Status update on Sinuhe

Well, fudge.

Alanna was rather late in shipping the books to Griffin and now they are stuck in customs AND for reasons unknown to me at this time, we will have to pay a customs fee to get them out of there.

However, we did not budget for that expense and will have to cover it.

Griffin is willing to cover that charge for now, but we'll need to sell some or all (I don't yet know the exact customs fee at this time) of the extra copies to reimburse him.

I personally can't see any other alternative if we want to see the books any time soon. It would be the quickest and simplest way to get the books into Griffin's hands so he can get the slipcases made and the books out to you.

This is turning into another "Perils of Pauline."

I'm just glad there is a solution short of dunning all and sundry (or burdening the production staff with the costs). If selling the extras mitigates the damage, I say press on. Maybe pop a quick poll in the thread?

I am sorry to hear about the unexpected frustrations—it comes with the territory, I suppose. Please feel free to put me on the list for a copy. I would be glad to support this undertaking.

>2 Shadekeep: OK. A poll there shall be!

I saw Griffin's comments on the other thread as well - happy to have him take as long as he needs on these given the poor timing.

I'd also imagine the membership could cover the cost, knowing reimbursements are coming, if there were an easy enough way to pool funds.

A call on members for an additional few dollars would be another way of funding any overages.

I don't think it's necessary to pass around the collection hat.

I haven't seen the customs bill yet, so I have no idea what to expect. All I've been told is that the UPS needed more information for the assessment of taxes. I've made it very clear that the package is BOOKS, in the hopes that this will make the package exempt from most taxes. But you never know. I had a $500 assessment on a delivery of nine presentation books last week. I think customs is sort of making it up as they go along these days...

Will update when I know more, but there's nothing to be concerned about.

Griffin has advised me that he will begin shipping within the week!

He'll be sending them out in batches.

If you haven't verified your shipping address as yet, please do so NOW to avoid further delays.

Claire did a wonderful job on the slipcases, getting them executed well and QUICKLY! I've got copies ready to ship today. I'd estimate that half of the edition will go out this week, and the other half in a couple of weeks to tag along with No Reply parcels. (Thanks to all who were fine with buddying up, that makes it quicker and easier.)

>8 consensuspress: As you and Griffin both know my address, it’s all good!

>9 grifgon: If Ethics is shipping together with Sinuhe, this will be my most highly anticipated package of the year!

Eight copies of Sinuhe shipped today. Another twenty or so tomorrow and Friday each. The last batch will go out in two weeks or thereabouts. Happy reading everybody.

Sinuhe has now shipped to all U.S. members.

Canadians, you're next. Then the Maji (Malaysia Australia Japan Israel) and then poor Europeans, last as always...

>13 grifgon: Fantastic! I bate my breath in anticipation….

It’s alive! My copy of Sinuhe arrived today. Very pleased. A simple but appropriate binding and slipcase. Nice printing and hand made paper. Well done.

To save shipping costs my copy of Notes From the Hermitage arrive in the same box. Love the paper wrapper, design, and illustrations. The Japanese Inyo Glazed paper is wonderful. I’ve just glanced through a bit of the poetry and like what I’ve seen so far.

>15 kdweber: Oh, the advantage of living on the West Coast! Mine won't arrive until Wednesday. Egad! The wait is killing me!

>16 consensuspress:
I'll be waiting at least another two weeks in Australia!

>17 wcarter: That's gotta be rough! You have my sympathies!

My copy came in a day earlier than the PO had originally projected. It is here! At last. The long wait is over. After all that built-up tension and excitement, I feel drained, empty. Owning the book isn't as exciting as was the aiding in the creation of it. That, of course, is peculiar to me only. You folks are in a different boat entirely!

So, what's next for Consensus Press? We'll be dealing with that in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned!

>20 Glacierman:
Congratulations! You did absolutely amazing job coordinating this entire project.
I like the book very much. The binding, the paper, presswork, design... It is a pleasure to read.
Bravo again and thank you!

>21 booksforreading: Ditto for me on all points. I love the book and am looking forward to what the future has in store for Consensus Press.

>21 booksforreading: Wellll, I had help...it was a group effort involving many people: the advisory committee, designer, printer, binder, proofreaders, Dr. Parkinson, Reed...and Griffin. Others offered suggestions & aid along the way as well.

After the dust settles, we'll be reviewing and analyzing the project in order to improve the process, so some changes will be made, but that discussion is down the pike a bit yet. One thing won't change: member involvement, which is, of course, the whole point of this experiment.

>20 Glacierman: I fear that kind of feeling is hard to escape. It's similar to being a chef - you spend so much time on the preparation, immersed in the smells and sight of the food, that you're unlikely to enjoy it as keenly as those to whom the finished product is delivered. Still, take time to savor and feel satisfaction in the effort! I expect I'll be enjoying my copy very much when it lands.

EDIT: And to further extend the chef analogy, you are also aware of how the finished dish varies from what you set out to make. The folks dining on the finished product have no such encumbrance to their enjoyment.

>24 Shadekeep: The folks dining on the finished product have no such encumbrance to their enjoyment.

Precisely!

>24 Shadekeep: This puts me in mind of when I did work on a book that was overly complicated and painstaking in ways I like to try and forget. When I received a copy I didn’t look at if for ages as I needed some time to distance myself and my memory from the process. In the end, this allowed me to honestly judge and actually enjoy the book rather than be clouded by fresh memories of the arduous efforts I had undertook. And I found myself able to be proud of what I had done rather than being hung up on what I had to go through to get it looking as it did.

Well, after bouncing all over Portland for three days according to the tracking history, the book finally made its way to the East Coast and straight into my hands. The wait has been so long that I want to take my sweet time to inspect it in peace - which means not today, as I have an event with my wife and kids. I do like the spine :) Will sit with it tomorrow evening. Although I won't pledge not taking a peek later tonight!

>20 Glacierman: Richard, I know at was a laborious delivery, but congrats! Hopefully the baby blues are gone by now, so I hope it's ok to ask a few questions :)

Were there any changes to your original proposal that you're glad happened? For example, personally I'm glad we picked a paper upgrade over a chemise.

Were there any changes that you wish didn't happen?

Were there anything in the proposal that you had to defend/insist on?

Any particular highlights? For me it's the 2-color printing.

>28 elladan0891: With the understanding that no project comes to a conclusion w/o some tweaks and changes for one reason or another, often due to unforeseen problems, here is my take on the project.

There were, of course, many changes along the way. There wasn't anything that I had to dig in my claws and growl over, however.

The first thing I had to change was the marbled paper for the binding. The blue marbled paper I wanted was not available at the time, so I picked something else which I hoped would work. It seems to have despite being darker than it appeared on my screen.

Dumping the chemise in favor of a better paper was a no-brainer for me and I am glad we did that.

Switching from marbled end sheets to black Bugra was a slight irritation, as it changed the gold/blue theme, but I rationalized it as representing Sinuhe's overall emotional state while away from Egypt.

I had specified that the spine lettering was to be in blue, but that seems to have gotten lost along the way, as it looks black to me. A minor irritation.

The slipcase cover material change from blue to black was one made as a matter of practicality under the circumstances. But that is one very nice slipcase. The resultant overall color theme is nowhere near what I had wanted, but it works and I am pleased in general.

At one point in the design process, we had rather more red in the text, but ultimately decided that less is better.

One highlight for me is Mark's small caps which he created himself as the ones that ITC provides are a bit clunky. The changes are not readily noticeable until you blow up both sets. Then you can clearly see Mark's improvements. As they say, the devil is in the details. He is also to be commended for creating the ligatures that were not in the ITC font. Mark and I spent a lot of time going over his design (four eyes are better than two) and I came to really appreciate his work. That design is a plus for me.

I am very pleased with the sunken panel with the hieroglyphs. Those glyphs just jump right out at you!

Another highlight was working with Dr. Parkinson; 'twas a most pleasant collaboration.

The biggest grumpy was the seemingly unending delays.

But hey, the child has been released upon the world, and it is now on its own.

BTW, it will be reviewed in the Spring issue of Parenthesis, the journal of the Fine Press Book Association. A copy is in the reviewer's hands as we speak.

On to the next project....

>17 wcarter: Have you received your copy yet Warwick?

>29 Glacierman: There are no small caps in Golden Cockerel. What I initially did was cheat and reduce full capitals to small cap size and then add some outline stroke weight. As you say, it was a clunky option that would not have suited, so drawing proper ones was the only way forward. Why you insisted on a type design without them is beyond me! 🤣🤣

>30 Aleks3000:
No, not yet. Patience is a virtue, so I am told!

>31 ChestnutPress: Just to be contrary and bedevil the designer! 🤣

>33 Glacierman: Attaboy!! 😁

Canadians have all shipped!

Brits have all shipped!

There are fewer than a dozen copies left to ship.

>36 grifgon: Tally-ho! Just received my notification.

>36 grifgon: for the next project I’m voting Brits first

>38 gmacaree: Maybe all international parcels should go first.

>39 Glacierman: That does seem fair, more likely for everyone to get them in a similar time window.

>39 Glacierman: >40 Shadekeep: International parcels take substantially more time to prepare, as they can't be batch shipped. (More paperwork, each country's customs situation unique, more sensitive to huge cost changes over one ounce more or less.) So the average "delivery date" is made later by doing internationals first.

>41 grifgon: Makes sense. Was just thinking it might be a bit nicer if everyone gets them closer together, even if it's somewhat later. But with this particular effort it made sense to get them to everyone as soon as possible, given the project delays.

>41 grifgon: Boy, you sure got that right! International shipping is a bit of a pain in the keister and I wasn't thinking about that. Apparently, what little mind I still have was asleep at the wheel.

The last copies of Sinuhe are shipping today, except in a few cases where delays have been requested!

ALL COPIES OF SINUHE HAVE SHIPPED!

If you haven't received tracking and want your tracking, let me know.

If your tracking isn't moving yet, don't worry. My local UPS and post office often don't scan the tracking barcode upon entry, or it can sometimes take them a day or two to sort through the package dropoff.

>45 grifgon: Thanks, Griffin! Just received my tracking 😊

>45 grifgon: Very good news. I also got my tracking number.

I just got a bill from UPS for $149.03 on my copy, coming to Canada.

>48 Flaubie: Same ($155.81 CAD for me).

$56.54 CAD HST + ... $92.49 CAD brokerage fee, baby. Where does this number come from? Who knows!

UPS doing its sleazy thing.

There shouldn't be customs fees on bound books....WTH?

I sent a review copy to the UK via UPS and it arrived in a timely manner w/o customs/tariff fees. But, Canada is its own thing, so....???

>50 Glacierman: It isn't a customs fee--it is a "brokerage fee" for filling out the paperwork to import the package. There is a sales tax on books here, so that is billed as well. In Ontario, where I live, the sales tax on books is 5%, which is different from the 13% charged on most things, but I don't know if their high-priced broker knows that. I have not received the package yet.

>49 abysswalker: >48 Flaubie:

That's insane. I've shipped hundreds of packages to Canada, often with UPS, and have never seen a bill like that.

Not sure what should be done, but you're welcome to request that the package be returned to sender, and we can work out an alternate way of getting the book to you.

Another thing you could tell UPS, if they're claiming a fee for doing the paperwork, is that the paperwork has been filed digitally AND is physically affixed to the packages. They're lying if they say they have to do any paperwork. I probably have photos if you need them.

Note to self: No more UPS to Canada!

>52 grifgon: Actually, you and I had a similar conversation when UPS dinged me $46.80 for guiding my copy of Language through customs in Feb. 2024. Based on that experience, I should have requested that you use USPS for this parcel instead--my fault! If I had refused the package, they would have charged you for the return trip, so I was not going to do that.

>53 Flaubie: Oh YES! I remember that. (Also nice to put a name to the LT handle, hiya!) I thought I had a vague memory of something similar happening in the past, but it had only happened to me once before.

Is it an Ontario thing, maybe? Would love to get to the bottom of it... UPS is generally MUCH quicker with international shipping, and with better tracking and insurance... but if people are getting random absurd fees that's a non-starter.

What a doozy, UPS!

And my shipment via UPS to the UK went through w/o a hitch or brokerage fees, so what gives? Why the difference?

>56 Glacierman: UPS normally send the bill three to four weeks after the delivery. When was it received by the recipient?

>52 grifgon: I guarantee other customers of yours have (I have on previous shipments from you). They never show the fee to the shipper, only to the receiver, because at that point they have the parcel as hostage. Most people (myself included) will just pay it rather than waste time disputing the charge because life is too short, especially on an item with value high enough to result in a moderate sales tax.

>51 Flaubie: my understanding is that the brokerage fee is billed only when there is HST (sales tax) due. If there is no sales tax, UPS will not charge a brokerage fee to simply file the customs documents (which have already generally been done by the shipper).

This is why my boilerplate query email to booksellers when I am importing books always specifies "please any courier other than UPS" (which is often fine to other destinations but is THE WORST in Canada). FedEx is better (they sometimes do the same thing, but charge a more reasonable brokerage fee, in the range of $10-15 in my experience). Same with DHL delivering to Canada. GlobalPost Plus (which is somehow connected to USPS?) is one of the best, being transparent about taxes, which are paid by the shipper. Plain USPS (which goes last leg via Canada Post) is also general reasonable, and they will hold packages (if needed) in a convenient location (because there are Canada Post locations everywhere, and they also have some arrangement with courier aggregators like Penguin Pickup).

>54 grifgon: "an Ontario thing, maybe?"

I don't think so, because I believe I have had the same experiences when I lived in Vancouver as well. It may be province-specific in some way though; interprovincial commerce is still more complicated than it needs to be here (death and taxes, as they say), though it's been getting better recently due to all the recent tariffs nonsense.

>58 abysswalker: This is great info!

No more UPS to Canada!

Also great to hear that Global Post works well from your perspective. I've started using it here and there and it seems to work well, albeit a bit slowly.

>52 grifgon: & >58 abysswalker: As abysswalker stated, "UPS...is THE WORST in Canada".

Previously (linked here), I mentioned that "(I've seen commercial shipments valued in the thousands have less than $100 UPS fees, but conversely seen personal shipments valued at less than $500 be charged greater than $100 UPS fees. UPS is all over the map, and generally not in my good books.)". This comment was in relation to when were trying to get items from Alanna to Griffin.

For any Canadians, if your package has not yet been cleared by UPS, you can try reaching out to UPS directly +1 (800) 263.8125 Option 3 and tell them that you'd like to self-clear this package. They'll ask you for your Tracking Number (which Griffin would've emailed you), plus your Full Name & Address, including contact person (name, telephone number, and email), and confirmation whether your address is Residential or Commercial.

Ask them for your Case Number. That way if they just ignore your request, at least you can dispute it with them and have some sort of reference that you contacted them ahead of time.

They should put a note on the file and then apparently UPS will contact you before clearing your package. Then you should have the option to clear it yourself. It seems like there is still no online option to do that so that probably means driving down to the closest CBSA office (at an airport, ocean port, or land border crossing are presumably their only locations). For Canucks out in the sticks, the time and fuel costs alone might be prohibitive, but for anyone close enough to be able to do that, that could save some money.

My personal opinion is that UPS really should be up front about all costs beforehand, but that's not how the timing of things works in the shipping world. UPS in particular sit poorly in my books as, last I checked, they charge their fees on a sliding scale based on how expensive an item is. Not all companies charge a percentage of the value of the goods. I'll reiterate what abysswalker said again, for emphasis, "UPS is the worst".

I also think it's bad that Canadians get charged to import books, even more so in this case when it's partly a Canadian made product, but my opinion doesn't count for anything.

>52 grifgon: Maybe your other Canadian customers are too polite to say anything ;-)

>62 Flaubie: That's what I'm thinking!

>57 DMulvee: It was received two weeks ago. Something else to consider: I sent the package as a gift, not a commercial transaction and the customs paperwork was with the parcel.

However, a previous package I sent to Canada went by USPS and did unexpectedly encounter a fee which, as I remember, was a fairly stiff one which ransom the recipient had to pay to retrieve his book. My memory seems to think the fee was in the $40+ range.

My package is still under way, but my previous experience is that the customs handling fees for DHL Express and UPS in Germany are quite high. Regular DHL is at 7.5€ which I think is reasonable. I always ask sellers from the US to use USPS if possible since they deliver through DHL in Germany. At least I don't have to travel to the customs office anymore, which I had to do for every package before 2021.

I still have not received a shipping note or tracking number.

>48 Flaubie:
>49 abysswalker:

Same here - a very unpleasant surprise! And to add insult to injury, the package is now twice delayed… was scheduled to be delivered on Monday, then changed to this Friday… now showing next Tuesday! I know a lot of people prefer to use curriers, but I find using regular mail (when shipping to Canada from USA or UK, at least) works just as well or better. Typically the package arrives just as fast or faster and if there are taxes to pay, Canada Post charges around $10 or $15 to process… not $100.

>66 wcarter: Your package shipped a week ago! I've just forwarded the original tracking notification.

>67 vadim_ca: Agreed! Mine was also delayed from yesterday to Friday--I guess I will expect another delay!

I received the book today (in UK) and it has been a fabulous end product!. Thanks a lot for the hard work as the quality is at par with some of the best works in my fine book collection.

I’ve been digging through old threads, but having a hard time finding (sorry lots to read!) — Anyone know what the final production details used for this edition were? And ultimately what it cost?

Looking for details on paper, binding, etc. Thanks in advance!

80 copies. (37) pp; 10.875 x 7.375 inch. Printed in 2 colors by Max Hoyt Koch, Austin, Texas, on Velke Losiny mill handmade paper; bound by Alanna Simenson in 1/4 gold buckram with dark blue marbled paper sides, hieroglyphs of "Sinuhe" blocked in gold within recessed panel on front cover; title in black on spine; black Bugra endsheets. Black Bugra paper covered slipcase by No Reply Press. Text designed by Mark Askam. $310.

>72 Glacierman: thank you!

Those who own a copy of The Folio Society book The Egyptians by Alan Gardiner may be interested to know that the story of Sinuhe is related in stages between pages 128 and 140.