Community Opinion on pdf sales

[DSC-EricPrice]

It seems to me that one of the things that has sprung out of the OGL/d20 license revolution is the advent of pdf sourcebooks and adventures.

As I consider releasing my own material to pdf I wanted to gather some opinion from the community at large about a few topics.

Given that you have to print the material out yourself (unless you intend to read it from your computer) and given that you can buy a traditional paper adventure for ~$7-$10, is $5 too much to charge for pdf adventures?

What should the cost of the average 32 page pdf adventure be?
How much more (if any) for a premium name like Monte Cook? How much less (if any) for a new-comer to the market?

Is the ability to instant download your purchase meaningful to you as a consumer?

Is a system where you are mailed a link later acceptable? Assume that by later means within 8 hours and usually (depending on where you are in the world) within the hour.

Would it be more acceptable if doing so saved you 20% off the cost of adventure?

Should pdfs be black and white, full color, or buyers option?

How important, when you're printing it yourself, is the decorative art/design in the margins?

Any other opinions about things to include or avoid?

Thanks to all who reply.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Given that you have to print the material out yourself (unless you intend to read it from your computer) and given that you can buy a traditional paper adventure for ~$7-$10, is $5 too much to charge for pdf adventures?

$5 seems fair to me- as long as it is not one page long.

How much more (if any) for a premium name like Monte Cook? How much less (if any) for a new-comer to the market?

I don't think the cost matters with regard to author of the product. I have purchased a handful of pdf's, but a majority of them were Monte Cook's pdf products. I am more willing to buy a MC product due to I know, roughly, what level of quality to expect from him.

Is the ability to instant download your purchase meaningful to you as a consumer?

If the product is an adventures, then yes it is. I usually want to work on it then.

Is a system where you are mailed a link later acceptable? Assume that by later means within 8 hours and usually (depending on where you are in the world) within the hour.

I have trouble picturing why this would need to be the case, but I would be willing to wait for a non-adventure product that I really wanted to read.

Would it be more acceptable if doing so saved you 20% off the cost of adventure?

Ehh.. $1 off for a wait. *shrug* I would probably rather pay the dollar and just get it then.

Should pdfs be black and white, full color, or buyers option?

Black and white.

How important, when you're printing it yourself, is the decorative art/design in the margins?

I could do without the art/design in the margins. It adds nothing for me.

Any other opinions about things to include or avoid?

It would be nice to have a txt file of the product along with the pdf- especially with adventures. It would allow me to cut & paste, add my own details, and then print. Instead of printing the adventure, and then going crazy with a highligter/pen.

The less ink intensive art in the book, the better. But, I have never been a big fan of art in a book outside of monster books and the occassional room picture for things hard to explain.

Good luck!

Respectfully submitted,
FD

 

[Alejandro]

I love crunchy bits. I love PDFs. I don't print my PDFs, so color is not very valuable to me. Art in margins usually passes under my radar. Though I want my electronic products immediately, I would be willing to wait for a link if the product receives favorable reviews.

I am very excited that Bastion Press is planning on rereleasing its products electronically once their print run sells out. I was going to wait for Badaxe Games to do the same, but simply couldn't wait that long.

I've not yet bought a PDF solely for an adventure. I've purchased Malhavoc's If Thoughts Could Kill, but more for the alternate psion rules. I think $3.95 may be more reasonable for a 32 page PDF adventure, but would indeed be willing to pay a premium for a "name" designer.

 

[The Sigil]

Speaking strictly as a consumer...

Given that you have to print the material out yourself (unless you intend to read it from your computer) and given that you can buy a traditional paper adventure for ~$7-$10, is $5 too much to charge for pdf adventures?

Traditional paper adventures now run $10 for 32 pages. Considering the cost to print an adventure is roughly 10 cents per page if I go to Kinko's (I don't, but for sake of argument let's say I do) - and that's on the high side - you're talking another $3.20 to print. Throw in a nifty cover ($1 for color printing) and you're already looking at a total cost of close to $10 on a printed version of $5 PDF - IOW, it's comparable in price to a $10 print adventure. OTOH, it is more portable and convenient - and you can also replace it if destroyed. I think $5 is about right, actually.

What should the cost of the average 32 page pdf adventure be?

$5 is about right... though I would prefer to see a 64-page PDF for $5.

How much more (if any) for a premium name like Monte Cook? How much less (if any) for a new-comer to the market?

I really don't think this should affect the price. A publisher's name is going to drive sales much more than price, IMO. I personally buy a lot of PDF stuff to check out what's out there, but I don't jump on Monte's latest offering any quicker than anybody else's.

Is the ability to instant download your purchase meaningful to you as a consumer?

Yes. When I buy a book at my FLGS, I can start perusing it instantly. I want the same when I get a PDF.

Is a system where you are mailed a link later acceptable? Assume that by later means within 8 hours and usually (depending on where you are in the world) within the hour.

Probably not.

Would it be more acceptable if doing so saved you 20% off the cost of adventure?

20% on a $5 adventure - $1. I'll pay the buck to get it now.

Should pdfs be black and white, full color, or buyers option?

Both. Make two versions - one in full color, the other in B&W (or artless). I want one that looks nice and professional (esp. since I have access to a color laser printer) so I feel justified in my expense at purchasing. OTOH, I want a nice simple B&W one to print quick or to cut/paste. It's not that difficult to do two and package them together in the electronic medium... so it really should be done, IMO.

How important, when you're printing it yourself, is the decorative art/design in the margins?

When I'm printing it myself (on my own dime), I don't want decorative art - more ink/toner. When I'm using the color laser printer at work, different story. Should be nice and nifty but not overbearing (see my previous paragraph).

Any other opinions about things to include or avoid?

Avoid "locking" the PDF or at least make all OGC text available separately. I want to cut/paste stuff all the time.

Include lots of OGC - in fact, 99% OGC (where the product name, company name, and illustrations are all that is not OGC) is great.

Make sure the thing is bookmarked so I can find stuff fast.

DON'T put ads for your next product in it (a gripe with print stuff as well). If I pay for something, I expect it to be 100% ad-free... if you have to, cut out the ads and charge me the extra dime or two that the loss of ad revenue costs. I can't stress that strongly enough. NO ADVERTISEMENTS IN MY GAMING MATERIALS!

Shrink the OGL down to 4-point font. Then it fits in a quarter of a page or so. Adlon (Mortality Radio) suggested this and I think it's a good idea. You have to have it in there. It DOESN'T have to be "at a reasonable font size."

Thanks to all who reply.

You're welcome.

--The Sigil

 

[Razuur]

I have bought three products as PDFs - Book of Eldritch Might, the Primal Codex, and Taverns fairs, etc.

I have been pleased with all three purchases.

I carefully monitor reviews, though before I purchase. I only purchased these when I was very SURE ahead of time. A printed product i can browse, but pdfs are risky. For the right subject, the right revews and the right price, I will pay.

I don't see myself buying any adventures in PDF, but then I don't buy many adventures in print (save Kalamar).

Hope that helped.

 

[trancejeremy]

IIRC, a lot of online PDF stores have a minimum price of $5 for their PDFs.

I hate decorative art in the margins in everything, but particularly in things I have to print out. I don't know why #%@! inkjet cartridges are so expensive, but they are. I think companies just put them in their products to make the consumer not be so aware of the white space.

I probably wouldn't buy a PDF adventure. I prefer to buy adventures used on Ebay - usually they're 20%-25% of the cover price there if you wait about 6 months after they come out.

 

[Krug]

I'd buy more generic material rather than modules. 32 pages for $5 is fine. Since I intend to enter the market as well, that's the page count I'm aiming for.

Go to RPGnow.com and contact them. They'll help you distribute your product.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

I buy pdfs from Monte and DarkFuries (floorplans). I bought Gar'Udok's Compleat Guide to Necromantik Artes as well. I won't buy pdf adventures, only crunchy bits, and never for more than $5.00-$7.95. Use of color, artwork and pretty margins are not desirable in pdfs (IMO) because they waste ink and take longer to print out and serve no purpose other than the aesthetic. If I wanted aesthetic, I'd buy a professionally published (hardcopy) product at the store. I buy pdfs to mine for crunchy bits and use as inspiration for my own ideas.

Crunchy bits will always sell better than anything else, I think. That's because everybody likes crunchy bits and they appeal to a wider sphere of the gaming public than things like settings or adventures. Floorplans are also something people need, but only DMs. DarkFuries has done an excellent job with their pdf floorplan product line, for example.

 

[smetzger]

One thing to look into is formatting your pdf for landscape printing. This will greatly facilitate online reading of the pdf because you will be able to see and read a whole page at a time.

 

[Zaukrie]

I hate margin art, while you're asking. It just uses very expensive toner, while adding nothing to the product. If I want something that looks incredibly good, I'll buy a printed product. That's no excuse for bad art, though.