It’s been a while, so I thought I’d stop by and share whatever information I have.
I bet what you’re really interested in knowing is where the books are, so let’s start there.
The books are still on a ship somewhere, making their way towards their destination. Unfortunately, there is no tracking number or system for us to follow. I wish I could stick AirTags on those boxes. I’d probably dedicate a second monitor just to watching their progress full-time. But alas, things remain a bit fuzzy until the shipment actually arrives at Critical Kit’s warehouse.
As a small reassuring note, Critical Kit received a shipment for another one of their projects last week. It looked fantastic, and it confirms that containers are indeed moving and arriving as expected. So, for now, we’re still playing the waiting game.
Collapsible Scratchpad
In the meantime, I have a small quality-of-life update for the web app. Following a suggestion from a Triple-O backer, I’ve added a button that lets you collapse the scratchpad down to a small tab at the bottom of the screen. Since both apps share the same framework, it was easy enough to bring the feature over.
This update is already live. You don’t need to download or update anything.
Spotted at UKGE
Last week, Critical Kit attended UKGE, and Weird, Whimsy & Wonder made a couple of appearances. First, it was featured on a rather lovely banner showcasing our beloved dancing frog couple. Seeing them at that scale was a delight.
See them at the far left?
Second, Critical Kit had two review copies shipped by air mail. Those arrived much faster than the main shipment (though at a cost that makes doing that for all copies completely unrealistic). They were there to show off the finished product and help generate interest ahead of fulfillment.
Ugh I want one so bad
So don’t worry, we’re not secretly selling copies before yours arrive. The books are still very much on their way. These were simply a pair of advance copies.
And I have to admit: seeing them only made me want to hold one in my own hands even more.
Thank you, as always, for your patience and support. Rest assured, the moment I have any concrete information about the shipment’s arrival, I’ll rush over here and let you know.
Until then, keep your eyes peeled, have a great week, and talk soon. —Cezar
As anticipated in the previous updates, the books have officially finished printing, and I finally have some images to share with you. Check them out below.
(You'll notice that Everspark was also printed simultaneously; they're coming together!)
I also uploaded a short video so you can properly see the spot UV in action, because it looks really good in motion.
And can I just say: I absolutely love the pink headband (that’s a printing term I learned during this process).
The finish turned out beautiful, the colors are vibrant, the text is incredibly crisp, and overall it genuinely feels like a premium product. I’m very, very happy with how it came out.
At this point, shipment to the warehouse is underway, and now comes the final stretch: getting the books safely where they need to go. So yes, there’s still a little bit more waiting involved, but the important part is this:
The book exists. It’s real. And it looks fantastic.
Thank you once again for all your support, patience, and enthusiasm throughout this whole process.
I hope you have an excellent weekend, and I’ll keep you updated as things continue moving along.
I’ve been a bit quiet these past couple of weeks because, honestly, once things move into the printing stage, there’s only so many different ways I can say “the books are printing.” But today I finally have some more concrete news to share.
If everything continues according to plan, the books should be ready at the print shop next week.
After that comes the slightly more adventurous (to put it mildly) part of the journey: getting them shipped overseas to our publisher while the world continues insisting on being geopolitically complicated. We’re doing everything we can to make that process as smooth as possible, but as I think goes without saying, that part is well beyond our direct control.
What I can promise is transparency. I’ll keep communication clear and updates coming as soon as I have reliable information to share. It may still take a few weeks for the books to make their way to Critical Kit headquarters, but we’re getting very close now.
For the moment, all I can really offer is honesty about the process, crossed fingers, and my best hopes that the shipping phase behaves itself.
I’ll return with another update as soon as the books are officially on their way to the publisher and we have a more solid estimate for arrival.
Thank you again for all your support and patience. I truly can’t wait to put this book in your hands!
Just a quick note to let you know I’m back from Brazil and already back at work.
Printing is underway. As mentioned in the last update, we’ve provided updated interior files to the printer so the text comes out extra crisp. They’re using a higher-definition printing process for this run—the exact technical terminology is outside my expertise, but the practical result is what matters: the book should look very sharp and clean on the page.
If you missed the previous update, there’s a short video showing a prototype copy of the book. It gives a good sense of how things are shaping up, so it’s worth a look.
Timeline remains the same. Printing should wrap up later this month, and the books are expected to arrive with the publisher in early May, with fulfillment happening throughout the month. I’ll share more precise details as soon as I have them.
For now, it’s still a bit of a waiting phase.
In the meantime, I hope you’ve been enjoying the digital versions. If you’ve had the chance to use them at the table, in prep, or even for writing exercises, I’d be interested to hear how it’s been working for you.
First of all, thank you so much for all the kind messages you sent after the last update about my dog. Your generosity and warmth truly helped carry us through a difficult time, and I can't thank you enough.
I'm currently in Brazil visiting family and friends, which is also helping me process everything. I might be a little slower to reply to messages while I take some time to recharge, but the project is very much on track and moving forward on the same timeline.
Speaking of which, I have some exciting news straight from the printer! I got a sneak peek of the actual physical book, and I wanted you to be the first to see it.
A couple of things to notice: the spot UV hasn't been applied yet, but even so, doesn't it look fantastic? The colors really pop, and the team is taking special care with the level of detail throughout.
In fact, they've asked for another version of the interior pages to address some technical details around font crispness, all to make sure the final product meets the highest quality standards (already done and sent, by the way).
On timelines: I wish I could give you more precise dates. I'm the kind of person who schedules meetings at 5:43, so believe me, the imprecision of printing timelines is not my natural habitat!
That said, here's where things stand: we're finishing printing in April, and we expect fulfillment to be complete by May. That's a little longer than I initially anticipated, but everything is being done to deliver you a book I'm proud to put in your hands and you'll be proud to use at the table.
I appreciate your understanding and support more than I can say. I hope you enjoyed the preview as much as I did!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out by replying to this update or leaving a comment below. I'm always happy to answer what I can, and I'll do my best to track down whatever I don't have on hand.
Thank you again.
Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and a wonderful long weekend to everyone.
