RPG Writer Seeks Publisher or Representation

[Cazundae]

Greetings Enworlders,
I have completed a d20 suppliment/campaign setting that I had intended to self-publish. Now however, I would like to talk to some publishers and perhaps some agents who would be willing to take up the task of pitching the project to publishers.

Are there any agents out there like this or are there any publishers who would be willing to recieve a copy of my book in to take a look at? Its already been playtested and revised and is being edited as we speak. I would greatly appreciate any input.

At Your Service,
Jason

 

[Eytan Bernstein]

Greetings Enworlders,
I have completed a d20 suppliment/campaign setting that I had intended to self-publish. Now however, I would like to talk to some publishers and perhaps some agents who would be willing to take up the task of pitching the project to publishers.

Are there any agents out there like this or are there any publishers who would be willing to recieve a copy of my book in to take a look at? Its already been playtested and revised and is being edited as we speak. I would greatly appreciate any input.

At Your Service,
Jason

I'd suggest providing a brief line telling us what the setting is about - Vikings & Pirates, Ornate Elven High Fantasy, Mystic Noir, etc...

 

[Cazundae]

A breif discription

Greetings Eytan,
The book is called A Roar in the North: A Guide to the Ursicaen of Nith. It is a manual meant to act as both a stand alone/ growing micro d20 campaign setting as well as a d20 suppliment to existing worlds. The Ursicaen are anthropomorphic bearfolk living native to NIth, an all anthropomorthic world. It includes extensive racial descriptions 3 subraces of the Ursicaen, new feats for them and other anthromorphs, new weapons, new spells, new monsters, and most importantly a full prewritten adventure that would take 4 players from 1st to 3rd or 4th level. It also includes what I call random terrian generators which are a list of natural terrian phenomina that occur in each of the environments of the 3 subraces of Ursicaen including written descriptions, skill applications, and a sample encounter.

Is there anything else I can tell you?

Jason

 

[PatrickLawinger]

Cazundae,

There are no agents in this business. I am afraid that the dirty little secret is that, well, RPG writing pays like crap (sorry grandma). There isn't enough money involved for any agent to bother wanting 10-15% of. You will have to sell your work yourself.

I would suggest you look at different publishers and try to decide which might best fit your book. Then send a letter describing it to them (email is okay for this, just make certain you find out exactly who to send the proposal to). Your letter should include a brief outline and you should tell how many words (it sounds like you've already written it). You should also provide a good idea of what you think the market is. If you are an unproven writer in the present market I would expect about $.005 per word or a % of net profits.

I should warn you that a lot of publishers are essentially dropping plans for d20 material at this time as they wait for 4e and to see what the 4e OGL is going to be like. It also sounds like your book might have a very limited market. These are all factors a publisher has to take into consideration. Art, layout, etc. even for a .pdf are expensive.

I'd tell you more, but I have to go ...

Patrick

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

Both as a publisher and a writer, campaign settings scare the hell out of me. The amount of work and resources it takes to produce a good one is simply staggering, and then there's no guarantee that it will sell.

If I were you, I would attempt to release it yourself. Not the whole thing at once, but piecemeal. Focus on a single race, class, or geographical location in your world in a short PDF. Trust me, people are a lot more willing to risk 2.00 on a PDF than they are to risk 40 to 50 bucks on a new campaign setting. With this method, you might be able to drum up some interest in the setting, and if the individual pieces sell well, then you definitely have something worth pitching to a larger publisher.

Just my .02.

BD

 

[Bacris]

Going to second Blackdirge.

The other benefit of releasing it piecemeal is you can see what people like, what people don't, and develop a fan-base without staking all your efforts on a single "big" product. And the incremental sales can fund the later projects or the compilation.

I've personally done this - not for a campaign - but with my High Psionics line. Especially in the independent publisher market, it's a lot less risky.

 

[Cazundae]

What do you guys thing about the fact that there are no illustrations? Do people really buy products that are all text?

I appreciate the feedback thus far, by the way!



Jason

 

[Bacris]

Yup! Dreamscarred Press's first 4 releases had almost no illustrations.

But, might I make some recommendations for art if you're on a tight budget? There are some stock art packages you can pick up at sites such as www.yourgamesnow.com or www.rpgnow.com - these can usually get you pictures anywhere from 0.20 to 4.00 per picture - and most have previews so you can see what you're getting.

It takes a fair bit of scouring, but I've made liberal use of stock art to make up for the fact that my art budget is quite minimal and my artistic talent is non-existent

Also, post up on the open calls if you do have a budget - and be up-front of what your budget is and what you're looking for. You'd be surprised - you can get some quality customized art even if you have a small budget.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

What do you guys thing about the fact that there are no illustrations? Do people really buy products that are all text?

I don't release products without art, so I couldn't tell you if people buy them or not. However, as a consumer, I would be far less likley to buy an RPG product that didn't have at least some art.

There are a lot of artists looking to break into the RPG industry; some of them are really good, and usually they will be willing to work with you on payment. You could try to hook up with people like that, or you could simply use clip art, which can be had at a miminal cost from many different publishers.

BD

 

[Cazundae]

So if I want to release a 250pg book as a pdf with no illustrations, what can I charge for that?