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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgbrowning" data-source="post: 3143160" data-attributes="member: 5724">It's not may or may not happen. It's a "which publishers will" situation. Prices for rpg PDFs will be higher after the merger than they were before.Seriously. I'm being professional, I'm not acting badly, I'm not flinging poo-poo. Everyone please stop accusing me of such simply because I'm pointing out the obvious and immediate economic results of the proposed new site.Many of the vendors who account for roughly 80% of the sales at rpgnow.com will make less the months after the merger than the months before. In justification for this loss of revenue, we're told that we'll make more because of volume. Where this new volume is going to come from hasn't yet been explained especially considering that it must be above and beyond what was already occuring at the old sites to make up the difference in vendor fees. We're told that there will be more marketing/advertising. We haven't been told where, or how much. Also, many of us at rpgnow.com will remember that James has said to us that he doesn't believe hard-copy advertising provided much if any real noticable return for PDF products and considered in not really worth his time and money. However, our fee increase is supposed to help do more of that because it is apparantly now considered worthy of investment. I'd like to know what made James change his mind.The only real thing I was told is that my fees are increasing.Indeed! Again saying "shut up or leave" isn't constructive nor polite. Also by signing that contract I have entered a partership and I'd like to let my parters know that I'd rather they not decide to take 10% from me and give it to themselves while also telling my customers that pricing is decided by me, not them. And I'm certainly going to inform them of it. And I'm going to inform my customers (you know, those people who are also my parter's customers as well) why I'm going to raise my prices. And I'm going to inform the general PDF purchasing public as to why they might notice any price increases by several companies as well.Why? Because any price increases due to this merger are unecessary. Any vendor fee increases are also unecessary.Roughly 80% of my income comes from rpgs sales. I make roughly 20k a year in profits. That's the biz. I'm a small fry in rpgville, but a medium fry in PDFville.I agree with most of that, but the business didn't change, the market didn't change, trends haven't fallen, yet many of us who are actually creating rpg products are now going to make less. If it was a changing business, a changing market, or falling trends I wouldn't complain (well I'd complain some) but I'd adapt and move on, trying to find something better. And those of us who don't want to make less will have to charge our customers more. I'd rather not do that because of the reasons put forth.However, I'm viewing this obstacle as an opportunity. I will come out better than I went going it. But that's not because of any help provided by my business parter: it's going to be despite their "assistance" in our relationship. I don't like that. I think they should know and I think everyone else who cares to read my posts should as well. If someone's not really interested in what I have to say, they don't have to read my posts.This merger should have been a joyous affair for all parties involved. It should have meant I'll make more, they'll make more, and customers get an easier shopping source with no changes in existing prices. I shouldn't have lost the "Awesome! This is going to be great for everyone!" vibe I had right when I started reading the announcement before I got to the part where I'm going to be making less.joe b.</blockquote>

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