Breaking into the industry

[Corvidae]

Hey all,

I was just wondering, what does it take to break in to the pdf industry.

What kind of writing, editing, creative skill would you recommend.

How should someone start if they think they want to go down this road.

Is it possible to be employed full time at this.

What should someone aim for as their first pdf.

Should someone do it alone, or try to contact more professional people to make sure the product comes out well.

And last but not least, how can someone be certain that the product is well balanced and fits with the overall concept of d20 or OGL.

Thanks for any info

John

 

[Vigilance]

I think the first step is to read a lot of RPG books, but especially PDFs.

Look at what works layout wise, art wise, writing style and rules content in the top selling PDFs and you'll find answers to many of your questions. The three advice PDFs that come with your RPGNow entry fee also contain a boatload of information.

Even if you plan to sell through another vendor, I would go buy them anyway. Tips on layout and marketing from the top people in the PDF industry.

As for how to start, that depends on what you want to do.

Do you want to just write? Or do you really want to run a company? If the former, I would suggest you seek opporunities with an existing publisher either as a freelancer or an imprint.

As for doing this full time, it can happen but it's not common.

Chuck

 

[Bardsandsages]

Should someone do it alone, or try to contact more professional people to make sure the product comes out well.

In my not-so-humble opinion, too many people try to go solo before actually learning the ins and outs of running a business. There is a world of difference between writing material for use in your own game and writing material for the general market. There is also a lot more to it than just writing. There are the basics of proofreading, editing, layout and design, finding illustrators, playtesting, and all of that. There is the marketing end, which is a whole different animal that the creative end. There is the accounting end, insuring that you have enough resources to actually pay your people and a cushion to handle unforseen situations. There is the legal aspect of writing up contracts and just insuring your product isn't going to get you sued.

I would suggest working with established publishers first to get your feet wet. Then, once you've build up your credentials and gotten a better feel for the behind the scenes aspects, then going solo. But even "solo" will require having good people to lean on. I've stopped trying to edit my projects, because I suck at it. So I've hired on an editor to do that for me. I have someone who organizes playtesting so I can get objective feedback. No one person can do everything well, so you need to delegate (which is real hard for someone like me!).

 

[Ghostwind]

Ditto the advice above. Work with an established pdf company for awhile. You are going to make almost no money at this anyhow, so your chances of getting your work seen and recognized are far better with an established company than trying it solo.

 

[Corvidae]

ok, so lets pretend I want to make a set of five pdf's each on a different angle of a topic, say exploring wizards in traditional fantasy and in d&d giving both crunch and fluff to make wizards more like the wizards in fantasy stories.

I think that these five pdf's could eventually be compiled into a printed gamebook, but I want to make sure that there are people enjoying them, and that they work out well.

What should I do, where should I turn to for a pdf company that might produce this?

any ideas?

 

[Ghostwind]

I'd talk to Phil Reed.

 

[Vigilance]

In my not-so-humble opinion, too many people try to go solo before actually learning the ins and outs of running a business. There is a world of difference between writing material for use in your own game and writing material for the general market. There is also a lot more to it than just writing.

I dunno, I had spoken to several companies about projects, including RPGObjects and Mystic Eye and neither of them were really interested in doing MORE than talking until after I had self-published Vigilance, warts and all.

So my personal experience speaks to the fact that showing you have chops counts for something.

Still, I *did* try to shop projects to other publishers before self-publishing, so I guess that speaks in support of your suggestion as well.

Chuck

 

[Roudi]

Taking a stab at self-publishing is a tremendous learning experience, and one I'd recommend even for someone interested in merely freelancing or developing material. You gain a serious appreciation for all steps of the publishing process. If you have the ability to lay out & create PDF files, a small bit of cash to set yourself up on RPGNow Edge, and the time to promote your stuff on messageboards like this, then go for it; it'll be enlightening.

 

[tensen]

I dunno, I had spoken to several companies about projects, including RPGObjects and Mystic Eye and neither of them were really interested in doing MORE than talking until after I had self-published Vigilance, warts and all.

So my personal experience speaks to the fact that showing you have chops counts for something.

Still, I *did* try to shop projects to other publishers before self-publishing, so I guess that speaks in support of your suggestion as well.

Chuck

I would imagine that some of that came from the fact that many people say they will write a manuscript, but until they've actually written one, or regularly meet deadlines on small projects, publishers can't be sure the writer will follow through on their grand idea.

And Vigilance was an odd genre in the time when Fantasy was pretty much the main target for publishers. Things have changed a lot since then.

Of course Chuck, if publishers had known how quickly you did turn around from idea to written concept back in the day they probably would have snapped you up quicker.

 

[Bardsandsages]

I dunno, I had spoken to several companies about projects, including RPGObjects and Mystic Eye and neither of them were really interested in doing MORE than talking until after I had self-published Vigilance, warts and all.

So my personal experience speaks to the fact that showing you have chops counts for something.

Still, I *did* try to shop projects to other publishers before self-publishing, so I guess that speaks in support of your suggestion as well.

Chuck

Hey, you never submitted anything to me.

One of the biggest reasons submissions get rejected has nothing to do with talent. It has to do with not following directions. I can't speak for most publishers in the gaming industry, but in general publishing most companies make available their guidelines and what they are looking for. Unfortunately, many writers never read the guidelines, never request the guidelines, or don't bother to understand the publisher's target genres before submitting.

For example, I publish RPGs and speculative fiction. My guidelines are pretty damn explicit. The other day I got a submission of a poetry chapbook, even though it clearly says we aren't looking for poetry. And it was damn good poetry, don't get me wrong. But we aren't focusing our energies on it now, so it was rejected. When I was putting together Dead Men (and Women) Walking, the guidelines clearly stressed NO FAN FICTION, NO GHOST STORIES, NO VAMPIRE ROMANCES. I'm not even going to get into how many of the above I received anyway.

And don't get me started on the Christian self-help book that I got in the mail last week!