Does it pay to publish?

[tensen]

Notice that Phil is not restricted to just the one gig either - he still does layout for other companies (such as Paradigm Concepts most recently) to keep the bills paid.

Currently, 100 sales puts you on the top 100 d20 products of all time list @ RPGnow.

I imagine that number has been rising steadily. I don't think its yet at 200, but is definitely more than 100.

 

[Vanuslux]

At 18,000 they could be gold kugarands and I'd still be better off tending bar!

On the other hand, $18,000 seems like a kings ransom to a shmoe like me. I highly doubt I could come close to that e-publishing though. I'd probably be really content if I could make $5000 a year, though, which would be enough that I could work only part time. I'm not sure how plausible that is, though, hence my hesitation to invest a lot of energy into it right now...especially since someone stole my car, meaning I spend two extra hours of my day on public transportation to get to my menial job...I can't take time away from my family and if I didn't take time for recreation I'd go insane...so the time that ends up cutting into is the time that used to be set aside for writing. There are some things I'm working on, though, that are labors of love rather than aspirations of wealth. They're coming along slowly but I'll probably publish them one day just for the self-gratification.

 

[philreed]

While most of my income does come from PDF sales I supplement that income with -- as has already been noted -- freelance work. Layout and writing primarily but also some consulting and forays into other fields.

The most important thing is: my wife has a good job.

I can't stress how important it is to have one steady income. Freelance/self-publishing is a route filled with uncertainty and risk.

 

[The Sigil]

I imagine that number has been rising steadily. I don't think its yet at 200, but is definitely more than 100.

It should be noted that 'Hound said 100 sales would put you into the top 100 d20 products, not the top 100 products overall.

The top 100 overall is now at 200. How do I know? I have the product sitting (as of right now) in the #100 slot (Buy the Numbers) and it has 201 sales. Thus, I can state with absolute certainty that in order to get into the top 100, you need over 200 sales.

--The Sigil

 

[tensen]

It should be noted that 'Hound said 100 sales would put you into the top 100 d20 products, not the top 100 products overall.

The top 100 overall is now at 200. How do I know? I have the product sitting (as of right now) in the #100 slot (Buy the Numbers) and it has 201 sales. Thus, I can state with absolute certainty that in order to get into the top 100, you need over 200 sales.

--The Sigil

Thats correct. 100 sales does not currently put you in the top 100 of d20 products. Like the person from ARP has stated, I also have products between 100 - 150 sales that are not on the d20 charts.

 

[Mark]

The top 100 overall is now at 200. How do I know? I have the product sitting (as of right now) in the #100 slot (Buy the Numbers) and it has 201 sales. Thus, I can state with absolute certainty that in order to get into the top 100, you need over 200 sales.

But if we look at that from...


So, the numbers would suggest...


The conclusions one could draw from such a trend are...


Nope. Just no way to spin, twist, or debate such evidence.

 

[HellHound]

yeah yeah. Pie in my face again.

Remind me to say things I can back up one of these days, ok?

 

[tensen]

yeah yeah. Pie in my face again.

Remind me to say things I can back up one of these days, ok?

Hmm, Orc and pie did pretty well. wonder what sort of thing you could get out of Hellhound and Pie... hmmm!!!

 

[Chaos Drake]

On the other hand, $18,000 seems like a kings ransom to a shmoe like me. I highly doubt I could come close to that e-publishing though. I'd probably be really content if I could make $5000 a year, though, which would be enough that I could work only part time. I'm not sure how plausible that is, though, hence my hesitation to invest a lot of energy into it right now...especially since someone stole my car, meaning I spend two extra hours of my day on public transportation to get to my menial job...I can't take time away from my family and if I didn't take time for recreation I'd go insane...so the time that ends up cutting into is the time that used to be set aside for writing. There are some things I'm working on, though, that are labors of love rather than aspirations of wealth. They're coming along slowly but I'll probably publish them one day just for the self-gratification.

Sorry to hear that Vanuslux. I would advise to step into it gradually, but don't expect to make much. Philip Reed has more than 100+ products on Rpgnow.com, and they're all high quality products. It'll take quite a while to build that amount of inventory.

 

[Vanuslux]

Sorry to hear that Vanuslux. I would advise to step into it gradually, but don't expect to make much. Philip Reed has more than 100+ products on Rpgnow.com, and they're all high quality products. It'll take quite a while to build that amount of inventory.

Yeah, I'm definitely not expecting to be an overnight sensation. I have a plan and part of that plan is to keep my job until I've got my footing...and then go part time at my job. We could actually make ends meet with just my wife's income, but I'd rather just drop to part time so that if I hit a dry spell I can just beg more hours from work rather than having to look for a whole new job.