Krug
Newshound
For this Friday Five we have John W Bowden from Ancient Awakenings.
<i>1. Give us an overview of your product line(s). </i>
Our first (and most loved) product line will always be the drop in setting. The first product in that line is called 'The Valley of Frozen Tears', and is a sub arctic region designed around a core of dark fey beings called the Circle Fey. It was made as a setting with druids and rangers in mind, as these classes are often left out in d20 fantasy.
We have several other settings in development, but we have to slowly release these between other products that will actually generate profit. (That's a hint guys: Publishers have to make settings/adventures at a loss because all of the people asking for them are not buying them. We have to sell other things to afford to make adventures.)
<i>2. Tell us at length about your most recent project (upcoming or just
released). </i>
Currently, we have several projects in production. The truth is, I get bored with a subject easy. I get around this by having a few projects I can jump between in order to 'stay fresh'. The first project is a creature/race book that will take a new species and give rules to use it as either a PC race or a monster. It will also have information on how to insert the creature into your game, regardless of whether you run fantasy, modern, or future. The first book will be about the Dryden, a plant species that hides itself among other races in a unique way. There other books are also in production, but I would like to have more done on them before talking about them. At this stage, they could change drastically.
<i>3. What is your main target audience and how much of a spread beyond that do you feel is likely, first for your line(s), then for your most recent? </i>
Our setting books may be useful, but their nature is the same as an adventure module: Only game masters need it, and only those who need a setting like the one published. Combine this with the fact it is only sold online currently, we have a frighteningly small pool of customers. Looking at what is going on is the industry; we have decided to make books for players in order to widen our target audience. The books we plan on making will hopefully have just as much flavor as our settings, but will be geared toward allowing players ways to make their characters unique.
<i>4. What is the main thing about your company that makes you most proud? </i>
The fact that 'The Valley of Frozen Tears' has had such good reviews for a first product. We worked hard to make a clean product with as few errors and issues as possible, and it would seem we succeeded. Feedback on it has so good that we have put up the money for a first print run. It should be at RPGMall.com within a week or two… What really makes us happy is that we have finally gotten to share one of our worlds with anyone who wants to see it, and that people actually ARE interested. It makes you really feel good to know that your dreams mattered, even to a few people.
<i>5. Where do you see your company one year from now? </i>
I have a quote for this: 'I do not prophesize'. I have no idea where we will be in a year. To be honest, I have started lots of projects in the last years: A comic strip, 3D graphics animation, music… None of them had really caught my interest as much as writing has. I hope to continue to act as a part of the community and writing, but it's hard to balance the two. When I start writing, I tend to forget everything else and fade into my 'own little world'. As it is, I will continue writing for as long as people keep letting me know I'm doing a good job. Like they say: You aren't going to get rich at this. You do it for the fun of it!
I'm proud of what I have written, and am grateful to everyone who has helped us in our startup. Thanks to my artists, Philip Kearney and Sheldon Dawson, my wife and editor Rebecca, and to all of you who took a chance buying a book from a publisher who you have never even heard of before. You made an old gamer's dream come true.
Ancient Awakenings Publications can be found at
http://www.Ancient-Awakenings.com.
<i>1. Give us an overview of your product line(s). </i>
Our first (and most loved) product line will always be the drop in setting. The first product in that line is called 'The Valley of Frozen Tears', and is a sub arctic region designed around a core of dark fey beings called the Circle Fey. It was made as a setting with druids and rangers in mind, as these classes are often left out in d20 fantasy.
We have several other settings in development, but we have to slowly release these between other products that will actually generate profit. (That's a hint guys: Publishers have to make settings/adventures at a loss because all of the people asking for them are not buying them. We have to sell other things to afford to make adventures.)
<i>2. Tell us at length about your most recent project (upcoming or just
released). </i>
Currently, we have several projects in production. The truth is, I get bored with a subject easy. I get around this by having a few projects I can jump between in order to 'stay fresh'. The first project is a creature/race book that will take a new species and give rules to use it as either a PC race or a monster. It will also have information on how to insert the creature into your game, regardless of whether you run fantasy, modern, or future. The first book will be about the Dryden, a plant species that hides itself among other races in a unique way. There other books are also in production, but I would like to have more done on them before talking about them. At this stage, they could change drastically.
<i>3. What is your main target audience and how much of a spread beyond that do you feel is likely, first for your line(s), then for your most recent? </i>
Our setting books may be useful, but their nature is the same as an adventure module: Only game masters need it, and only those who need a setting like the one published. Combine this with the fact it is only sold online currently, we have a frighteningly small pool of customers. Looking at what is going on is the industry; we have decided to make books for players in order to widen our target audience. The books we plan on making will hopefully have just as much flavor as our settings, but will be geared toward allowing players ways to make their characters unique.
<i>4. What is the main thing about your company that makes you most proud? </i>
The fact that 'The Valley of Frozen Tears' has had such good reviews for a first product. We worked hard to make a clean product with as few errors and issues as possible, and it would seem we succeeded. Feedback on it has so good that we have put up the money for a first print run. It should be at RPGMall.com within a week or two… What really makes us happy is that we have finally gotten to share one of our worlds with anyone who wants to see it, and that people actually ARE interested. It makes you really feel good to know that your dreams mattered, even to a few people.
<i>5. Where do you see your company one year from now? </i>
I have a quote for this: 'I do not prophesize'. I have no idea where we will be in a year. To be honest, I have started lots of projects in the last years: A comic strip, 3D graphics animation, music… None of them had really caught my interest as much as writing has. I hope to continue to act as a part of the community and writing, but it's hard to balance the two. When I start writing, I tend to forget everything else and fade into my 'own little world'. As it is, I will continue writing for as long as people keep letting me know I'm doing a good job. Like they say: You aren't going to get rich at this. You do it for the fun of it!
I'm proud of what I have written, and am grateful to everyone who has helped us in our startup. Thanks to my artists, Philip Kearney and Sheldon Dawson, my wife and editor Rebecca, and to all of you who took a chance buying a book from a publisher who you have never even heard of before. You made an old gamer's dream come true.
Ancient Awakenings Publications can be found at
http://www.Ancient-Awakenings.com.
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