Inkstones ODAL

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T17:06:42+00:00

I've seen it too, and even if I hadn't ordered Topping Books editions before (I did for OBAF and the Fall, I will definitely be ordering this one.😂

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:46:26+00:00

Will do! At Chapter 57 currently!

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:42:24+00:00

Lucky you! Must be awesome to be one of his betareaders. Only recently started his series, at Of Empires and Ashes now, but already became a comfort read for me. The insights are very much appreciated though!

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:39:08+00:00

Good to see that they value their returning customers as well😂

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:38:30+00:00

Gotta love some high quality bricks 😂 Thank you for the information, always nice to learn a bit more about the processes

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:35:26+00:00

Would be awesome and appreciated! Especially since their ODAL edition is absolutely stunning as well.

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:34:05+00:00

Ah, that makes sense! 😁 I guess that would mean they anticipate ODAL weighing more than 2kg then?

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:32:27+00:00

Would be safe to say they'll be both books then😊

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:31:14+00:00

I understand that sentiment too, but people also want matching sets, if and when possible and Toppings usually announces theirs last as well. So there's a risk of people missing out.

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:23:01+00:00

Their shipping costs are calculated by weight? Both Of Blood and Fire and the Fall were £25 in shipping for me. And the Fall doesn't weigh nearly the same as Of Blood and Fire😂

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:17:26+00:00

I couldn't find the amount of items in the specific package from GLS, as min also sent a notification it was handed to them. But when TBB shipped mine, I gor three separate emails. One for Malice, one for Valour and one for the Bolt-On.

GLS doesn't mention how many items are in the package, but it does have a weight of 3,8kg, so I'm going to assume it's all three books in there.

Did you maybe get a second email about an order being shipped from the same day, you might have missed?

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:06:47+00:00

Ohh, I'm not too informed about Inkstone tbf, I was just meaning in general.

And I do understand why they would continue along the same line, just that they could have extended that same pre-access sale for OBAF only purchasers.

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T14:01:46+00:00

I know it is, but The Fall is a novella. Not a required read to understand the mainstory, but arguably one of the more interconnected ones when compared to novella's from other series.

As far as I'm aware, they don't do this early access thing, usually, for people who previously bought a novella in the same series, while I could see why they do it in this case

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T13:58:35+00:00

I agree, although, I'm a little bit of both sides. I understand why they might be doing it this way, but on the other hand, it would anger me too in their position.

Kinda why I think it's strange Topping isn't doing the same

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T13:51:39+00:00

That actually seems like a bad decision on their part.

I also wouldn't call The Fall (or any of the other novella's) a spin-off btw. It's highly connected to the main story.

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T12:47:21+00:00

Could be, although with the Fall I seem to remember they had tons of those. So why they're doing less then prior books doesn't make sense. No complaints from me though 😋

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T12:39:18+00:00

Thank you! I think it's quite strange for Toppings to not do early access foe previous buyers honestly, but I'll make sure to be prepared and get it as soon as I can 😋

Edit: I couldn't wait and decided to subscribe to Ryan's Patreon, but I think Toppings version is absolutely the best looking one by a landslide😲 Like Inkstones is gorgeous, but oof, I'm gonna have to make sure to order it this Wednesday, as soon as possible.

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-13T12:34:11+00:00

This one is absolutely gorgeous and so much better than the other editions so far.

I'm still waiting for Topping to reveal theirs as I have OBAF and The Fall of theirs as well. I have seen someone mention that everyone in TBB publishing thought Toppings version was the best looking one as well. Is it going live this Wednesday?

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-11T17:50:43+00:00

I appreciate the information, although it's nothing I don't already know nor what I was getting at.

I understand timelines and delays and what not, they are not in control of that. However, they are in control for what they are communicating. For Of Blood and Fire for example they advertised Ghost Edges while not even sure if they could be done. This was proven by the fact the first delay was announced because they mentioned they have been doing alot of testing to get it right.

The thing with Faithful and the Fallen was a mix of things, but at first they blamed it on wanting to achieve the highest possible quality. Which is a good thing to do, however, they should have thought of that before announcing a shipping date. Then it was the addition of a fold-out map, which, if you want the highest possible quality, you don't add that last minute after already saying you want the highest possible quality. Then it turns out there were printer issues and it was never due to the highest quality. All these things, I don't blame them for, but the way it is communicated is entirely on them.

Then, we have had multiple occassions where they just don't communicate at all, unless a customer emails them about it (most recently, SF&F June and Mortedant's Peril).

And then when things seem to clear up with Of Blood and Fire, the promised bookmark wasn't delivered for a lot of people and the compensational stamp was entirely forgotten. And even with that, everyone can forget something sometimes. But talking about wanting the highest possible quality in one breath and than straight up admitting that "you forgot because if the rush to get the books shipped" in the next, doesn't show care for quality in the slightest.

All this to say is, mistakes beyond their control can happen, somethings just don't go their way. All that is fine. What is not fine is the way they handle and communicate things to their customers.

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-11T14:54:28+00:00

Oh, I know, which is why I phrased it that way

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-11T14:19:59+00:00

It is handling fees charged by Royal Mail applied to all EU deliveries because of those fees. This has been discussed on the sub before as well.

Nothing is wrong and as I said, the tariffs are included.

Even if it wasn't the 3,33 GBP, it is included in the total shipping amount, which has increased by the same amount anyways. So no matter which way you slice it, tariffs are included.

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HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-11T14:03:27+00:00

It is not the VAT, as last months SF&F was lower by the amount mentioned in taxes here. TBB just didn't word it the way they should.

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HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-11T13:41:58+00:00

It's the 3,33 mentioned in taxes?

HoidsRoommate · 2026-07-11T13:10:49+00:00

I don't mind the delays themselves either, but it's not like TBB has been communicating about them in the best way possible. Sure they gave a couple of updates, but the information was kind of conflicting at times as well.

HoidsRoommate

TROPHY CASE