Great news! The bookmarks came in, and we have shipped out all orders for books and bookmarks! These were all sent out on Monday, so most of you should receive your copies this week, if you haven't already.
(Notes on Shipping below)
SHIPPING
You may have noticed that we did not charge you for shipping. It had been our intention to charge shipping as part of the survey process, but somehow that was either not set up correctly or set up at all. And it didn't feel right to charge you shipping now, after you have been so patiently waiting for so long. So, we decided to bite the bullet and cover shipping for everyone.
We shipped through PirateShip, and you should have been emailed tracking information in case you want to keep track of your package.
MUSIC
We have been making good progress on the music. As of this moment, we have 6 composers who are providing music for the final album as well as ...
an opening credits style song by TREN!
That's right - we're in the process of working with TREN again (the same band who wrote "Warrior" on the Kaladin soundtrack) to create a cinematic pop song with lyrics for the album.
We are super stoked about that!
We still have a ways to go on the underscore/soundtrack for the stories. Originally, we had planned for about a minute of music per 1,500 words of story. However, we've been working to give each story what it really needs, rather than focusing on keeping our times down. This means that some of the tracks are longer than anticipated, which is part of what's keeping things from moving faster. But we are making significant progress.
We may end up releasing the album in pieces (both to you, the backers, and later to the public.) But that will depend on how fast we can get through the remaining tracks.
As always, we hope all is well with you, and look forward to sharing more!
All the best, Michael & the Team @ The Black Piper
TALES OF THE BLACK PIPER - Printing Books + Pre-Orders Closing Soon
Hi everyone,
We hope you're doing well, and we have a brief but anticipated update for you!
First, Page Color Results
So, the voting is in, and it looks like we are getting . . .
The final results
Er . . .
Well, since Creme + Gray tied with White + Black, if we look at which color of standard pages won overall, it looks like we'll be going with . . . Creme (since 38% + 15% on the creme beats 38% + 9% on the white). So, the ultimate winner (as much as I'd love White + Black) is:
Creme + Gray
Printing the Books + LOCKING ADDRESSES
We will be putting the order in for the hardcover copy prints today!
As soon as we get the books in, we'll send out a "lock address" notification. Be sure to watch for that and update your address ASAP, because I believe it will lock address automatically after 48 hours.
Once addresses are locked, we will send your hardcover copies of Tales straight out to you!
Pre-Order Store
At that time, the pre-order store (i.e. late pledges and updates) will close.
Timeline
Given our experience with how long it took to receive the proof copies in our warehouse, we're estimating that the shipments out to you for the hardcover Tales of the Black Piper books only will begin in a little over two weeks. (CDs are still a ways out.)
We'll keep you updated as things progress.
More to come soon!
All the best, Michael & The Team @ The Black Piper
TALES OF THE BLACK PIPER - Update & Poll: Page Color
Hi everyone,
It's been quite a journey, but we've got some Tales of the Black Piper proofs to share with you and get your opinion on (via a poll - link below).
Proofs are in!
The Question: Creme or White? Black or Gray?
We had originally intended on printing the books on creme with black special pages, and we ordered some proofs of these, hoping to get them sent out to you at the beginning of the year. However, the proofs arrived and the pages - because of the amount of ink needed vs the weight of the creme paper - produced significant curling to the pages.
Wanting to keep the lovely black special pages, we ordered a second proof - this time with a heavier weight of paper (only available on white paper). These came back with less curling (and IMO, they provide a more beautiful contrast between regular pages and special pages), but there is still some curling.
Finally, as a third option--and in attempt to get rid of the curling--we updated the special pages so that they became more of a gray. This reduces the curling to almost nothing, although as you can see, against the creme, it doesn't quite feel as special. We'd love to get another proof of the gray against white, but in the interest of time, we'll present you with images of what we have:
Creme with Black Special Pages
White with Black Special Pages
Creme with Gray Special Pages
Hopefully that's enough to give you a sense of which option you'd prefer - let us know via the poll below!
Schedule
Once we get the results from the poll, we'll place the order on the hardcover books and get them sent out to backers. After these have been shipped, we'll be preparing a Tales advertisement/promotion campaign in preparation for a wider release of the paperback edition of the book. If you'd like to help in this effort (whether you're an author or fan), please reach out to [email protected].
The music is still in the works, and we don't have a solid date for the full release yet, although we are weighing the option of preparing two or three partial releases. We are actively working on composition and solo recording currently.
We'll keep you updated on developments!
All the best, Michael & The Team @ The Black Piper
I have to apologize. We realized that we sent out a brief update about Tales to newsletter subscribers but failed to send one here. I'm aiming to rectify that now!
Tales Status
If I hadn't mentioned this before, all of the stories have been edited, and most of the front/back matter is prepared. We are putting the finishing touches on that and will be handing this off our formatter, who has just returned from a conference. My understanding is that formatting should be a fairly quick process, but we'll let you know if there are any hiccups.
As soon as that's done, we'll send the files to the printer for the physical copies, and you should be receiving digital copies of the Tales anthology! So, that should be wrapping up soon!
The Soundtrack
We are currently in the thick of composition with a lot still to get through. However, you have been waiting a long time for this literary and sonic awesomeness, and we don't to keep you waiting any longer. So, our plan is to begin sending you individual tracks one at a time, spread out to allow for proper composition and mixing.
Once we have sent you all the tracks, they will actually go through a mastering process, whereby we will compile them into a complete album and balance the tracks against each other, putting them into a proper order, etc. Once that is complete, we will send you the full album (again), as the tracks will sound even more glorious.
By the way, these stories have all turned out so awesome and we're extremely excited to be sharing them with you soon!
All the best, Michael & The Team @ The Black Piper
We need your help with a decision regarding the cover. Would you rather:
Hardcover or Softcover?
(If hardcover) Dust Jacket or No?
Gloss or Matte?
Please vote in the poll below to make your voice heard. The poll closes Saturday just before midnight PST, because we need to get some info to the designer.
Thank you, and feel free to drop any comments regarding your thoughts on the above, below.
Have you ever felt lost, broken, or rejected? Our latest album reaches back into the past to find old, forgotten, and "broken" songs to polish them up and make them "beautiful". The work spans over a decade of effort.
After more than a year of polishing and updating, this "small" project has grown into something massive, with efforts from more than 80 people (it may be closer to 100) world-wide, and it includes the incomparable talents of such performers as:
Judy Kang (resident cellist for Celine Dion) Stroma FilmWorks (New Zealand orchestra comprised of performers from prestigious groups such as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra) Olivia Foa'i (singer on Disney's Moana) ... and many others
REFRACTIONS cover
Backer-Exclusive Content
Because this album is meant to show you our rough edges, we have included a special look-behind-the-curtain. As an additional download for Refractions backers only, we are sending you Refractions Origins, a collection of the "original" tracks from which Refractions was born - the broken tracks (as many of them as we are able to share.) Some of these are snippets; many are unmixed reference tracks sent to creative directors during the process.
For those who haven't pledged for a copy of Refractions, but would like to, we've re-opened the "pre-order" store. Simply head to the campaign page (https://talesoftheblackpiper.com), click "Pre-Order Now!", find Refractions in the list, add to cart, and place your order.
Refractions Wider Release
We don't have a date yet for a wider release of Refractions. We are currently targeting May 2024, but we have a few things to work out first before fully committing to a date.
We also don't yet have any details on which, if any, platforms we will release it on. We will have it available for sale (at a higher price) on our website - at which point the "pre-order store" will be closed again. but beyond that stay tuned for updates.
Digital Downloads(important info for backers!)
Refractions has been broken up into several zip files. If you have ordered Refractions, you should get an email that directs you how to access your content and how to open the multipart zip files provided. (There are 5 zip files for the Refractions WAV format and 3 zip files for RefractionsOrigins.)
If you cannot find the instructions or have any trouble with the downloads - let us know!
As always, let us know if you have any comments or questions or just want to share some love!
All the best, Michael & The Team @ The Black Piper
So I've been waiting for an update since last April. Saw on instagram that the book was now available to the public. I still haven't gotten an email about my digital rewards. I logged in and saw that the .pdf was available for download (and had been since June - not that I knew about). I still don't see where to get my .mp3 files. Are those also available? It looks like the campaign is over, but I'm still waiting.
Great news! The bookmarks came in, and we have shipped out all orders for books and bookmarks! These were all sent out on Monday, so most of you should receive your copies this week, if you haven't already.
(Notes on Shipping below)
SHIPPING
You may have noticed that we did not charge you for shipping. It had been our intention to charge shipping as part of the survey process, but somehow that was either not set up correctly or set up at all. And it didn't feel right to charge you shipping now, after you have been so patiently waiting for so long. So, we decided to bite the bullet and cover shipping for everyone.
We shipped through PirateShip, and you should have been emailed tracking information in case you want to keep track of your package.
MUSIC
We have been making good progress on the music. As of this moment, we have 6 composers who are providing music for the final album as well as ...
an opening credits style song by TREN!
That's right - we're in the process of working with TREN again (the same band who wrote "Warrior" on the Kaladin soundtrack) to create a cinematic pop song with lyrics for the album.
We are super stoked about that!
We still have a ways to go on the underscore/soundtrack for the stories. Originally, we had planned for about a minute of music per 1,500 words of story. However, we've been working to give each story what it really needs, rather than focusing on keeping our times down. This means that some of the tracks are longer than anticipated, which is part of what's keeping things from moving faster. But we are making significant progress.
We may end up releasing the album in pieces (both to you, the backers, and later to the public.) But that will depend on how fast we can get through the remaining tracks.
As always, we hope all is well with you, and look forward to sharing more!
All the best, Michael & the Team @ The Black Piper
We hope you're doing well, and we have a brief but anticipated update for you!
First, Page Color Results
So, the voting is in, and it looks like we are getting . . .
The final results
Er . . .
Well, since Creme + Gray tied with White + Black, if we look at which color of standard pages won overall, it looks like we'll be going with . . . Creme (since 38% + 15% on the creme beats 38% + 9% on the white). So, the ultimate winner (as much as I'd love White + Black) is:
Creme + Gray
Printing the Books + LOCKING ADDRESSES
We will be putting the order in for the hardcover copy prints today!
As soon as we get the books in, we'll send out a "lock address" notification. Be sure to watch for that and update your address ASAP, because I believe it will lock address automatically after 48 hours.
Once addresses are locked, we will send your hardcover copies of Tales straight out to you!
Pre-Order Store
At that time, the pre-order store (i.e. late pledges and updates) will close.
Timeline
Given our experience with how long it took to receive the proof copies in our warehouse, we're estimating that the shipments out to you for the hardcover Tales of the Black Piper books only will begin in a little over two weeks. (CDs are still a ways out.)
We'll keep you updated as things progress.
More to come soon!
All the best, Michael & The Team @ The Black Piper
It's been quite a journey, but we've got some Tales of the Black Piper proofs to share with you and get your opinion on (via a poll - link below).
Proofs are in!
The Question: Creme or White? Black or Gray?
We had originally intended on printing the books on creme with black special pages, and we ordered some proofs of these, hoping to get them sent out to you at the beginning of the year. However, the proofs arrived and the pages - because of the amount of ink needed vs the weight of the creme paper - produced significant curling to the pages.
Wanting to keep the lovely black special pages, we ordered a second proof - this time with a heavier weight of paper (only available on white paper). These came back with less curling (and IMO, they provide a more beautiful contrast between regular pages and special pages), but there is still some curling.
Finally, as a third option--and in attempt to get rid of the curling--we updated the special pages so that they became more of a gray. This reduces the curling to almost nothing, although as you can see, against the creme, it doesn't quite feel as special. We'd love to get another proof of the gray against white, but in the interest of time, we'll present you with images of what we have:
Creme with Black Special Pages
White with Black Special Pages
Creme with Gray Special Pages
Hopefully that's enough to give you a sense of which option you'd prefer - let us know via the poll below!
Schedule
Once we get the results from the poll, we'll place the order on the hardcover books and get them sent out to backers. After these have been shipped, we'll be preparing a Tales advertisement/promotion campaign in preparation for a wider release of the paperback edition of the book. If you'd like to help in this effort (whether you're an author or fan), please reach out to [email protected].
The music is still in the works, and we don't have a solid date for the full release yet, although we are weighing the option of preparing two or three partial releases. We are actively working on composition and solo recording currently.
We'll keep you updated on developments!
All the best, Michael & The Team @ The Black Piper
