Feeling down and out

[Kevin]

Feeling down and out today.

I’ve been feeling down and out the past couple of days. Writing is going slow, deadlines are piling up, sales are lousy, cash flow is worse, and Palladium is feeling the crunch.

I’m loading up most Christmas Surprise Packages with $90-$100 worth of product yet sales remain flat. Actually, they are down about 35% from previous years. A number of people have commented on how bad things are for them. Almost everyone thanks us for doing the Grab Bags. It’s a phenomenal offer, but sales still stink. I’ve had a few folks suggest it’s still too early for people to be buying X-Mas gifts and other products. I hope so, but I fear people are broke and can’t even afford to take advantage of a fun and great bargain like the Palladium X-Mas Surprise Packages. I find that scary. Not only is that bad for Palladium but it makes me sad and worried about Palladium’s fans. Are people doing okay? Are they hurting bad? It troubles me.

I know part of Palladium’s problem is the lack of new releases. Boy, do I know that. We are so close to getting several books done, but it’s almost November and there’s been nothing new, except The Rifter® and Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™ since August. It stinks, I know. Robotech® New Generation has been stuck in approval hell for six weeks now. Rifts Lemuria, Endless Dead™ and other projects are coming along, but dragging in final production. Why can nothing be easy and fast?

EVERYTHING is going so well on the creative end. We have so many amazing ideas and so much great talent, but the sales . . . . well, at the moment, they are scary.

Right now, we’re looking at FOUR new releases in November, plus bookmarks (available now) and prints (coming soon) and T-shirts (one available this week, another next week), but will people be able to afford to buy them? It seems like everyone is just squeaking by to make ends meet. I’m worried. Worried about Christmas sales and Palladium Books. Worried about the economy and our many fans around the world. I’m sad that a couple of friends of mine have lost someone close to them recently. I miss my Dad and Erick, and I’m worried about Kay Kozora and a few other people. I’m so tired of bad news in the media and people struggling wherever I seem to turn. Gahhh!

I know it's time to call it a day and go home, because I feel like cursing up a blue streak and putting my fist through the wall. I’m so tired of people I know and care about struggling with illness, death, money woes and making ends meet. Sick and tired of the gloom and doom. I try to stay positive, and we do have a lot of good, exciting things going for us, but some days I just can’t do it. Today is one of those days.

I guess it’s okay to feel tired and angry or sad and fed up every once in a while. As long as we pick ourselves up and keep doing our best to press forward, eh?

I’m probably just tired and worn out. Thanks for listening to me vent. I hope you don’t mind too much. Not every day is happiness and sunshine at Palladium Books.

I sincerely hope most of you are faring well and making ends meet. Please, hang in there and keep those imaginations burning bright. I will try to do likewise. Deal?

Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Game Designer

© Copyright October 24, 2011 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Heroes Unlimited™, Beyond the Supernatural, Dead Reign, Warpath, Shemarrian Nation, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.

Robotech® and Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® are Registered Trademarks of Harmony Gold USA, Inc.