Please Review Monsters Don't Wear Underpants. Thanks!
over 2 years ago – Thu, Dec 16, 2021 at 12:43:07 PM

Isaac here with a few updates, but first, another Thank You!

Back in the spring, Monsters Don’t Wear Underpants went out to all you backers. In the months since, as a I’ve had a chance to talk to some of you in person, I’ve realized even more how much this was a group effort. These books would not exist without your help, and I’m extremely grateful for your part in this process.

One of the goals I had with the book was for it to be short enough that parents and caregivers don’t get tired reading it aloud to the children in their lives. The unintended—but delightful!—consequence is that children are memorizing the book and “reading” it to themselves. Thank you for sharing those stories with me. They warm my heart. I hope you and the children in your lives continue to find a little bit of joy each time you read the book.

Monsters Don’t Wear Underpants is Still Available

Because of the Kickstarter campaign, we were able to buy extra books. These are now available here:

• Dragonsteel Books
• Amazon

Both are fulfilled from the same warehouse, but Dragonsteel Books is my preferred vendor.

Please Leave a Review

Monsters Don’t Wear Underpants is still trying to get noticed, so if you’re inclined to do so, please spread the word by sharing the book with friends, posting about it on social media, or writing a review.

Whether you buy the book at Dragonsteel Books, Amazon, or received it through the Kickstarter campaign, will you take a few minutes and write an honest review for the book on Amazon?

Amazon’s algorithms thrive on engagement, so any review, positive or negative, will help more people see the book.

Signature

Over the past few months, I’ve had some reports of the signature wearing off. I’m so sorry about that! We tested several markers in the lead up to sending out the books and thought this one would be the best, but in some cases, the paint didn’t stick as well as we'd hoped to the smooth surface.

There’s a couple of solutions I've tested to preserve it a bit better. So if you’re worried about the signature rubbing off, you can try these things:

• Use clear nail polish and paint it over the signature as if you were the one signing it, OR:
• Cut a rectangle of clear packing tape the same size as the signature and place over it.

I’ve tried both think both are acceptable solutions if you’re reading the book yourself or reading it to others, though I must mention that the safety of each method has not been tested, so I don’t recommend either if you’re planning to give the book to a small child. I also can’t promise how archival either method is.

Pledges

Finally, there’s still a handful of you who didn’t fill out your BackerKit survey, so I don’t have any way of knowing how to get you your books. If you didn’t receive one, please fill out the survey, or contact me through Kickstarter or BackerKit. I've messaged as many of you as I can through Kickstarter and want to make sure you get your books. In some cases, if you used Apple ID to pledge, I only have access to a masked email address, and I can’t contact you directly. Please change your email address or reach out directly. Thank you all again! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and May Your New Year Be Bright and Wonderful!

Books Have Been Shipped!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, May 21, 2021 at 01:44:40 AM

The last two weeks we've been signing the books, prepping them, and getting them in the mail. At this point, almost all domestic backers should have received their books, and the books we've shipped internationally should be on their way. (There are still a few of you who haven't completed your backer survey, which needs to happen before I can send the books. If you haven't received your books, please check that you've done that part first.)

Here's a pic of me signing them. Now, the reason I show this picture is because even though it looks like it's just me alone in a big warehouse, there were over a dozen others, including one of my daughters, who helped with getting the books out of the boxes, brought them over to get signed, whisked them away to let the signature dry, and then set the books out to be packaged. Additionally, many others helped with packing and shipping the books. This is not a one-person show, and I'm incredibly grateful for the team that helped get these books ready and out the doors to you.

Additionally, I've heard from many of you who have read the book to your little ones, who have asked for it to be read multiple times. This warms my heart. It just makes me so happy to hear that there are children (and adults) who are getting a laugh out of this picture book.

We did it! Without you this book wouldn't exist. So you are part of this team effort I mentioned above. You are part of getting this book out into the world! You are part of getting it into the hands of the kids who smile when they experience the story.

Thank you. I feel like together we've made the world just a little bit better through laughter and smiles. You are all amazing!

The Books Have Arrived! Make Sure Your Address is Correct in BackerKit
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Apr 28, 2021 at 05:55:38 PM

Books Are Here!

Good news! The books have arrived, and they look great!

Now that the books are here, there are just a few things that need to happen before we start shipping them out.

Next Steps

First, if you haven’t filled out your BackerKit survey, please do so. I’m sending over a reminder email today to those who have not completed this step.

Once you fill out the survey, you’ll get a link to the campaign’s digital downloads in BackerKit if you haven’t gotten those yet. (I just sent out an email from BackerKit about the digital rewards to all those who have already filled out their surveys.)

PLEASE NOTE: If you used Apple Pay on Kickstarter and didn’t get a survey, it’s likely that your correct email address didn’t get forwarded to BackerKit. Please send me your correct email address through a message on Kickstarter or BackerKit and I’ll get that changed manually.

Second, most orders have been locked, but as surveys continue to roll in, I will continue to lock them.

Third, cards will be charged through BackerKit for add-ons and pre-orders on Thursday--this is for items that were added after the Kickstarter was over--so you should see those go through then.

Fourth (SUPER IMPORTANT!), on Thursday, you’ll see an email come through from BackerKit that will give you 48 hours to update your address. You can update it at any time before this, but after that email is sent and the 48 hours are up, the address will be locked, and this is the address your book will ship to. So make sure your address is correct there. Thank you!

Fifth, once addresses are locked, I will coordinate with the fulfillment team in order to schedule time for them to start shipping the books. If all goes well, books should start shipping out to you during the first two weeks of May.

Thank you again for being on this journey with me. I can’t wait for you to get your books soon!

Small Update: Still Waiting for Books
about 3 years ago – Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 08:35:28 PM

Thank you all so much for your patience as we're getting closer to the final lap of this Kickstarter. Right now we're doing one of the hardest parts: waiting. The books are printed and on a ship somewhere. When the Suez canal was blocked a few weeks ago, I kept thinking, "Wouldn't it be my luck if the books are on that ship?" I doubt that they are, but shipping has been slower than usual the whole world over, so we're in the middle of the waiting game, and I appreciate your patience. As soon as the books arrive, I will let you know.

In the meantime, let me share with you a little bit of what I've been doing when I have a few minutes of down time. I had some extra watercolor paper left over from creating all the Little Blue cosplays for the campaign, so I drew and colored some extra sketches to give to friends and family. Here's one of them. When the campaign is over and fulfilled, I'll post some of these extra sketches on Instagram.

Thank you again for your patience and for supporting the Kickstarter. I'll send more updates on the books as soon as I have them!

Verification Sample Received and Approved
about 3 years ago – Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 08:35:27 AM

Hello there! Welcome to the last week of February. I've got a small update on the Monsters Don't Wear Underpants Kickstarter I'd like to share with you.

I've received the verification sample of the book from the printer and have given it approval to finish the manufacturing process.

As you can see from the photo, the book looks great!

The dragon has been my go-to page for checking colors since it's got all those vibrant pinks. I'm really happy with how it's turned out. You can see here how the flaps will work. Those are big flaps, basically pages themselves!

In these photos, you can see the different steps taken to get to the final book. The far left is the mockup copy of the book that I put together to make sure I liked the look of the whole thing and that the flaps were working how I intended. It's not a very far cry from that to the final, front and center. The other two piles are the factory sample of printouts over top of a mockup book (center back) and the color proofs (far right).

What does approval of the verification sample mean? This is the last approval step before the printer can move forward and finish assembling the rest of the books prior to shipping them. Shipping time from the printer to me will still be probably around a month. Then we'll move into prepping them to go out in the mail to you. Still hoping on a May delivery! I'll keep you updated, though.

Thanks for being on this journey with me. We're getting closer to the time when you'll receive your own copies, and I can't wait for you to see how they've turned out. Have a wonderful remainder of February. Spring is right around the corner!