Stephen Minch - Hermetic Press - Closed?

[Mysterious Kid]

Hello,
I haven't checked the website of the Hermetic Press in over a year and today it was gone.

http://www.hermeticpress.com/

Did Stephen Minch shut down the Hermetic Press, is he ok ?
I hope this topic hasn't been discussed before!

Thank You for your help!
TMK

[Q. Kumber]

It was announced a few months ago that Stephen would continue writing books but that all sales would be handled through Penguin Magic.

[Richard Kaufman]

Hermetic Press was sold to Penguin Magic.
Minch continues to write books, and these will be published and marketed through Penguin.

[Scott M.]

Hermetic Press was sold to Penguin Magic.
Minch continues to write books, and these will be published and marketed through Penguin.

I had read that, but I'm surprised to see the site gone as there's nowhere on the Penguin site that the books are grouped together. Yes, you can search for them individually, but Hermetic is a great imprint, and it'd be nice if it still existed as such, even if it's owned by Penguin.

[Richard Kaufman]

It has been assimilated and is now part of the collective.

[Q. Kumber]

It has been assimilated and is now part of the collective.

Scott, Haven't you heard of The Borg?

[observer]

It has been assimilated and is now part of the collective.

Scott, Haven't you heard of The Borg?

Or their even more sinister magic counterpart - The Peng!

Repeat to yourself: "This is going straight into my act. This is going straight into my act. This is going straight into my act. ... "

[Leonard Hevia]

Self determination is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. You will order your magic from Penguin.

Well, their prices are competitive.

[Richard Kaufman]

I think they have good prices and, from what I hear, good customer service. I'm sure Stephen took those things into consideration.

[Chris Aguilar]

I've been ordering from penguin for years and have always been pleased with their customer service, selection, and pricing.

[Andres Reynoso]

Hermetic Press site had been active but not working for several months, now I see that is completly shut down.

It's a shame, really saddens me that Mr Minch is not any more owning Hermetic Press. When I ordered from him I received a really good service and they had a politic of free shiping to Mexico with a minimum purchase quantit thaty that was easily reachable.

I have tried just one time to buy from penguin, one of their lectures, and had problems with the order, trying and trying until desist.
I don't know which shipping politcs they have, but for foreigners is very important.

[Scott M.]

I found this thread over at the Cafe which discusses this too: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?forum=110&topic=616355#7.

Totally understandable that Stephen would hand things over to Penguin. (I've ordered from them for years and have always had good experiences, by the way.) I guess I just would have hoped that the Hermetic brand could have remained alive as -- like Kaufman and Co. -- it was a good signifier of quality. But I guess with the new Giobbi book and then the reprints of the Daryl books coming out under different auspices, that's not the case.

On the plus side, I'll look forward to Stephen having some time for writing.

I dealt with Stephen once, back when I invited a series of magicians to write about film for a site I was editing. He was super kind and helpful and connected me with most of the people who contributed to the series. A couple years ago, my girlfriend decided to buy me something extravagant in magic she didn't think I'd buy, and she bought me one of the Stewart James sets. I think she said told me she talked to the publisher in order to order it, and that he was really helpful, so that must have been Stephen.

[erdnasephile]

I had the same experience--part of the fun of buying a Hermetic Press book was being able to call to speak directly with Mr. Minch. Always cool when the owner of the company is the one whom you deal with.

However, I have no worries about Penguin. They have been top notch for me--very responsive, honest, and reasonable. About the only thing I didn't quite care for (and it was my fault) was the option to get a DVD without the case. (They send you the DVD and the insert art, and you supply the plastic case yourself at home to save some money on shipping.) I didn't quite comprehend what that option entailed when the DVD comes with a cardboard case originally---basically, they cut up the cardboard case. Again--was totally my fault, but they made things more than right when they didn't have to. I order from them frequently with excellent results. (Plus, they have my loyalty for providing a platform for Bob White to lecture).

[Roger Woods]

I know that Hermetic Press has now been merged with Penguin Magic but what about the Hermetic Press Forum, is it still active? I wanted to join because I have many of their books

[Bill Mullins]

The forum is still there.

[erdnasephile]

I read in Genii that Mr. Minch just released an excellent book on Vanni Bossi via Penguin. (I think it includes his legendary pencil through bill)

[Richard Kaufman]

I don't believe the Vanni Bossi book is available yet (it may still be on the boat from China). It's a thing of beauty, in addition to being a great book.

[PapaG]

Talking of slow boats from China, is the So Sato book making its way to shops in the UK? I'd like to get a copy from my local store before Brexit achieves dollar/pound parity...

[Roger Woods]

Thanks Bill
I have tried to join the Hermetic Press Forum but it won't let me activate my account.
Best regards
Roger

Dr Roger Woods AIMC*
www.rogerwoodsmagic.co.uk

[Bill Mullins]

Have you written to Stephen Minch? He's a very nice guy and maybe would open it up for you (although you might do better to start a discussion on your topics of interest here or at one of the other magic forums; the Hermetic one is very low traffic.)

[Joe Mckay]

Denis Behr is the person who set up that forum.

Great idea for a forum but it is hard to keep a forum going if it does not have a very large membership.

[Tom Stone]

Denis Behr is the person who set up that forum.

I set it up a few years ago, mostly to give Stephen a little surprise. He had mentioned that a lot of time was spent on giving basically the same answers over and over via email, so I thought that it might be handy with a forum where questions could be asked and answered only once.

Now, since Hermetic Press doesn't exist anymore, I will eventually let the domain expire.

[Joe Mckay]

Yikes - apologies for the mix up!

[Leonard Hevia]

Now, since Hermetic Press doesn't exist anymore, I will eventually let the domain expire.

[Tom Stone]

Sorry!

Stephen Minch just posted a few words about the merge with Penguin:
http://hermeticforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1611