Do you consider PDF cost by Page Count?

[Krolik]

I never look at price per page; I seldom even look at the number of pages in a pdf before I buy it. Everything I buy is based solely on how much use I'll get out of it. I'll pay $25.00 for 128 pages or $7.00 for 10 pages if I feel it can make my game better or my job as GM easier.

Many times the whole price per page issue comes down to nothing more then whether or not you're willing to spend and extra $2.00 or so for a product. If I ever got so bad that I'd agonize over spending an extra $2.00 on something I'd give up gaming entirely. Maybe some people need to decide between the $7.00 pdf or the $5.00 pdf and a $2.00 lunch but fortunately that's not me.

 

[Thomas Percy]

I think it's not a wise way, because 200 pages of for free isn't better than 5 pages of inspiring ideas for 10$.

 

[Vanuslux]

It's somewhat valid.

More specifically, it's only valid insofar as its an accurate reflection of a content-to-cost comparison. I can bloat my page counts by introducing large margins and large type, but that doesn't mean I've actually increased my usable content.

And, in truth, content-to-cost is only a useful metric insofar as it reflects USEFUL content-to-cost. If (a) your content is useless or (b) you've bloated up what could have been one page of rules into a twenty page treatise, you've haven't actually increased the utility of your product.

I'd prefer a well-organized and efficiently written supplement with only a few pages to a bloated one with lots of pages.

So page count, as a metric, is actually two steps removed from the metric of actual relevance: Page count is indicative (but not definitive) of the amount of content. The amount of content is indicative (but not definitive) of the amount of useful content.

Your products become your reputation, though, so if you become known for padding out your products (regardless of whether it's by jacking up font size or just putting in a lot of useless filler) you're virtually assured that your sales are going to be hitting the dirt in the not so distant future. Someone buying a PDF is someone online and therefore in a position to research customer satisfaction with your products if they're so inclined. I only buy PDFs with a decent page-to-cost ratio, but I never buy anything without digging up the opinions of someone who has already taken a hit to the wallet for the product.

 

[Voadam]

I consider price per page as one factor, along with topic, page count, total price, price comparison to other similar books, expected value of the material, and expected use.

To use your example, I can get a ton of similarly sized monster books for less than the MMIII pdf price. Creature Collection Revised, Creature Collection II, Creature Collection III, Manual of Monsters, and Monsters of Norrath, are all d20 monster collections of similar page counts for about half the price. Penumbra Fantasy bestiary is longer but still only $20. Only Monsters of Norrath is in color, but I am interested in all of them about equally based on content so I see myself finishing my creature collection series long before considering picking up the WotC one. I have choices and options and price is one point I consider when spending my monthly pdf budget.

Note also that similar to in print, pdfs are generally cheaper per page the bigger the total file is. So MMIII will come out more favorably on price per page than Sons of Gruumsh.

And yes, Burning Sky looks like a great deal, and is tempting me heavily. I think I might succumb in June (I've already got my plans for my May budget spent in my head).

 

[RangerWickett]

And yes, Burning Sky looks like a great deal, and is tempting me heavily. I think I might succumb in June (I've already got my plans for my May budget spent in my head).

Succumb in May. The fourth adventure, The Mad King's Banquet, will be released within a week, and it is, I am not sh*tting you, stunning.