The books have arrived! +Fulfilment!
15 days ago
– Sun, May 24, 2026 at 05:41:07 AM
Hello! The books arrived last week! I wasn't expecting them for at least another few weeks, but it seems that Blaze must have inspired the boat captain to unfurl all the sails and make good time. I happened to be out of the house when they arrived and Lorelei quickly moved all 45 boxes into the garage right before a downpour started - phew!
I now have all the rewards except for the process book, which is coming from a different printer. It should arrive in the next couple weeks. I will begin shipping out orders this week, starting with the orders that don't have the process book. As I said above, the bulk of the books arrived much earlier than I expected, but I see no reason not to start shipping out what I can.
As a little aside, I may actually be hiring help this summer to speed up fulfilment on future projects (like Dragon Grit #6). I've been getting caught up on shipping since going back on paternity leave, but lately I have been spending the vast majority of my free time shipping books out - not writing! Turns out having a baby really limits your time, and I can't just cram shipping into evenings after work anymore. I'd love to be able to spend more time creating, but it is a high priority to me that your rewards get shipped to you securely. It's just hard for me to let that go - I've always done it 95% by myself, and I know how I like to do it, dang it!
We are ahead of schedule for delivery on this book, so I'm excited to be able to start shipping them out!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
-Caleb
Everything going according to plan! April Update
about 2 months ago
– Sun, Apr 19, 2026 at 04:15:42 PM
Hello! As of now, the books are still on their way via boat to my home. I expect them to arrive sometime in the next 1-3 months. Unfortunately at this moment I don't have a more accurate estimate than that.
However, the printer did air ship me a couple copies of each version of the book so I could check them out, and they look great!
I will update next month, or when the books arrive, whichever comes first!
-Caleb
Backerkit Survey Sent! + Standard Edition
3 months ago
– Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 10:00:36 PM
Hello! The surveys are out!
Here's the big announcement:
Originally, we had planned to only print the Collector’s Edition, and then later on print a standard version or perhaps event a digest edition as a separate print run.
However, in conversation with the printer, we learned that we could actually do a split print run that would allow us to do a standard version without the bonus content and special cover effects at a lower cost without all the setup costs of an entirely new print run. The campaign was successful enough that we decided spending the extra money now was worth it, rather than a more expensive completely separate print run later on. So, we present to you… Dragon Grit Volume 1 Standard Edition:
This version is the same dimensions as the Collector's Edition, but has no foiling, Spot UV, or bonus content like the Encylopaedia of Dragons. It's just issues #1-5.
The Collector's Edition that you purchased on this campaign is an extremely limited item that won't be available on future campaigns. We are offering a small amount of the overrun of each cover on the Backerkit survey, and we are holding a small amount in the case of damaged copies so we can replace any that need replacing, but then we won't be selling any more until at least Volume 2. The Standard Edition will be the edition that will be available for purchase through other campaigns, at conventions, and through the website until it sells out.
Honestly, I didn't know this kind of a split run (where the different editions had different page counts) was even possible, and it opens up a lot of possibilities for the future.
In any case, I appreciate all of you for supporting this campaign - it means the world to me.
A look ahead at the timeline:
- The books have been printed and are on their way to me. They should arrive in 2-4 months.
- Once books arrive I will update you and lock down addresses with a 48 hour notice, then begin to ship out rewards!
- Dragon Grit #6 will launch once all the books are shipped to backers.
Once again, please let me know if you have any questions.
-Caleb
P.S. We launched Kay's first solo book which she created, wrote, and illustrated (I edited it), called Chessmen on Tuesday. Here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/giraffe-design/chessmen-1?ref=ekvhs9
Color proofs have arrived!
3 months ago
– Wed, Mar 04, 2026 at 06:03:27 PM
Hello! Just today I received the color proofs in the mail from the printer! This is a special kind of proof that consists of a series of flat printed sheets (one for each page) showing what the final colors in the book will look like. They also come with a version of the book printed on printer paper and stapled together in the correct order, purely to confirm page count and order. This is a chance for me to make sure all the pages look good, that they are in the right order, and so on.
Here's a peek at a couple of those proof pages:
I've looked over the proofs and so far everything looks good to me. Lorelei will look over them tonight, and then we will approve them.
After that, the printer will print one copy of each version of the book and rush ship them to us as the final proof before they start the complete print run!
In other news, the Backerkit survey is almost done, and I should be sending it out next week. We have a big surprise on the survey... stay tuned!
More soon!
-Caleb
Wow! Amazing finish! Third stretch goal reached!
4 months ago
– Sat, Feb 07, 2026 at 10:33:54 AM
In an amazing final day, we raised two thousand dollars and reached our third stretch goal, the one I thought it was possible (but honestly unlikely) that we would hit! Thank you so much!
Here's a look at all the stretch goals we unlocked by the end:
Our Collector's Editions will now be totally fancy. They started out with luxurious soft touch matte covers, boasting 134 pages of story, plus another 48 page bonus section which includes the Encyclopaedia of Dragons. Now they will feature a gold foil logo on the front cover, AND spot UV elements highlighting the artwork on the front cover. These might just be the fanciest softcover books I've ever made.
What's Next?
Over the next week Kickstarter will be automatically collecting pledges, and attempting to collect any errored pledges. If your payment fails and Kickstarter is unable to collect it after a week, you'll be able to fix it on the Backerkit survey.
In a few weeks the Backerkit survey will go out. There you'll be able to select any add-ons, pay for shipping, and answer a few pledge questions. I won't be locking down addresses until the books are ready to ship, but the sooner you get your survey filled out, the better.
Here's a look at the timeline I expect for this project:
- In just over two weeks Kickstarter will deliver the funds for this project to my bank account, at which point I will officially make the order from the printer.
- The Backerkit survey will go out around that time, and digital rewards will begin to go out as surveys are completed. I will also begin fulfilling reward levels that do not include Dragon Grit Volume 1, like the "sticker and bookmark" level (as long as you didn't add a Volume 1 to your order).
- I expect the proofing and finalization process with the printer to take 1-3 weeks, and then the books will be printed and shipped to me, which should take 2-4 months.
- When the books arrive to my home, I will lock down addresses on the Backerkit survey (you will then have 48 hours to confirm your address or change it if you have moved), and then I will immediately start shipping out rewards. My current estimate for that is around June, but I will update you every step of the way. I have set the delivery date for physical books on this Kickstarter for August just in case there are any delays with printing or shipping.
- Once I've begun shipping out the books, I will begin promoting Dragon Grit #6, which will launch as soon as all the Volume 1 books have been delivered to backers!
Thanks so much for your support, as always. I will be back with more updates as we make progress. :)
-Caleb
