They did it again - Hastings' "A Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols.)" delayed

Until yesterday, Hastings' "A Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols.)" was set to ship on Feb 22, 2012 - when I looked into my Open Pre-Pub Orders today, it showed "Under Contract" again, and the product page says it's "Under Development".

Did this happen by mistake? If not, I can only repeat what others have said before: Please, Logos - you need to plan ahead better, you're really playing with your customer's patience here ... Angry

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Brother Mark

Perhaps a better understanding of a production cycle would be helpful. Logos (just like every other business that must forecast time frames associated with future events) develops a time line for development/production/delivery predicated upon assumptions that are grounded in past experiences. It is, at best, a pretty good estimate that may be derailed by any number of events: weather affecting the tagging department's ability to arrive at work, a key employee's unexpected illness, contract negotiations that delay a final signing, etc, etc, etc.

Logos isn't toying with us, they do the best they can with the unpredictability of the business world. The alternative is to not advertise any product until it is totally ready to ship, and that wrecks the community pricing, prepublication business model that allows all of us to buy books at amazing cost savings.

Tobias Lampert

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/339436#Comment_339436

I know they aren't toying. It's just that I don't quite get it why it moves "Under Development" again just one week before it's supposed to ship - one would expect there are just some minor things to be fixed in a week's time, so that they could have simply changed the shipping date for a couple of weeks. "Under Development" can mean anything, stretching from a couple of months to a year or even more. I guess they won't let us know until it's finally shipping, as always! [;)]

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/339438#Comment_339438

I don't quite get it why it moves "Under Development" again just one week before it's supposed to ship - one would expect there are just some minor things to be fixed in a week's time, so that they could have simply changed the shipping date for a couple of weeks. "Under Development" can mean anything, stretching from a couple of months to a year or even more.

All we can assume is it is another one of those "Ooops" moments that happen all the time in the real world.

We once had a shipping date for the Oxford Latin Dictionary. At the last minute some new big cheese (at Oxford) decided he wanted to keep Latin a dead language and pulled the licensing from Logos. I am sure Logos would rather have shipped that resource. They did all the work for nothing.
On several occasions Logos had to remove a title or two from Pre-Pub collections after discovering those titles had licensing issues that were not covered by the negotiated agreement. (It is very hard these days to determine who really owns the rights to copyrighted materials and in what domains their ownership extends to.)
Then there are the surprise personnel department or equipment issues..... Bobby quits for a new job, Sarah has critical health issues. The new guy goofed up his whole assignment in tagging and we just now discovered it! [:S] These are all hypothetical, but you get the idea.

Logos used to push back the ship date by a few days or a week. The outcry was deafening. Users evidently prefer not seeing any ship dates until the product is really ready to ship, and then they want 4 weeks notice to pull the money together. I think Logos is doing a lot better than they used to.

Kent Hendricks

I'm sorry for the delay. We discovered a major issue with this one, and it's going to take some time to fix.

Tobias Lampert

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/339511#Comment_339511

Thanks for letting us know, Kent - that makes waiting a bit easier! [:)]

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/339511#Comment_339511

We discovered a major issue with this one, and it's going to take some time to fix.

One of those "Ooops" moments. [8-)] I hope James Hastings is not arguing about copyrights. [^o)]

Thank you for keeping this slow mover moving. It will be nice when it does ship. [C]

Tony Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/339711#Comment_339711

So, when is this one going to ship, anyway?

Ted Hans

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386314#Comment_386314

I also would like an update on this resource. It's over five months now since we last heard any news about Hastings.

Oldnewbie

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386338#Comment_386338

Agreed. I'm really looking forward to this one. What a deal!

Randy Lane

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/387425#Comment_387425

Could the explanation for this be in the name?

What's that phrase - "Make Haste Slowly"?

An online dictionary defines that expression as follows:

Act quickly, but not so quickly that you make careless mistakes

Tony Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386314#Comment_386314

The silence is deafening. Anybody at Logos care to comment?

Tony Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/389457#Comment_389457

So, where is Hastings?

https://www.logos.com/product/6374/a-dictionary-of-the-bible

Ted Hans

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399281#Comment_399281

So, where is Hastings?

https://www.logos.com/product/6374/a-dictionary-of-the-bible

I am asking the same question here.

Jack Caviness

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399281#Comment_399281

So, where is Hastings?

Is this it?

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399335#Comment_399335

Hi Jack

Is this it?

I think this is the single volume version - http://www.logos.com/product/6388/dictionary-of-the-bible - as opposed to the five volume one - https://www.logos.com/product/6374/a-dictionary-of-the-bible - which is shown as still under development.

Graham

David Carter

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399335#Comment_399335

So, where is Hastings?

Is this it?

No - despite the remarkable similarity in names, these are two different products. The one you have highlighted was published in June, the one we are discussing is to be published at some still to be determined date in the future.

Randy Lane

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399281#Comment_399281

So, where is Hastings?

https://www.logos.com/product/6374/a-dictionary-of-the-bible

I show I was billed for it on 06/01/2012. It is downloaded and installed.

Tony Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399335#Comment_399335

So, where is Hastings?

Is this it?

No, that one is the single volume version:

http://www.logos.com/product/6388/dictionary-of-the-bible

I am referring to the 5 volume version:

http://www.logos.com/product/6374/a-dictionary-of-the-bible

It has been on order since 12/9/11. It still shows "Under Development".

Tony Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399339#Comment_399339

So, will anyone at Logos comment on the status of "Big Hastings"? [*-)]

David Paul

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399879#Comment_399879

So, will anyone at Logos comment on the status of "Big Hastings"?

I would call Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics "Big Hastings" at 13 volumes...and alas, while the 5 vol. Dictionary of the Bible is slow to get released, HERE is languishing in CP neglect. I've read many encyclopedias over the years, but nothing fascinated me like HERE did when I read it in college. I spent lots of college cash on copying selected articles, but I would relish getting it in Logos. I was happy to pay the original PrePub price of about $200 for this, so at the current $30 CP bid, it is an absurdly good deal...imo, better than all the other Hastings offerings combined. With all of the other Hastings items getting published, there should be plenty of folks who recognize this value. GET YOUR BID IN NOW! [Y][:)]

Paul-C

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399922#Comment_399922

Thanks for the heads-up - I'm in.

fgh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399922#Comment_399922

With all of the other Hastings items getting published, there should be plenty of folks who recognize this value.

There is. It's got the third highest number of bids on CP, but the price is so low that it doesn't make much difference.

Oldnewbie

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400005#Comment_400005

fgh,

I'd definitely be willing to up my bid for this resource. Any suggestions for a new target price?

Michael

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400005#Comment_400005

There is. It's got the third highest number of bids on CP, but the price is so low that it doesn't make much difference.

How do you know how many bids it has?

Randy Lane

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400316#Comment_400316

There is. It's got the third highest number of bids on CP, but the price is so low that it doesn't make much difference.

How do you know how many bids it has?

Go to the Community Pricing listings and use the "Best Sellers" sort. You do not know how many bids, but you can see where it ranks in terms of the number of bids when compared to other CP items.

Michael

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400327#Comment_400327

Go to the Community Pricing listings and use the "Best Sellers" sort. You do not know how many bids, but you can see where it ranks in terms of the number of bids when compared to other CP items.

Thanks Randal! I didn't know that. [:$]

David Paul

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400327#Comment_400327

I raised my bid to $50...happy to do so. [:D]

$50 is not the absurdly good deal that $30 is, but it is still a ridiculously good deal. I would pay more if I had to. I am thinking we can probably get it for $40 if we can get people to up their bids.

George Somsel

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400332#Comment_400332

I raised my bid to $50...happy to do so.

$50 is not the absurdly good deal that $30 is, but it is still a ridiculously good deal. I would pay more if I had to. I am thinking we can probably get it for $40 if we can get people to up their bids.

Are we speaking of the same resource? I bid on A Dictionary of the Bible edited by Hastings and got it for $15. It is now "Under Contractt" and thus not open for bids. The current price is $79.95.

David Carter

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400382#Comment_400382

Are we speaking of the same resource? I bid on A Dictionary of the Bible edited by Hastings and got it for $15. It is now "Under Contractt" and thus not open for bids. The current price is $79.95.

No - the conversation has moved on to a discussion of Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Please pay attention [:D][:D][:D]