The Blue-Eared Fox: Children's Book Project Update: Finally, some good news 🎉

Karen Alleluia

CREATOR

3 months ago

Project Update: Finally, some good news 🎉

Happy December, everyone! I have been working really hard on finding a new manu and experienced many fails, HOWEVER I'm happy to finally share some good news!!

My new book manufacturer is officially locked in 〰 I met with them at LightBox Expo, saw their neon prints + hardcover samples in person, and they offer DDP so there won’t be surprise costs at my door. The bright orange and blue hues in this book are going to look so beautiful!!
I have a backup plan 〰 Because of the tariff fiasco, I also lined up two backup manufacturers: one international rec from Heather + Leigha (my amazing cross-collab partners!) and one local in Philadelphia. Their samples and test runs went so smoothly and they are still high quality, so if anything goes wrong with my primary manu, I can immediately pivot to keep us on track.
My plush + pin manufacturers are here to stay 〰 I’ve worked with them for years so I'm happy that we’ve figured out a fair agreement to tackle the tariffs together. I tested it with a shipment of 100 plushies and 3000 enamel pins (that's 10 huge boxes) and everything arrived perfectly. So all the plush and pin merch for this campaign are good to go.
And now, our updated timeline 〰
December 2025 - Finalize files, submit order, begin prototypes
January 2026 - Submit orders for all merch add-ons
February 2026 - Approve final prototypes, make adjustments, send out surveys
April 2026 - Books + merch arrive, QC begins, shipping starts
May 2026 - Campaign wrap-up
(Actual dates will continue to be updated in realtime on the main page under "Timelines")

I know the projected shipment deadline feels so far out but this is honestly the best that I can do in this situation, so.. I'm sorry 😭 Facing all these setbacks publicly has been really hard but finally finding the right manufacturer honestly reignited my creative spirit and gave me so much relief. The last thing I want to do is rush a new manu relationship and send you a low-quality product, so thank you for trusting me and being so patient 🙏

Lastly, I don’t post updates often because I get overwhelmed by emails and I’m a slow writer, but I always update when it matters. I hope this gives you clarity, and thank you again for sticking with me! You're all the best!!! Wishing you warmth and love this holiday season 🥰

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