I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend with friends and family.
I actually took a little time off, spending only 5-6 hours working each day Thursday-Sunday.
It was kind of an up and down weekend for me, with some very fun and relaxing moments, and some moments of frustration and sadness. I spoke to my brother Brian and some friends. I enjoyed catching up with TV shows I had on the DVR (including 9 episodes of Monk), I shopped till I dropped on Friday (98% of my Christmas shopping is done!), I had a nice but too short visit with Carmen Bellaire who signed books and told me his wild ideas for the 2010 Palladium Open House (wow, is all I can say right now), I talked to various freelancers, clowned around and traded insults with the guys and gal at Comics Archives (lots of fun), hung with Alex and Kathy, marveled at seeing Kathy’s life-sized Grinch Christmas prop creations up for sale (awesome!! Two already sold), and spent a whole day drawing and coloring something like 30 Christmas Dragon sketches for the special print offer (ends Monday night) and for Christmas grab bags. I didn’t include the drawing as "work" since I drew them at my apartment and had fun doing them, but I guess they were work.
All in all it was a nice four days. A little work, a little fun, a little down time.
So why am I feeling down?
Sales were solid, though not what I thought or hoped they’d be. We still have Sunday night sales for the weekend, but so far they are light. Then there’s so-called “Cyber-Monday,” but I don’t know if we’ll see a big sales bump from it or not.
The Mechanoid Comic photocopies sold out right way. We had a quick run on the Special Print Set with Siembieda “Christmas Dragon” original art, but then sales stalled. There are still 17 dragons done for this special so I’m going to include the original, colored dragon artwork with every print order that comes in by midnight on Monday; even if I have to draw some more. Hey, it’s Christmas time.
Don't know if I'm down so much as feeling tense and a bit on edge. I guess I’m worried about Palladium’s future. There are some disturbing rumors about a couple distributors include one of the big boys. I sure hope there is no truth to that rumor, but distributor sales are not what they were a year ago. Online sales are very strong for Palladium at the moment, but that’s due in part, to our annual Christmas Surprise Packages which I’ve been loading up to make extra special this year. But what happens when the Surprise Packages end? Do sales plummet? Do they stay strong? We need sales to stay high, especially if distributors sales should slip more or a distributor or two goes out of business! I hope that doesn’t happen. God, I'm so sorry to hear about people's hardships and hate to see businesses going under.
On the other hand, Palladium’s potential future has never seemed brighter. Interest by Hollywood in Rifts®, and Nightbane®, as well as some other things boiling behind the scenes, are all HUGELY promising and exciting.
On top of that, we have big plans for Rifts® and Robotech® in 2010, as well as a bunch of other fun and exciting products for other Palladium game lines. Ideas are flying like crazy. Freelancers and staff (and I) are very excited. In fact, we have so many great ideas for new product, we’re having trouble deciding which ones to do first. I have a great crew of people working with me, tremendously talented and generous freelance artists and writers, I’m in good health, my Dad seems to be doing well (he’ll turn 79 in a couple weeks), and I have so much to be grateful for, and yet . . .
Cash flow and concerns about bills and Palladium’s future aside, I just don’t know why I’m feeling a bit blue or on edge.
I keep wondering about how Palladium fans are doing, and hope our Surprise Packages help in some way. My gut turns every time I hear how someone has lost their job, is losing their house or suffering some other ill fortune. And there is so much of that going on, especially in Michigan. Heck, maybe I’m just tired. Probably should have taken at least one day off. I think I'm fighting off a touch of something -- stomach has been bothering me a bit. Besides, Christmas is always hectic and stressful. We’re already planning for 2010 product releases and the 2010 Open House (it will be better than ever!), and I’m feeling the weight of deadlines on me. It could be I'm a little worn out. Hmm, maybe it's just the Holiday let down as I prepare to get back to long hours of work. Whatever it is, fear not, I’m okay.
Hey, don’t forget Dead Reign™: Dark Places™ ships tomorrow (Monday, November 30), so order your book soon.
Somehow it’s 9:20 PM already and I’m heading home. Tomorrow will be a busy day. 70+ Surprise Packages going out and Dark Places™ shipping too.
Keep those imaginations burning bright, and stay positive yourselves, eh.
Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Game Designer, and Surrogate Santa
Palladium Books®, Inc. – 28 years of RPG Publishing
© Copyright November 29, 2009 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.
Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, Palladium Books®, 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, Dimensional Outbreak, Fleets of the Three Galaxies, Mysteries of Magic, 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.