PDFs: Short or Long?

[HinterWelt]

So, I am working on Tern, a Sci-Fi supplement for Nebuleon, and I am talking it over with playtesters and they say "You should break it up into a bunch of small PDFs at about 2-2.50 a pop." I scratch my head and wonder, why not. I could break it up by planet (it is a guide to the Tern System) and sell it as a series but my brain just does not work that way. I like to get the whole thing in one package...but that is me.

So, do you like a series of small (around 12-20 pages, $2-2.50) pdfs or one big book (60-70 page, $6-8)?

Bill

 

[pogre]

Ah ha - I'm first and my position is winning. It will quickly be losing - so I celebrate in the moment!

 

[Psion]

I said long - for that sort of thing, it doesn't really make sense to buy it peicemeal.

But it occurs to me, perhaps the answer is both. If there is something that you think might sell peicemeal, then great. But if it's a peice of a bigger whole, I don't want to pay a premium collecting the peices.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Well, I voted "long," but there's a caveat.

For the most part, I prefer short PDFs. If the topic requires a long document to cover, I prefer one long PDF to a bunch of short ones, but I tend to prefer that PDFs cover shorter topics.

 

[Starglim]

So, I am working on Tern, a Sci-Fi supplement for Nebuleon, and I am talking it over with playtesters and they say "You should break it up into a bunch of small PDFs at about 2-2.50 a pop." I scratch my head and wonder, why not. I could break it up by planet (it is a guide to the Tern System) and sell it as a series but my brain just does not work that way. I like to get the whole thing in one package...but that is me.

So, do you like a series of small (around 12-20 pages, $2-2.50) pdfs or one big book (60-70 page, $6-8)?

In general, I would say it depends entirely on the content. A campaign setting that requires all of the parts to use it really should be one document. If each planet can stand alone you could release them separately and maybe offer them as a bundle.

 

[Crothian]

As long as it needs to be

 

[arscott]

I'm always annoyed when I go to buy a PDF and it's under the minimum purchase amount. Occasionally I'll buy something else to fill out the order, but more often I'll just pass on the product entirely.

On the other hand, 60 pages of computer screen text can be a bit daunting. And I detest paying for padding.

I honestly prefer sort of a compromise position: $4-5 for 30 or 40 pages.

 

[Peter Gibbons]

So, do you like a series of small (around 12-20 pages, $2-2.50) pdfs or one big book (60-70 page, $6-8)?

In general, lots of little .PDFs are annoying. HOWEVER, as others have already pointed out, in some situations it can be a real advantage. It just depends on what the product is and how it's going to get used.

The best solution is to offer both formats, of course. Choices are good.

 

[trancejeremy]

My eyes start to glaze over around page 7 of a PDF. So I would go for short.

 

[marshaldwm]

I am pretty much against PDFs, except those that were actually print books, as the quality seems to be relatively poor, especially most rules-based information. Granted, print books typically have rules problesm also, but at least I can look at those easier before I buy them. With too many pdfs it is only the name and a two sentence blurb that describes the contents.