So from an originally estimated June release, we're looking at September... Maybe... with a favourable wind and maybe the sacrifice of a small mammal.
Once again we're into release "creep" where the first I heard of it is when I check September's releases hoping for book 13, only to find the books I was expecting this month. It drives me insane. If you were running a pizza delivery company, you'd have angry mobs with pitch forks and burning torches marching on your shop. Imagine - "It'll be with you in thirty minute." To have it arrive after two hours.
I have a suggestion. Possibly an unpopular one with some people. How about, you get a book ready, you keep it in "reserve". You wait until you actually have it in the warehouse and the next book is due back from the printer before announcing a release date? Short of the entire warehouse burning to the ground or washed away in floods, there's no way you could fail to meet the advertised month. Ok, so somewhere there'll be a long delay between books (I almost manged to type that with a straight face), but now is the ideal opportunity. Hold 12 until 13 is printed, then ship 12, hold 13 until 14 etc. It would hopefully cut out the seemingly unending series of let-downs with release dates (I'm not pointing a finger at who or what's to blame, just stating a fact). All following books would then theoretically drop into the timeline and could also be in the warehouse before the announced release date.
Not to mention it would give someone on staff or someone mates with someone on staff to read a printed version and avoid things like the printer missing pages 151 & 152(?) from the mini-adventure in book whatever, saving Mongoose shipping cost on broken books.
Opinions from other Forumites?
Mark.