First, Rick has posted the following to the backers:
Being larger sized pages [賈尼: the Guide will be a coffee-table book, larger than the usual 8.5 by 11 inches; I was told the exact dimensions, but since they were not in understandable SI units, I've already forgotten them], we have a number of new opportunities to present information visually. Even though we have a lot of text, we try to avoid just pages of columns. All of the new art and maps are beauties to behold, but we have a lot of pages to fill.
In the end, as we're approaching the completion of the first third of the layout, we know that getting everything done is going to require a little bit more time than our previously published timetable allows. Thus, we now see the completion of the layout bumping up to the middle of December.
What we now envision is printing the books in January, based on completion of the PDFs of the Guide and Atlas in December. Fortunately, we can distribute those PDFs as they get completed, with Volume One of the Guide, followed by the Atlas, and shortly thereafter Volume Two of the Guide.
Second, I've talked to Jeff yesterday who confirmed the news above. Basically, the larger size of the pages plus the fact that there is AWESOME art on EVERY page of the book slows down the layout process. However, we backers should get the PDFs in December. Then, in January, the books will go to the printer, which should make them available in Q1 2014.
Yummy!
