EN World GameStore - To answer some publisher questions...

[BrooklynKnight]

Now I read all this very differently and in some ways agree with both of you...

I do not see RPGNow's review policy as if they read the material more of a, this isn't fake or full of porn but has nothing to do with quality of the product. I can see the need for a new publisher to go thru this.

Now, after the publisher has say released a certain number of things, the odds of them turning around and releasing something it does not claim to be lessen to the point where it this pause only hurts the publisher and does not assist anyone. It should be removed at this point and the publisher should be able to create "Instant Releases"

Allowing Instant Release to just anyone, it isn't a matter of IF someone does it, just WHEN. If you have any doubt, see any of Man-Thing's posts lately. Any educated person seen that coming.

This is where ENGS will do some good things that DTRPG did not, since both RPGNow and ENGS offer very close business models, it will come down to who evolves and changes to meet the customers and their desires/needs. I think we will go thru a few hard months as both learn to listen and understand those desires and needs.

Agreed.

In fact, I think there is a balance that can be found here. An "established publisher" with a "track record of quality releases" should be allowed to utalize "instant publishing" to have their product activated and listed immediatly. Only should the product receive an unusual amount of complaints (legit ones) should it be then reviewed.

Who defines what an "established publisher" and a "quality release" is? I suppose the store or the people running it. As part of the sign up process it should be the responsilbity of the store to research the company they are signing on to represent/sell. Perhaps a one time review process. The decision is then made and "final".

After some time has passed, or a certain amount of products published a "new or unproven publisher" can request a secondary review for an upgrade to access instant activation, which should of course be a free upgrade.

I think that this is the best method that could make everyone happy.

Some may ask "whats to stop the store owner from being paid by another publisher behind closed doors to hinder another publisher by keeping them at the review level?"

Nothing, except the risk of a bad reputation. The most important thing RPGNow and ENGS have is their positive reputation. I think its a small enough industry that everyone plays fair and policeses themselves.

 

[Morrus]

Some may ask "whats to stop the store owner from being paid by another publisher behind closed doors to hinder another publisher by keeping them at the review level?"

What's to stop any store of any kind in the entire world from not selling a certain product? The presence of absence of a review process doesn't affect that. I've already told one publisher that I have no intention to stock their products, and never will.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Well, it was a rhetorical question. I completly agree with you.

Incidentially i'm curious, which publisher you're talking about.

 

[Morrus]

Incidentially i'm curious, which publisher you're talking about.

I'm not gonna name names.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

I'm not gonna name names.

I can respect that. Though my curiosity will eat away at me. Someone with less moral hutzpah then morrus is welcome to tell me in private! :-D

 

[rpghost]

The big publishers shout for standards because they don't want competition eating their sale$. The big publishers put out crap products too you know, so that argument does not fly.

Not sure why you believe that the "big" publishers are worried about over half the vendors (almost 200) at RPGNow that accuont for less than 5% of the revenue think you're "eating their sales"...

James

 

[DanMcS]

Not sure why you believe that the "big" publishers are worried about over half the vendors (almost 200) at RPGNow that accuont for less than 5% of the revenue think you're "eating their sales"...

Because of comments from you guys at rpgnow that the "big vendors" wanted the site split so they didn't have to share screen space with the small vendors. Because of comments from Twin Rose that implied that the big vendors recruited for the ENGS wanted the $99 sign-up fee to keep out the riffraff.

 

[carpedavid]

Not sure why you believe that the "big" publishers are worried about over half the vendors (almost 200) at RPGNow that accuont for less than 5% of the revenue think you're "eating their sales"...

James

From what I've gathered from various comments made in various threads, it's not that they're worried about person A purchasing small product X instead of big product Y, but that the existance of "bad products" (presumably put out by small vendors) makes it harder to find, and thus buy, "good products" (presumably put out by big vendors). Thus, these small companies are cutting into their revenue, not neccessarily by competing, but by being in the way.

I can't say I disagree, neccessarily. More products = more to sort through.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I do think it's bad form to institute controls and barriers to entry that didn't before exist in order to protect sales. Whether it is because of a glut of publishers, or because more publishers mean more products in a certain niche, it remains that it looks as if the larger publishers are using their sales positions to 'edge' out smaller companies.

I just think cream should be left to rise and chaff left to fall and that systems should be put into place to HELP that, not create divisions based on who made more money in the begining years of PDF publishing. Some of the "big" names, who put out alot of things I like, have put out some real stinkers ... I think people who have published material covering the same ground should have good opportunity to get it to me.

--fje

 

[Twin Rose]

For one thing, the ENGS does reserve the right to deactivate a product for various reasons - the PDF is faulty, the download file is the wrong one, it is not appropriate for the site or categories it's listed in.

As a side note, our "smaller" publishers are driving sales to the "bigger" ones, and vice versa, though the gaps are still being determined and there's a lot of fluctuation. Our system of product recommendations appears to be working exactly as it was intended to. Someone buys or receives a class book from TheLe as a complimentary, as they check it out they see similar books ... Say, Druids & Druidism from Bastion Press, or something from Ronin Arts. They add those to their cart as well, and continue checkout. This, I would say, is the biggest success of the ENGS system so far.