The Gaming Den

Those who keep track of users know that I'm writing an RPG called Parabellum, and am currently working on formatting and art for the book. As of right now, I'm thinking of using Lulu to produce the dead tree edition due to the likely small print run needed (digest size). Do you think there's another POD publisher that would be better/cheaper?

For the interwebs, I also am wanting to put the document onto a file and sell that, likely through my blog & Amazon/Kindle. For a full system/book, I'm thinking of setting the price for either $.99 or $2.99; as K mentioned, the rates are more favorable with Amazon at that price point.

From what I can tell, marketing makes a huge difference in sales for a book. As this book is predominantly a foot in the door for experience, I'm unlikely to make supplements unless the response turns out to be spectacular; and instead move onto Teslavania. What options are there for promoting a small system like Parabellum? What kind of money would be needed to promote it? Is it significant enough for me to try to run a Kickstarter to get the funds for such?

virgil wrote:For the interwebs, I also am wanting to put the document onto a file and sell that, likely through my blog & Amazon/Kindle. For a full system/book, I'm thinking of setting the price for either $.99 or $2.99; as K mentioned, the rates are more favorable with Amazon at that price point.

You'd make a mistake of setting a price other than $0.99. I can't find the article where I read this, but the volume of sales of pricier ebooks are nowhere near those of $1 ones. Basically, by reducing the price from $2.99 to $0.99, you should more than triple your sales. There is really no downside to this as there is no unit cost to you.

EDIT : spelling mistake

Is there actually a full RPG system, while simultaneously in print, that's sold its PDF for less than like $5 though? There is the concern of a buyer for something like an RPG, which represents more than just reading, being turned off by a cost as low as $.99; "get what you pay for" mentality, as it were.

Well isn't Eclipse Phase free to download? Can't get cheaper than that. Don't know how their dead trees are doing sales-wise and what portion of that "success" you can attribute to the big brains at CGL (on the business side, I mean).

If one of my friends pirated a $0.99 PDF that was actually good, I'd probably scold them for not supporting the author.

If it was priced at more than a few dollars, I'd probably shrug and go "not my problem."

I'm realizing that Parabellum could likely do to get a real editor to go through it. The question is, is hiring a professional editor something I should consider for a small RPG book (~100 pages)? If so, where do I go to find one and what kind of rates should I expect?

virgil wrote:I'm realizing that Parabellum could likely do to get a real editor to go through it. The question is, is hiring a professional editor something I should consider for a small RPG book (~100 pages)? If so, where do I go to find one and what kind of rates should I expect?

Expect anywhere from $500 to $2000 for a single manuscript with a better than 50% chance of getting a con artist or an incompetent. They advertise anywhere where writers go.

As someone who has worked as a editor, I've found that the title describes everything from barely-competent proofing to layout and substantial content editing. Hopefully you'll find the latter and not the former.

Hell, you'll probably be lucky to just find someone who knows the difference between "affect" and "effect" and can place commas appropriately.

I can place, commas appropriately.

Ikeren wrote:I can place, commas appropriately.

That effection gives me great affection for your literal talent.

erik wrote:

Ikeren wrote:I can place, commas appropriately.

That effection gives me great affection for your literal talent.

The question is, will your affection effect a change in the ineffectual search for an editor who can affect the work in question through effecting changes?

I'm really thankful one of my professors took the last day of class to educate us on the difference between affect and effect.


edited because I suck at proofreading

I have found an editor that would cost me ~$800 for full content editing, and they look quite credible; though currently busy with other comissions until April, which gives me time to learn how to do layout and such. Art is essentially done.

In regards to the low price point for RPGs, the articles with reliable numbers advocating the $.99 items are smaller in scope than an RPG system and most of them compare the specific product during sale periods; which is a misleading basis for such conclusions. I know Fred Hicks gives some evidence that bottom-level pricing for RPGs isn't in its favour. Microtransaction fees are a particular problem, as I discovered with E-Bay.