Mearls' Latest Thought on the Industry

[jgbrowning]

To answer your question, yes, GR will sell more print copies than they do PDF-- by an order of magnitude, I imagine.

I can't speak concerning MM, but for more standard d20 material print is no longer an order of magnitude greater sales than PDF. At least as far as I am informed.

joe b.

 

[philreed]

I can't speak concerning MM, but for more standard d20 material print is no longer an order of magnitude greater sales than PDF. At least as far as I am informed.

I think you're -- for the most part -- correct.

 

[BSF]

I can almost guarantee that GR makes more profit per sale in PDF format than they do in print format, and at absolutely zero up-front risk.

Just to be clear, the risk is mitigated by not having to produce a print run, which will then sit in your warehouse for X amount of time. The risk is mitigated because you don't need to deal with a distribution channel that will certainly insist on not paying you for a month or three. The risk is mitigated because you don't have the risk that you will not be paid through your distribution channel.

Okay, so the big PDF publishers out sale the small print guys. But will Green Ronin PDF's out sale their Print side?

The question isn't that simple. Over what timeframe are you looking at? 3 months? 6 months? a year? I don't remember seeing M&M at my LGS (less than 1 mile from my house) in, oh, ever. I do remember seeing it at the local Hastings. I think that one eventually sold, or it was returned. Right now, if I wanted M&M, I could ask my LGS to special order it and receive it in 2+ weeks. I could by it from any number of online sources and get it in the same amount of time. I could buy it as a PDF and have it in a few minutes.

If this type of experience is par for other people, it is quite likely that PDF will outsell print.

Lets not overlook the number of companies that started as PDF, generated the cash and then entered Print. Ronin Arts has even done some hardcover limited runs. But even those were outside the distribution channel and I would not have been able to buy those at a local store.

But the question remains, how does this stifle innovation and collaboration?

I see a lot of arguments that PDFs are killing the 3rd party publishers. I don't agree, but it is possible I am wrong. I do see a lot more of the innovative products coming out as PDF products. Perhaps my definition of innovative is different? I haven't bought a WotC product in a long time because, frankly, none of them have any interest to me. I'm not going to badmouth them for that, it is what it is. But I do have a lot more interest in products from 3rd party publishers and most of them are from PDF vendors.

 

[Son_of_Thunder]

I'm done here, folks. The "discussion" is not worth the heartburn. If I have offended anyone, then I apologize, but the only future I see for this thread is insults and flames.

Sorry to see you go.

 

[Son_of_Thunder]

It's hard to not question these claims when within a single month the brand manager is fired and I find out that a huge number of D&D books and minis have been liquidated.

Phil,

Was there an announcement on this or is this insider info, other than Charles getting canned that is?

Thanks

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I can't speak concerning MM, but for more standard d20 material print is no longer an order of magnitude greater sales than PDF. At least as far as I am informed.

joe b.

It would be hard to say without knowing how many PDFs they sold, but I have to imagine that GR can still move 5000 print copies of M&M.

M&M, of course, being one of a very few select titles that could still do that.

Jeezusgod, if M&M can't move 5000 copies, the market's even worse than I thought.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

How's that? If you produce within the OGL then WotC could "call foul", but that would be the limit of their ability. They could not back it up with any action.

Sure they could. The license gives them the right to do so, as I understand. I know there is a theory out there that game mechanics cannot be copyrighted, but until someone tests it in court, its just a theory. The OGL was a way to allow people to get in on the D&D market without WoTC giving up any legal rights to the D&D brand.

The folks saying WoTC can't do anything may be right, but they'd have to outspend Hasbro's legal department to prove it.

And as for the question of what has WoTC done to support OGL/d20? They created the license. I don't see that they need to do much more.

 

[Henry]

Phil,

Was there an announcement on this or is this insider info, other than Charles getting canned that is?

Thanks

The thing about a large number of books liquidated is under another thread in General Discussion that Phil posted, where he saw Half-Price Books coming into a large batch of books and minis.

 

[Son_of_Thunder]

The thing about a large number of books liquidated is under another thread in General Discussion that Phil posted, where he saw Half-Price Books coming into a large batch of books and minis.

Thanks Henry!

 

[philreed]

Was there an announcement on this or is this insider info, other than Charles getting canned that is?

Go into any Half-Price Books and you'll see what I'm talking about. Right around the time 3e came out a ton of 2e books were liquidated (which didn't surprise me). Yesterday I noticed that several 3e books and adventures (and some D&D Minis) had been recently liquidated.

You can spot liquidated merchandise at a HPB by the bar code/sticker and volume.

Mongoose and Atlas are also companies that have liquidated inventory that I've seen in HPB.

EDIT: I'm too slow!