One last shirt update.

[seanan_mcguire]

I have just received the email from the shirt shop (like, today) letting me know that the Wicked Girls and My Story Is Not Done shirts are finished! Hooray! This means they should be hitting my doorstep right around, oh, Thanksgiving.

I am not mailing shirts on Thanksgiving.

If you need to update your mailing address, now is the time. I will aim to have the mailing party to get these out in early December. Once we hit the party, your shirt goes to the address we have on file. Because opening the boxes will expose their contents to cat hair, I am not doing any mailing before the party. So I will not crack open five boxes of shirts to find your shirt in specific. I am very sorry about this. I am not going to mail hair-encrusted shirts to all our allergic people just to make a deadline I didn't agree to. This particular batch has taken a long time. Some of that is my fault (two months in Europe); some of it is not (people not responding to email/sending in their payments). Regardless, we're moving right along.

When shirts do start going out, it will be in large batches, without tracking. Tracking was not calculated as part of the initial postage cost, and is not something I can afford to do, either money or time-wise. If you have a huge, specific concern, please contact the merch address; we may be able to arrange for you to pay extra and get a tracking number. This will automatically move your shirt to the back of the queue, as it will require additional time at the post office.

Also, this is the appropriate time to note that I will not be doing further bespoke shirt runs. We've been as upfront as we can throughout this process about the fact that it makes no money, and that all updates will be posted here. If you look back through the "people make things" tag, you'll see that I have regularly updated when there was something to say. This hasn't stopped people from using every avenue they could find to ask for updates. It hasn't stopped people from mailing Deborah over and over again. I understand the need to know what's going on, but honestly, I said "this is the situation," and people didn't listen. I can't do things like this if people don't want to follow the rules and listen to the updates. I'm so sorry that there will not be a fourth print run.

But let's end on a positive note: shirts soon! And they should be gorgeous. I am so excited.

Thank you.

Comments

[geekhyena.livejournal.com]

I want to apologize for emailing to ask for an update. I was in the throes of an OCD attack and I didn't think. That does not excuse my rudeness, however, and so I wish to apologize to you and the merchandise team. Please forgive me.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I fully understand OCD attacks, but that's part of why I'm realizing I can't do this anymore. There are more people in relation to me/my assistants than there were the first two times; even with both Deborah and Kate, it took us months to chase down and verify all the payments, instead of weeks. That created the delays that ran us into my departure for Europe in the first place.

Basically, because we're not a company and not making money, we don't have the man-hours to meet the demand, which puts us in a position where your OCD triggers, and that trigger is what sets me off, since then it looks like people don't trust/believe me.

It's okay, honey. Really.

[geekhyena.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I saw this and my brain immediately went into 'you're a jackass and ruined things for everyone else' mode. -_- I really am sorry.

And yeah, my OCD is a double edged sword sometimes - it makes me great at being organized/logistics stuff because I have to have everything planned out and know what the status is on everything, but if something is in the wind, I get panicky. Especially when it's stuff like Christmas presents. I'm getting everything in place now for the CrossingsCon Indiegogo, since it launches in less than a month and I know that once the ball gets rolling, if we don't have perk fullfillment completely planned out, it will be a huge mess, and my brain won't permit that. You and the merch team have my empathy and offered hugs. You are a wonderful, wonderful person and I look forward to seeing you at the signing next Tuesday.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever order anything bespoke that is not either from a large company or extremely limited in quantity for Christmas presents. I can't promise you, even now, that you'll have these by Christmas.

[geekhyena.livejournal.com]

I understand that now, and the panic/worry has passed. The people involved are getting other things, too, and now that my brain has processed the update's info, it is not yelling at me anymore. ^_^

[kay-gmd.livejournal.com]

Yeah Shirts!!!
Boo people not respecting your communications!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Pretty much.

[beccastareyes]

I am glad you did this in the first place, and did it several times. I was wondering if something had changed, but had assumed that it was just Authors' Lives Are Full of Things* and that you don't have paid staff to handle things like 'why are all these shirt boxes in my living room, being sat on by my cats'.

(Of course, the answer to the last half is 'if there is any new thing in the living room, the cats will investigate'.)

* This quarter I have learned that College Teachers Lives Are Full of Things, so I understand.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

What changed was "there are literally five times as many people as there used to be, and as is always the case when a thing gets bigger and hence less personal (IE, fewer people who knew me personally, as a person, not as a creator of content), there were more delays in getting back to me about things like "hey give us money," which delayed the ordering. That same lack of personal connection has led to a lot more questioning, even though the updates are there.

So we stop.

[beccastareyes]

I hadn't realized the change of scale had been so drastic. Thank you for being so straightforward about what is going on and why this is no longer a thing you can do.

[lillian13.livejournal.com]

You are awesome and it will be great to get shirts around Christmas!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[reedrover]

I'm sorry you are sad, and glad you are excited. I'm excited too! I will get randomly-appearing shirts!

To be sure, you were very clear in your initial communication that shirts would not appear at any particular time, and so I planned on having a NAR delivery (no apparent reason) that would thrill me for its very unexpectedness. Mail on a [Tuesday] that's not bills! so cool! which I could then flow down to the giftees. Here! I thought of you! and not for a specific occasion, 'cause you're that special. And really, given that it's originally from you, that's just right.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

<3

[kyrielle]

Yay shirts, and thank you for having done this! I am so sorry it has grown to the stage where it has been a pain.

You have been very up front, and I considered the lack of updates to mean "still on track, for vague definitions of on track, with dates not finalized yet" - but I get that others might find that too nebulous. Darn.

Thought/semi-question (but I don't really need to know the answer, so much as I want to float the idea): Any chance you might do future t-shirts through a vendor, either something like CafePress or something like Teespring? (The latter being basically a bespoke run where you set it up and then don't have to mess with it, but I realize neither of these sorts of options gives you the same level of control you have doing it yourself, for good and ill both.)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Nope.

The ONLY reason I was willing to do this was because I had QUALITY CONTROL and a good range of plus-sized options. None of the "we do this for you" places give me either of these things.

It's over.

[gement.livejournal.com]

Thanks for caring about both quality and plus-size options! They are important and I appreciate you having standards, even if it means no more shirt runs.

[stagemanager.livejournal.com]

This comment answers my yet-unasked question regarding Cafe Press, etc. Thanks!

It's always good to know one's limits, and when to stop.

[kyrielle]

That makes sense, and I was afraid there was no really good option among them, but I did want to ask.

Thank you for answering my question, and for doing this as long as you did and could.

And for all the things you still are doing and sharing - it is appreciated. It is very much appreciated.

[sillylilly-bird.livejournal.com]

It's too bad that its coolness spelled its doom, but I'm glad you offered what you did and are calling it quits when it got too unwieldy.
I'm excited!!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[docpockets.livejournal.com]

Perhaps, some day in the future when another awesome shirt design rises from your creative brain and achieves the level of "Damn, this is too good to ignore," a site like TeeFury could take on the production/money/shipping effort and give the legion of adoring Seanan fans a much desired merchandise fix?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Probably not, unless I hit Neil Gaiman levels of "I can have my own shirt printing service." All the places like TeeFury are really, really bad about their plus-size options, and I don't want to make shirts if they can't be for everybody.

[archangelbeth]

It is a distinct pity that there are no good venues to farm things out to. I hope that someday the future will bring an option that will allow the bounty of your art to be worn (by everybody who wants!) -- without you having to deal with any of the stresses that have cropped up.

[docpockets.livejournal.com]

I agree. The proliferation of shirt sites like TeeFury might see the market evolve to an ideal service for this application. It will likely cost the consumer more, but will cover the range of sizes desired. I also think that Seanan is farther along the curve of popularity than she thinks.

[serverwench.livejournal.com]

You are the awesomest. Like many others, I'm happy to get surprise things in the mail. (surprise = I ordered this and forgot about it.) I'm glad that you did it as long as you could. I'm also glad you're pulling the plug before it becomes horrific-er.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

And ACK EVIL CLOWNS.

[offcntr.livejournal.com]

Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving, and let the shirts fall where they may...

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Thanks for doing it at least this time.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Quite welcome.

[umadoshi.livejournal.com]

Thank you for doing it for so long! I'm very glad to have gotten in on this batch (and glad that I went with my instinct to get two shirts!), and really appreciate all the time and effort you and the others have put into this.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Good instinct!

[arcaneblades.livejournal.com]

Thank you, so very much, for the time and energy you and yours have put in on the various shirt runs. I so feel you on getting moneys, as I am still trying to get money from a friend whose order I placed with mine. This will happen, I am not concerned there, it is just taking longer than anticipated because life.

Also, thank you for updating here, in one place, and making clear where updates will occur, when they do. I am one of the people who periodically gets nervous about the state of things, and your updating here lets me *not* message you about it otherwise.

So again, thanks for doing what you do, I will enjoy having shirts again.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I am very glad.

[laurenthemself]

*hugs*

I cannot overstate how much I appreciate this, especially your efforts to get nice plus-sized options.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[museclio]

Thank you for doing this. It was a gift that you gave us in many ways and I appreciate it. I had no timeline on my shirts, so I'll be happy when I get them. I'm sorry that people forget that there is a super awesome person behind the wonderful stuff that you do.

I ordered a bunch, and I'm glad.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I am glad for you!

[calico-reaction.livejournal.com]

I'm just excited that the shirts will be mailed soon. Thank you for all of your hard work!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Very, very welcome.

[evaleastaristev.livejournal.com]

Can't wait to get my shirts! SQUEE SHIRTS!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Soon!

[peaceful-fury.livejournal.com]

Sorry I was one of the people who asked for an update (and stupidly not through LJ) so I want to apologise to you and the others for that.

I look forward to receiving the shirts when ever they arrive.

Thank you for doing this for all of us.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Soon, shirts, and peace.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Huge thank you to you and Deborah for changing my mailing address. I had no plans to move but my building was sold so I'm dealing with eviction and apartment hunting and it was great to not have to worry about missing out on getting the shirts that I ordered.

Sorry to hear that it's been a stressful experience for you both.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Address changes, never an issue.

People not wanting to pay and hence delaying the whole batch, while other people refuse to have patience even when begged, always an issue.

[scenery.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad that I a.) Ordered one of each shirt and b.) Followed my instinct not to inquire as to the status of the order and waited for an update.

I'm grateful to you and Deborah and Kate for putting the effort into doing this for us and I'm sorry that we buyers as a collective were both slow and impatient.