The 193 Club - An Update

Credo Quia Absurdum

DEAR READERS,

I wanted to give you an update re: The 193 Club and answer a few questions that have been sent.

For those of you who don’t know what The 193 Club is, I’ll give a quick refresher. There was a file uploaded for the paperback of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 8 where three of the lines had overlapped. (Large digital files can be unwieldy creatures.) It was found within thirty seconds of the upload and immediately the corrected file was prepared and submitted. The process to switch out the files takes several hours and then all should be well.

In that time, copies of the paperback were printed and/or sent out to readers. So knowing that some copies would include this unusual error, Rhysdon Press created a bookplate to mark the occasion. It contains the corrected lines and will be signed by me and sent to each reader who writes to contact@rhysdonpress.com stating they are in the 193 club, submitting a photo of the page, and including their address. Yay!

The reader response has been fantastic. It has become A Thing. A Joyous Thing.

“I am delighted!”

“Proud member of The 193 Club.”

“I feel like I won the lottery or something…haha!”

“I cannot believe my good fortune to have been able to obtain a unique copy of Emma 8.”

Here’s the funny twist. As many of you know, some unheard of glitches were attached to the Emma M. Lion: Vol. 8 paperback (officially dubbed paperbackgate). Somehow, this glitch caused not every print house to use the updated file. (It’s never happened before and I don’t expect it to happen again.) And so for the last few weeks some readers have still been randomly inducted into The 193 Club. (Welcome!)

Rhysdon Press has been working behind the scenes to ensure all parts of the system are updated with the corrected file. And while it’s been a jolly romp, I’ll sleep better once I know all is settled.

A few questions you’ve been asking:

When will the bookplates go out?

We are gathering addresses through the month of December to give readers a chance to hear about The 193 Club and submit their information. Then the bookplates will be mailed in January, after the New Year.

What if I’m giving a copy of the book for Christmas?

What a great gift! Thanks for sharing Emma. I would print out this post and add it to the package, or email it to your family member or friend on Christmas if you’ve already mailed the book. Please email contact@rhysdonpress.com and submit your loved one’s mailing address so the bookplate can be sent to them if you do not live close by.

I have sent my 193 Club email. Should I expect an email in return?

Your email has been received. We are collecting all the addresses and will send out an email in January the day they are shipped.

What if I don’t want to be in The 193 Club?

That is totally fine! Just contact Amazon to replace your copy. Specify the error on pg. 193 and state that the author has updated the file, so they should be able to replace the book without the error.

Who do you suppose is behind The 193 Club?

There have been many speculations. Jack is certainly a candidate. Possibly The Roman? But all my money is on The Reprobates Ten. Who else would insert such mischief into these first few weeks of December? But I will forgive them, as I always do.

One of the unexpected joys of this fortunate mishap is connecting in a unique way with dedicated readers who live all over the world and have not been able to attend a signing event. How joyful to receive all your messages and get a picture of where the Emma M. Lion faithful live.

Please share the word with your fellow Emma M. Lion readers so we can make certain each member of The 193 Club receives a signed commemorative bookplate. In the meantime, I myself will be working on the final two St. Crispian’s Gazettes for 2024.

May your days be Merry & Bright.

x Beth