d20 bubble bust?- High Prices, too many books
- Thread starter Belen
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RangerWickett
Legend
It's somewhat sad that my standard of living is so low, but I perceive the couple hundred bucks or so I make a month off of writing for E.N.Publishing to be quite reasonable. But I've got a second job, and I'm sharing rent with a friend, so my costs are low.
But I'm not making anywhere near $25,000 a year. Someone must've been lying to me about the whole 'value of a college education' thing. It's great, and I'm glad I did it, but I think they exaggerated the numbers. Or maybe they were just talking about doctors and lawyers.
Anyway, I like to think I write only material that's original and good. Most of E.N.Pub's products have been more toolkit, less sourcebook. More Manual of the Planes, less Sword & Fist. It's obviously true that sales are down from two years ago -- we sold like 300 copies of Wild Spellcraft in the first month, whereas Elements of Magic Revised got about half that, despite being bigger, better, and having a somewhat established fanbase from those who got the original book. But I attribute the lower sales less to a 'failing of the d20 movement' and more to the fact that the economy is kinda sucking.
I do wish we'd put up more books for Print on Demand. They're not expensive compared to normal print books (since you cut out the middle man), and they're just as good in quality. Trying to get hundreds of game and hobby stores to stock your book is, I'm sure, tough. I don't work on that end of the business, though. I just sit here, writing my ideas out, hoping people enjoy them.
But I'm not making anywhere near $25,000 a year. Someone must've been lying to me about the whole 'value of a college education' thing. It's great, and I'm glad I did it, but I think they exaggerated the numbers. Or maybe they were just talking about doctors and lawyers.
Anyway, I like to think I write only material that's original and good. Most of E.N.Pub's products have been more toolkit, less sourcebook. More Manual of the Planes, less Sword & Fist. It's obviously true that sales are down from two years ago -- we sold like 300 copies of Wild Spellcraft in the first month, whereas Elements of Magic Revised got about half that, despite being bigger, better, and having a somewhat established fanbase from those who got the original book. But I attribute the lower sales less to a 'failing of the d20 movement' and more to the fact that the economy is kinda sucking.
I do wish we'd put up more books for Print on Demand. They're not expensive compared to normal print books (since you cut out the middle man), and they're just as good in quality. Trying to get hundreds of game and hobby stores to stock your book is, I'm sure, tough. I don't work on that end of the business, though. I just sit here, writing my ideas out, hoping people enjoy them.
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
Prices are rising, but so is quality of product.
At first, there was WotC and the 1001 Adventures. Then came the Era of the Splatbooks. And now, splatbooks have nearly dissappeared -- they're the stuff for PDF's, not for the bookshelf. It was quite a while ago that I read the last reference to Elfy Mc Elfingtons Book of Badass Elfiness (DWARVES SUCK!!! Edition). Now, we're getting the stuff that takes effort to produce -- campaign settings, big sourcebooks, enhancements that don't just rely on feats & PrC's or monsters, things that take d20 in new directions.
The only people making adventures and splatbooks anymore is WotC (The Complete series are basically splatbooks writ large). Everyone else moved on to new things that change the market, rather than re-tread the same old same old, and WotC is behind the times on it (they're putting out Frotsburn while Bastion has had a bonus series of environmental sourcebooks for a while now).
At first, there was WotC and the 1001 Adventures. Then came the Era of the Splatbooks. And now, splatbooks have nearly dissappeared -- they're the stuff for PDF's, not for the bookshelf. It was quite a while ago that I read the last reference to Elfy Mc Elfingtons Book of Badass Elfiness (DWARVES SUCK!!! Edition). Now, we're getting the stuff that takes effort to produce -- campaign settings, big sourcebooks, enhancements that don't just rely on feats & PrC's or monsters, things that take d20 in new directions.
The only people making adventures and splatbooks anymore is WotC (The Complete series are basically splatbooks writ large). Everyone else moved on to new things that change the market, rather than re-tread the same old same old, and WotC is behind the times on it (they're putting out Frotsburn while Bastion has had a bonus series of environmental sourcebooks for a while now).
Estlor
Explorer
Distribution has always been the constant thorn in the D20 movement's side. A standard bookstore rarely stocks anything unless it comes from a publisher with a previously established relationship or one with a strong enough arm to muscle in. If you go to places like Borders or Barnes & Noble all you'll see is work from WotC, Fantasy Flight, Sword & Sorcery, AEG, and the occasional Green Ronin product. If you want D20 products from smaller publishing houses, you have to hope your FLGS or Amazon carries it or the publisher has worked out some form of online commerce for their work. (Although my FLGS only carries WotC, FFG, and S&SS).
Most of the other D20 companies remain largely invisible to the public unless they happen to use the internet to fuel their hobby or know someone that does. Even so, there are a lot of them out there, and a lot of new product keeps coming out each month.
I think what's supporting the industry is the use of PDFs for distribution. I know personally that I'd choose a print book over a PDF any day (which is part of the reason I've never bought an EN World product, even though I'm highly interested in Elements of Magic Revised). It lets publishers settle for modest purchases without going too far into the red over it.
The bottom line is I think most people are settling into buying patterns where they only consider D20 work from sources they know and trust. If they adopt a setting, they'll buy products from that setting. I know I rarely give anything but work from Fantasy Flight Games and Green Ronin a look these days. I'm jonesing for Blackmoor, but only because I know what to expect from it and have experienced Blackmoor before. If it was some other product from Goodman, I'd hardly give it a second thought.
Most of the other D20 companies remain largely invisible to the public unless they happen to use the internet to fuel their hobby or know someone that does. Even so, there are a lot of them out there, and a lot of new product keeps coming out each month.
I think what's supporting the industry is the use of PDFs for distribution. I know personally that I'd choose a print book over a PDF any day (which is part of the reason I've never bought an EN World product, even though I'm highly interested in Elements of Magic Revised). It lets publishers settle for modest purchases without going too far into the red over it.
The bottom line is I think most people are settling into buying patterns where they only consider D20 work from sources they know and trust. If they adopt a setting, they'll buy products from that setting. I know I rarely give anything but work from Fantasy Flight Games and Green Ronin a look these days. I'm jonesing for Blackmoor, but only because I know what to expect from it and have experienced Blackmoor before. If it was some other product from Goodman, I'd hardly give it a second thought.
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
Bastion Press, AKA a company that will shell out for hardcover and full color for their setting book. 
Check the link in the sig for 'em. You may recognize a name or two from the D&D old guard....
Check the link in the sig for 'em. You may recognize a name or two from the D&D old guard....
BryonD
Hero
RangerWickett said:
From where I'm sitting the economy is doing great. Meaning I am doing much better financially than I was when Wild Spellcraft came out. I bought Wild Spellcraft and was a big proponent of all things PDF at the time. Now I basically do not buy PDFs at all. PDF publishers seem to have fooled themselves into believing that the value of an electronic product is the same (or near to) as the value of a printed product. Prices of PDFs seem to be far higher than they were. And it seems to me that sales are much lower. What was the price of Wild Spellcraft during that first month vs the price of EoM revised now?
Anyway, my point is that when you bring e-publications into the mix, you change the discussion significantly.
I really think that we were at or below the normal baseline before Aug 99. Then we had a giant boom period. As was predicted from the beginning, that boom had to end some time. I think it lasted longer than expected. And I still think that things are a lot better now than they were in June 1998. They just are not at the super heights they were in June 2000. So I think it is wrong to lament that we are going back down toward "normal".
We should celebrate the several years of boom that we had and are still benefiting from today. And we will continue to benefit from it in the future.
I certainly choose to be positive about what has happened.
The_Universe
First Post
I am generally pretty happy with D20s current trend--companies are getting more adventurous with what can be done with D20, and I am happy to pay them for the work that they do.
It's only when things really got locked into a setting (or settings), with no possible new information or innovation that the bubble will have truly burst. As long as things like Midnight, D20 Future, and Sidewinder keep coming out, we'll be on the right track.
It's only when things really got locked into a setting (or settings), with no possible new information or innovation that the bubble will have truly burst. As long as things like Midnight, D20 Future, and Sidewinder keep coming out, we'll be on the right track.
