In a message dated 8/1/03 9:42:57 PM Central Daylight Time,
milepost206@mchsi.com writes:
> Hi Everybody,
>
> Some of you might have read the post earlier this week indicating our plans
> for delivery of The Burlington Waycars. I was glad to see the information
> posted, but it carries the following caveats and a quick discussion of how we
> do
> it. But changes in our publishing plans need to be addressed.
>
> We have 3 people to proof and comment on the book before it leaves for Hong
> Kong. We plan for the book to go to Hong Kong shortly thereafter. After
> receipt it takes about 30-45 days to manufacture the book if there are no
> problems. The only problems anticipated could be the color matching of our
> proofs by
> the printer and our approval of his product off the press.
>
> Much of the old ways and quality issues that are still prevalent in some
> railroad publications have been eliminated by our printer's production
> workflow.
> In the old days (2-3 years ago) most short run books were printed with
> printing plates made from film negatives. In the case of color printing it
> involved 4 printing plates, each printing one color. Now, printing technology
> is
> filmless. We send our book to the printer on CDs. They are downloaded and
> used
> to burn the printing plates, eliminating all film and that extra cost. The
> upside is speed, lower cost, and higher quality. Our printer prints books for
> Hundman Publishing, the CNW Historical Society bulletin, Paired Rail, and
> White
> River Productions in addition to several leading jewelry industry
> publications. Not only do they produce a superior product but they do it at a
> significant cost savings with Canadian paper, U.S. ink while paying their
> employees
> more than their U.S. competitors. We live in a global market. As an example,
> the next closest estimate on The Burlington In Transition was $8,000+ higher
> here in the U.S.
>
> When the book is completed to our satisfaction we must meet the Saturday
> only ship departure schedule from Hong Kong to Seattle. Then 2 weeks enroute
> and
> 2-7 days to clear customs if the container isn't held by customs. In today's
> world, that is a real possibility. It just happened to Ed DeRouin with his
> CUS book. After it clears customs, it's 5-7 days to Burlington.
>
> As you can see there are plenty of very minor delays that combined, make
> larger delays. Our goal is mid-to-late September. But, as of today, there is
> no
> hard date for delivery.
>
> And here's why.
>
> This book would not be possible without our 56 contributors. If these
> contributors hadn't spent countless hours researching and photographing the
> myriad
> of Burlington waycars, it would be nothing but an unwritten memory. We will
> not compromise quality for speed of delivery at the end of this project. Not
> even for my sometimes self-imposed schedules. All of the customers we have
> spoken with agree with our philosophy. Do it once, do it right.
>
> The book would not be possible without our customers stepping forward in
> good faith for an unseen product. We do not use our customer's money to
> finance
> our projects. The number of orders would not pay for a production run in the
> CB&Q market. It will easily pay for a production run in the UP, PRR, or ATSF
> market.
>
> We use these hard orders to determine the final production numbers. Based on
> these numbers, some of you are going to be very disappointed you missed The
> Burlington Waycars.
>
> We aren't going to print the anticipated number that we orginally believed
> could be absorbed into the CB&Q market. Although I have a great affinity for
> the CB&Q, this is an income producing venture. We are only going to produce
> the number of books we think we will sell. No more. No reruns without 250
> firm
> orders.
>
> But why the delay up until now?
>
> When we started this project we had a poor response for color material.
> Especially from the CB&Q group. We had great response for black &white photos
> and
> had enough material to do 500+ pages with 1200+ photos. We ran our first ad
> based on those original plans. But plans do change.
>
> The FW&D boys stepped into the project with almost all of the FW&D roster in
> color. That started a color binge that forced many revisions to the page and
> photo count. Then we had more B&W show up. Obviously, the page count had to
> be adjusted downward to carry the additional color costs. But we also had to
> make some hard decisions about what was to be printed and what wasn't.
>
> Those decisions are being made and time is up. So unless you have the
> mother-of-all-waycar photos and we get it in the next few days, it isn't
> going to
> be in The Burlington Waycars. We can't wait forever.
>
> Other factors beyond our control have entered into the delay. These factors
> will become apparent after the book is done. These major distractions have
> made this project less palatable and a lot longer to complete with much less
> enthusiasm. Our commitment to our customers and contributors drive the bus
> over
> the ruts.
>
> So if everyone holds onto their seats just a little while longer they are
> going to be very well rewarded with the results of our contributors' life
> long
> efforts. I have no doubts about the material, the quality, or your
> expectations. But we need the latitude to complete this book.
>
> We hope to have our website up within 2 weeks. It will have a very good
> sampling of what the book will look like and what to expect. We will post
> notice
> as soon as the website is up. More accurate delivery updates will be posted
> on the website as the project progresses.
>
> If anyone wants a PDF brochure, please email us. There are only 15 Signed,
> Limited Editions that include the Poster, available.
>
> Questions? Email or call us anytime.
>
> We sell all of our books with this guarantee. If, for any reason, you feel
> our book is defective or not up to your expectations, you may return it in
> new
> condition for exchange or for a full refund of the purchase price less
> shipping.
>
> Thank-you.
>
> Regards,
> Randy Danniel
> Mile Post 206 Publishing, Inc.
> P.O. Box 543
> West Burlington, IA 52655-0543
> Phone: 319-754-1408
> Fax: 319-754-4088
> Email: <A HREF="mailto:milepost206@mchsi.com";>milepost206@mchsi.com</A>
> Website: <A HREF="http://www.milepost206.com/";>www.MilePost206.com</A>
>
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