Hello Sponsors,
I've got a few updates about ongoing projects this month, plus more details about the Sponsor Social coming up on the 27th.
Sponsor T-shirts - We've got almost everything set for our T-shirt order but it's been slightly delayed because we've had a hard time finding the right shirt. We got as far as ordering a sample but it was not at all up to our standards (it was cut, and looked like, a black potato sack with red sleeves stitched on). We're waiting on another sample now but that delay means we won't have them ready until next month. But, thank you all for giving me your sizes. It's made it much easier to make an accurate order.
Credit Card Processing on-line - We've gotten our ecommerce service set up and Jeremy is working on setting up the payment pages. I anticipate that we'll be able to accept sponsorship payments on-line within a month or two. I also think we should have a system in place that will allow you to make automatic monthly payments for the next sponsor cycle. A number of people have asked about that and it looks like it will be easy to do. Another, slightly longer-term, result of this credit-card processing service is that we should be able to start offering a subscription service, which is something else that a number of you have asked about.
One-Note Ordering - The final piece of the credit card service is our answer to Amazon's "One-Click Ordering". Once we have our system in place, we'll be able to securely store your credit card number. Combined with your address (which we already have), we can make book ordering as simple as you can imagine. All you'll need to do is call, email, or even text us with your name (or sponsor number) and the author and title. We'll take the order and send the book right out to you, if we have it in stock. If we don't have it, we'll order it and ship it to you as soon as it gets in. And that offer stands for _any_ book, not just books within our specialty. How's that for easy? No passwords, no need to enter your email address, and you don't even need to use a web page. I'll be sending out more information about this as we work out the details.
New Sponsor Service, Out-of-Print Searches - We used to offer out-of-print book searches for our customers, but it ended up using too much time and so we discontinued it. But we're bringing it back, only for you. If there's a book you're looking for and just cannot find it, drop us a line. We'll find a reputable seller, confirm the cost with you, and then order it. There are several advantages to this over searching yourself -- it's easier, we guarantee the condition of the book and we also guarantee that it will be the correct book. The total cost will be our price (which is often discounted since we're a bookseller) plus inbound shipping and a $3 service fee. You can email us at the sponsor's address and we'll take care of the rest.
Schedule for Future Socials - We've set the dates for the next few socials. If you'd like to mark your calendars now, the dates are: June 27th, August 20th, October 24th (probably a costume party), and January 28th, 2016.
The Next Social - We're coming right up on the second Social so, if you're planning on coming, now would be a good time to RSVP if you haven't already. Of course, you can just show up at the door, but we'd love to have a good idea how many people to expect. In case you've misplaced the date, it's going to be Saturday, June 27th, from 7 to 11 pm. Entry will be through the Cafe at 870 Valencia St. You're welcome to bring a guest, but please let us know if you're doing so.
Here are a few of the things we've got planned for that party:
Wine Tasting - We've partnered with Pat Paulson Vineyards < http://www.ppvwines.com > to create a few Borderlands branded wines. Not only are they (in our opinion) quite nice vintages, but the folks at Paulson have worked on the pricing with us so that your price will be below the usual retail price while at the same time allowing a small commission that will help support the store. Monty Paulson will be on hand with his staff doing a tasting of the various varieties, talking about the wine business, and taking orders.
Custom Bags - Our friends at Rickshaw Bagworks < http://www.rickshawbags.com > will also be on hand taking orders for custom Borderlands Sponsor bags. Each one will be embroidered with the Borderlands Sponsor's shield, which you can see here < http://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/p/custom-sponsor-bags-from-rickshaw.html >, and you'll be able to choose your own colors and options (although I think that the "official" Borderlands black and red looks great). The bags we'll be offering are:
The Zero Messenger - http://www.rickshawbags.com/laptop-messenger-bags/zero-messenger-bags.html
The Sutro Backpack - http://www.rickshawbags.com/laptop-messenger-bags/sutro.html
The Commuter Laptop Bag - http://www.rickshawbags.com/laptop-messenger-bags/laptop-bag.html
and The iPad Messenger - http://www.rickshawbags.com/laptop-messenger-bags/ipad-messenger-bag.html
Perhaps best of all, the folks at Rickshaw are such supporters of Borderlands and our sponsors that all the bags will be 30% off standard retail.
Note: Just because you can't make the social doesn't mean you are going to miss out on these great bags. After the party I'll be sending out a discount code and all the information you'll need to order a sponsor's bag through their website. They ship world-wide so, no matter where you are, you can get a top-quality bag and show your Borderlands pride!
Basement Tours - Last party there were more people who wanted the "backstage" tour that we had time to show around, so we'll be doing it again this month. To keep the time spent within reason, there'll be a sign up sheet at the door and a limited number of people that can be accommodated. So arrive early and get on the list.
And of course, just like last time, there will be food, drinks, and conversation aplenty. The event is BYOB and Pot-Luck so, if you feel inclined, please do bring something along, whether it's a lovely, lovely cake (damn, that chocolate cake was good last time), bread & cheese, or a bottle, or just a six-pack.
We'll also have door prizes once again and our publisher friends are coming through with some very nice pre-publication copies of some great upcoming novels.
That's about all for this month. Thank you, as always, for the support and attention.
Warm Regards,
Alan
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