Has anyone heard an update on some of the new volumes for the Lexham Research Commentary set? The last I heard was they were planning to have Daniel and Ruth out before the end of 2020, but it looks like that has been delayed.
I think the system must set dates when they put them in there as I had another non-lexham book that was scheduled to ship yesterday. I knew it wasn't going to because the hardback isn't out yet but I don't think it is nefarious in any way. I do agree it can be frustrating.
Not at all saying it's nefarious. Just frustrated, as you'd think the dates in the system would be moved further in advance than 2 weeks from the ship date if they aren't even close to being ready.
Similar to you, I had the unfortunate experience of waiting for a different prepub to download yesterday, and after it never came, checking to discover it had been moved indefinitely. Was yours also volume 2 of Habermas's On the Resurrection? The hardback for that one has in fact been released. This one was particularly bad, as it was still showing a Logos release of yesterday as of the night before.
I have no insider knowledge, but have you considered what Logos should do with books that are deeply discounted in packages when they are due to be released at less of a discount within 30 days of the package release? How many customers would be upset and return the book only to repurchase it in a package? or request that customer service do the same gymnastics to give them a partial refund?
I think the system must set dates when they put them in there as I had another non-lexham book that was scheduled to ship yesterday. I knew it wasn't going to because the hardback isn't out yet but I don't think it is nefarious in any way. I do agree it can be frustrating. Not at all saying it's nefarious. Just frustrated, as you'd think the dates in the system would be moved further in advance than 2 weeks from the ship date if they aren't even close to being ready. Similar to you, I had the unfortunate experience of waiting for a different prepub to download yesterday, and after it never came, checking to discover it had been moved indefinitely. Was yours also volume 2 of Habermas's On the Resurrection? The hardback for that one has in fact been released. This one was particularly bad, as it was still showing a Logos release of yesterday as of the night before.
My apologies on the nefarious comment. I should have framed that differently. And yes I was referencing Habermas' book. I had to check your comment and it has definitely been released! My Christian Book order is backordered which is why I thought it was still not published yet. Guess I wait on both ends now...
Not at all saying it's nefarious. Just frustrated, as you'd think the dates in the system would be moved further in advance than 2 weeks from the ship date if they aren't even close to being ready. I have no insider knowledge, but have you considered what Logos should do with books that are deeply discounted in packages when they are due to be released at less of a discount within 30 days of the package release? How many customers would be upset and return the book only to repurchase it in a package? or request that customer service do the same gymnastics to give them a partial refund?
I've seen this situation more frequently than one would think actually (I'm realizing now how many prepubs I have). Typically the package prepub and the individual prepubs go up at the same time. For example, the Zondervan Counterpoints Series (43 vols.) update is scheduled to be released at the end of the month, which adds 3 new volumes to the previous package. However, two of those volumes have already been released out of prepub over the past few months, it's just one of the volumes that is still in prepub and has been holding up the release of the package. The prepub for the package was a better deal than purchasing the prepubs for each of the three new volumes (I priced it out) so I was willing to wait until the entire package was released. Some people who need the individual volumes earlier may choose to pay a little more to have them sooner. That said, it's totally fair game for a customer to return and repurchase something within the 30 day window if they can get a better deal on it in a package. From my experience, Logos customer support has always been more than happy to do this.
I am a bit confused by your question though, as it doesn't seem relevant to the rest of the discussion topic? I was originally referring to some of the individual volumes of the LRC being given release dates of October 2nd earlier in the summer, and then (literally a day after I added a bunch of credit to my account to cover the purchases) they were suddenly moved back to "in production" about two weeks before their expected release. The LRC packages have been out there for years, but since al wasn't all of the volumes they were set to be released on 10/2, only a handful, I don't think it had anything to do with that.
I am a bit confused by your question though, as it doesn't seem relevant to the rest of the discussion topic?
I was thinking that they may have been moved back to correspond to a more major release of resources.
This was purely an oversight about the 10/2 dates. No grand plan about saving them for subscriptions or base package libraries. I did not realize they had release dates attached until the day before the dates were pulled. We will not be putting release dates on LRC volumes anymore until the content is ready for the Logos resource build process to begin. I apologize for the delay and the disappointment. I still hope to get some of them out within the next few months.
Ok let’s give Doug a nice break! Don’t ask for updates until September 19, 2025! Y’all have survived without those resources for years, so waiting another year without asking will take away some of the unnecessary pressure from the burden that’s already there. I’m sure Doug will appreciate it and he might get ahead faster and update us with a surprise before you know it!
DAL
Thank you Doug!
Don't forget about the LCC
Doug - Any optimism for getting any of the LRC volumes out in 2025 (especially some of the ones that have been up for 6+ years….Ruth, Daniel, Matthew, Luke, etc)? I think you also said Jude and 2 Peter were very close at one point.
Yes, I aim to get several out this year. The last few years have been two steps forward, one step back over and over again on a number of fronts for me. We had a much larger team working on these things in the past. Anyway, a lot of what's been up for preorder or pre-pub isn't submitted from the author yet. I do have Jude, 2 Peter, 2–3 John, Ruth, and Daniel, so with luck, I will get those out this year.
Thanks for the update!
thank you for the update. Is the LCC still in the mix for completion?
Yes, sometime before I retire around 2045 to 2050. Seriously though, it's on the list, just further down. My list's prioritization changes, so I can't say when it will rise to the top.
Ha. Thank you Doug. I know the LRC has your priority at the moment but I hope the LCC can make it up the list at some point. The LRC volumes are still in PrePub whereas the LCC has already been released albeit incomplete. I hope you get more help in the future and I appreciate the updates.
"The LCC has already been released albeit incomplete." Yes, that was unfortunate because so little of it was ready. Maybe 10% of the target. I was not involved when they decided to release it prematurely. It will be released when I have a product ready that will meet expectations. It's a long story, but I don't have resources to devote to it at the moment. Maybe after these LRCs get out and I'm waiting for more submissions.
Thank you sir. I’m glad it still has your attention and is on your radar. Much appreciated. Have a great day!
Actually, the individual LRC's are in prepub, but similar to the LCC, some were already "released" as part of the LRC collections, with the fabled "your purchase includes this resource, which isn't available yet…" asterisk on them. Thus, many of us have already been charged for them (i.e. I paid for Ruth, Daniel and Matthew five years ago), which i why I follow up every six months or so 😁
Add that to the list of things that I didn't know would happen. Also didn't know LCC OT would be distributed outside of L9 packages before it was ready. I will get you Ruth and Daniel as soon as I can finish them. I think we're moving away from the sell first, make later thing. At least for Lexham content.
Glad there's already some chatter about the "give release date then change it at the last minute" routine with LRC volumes. Jude originally had a release date slated for about a year ago and it's been a continual disappointment to see it delayed over and over, with no end in sight. I was hoping to have it in hand for a personal writing project, but now, that project is behind us. Sad I wasn't able to consult this volume.
EDIT:
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According to comments found earlier in this thread the author's first draft of Jude was done over 2 years ago. While edits and other production concerns take time, this seems to be reaching excessive territory.
I think Lexham is wise to suspend putting dates until the product is ready. That's a much wiser policy for the future. I too am hopeful they move away from the "buy now, we'll make it... eventually" policy of old.
While I understand delays happen, this seems like a broken system that has never worked well. This has been an issue for years. Delays come in production, I get it, but marketing and sales teams must be realistic with expectations or you will lose the confidence of buyers.
By the way: According to an ad mail I just receieved concerning a LGC I bought some time ago:
Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Historical Books, Volume 1: Joshua–Ruth
Ships 12/10/2025
Figured I'd do a 6 month check-up on this. Are the chances still looking good that any of these will be released in 2025?
I've cancelled my pre-order of the Jude Research Commentary. These delays and continual pushing back of release dates have gotten discouraging.
These are still on my short list for the rest of the year, starting with Jude, 2 Peter, and 2–3 John. (Once I wrap up a couple of other things.) But I'm clearly terrible at estimating how long things will take me once I finally get a chance to look at them, so I'm not going to make any predictions.
