, and we’ll process it.
