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).

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:

Hopefully that's enough to give you a sense of which option you'd prefer - let us know via the poll below!

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