* Provide a product that's not in print. The FLGS shelves are clogged with settings, adventures, and prestige classes. Create, say, game aids so lazy GMs can do their work. (Plugs for NPC Essentials and Ambient's Everyone Else.)
* PDFs are a bear to read. A PDF thread preferred PDFs that allowed you to prepare material ahead of time: reference sheets, DYI paper terrain, etc. No 100-page books!!! You can't read them on the screen **and** they're difficult to flip through after they're printed out.
* Take advantage of the electronic format (part 1). The most powerful -- yet simple -- advantage of a PDF is that you can print a single, individual page from your printer, without the degredation of an inconvenience of finding a copier.
* Take advantage of the electronic format (part 2). You have infinite sheets (sorta), so you can use whitespace effectively, rather than cramming in widows and orphans into your text. Plus you can use color!
* Take advantage of the electronic format (part 3). Create two copies, a high-end copy with color, and printer-friendly copy in b&w.
* Take advantage of the electronic format (part 4). If applicable, create a document the owner can fill in and save on his computer.
This is the best advice I've read so far in this thread. It's the kind of advice that, after reading it, you think, 'Pfft, that's just common sense,' but if you hadn't of read it, you never would've thought of it
I would like to add to the above list with the following:
* Take advantage of the electronic format (part 5). Scrolling through a PDF is part of every persons nightmare who has a computer more than a few years old which I suspect is the majority of us. Stop imitating print techniques and develop PDF techniques like NOT having two columns for text that span an A4 size sheet of paper and thus force the user to scroll back and forth repeatedly to read something.
Originally posted by Fourecks * Take advantage of the electronic format (part 5). Scrolling through a PDF is part of every persons nightmare who has a computer more than a few years old which I suspect is the majority of us. Stop imitating print techniques and develop PDF techniques like NOT having two columns for text that span an A4 size sheet of paper and thus force the user to scroll back and forth repeatedly to read something.
I hate that...
Or simply utilize the Article tool in Acrobat, designed specifically for easy on-screen reading of multi-column and jumped text. I can't understand why no one uses this tool (except for those who only have a "print to PDF" option and don't actually own Acrobat). It makes it super-easy to read multi-column text on-screen and all versions of Acrobat Reader support it.
Originally posted by mroberon1972 RPGhost: For your print on demand service... How does that work out in terms of profit/shipping/usefulness? What are this limits of such a service?
Our new POD service is now available but only to people who already use RPGNow.com as a delivery service. Here is the basic info though:
RPGNow Print On Demand (POD) Service
Through a volume discount at a quality instant printer we are able to offer to you (our RPGNow.com PDF vendors) a low quantity and low cost print on demand solution. We will warehouse the product and manage all fulfillment aspects for you. This is how it works...
- Participation in the POD service is completely optional on a product by product basis.
- You control the price of your POD product.
- The worksheet below will help you choose the options and quantity of books you want to order. You must order at least 10 books at a time. All orders must be pre-paid and will NOT be deducted from earnings.
- We will ONLY sell POD product if you have already purchased the initial 10 copies for our warehouse. We will allow you to buy a limited number of your own books at cost.
- We store these POD products in the RPGShop.com warehouse and will therefore be able to offer these on the RPGShop.com web site as well.
- RPGNow will continue to charge you your standard percentage off the TOTAL list price of your POD product. Sure that includes the costs of production, but we are offering that to you at near cost.
- Our customers will pay a flat $3.95 charge for shipping Priority Mail to them.
- We need a high resolution (600dpi or greater) copy of your book sent to us on the FTP or a CDROM. The cover should be in a separate PDF with the front and back cover as well as the spine if you choose to use the Perfect Bound option.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Say you have a 64 page PDF that you are selling with us for $5 which we typically take $1 for our service charge. For $2.80 you can get it produced with color cover and perfect bound. It'll cost $0.40 more for shipping to our warehouse. So your basic cost is $3.20 for the POD version. You can choose to sell this for say $9.95 - that means we will now be taking $1.99 for service charges (keep in mind we're warehousing your products at not additional cost) and $3.20 for printing costs which leaves you with $4.76 profit instead of $4. Charge 10.95 if you want and make $5.56 on each POD copy you sell.
SPECS:
- 600 dpi minimum
- Separate PDF for cover (and spine)
- full bleed on cover
- 4 page increments required for Saddle Stitch (staple) Binding
- 2 page increments required for Perfect Bound (glue) Binding
- 1/4" margin on interior (full bleed extra)
- spine size = 1" per 425 pages of 50lb stock
- saddle stitch cover is 11x17 with a small trim
We are prepared to begin selling POD product right away. It takes about a week to get the initial stock in the warehouse.
Well remember, we're taking 20% commission on the actual sale of the book as well. So we're giving you great (almost cost) pricing on the creation of the books, but we do not just provide them to anyone in bulk to sell on their own. We warehouse them at RPGShop.com's warehouse and mail them when someone buys them from RPGNow.com
If there is enough demand for a non-RPGNow centric POD solution, I could work up new pricing to handle that. Cause I can't just turn over a case of product at cost
That is the most amazing pricing I have ever seen.
Can they do novel format too? I was hoping for some setting related novels, and it might be possible at that rate. Course, I can just publish them magazine fashion instead if not...
Originally posted by mroberon1972 Can they do novel format too? I was hoping for some setting related novels, and it might be possible at that rate. Course, I can just publish them magazine fashion instead if not...
I'm rather sure they can do novel format and a slight bit cheaper per page. 1.8 cents I think it was. Not sure. We can get a quote if you email me specifics. But are you planning to release it as an e-book too?
James,
I think there's a bug in your worksheet. Shouldn't cell D39's (Grand Total) formula be SUM(D35:37) instead of SUM(D15:37)? Same question for cell C37. Should the formula SUM(D16:37) or
just (D35:36)?
edit: missing cell letter
Last edited by jmucchiello; 9th December 2002 at 05:30 PM..
Originally posted by jmucchiello James,
I think there's a bug in your worksheet. Shouldn't cell D39's (Grand Total) formula be SUM(D35:37) instead of SUM(D15:37)? Same question for cell C37. Should the formula SUM(D16:37) or
just (D35:36)?
edit: missing cell letter
Doh! You're totally right... so I fixed it and you can get a new one if you like. Basically made the total a buck or two more then it should have.
Originally posted by Krug Just curious; How have sales on your site been?
5 products in 3 months. Are you aiming to be the Mongoose of PDF publishers Phil?
The 101 are all hovering around the 30 mark for sales. 5 of BlackWater and 10 of Construct Mechanus.
5 in 3 months is a lot? I didn't think so. And they're all about 13,000-15,000 words so it really isn't that much.
Well it seems Christmas hasn't changed sales much. So for those that were in a hurry to get on the Christmas "rush" I don't think there was one, at least not for me
Anyone do well with the holiday?
Maybe I'll make a $1 special and get some attention, but then I wouldn't want to inadvertantly push people off the front page that worked really hard on thier PDFs, just wouldn't be fair I think.
Any other opinions on marketing strategies?
V Shane
__________________ Artifacts of the Arcane...RPGnow.com
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Last edited by V_Shane; 29th December 2002 at 03:01 AM..
Originally posted by V_Shane Well it seems Christmas hasn't changed sales much. So for those that were in a hurry to get on the Christmas "rush" I don't think there was one, at least not for me
Anyone do well with the holiday?
I don't understand this and why people are thinking there would be a Xmas rush. Quite the opposite is what I expect. People are with famaly and not online much. Sales are down on all our sites. Then RPGNow only sells electronic products - who's going to buy one to "give" as a gift? No one. It's a personal purchase. So you're not going to see any rush in sales for gifts- sure people might spend their Xmas money online - but cash that people usually get at holidays goes to rash purchases at the game store in town, not a charge online.
Quote:
Originally posted by V_Shane Maybe I'll make a $1 special and get some attention, but then I wouldn't want to inadvertantly push people off the front page that worked really hard on thier PDFs, just wouldn't be fair I think.
Any other opinions on marketing strategies?
Don't under value your work or products ... if you do so will other people. Rash special prices or products ALWAYS on special do not help in the long run. We at RPGNow prefer products be $5 or more for a number of reasons - one big one is that no customer can checkout without having an order over $5 in their cart.
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