Sandy the Dragon errors and making it right
5 days ago
– Fri, Nov 06, 2026 at 06:50:54 AM
Hello all!
I know I had said that the update in August was the last, but... I am back.
I found out that there were some errors in the Sandy the Dragon books that made it into the final release and print.
I wanted to first apologize for this because you should not have recieved books with errors in them.
Second, I wanted to let you know that:
1. digital files on all platforms have been updated and are available for download (your link(s) from before will still work to download the new copy or copies - if they do not work, please email: [email protected])
2. I would like to replace any copies of printed books that folks bought with their POD keys (instructions below)
3. I have adjusted my program plans to reduce risk of this happening in future projects and give a breakdown of my root-causing (there is a postmortem below)
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Change list:
The list of changes to the books are as follows:
Big Book of Dragons:
p54 - added the word "each"
p156 - changed "the" to "they"
p 230 - removed "of"
p 233 - changed "and" to "an"
p 256 - added an "a"
Same errors translated to small books:
Sandy Says Sorry - p8 - added the word "each"
Snow Celebration - p22 - changed "the" to "they"
Tidy Team Up - p8 - removed "of"
Tidy Team Up - p11 - changed "and" to "an"
Game Time Troubles - p12 - added an "a"
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How to request a replacement:
If you used your at-cost print-on-demand key to print one of the books listed above, I am offering to replace ione copy per POD key purchased for the title(s) in question in order to make sure you have a good book for reading with your kids.
You are eligible for a replacement if you ordered a physical copy of the listed book(s) with your print-on-demand key prior to the date of this email.
To get a replacement where I pay for printing and shipping (so it is not just a new POD key), please follow these steps:
I know I had said that the update in August was the last, but... I am back.
I found out that there were some errors in the Sandy the Dragon books that made it into the final release and print.
I wanted to first apologize for this because you should not have recieved books with errors in them.
Second, I wanted to let you know that:
1. digital files on all platforms have been updated and are available for download (your link(s) from before will still work to download the new copy or copies - if they do not work, please email: [email protected])
2. I would like to replace any copies of printed books that folks bought with their POD keys (instructions below)
3. I have adjusted my program plans to reduce risk of this happening in future projects and give a breakdown of my root-causing (there is a postmortem below)
---
Change list:
The list of changes to the books are as follows:
Big Book of Dragons:
p54 - added the word "each"
p156 - changed "the" to "they"
p 230 - removed "of"
p 233 - changed "and" to "an"
p 256 - added an "a"
Same errors translated to small books:
Sandy Says Sorry - p8 - added the word "each"
Snow Celebration - p22 - changed "the" to "they"
Tidy Team Up - p8 - removed "of"
Tidy Team Up - p11 - changed "and" to "an"
Game Time Troubles - p12 - added an "a"
---
How to request a replacement:
If you used your at-cost print-on-demand key to print one of the books listed above, I am offering to replace ione copy per POD key purchased for the title(s) in question in order to make sure you have a good book for reading with your kids.
You are eligible for a replacement if you ordered a physical copy of the listed book(s) with your print-on-demand key prior to the date of this email.
To get a replacement where I pay for printing and shipping (so it is not just a new POD key), please follow these steps:
- Send an email to [email protected] with the subject "Sandy the Dragon replacement book"
- Attach a screenshot of your physical book order from DriveThruRPG
- List the book(s) that you want replaced
- List your name, address, and email used for your backerkit account
This allows me to verify that you are a backer, that you did order a physical copy (since not everyone used their POD key), and where I should send the replacement to.
I can replace one copy per POD key in question.
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Postmortem and fixes for future projects:
The purpose of this section is to show how the errors got through, how the update process went, what I've learned from it, and what I'm doing things differently for future projects.
How the errors got through + how I found out + steps to get to where we are:
I realized I was having a hard time reviewing my own work because I knew the words I wanted, so my brain was filling them in, and the books were so long I was getting "review fatigue" by the end.
A buddy had offered to help read through the physical proofs to look for errors, and they gave the OK on proofreading, so I kicked off release of Sandy the Dragon in August.
After release, I recieved an email from a backer stating they had found some errors. I asked them if they could let me know what they found. I did not recieve a response (and that's OK because it is not their job to proofread for me), but this did clue me in that I needed to review again.
I checked with my reader, and it turned out that they did not fully read the Sandy the Dragon book, in particular, to check for errors.
In September, I asked another reader who had expressed interest in helping proofread to check the book, and they agreed but then did not respond with feedback.
In October, I did not want to continue to delay, so I started checking it myself by reading the stories out loud and recording myself. I then did a second check reading the small books, spacing this out so I could read more carefully.
From late Oct - early Nov, I suspended print-on-demand orders in DriveThruRPG for the impacted books and updated the files. File updates took some time because the system I used to do my layout had an update that messed with the existing layout, so I needed to redo quite a bit of the work to get the formatting to match.
In November, I updated the files across all platforms, confirmed that the downloads worked, and submitted a new print file. Today, I recieved proofing approval and timing from the printer. It will take 3-7 weeks to recieve new proofs, so I can start sending replacements after that point (if the proofs look OK).
Lessons learned + what's changing for future projects:
From this, I learned a few things:
1) I should have hired a pro proofreader with a full contract versus relying on folks who offered to help. I am still grateful to those folks for offering to read, but that cannot be my only check in the system.
2) The read and record method for self-checking works well, and I can do this after the proofreader to double check their work before going to print.
3) Continuing to hire a layout artist, like I did for Mystery Snacks, is pretty important to handle issues like the system update with some solid help (figuring that out on my own was a learning curve).
For future projects, these are the changes I am making to my plans:
1) I will be hiring a TTRPG proofreader with a contract for future projects. This will increase my budget for future projects, but the proper process.
2) I will be doing a read-and-record of myself for my games to check the project after the proofreader is done.
3) I will continue to hire a layout artist (this was already an addition to my plans after StoryGuider due to the layout issues I had in development, but the extra issues after the system update reinforce this)
The impact of this on future projects is that it will cost more up front and slighly increase the cost of my books, but it will help ensure that backers are recieving a good product.
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Again, I am sorry that the books got to you with errors. It's on me that I didn't have a robust check process, and I hope that the combination of the replacements and the implementation of new systems for future projects can help to make up for this.
If you have any questions, please let me know by emailing [email protected].
Thank you,
Steph C, TTRPGkids.com