Teraport Wars Pre-orders opening next week!

Posted August 25th, 2008 by Howard Tayler

'Schlock Mercenary: The Teraport Wars,' by Howard TaylerHeads up, everybody. Sandra and I will be opening pre-orders for Schlock Mercenary: The Teraport Wars next week — probably on Tuesday or Wednesday.

If you want to be a little more sure you don’t miss the announcement you can subscribe to Blógünder Schlock via email. Does this put you on my blog’s mailing list? Well, yeah. And that might get noisy, even though comments won’t be included in that feed. Good news, though: at the rate I usually blog, in the next ten days there will only be maybe half a dozen posts, one of which will be the one you’re waiting for.

I’m not sure what limit Sandra is going to impose on me for sketch editions this time around. Last time I did 1,234, and I kind of hurt myself. A lot. Advil is now off the menu. Anyway, between Comic-Con and WorldCon we’ve already sold or otherwise accounted for close to 200, which means there should be at least 800 available for you to purchase (I won’t let Sandra pick a number lower than 1,000.) We’ll leave that option up in the store until all the sketch editions she’ll allow me to draw have been spoken for.

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31 Comments on “Teraport Wars Pre-orders opening next week!”

  1. Spockhelp Says:

    i wants one! :)

  2. Curt Says:

    Please Howard, don’t cross your ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed’. Most of the time when they put their foot down they have our best interests at heart. Mostly.

  3. mbarker Says:

    Might consider a bit slower rate of production of sketch editions? I don’t think your loyal minions will slaver too much if you tell us that you’re going to hold your rate down so that you don’t hurt yourself? Heck, you might even get people volunteering to go on the delayed delivery list to keep Howard’s hand on his arm! Or those of us who are on the end of ridiculously long delivery paths anyway could agree to postpone the intergalactic shuttle this time?

  4. Rob Jones Says:

    I would have no problem with getting a delayed shipping time as long as I could still get a sketch edition even though I’m on a fairly short delivery path this time round.

  5. Bookworm Says:

    I’d agree with mbarker - do, say, four lots of 250. Just say that they will be sent out in order, in batches.

  6. WEKM Says:

    Please DON’T hurt yourself on our count. As many of us have said, you needn’t slam them all out in such short order. Build up your buffer then take a few weeks to get them out. I will even put off mine for a month if it will help.
    Besides, I have a special request to do a drawing that spans all four books. (which means I am going to have to re-buy the other three as well)

  7. worldminder Says:

    *also tosses in agreement*

  8. cartoon-gal Says:

    It seems very sensible - I can’t imagine anyone objecting. (Well, anyone where we care whether they get a book ;))

  9. hesperus Says:

    I fully agree, don’t get hurt, take your time. We will be patient!

    Oh, and thanks for the wonderful timing! The orders will open just after my next pay goes in!

  10. zenkitty Says:

    Agreed! I want a sketch edition, but I’m not in such a hurry for the book that I want an injured Howard.

  11. CmdrBone Says:

    Yeah, same here. I have no problem waiting a bit for my book if it helps Howard to keep his right arm out of a sling for a while.

    But I`ll definitely order one… they`re “too good to be true”, though I`m still not sure whether I want Petey or Massey… probably Petey, though the current storyline makes Massey also a reasonable choice ^^

  12. Octal Says:

    Same here. I mean, I want one… with the fire of a thousand suns… but it’s not like I’m in some big hurry. Don’t hurt yourself, please!

  13. Psychosomatic Says:

    It’s not like there’s gonna be a drop-dead date for Schlocky deliverables. I can wait. As long as I get a sketch edition, I mean…

  14. Dev Dot Nul Says:

    Have you come up with a list of available sketch subjects yet?

    Gotta have something to ponder while we all wait. . .

    D.

  15. Howard Tayler Says:

    Off the top of my head, there will definitely be options for:

    Petey
    Schlock
    Tagon
    Breya
    Kevyn
    Legs
    Elf (short-hair, short girl version only)
    Hob
    Ennesby
    Haban
    Frapp (or another non-Schlock amorph)
    A Unioc

    I’m considering offering the PDCL as an option, but it’s tricky to sketch it quickly. If I can come up with something I’m happy with, it’ll be on the list.

  16. mbarker Says:

    Dev Dot Nul?

    Are you pondering what I’m pondering?

  17. CmdrBone Says:

    Hm, that makes my decision easier - no Massey to choose from ;-)

    I`ll be definitely ordering one; but my main problem is that I`m not at home for three months, starting in Mid September - so no new Schlockie for me until Christmas 8-[

    Stupid Internship ^^

    Cheers,
    -Bone

  18. rvanrees Says:

    The PDCL *is* the one I was about to ask for (with Petey as alternative choice) :-)

    Reinout

  19. csadn Says:

    I wouldn’t mind _Touch and Go_, myself — or _Serial Peacemaker_.

  20. WEKM Says:

    I have as yet to get Petey or Tagon, hmmmm.

    I will have to show Howard my 4 book image idea in person next time I see him, if he thinks it positive, I may even try and convince him to do a second set (possibly numbered limited edition) to auction off.
    Barring that I will at least whine, beg and plead to get him to do it for me.
    Who knows, maybe I can make enough of a pest of myself to get banned from Dragons Keep.

    I’m totally being sarcastic there, please don’t ban me.
    (puppy dog eyes)

  21. Dev Dot Nul Says:

    mbarker, I’m pondering a lot of things but Schlock-wise, I’m pondering raising Hob.

    In all likelihood, this too shall pass, like a non-Schlock amorph in the plumbing. . .

    D.

  22. Howard Tayler Says:

    I should add Massey to the list. Definitely.

    And an attorney drone.

  23. Parkway Says:

    Too late for this one, but what about this for the next book:

    Schedule a couple of hundred sketch editions a week, and the earlier you want your sketch edition, the more you pay.

    That way, everyone who wants a sketch edition gets to choose between paying more and getting one first, or paying a little less and waiting a week or two (or three, or four or…) and the artist doesn’t wreck his sketching arm trying to do the whole lot at once.

  24. Howard Tayler Says:

    “Schedule a couple of hundred sketch editions a week, and the earlier you want your sketch edition, the more you pay.”

    Nope. Too much work for Sandra. She prefers to be able to ship all the books in a two- or three-day marathon session in which we bring helpful friends to Dragons Keep and Sandra explains bulk mailings to us all using box cutters, tape, and a whip.

    If I can put out the books fast enough (read: Less time between volumes) then I can open pre-orders closer to the arrival of the product. That will give me almost a month to sketch instead of the three to four days I’ve had in the past three runs. (Negative one day for the first book, actually. I was sketching while books were being shipped, and I was way behind.)

  25. fyandwn Says:

    no Ventura? oh well
    no gatekeeper, no surprise
    but imagine the intrinsic value of a sketch edition stained with the blood of a actually worked to the bone Howard hand!! Imagine that stain artfully placed as a slowly dissipating cloud of pink mist borne forth by a round from Tagon’s gauss pistol. well now that I have imagined it, let’s leave it.

    Howard take care of your hand

  26. Psychosomatic Says:

    I’m not that greedy. Any sketch will do. “Tuesday or Wednesday,” quotha. My credit card is quivering in anticipation.

  27. WEKM Says:

    There are those of us who are more than happy to help with the shipping schedule, if nothing else, break it in half and do it over two weekends. That should cut your pain a little.
    Either that or drag it out even longer, there HAS to be a better way…

    Ah HA! You just need to gate clone yourself about ten times and then you only need do 100-120 sketch editions each.
    Just make sure you number them, (the gate clones) so I don’t get confused and kill off your original self once you are all done.

    Ok, that came out even creepier than I ever though possible.

  28. Sam Says:

    If one Howard can do 1000, two are enough to do 2000, and make Sandra gleesome.

  29. Dev Dot Nul Says:

    Now Sam. . . It’s your rhyme, you get to die, twice over.

    D.

  30. Sam Says:

    (looks innocent)

    Rhyme?

  31. Dev Dot Nul Says:

    What can I say?

    I’d take two chances with you before I’d take one chance with Howard.

    “Write what you know. . .” and all that. . . You think he came up with that one without domestic feedback?

    D.

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