Methuslah said:
I'll confess that Almanac One isn't doing as well as I'd hoped, though I am still optimistic that the market will grow with time. The reviews we've got have been excellent, so at least the product is liked by the readers - and with a magazine that's most of the battle. (Incidentally, if anyone out there hasn't read Almanac yet, do so now!)
Hello,
The wreckage of print rpg mags litters the industry. Shadis, Arcane, print-Pyramid, Challenge, Role-player, Space Gamer, print-JTAS, The Familiar, Inphobia, Autoduel Quarterly.
Evidence suggests that Dungeon/Poly is in a bad way as well.
RPG mags embody the most difficulty aspects of publishing, with their recurring, monthly costs, low profit margin, need to bring in new subscribers to fund future issues, etc.
Right now there are several print D&D rags and there is no way they will all survive. (Dragon, Dungeon, Campaign, Gaming Frontiers, EN World Players Journal, Signs and Portents). D&D is robust, but I think we'll see most of them gone within a year or two. I'm not trying to be an ass, I just think the market will only support Dragon, Dungeon (for how long?), and maybe one or two others.
.pdf pay mags would seem to be in a brutal position because they are up against a horde of free .pdf rags, and many gamers still have a hard time paying money for an electronic product. Well, paying
enough money to keep the project going.
The bottom line: Print mags have a hard enough time making a go of it, so I wonder if a pay .pdf mag would fare any better, especially one that had freelance fees to cover?