Destan
Citizen of Val Hor
FAQ
So, just who in the heck are you?
Why, I'm Destan. Nice to meet you. I’m one of those rare creatures who enjoy writing stories over on EN World’s Story Hour board.
Why is that important?
That’s how I was “discovered”, for lack of a better word. An editor based in San Francisco was one of the persons who kept up with my tale. He contacted me and asked whether I would be interested in publishing a sourcebook based on my homebrew campaign setting.
What did you tell him?
No. Initially, anyway. I’m married with three kids and was transitioning out of the military into the “real world”. I was moving to a new house. It was right in the middle of football season with the holidays fast approaching.
Combine that with the fact that I had been through the publishing ringer about nine years ago with a fantasy novel I had written. At the advice of my agent I ended up writing a sequel to that novel.
So now I have two unpublished books in my closet, instead of one, and I didn’t think I had the time or motivation to jump on that train again.
Are those novels any good?
No, they’re not. I realize that now. One of the best things you can do as an author, I think, is set aside what you’ve written for a period of time. Then come back, read it, and see if the words captured your intentions. But that’s a topic for another post. Let’s continue.
This story hour of yours – surely that takes time, and you seem to enjoy writing it. Why not instead write something that has the chance of being published?
For starters, writing the story hour is a hobby; I can do it when I get a free moment, and there’s no pressure (well, there’s a little pressure, but EN Worlders are pretty dang patient).
Story hour writing is infinitely different than contractual writing. Under a contract there are deadlines to meet, specific content to provide, and in the back of your mind you’re cognizant of the fact that whatever you write may be seen – and criticized – by lots of folks.
Ok. But eventually you signed the contract?
I did, otherwise I wouldn’t be posting this.
Tell me about the contract. Be specific.
The publisher – also based in San Francisco – works a bit differently than most d20 publishers. I was offered a modest advance – half to be paid when I signed, and half to be paid when the manuscript was finished. I was also offered royalties which, I understand, is rare within the d20 marketplace.
How do other d20 publishers handle their contracts?
I’m not sure, but I think most offer a flat fee based on your word count. Unpublished authors usually get $.02 per word, with published authors nabbing $.03 - $.05 or thereabouts. Bear in mind – I really don’t have much experience with other d20 publishers, so I could be wrong. I think Dungeon/Dragon offer $.04 a word.
So you think royalties are a better way to go?
Not necessarily. Royalties, for those who are unsure, are simply a percentage. These percentages are often similar to the cents/word we discussed above. You, as the author, get your cut from every unit (book) that’s sold. If your book sells well, you stand to make some money. If no one buys it, you’re outta luck. Royalties, I suppose, give you a higher profit ceiling without the security of receiving a flat fee.
In retrospect, I think a flat fee may be better if you’re writing to make money – at least in the current d20 market.
So you’re writing to make money, huh?
Heck no. If I were, then I wouldn’t be writing in the d20 genre. I’m sure some of the “big wigs” turn a decent buck writing d20 stuff, but I think that’s the exception – not the rule. If you plan on trying to get published in the d20 market, don’t quit your day job. You have to write because you enjoy doing it. It’s your hobby, your passion, whatever.
What was your writing schedule like?
It varied. I was given a very tight deadline. I think I signed the contract for my first book (I have two contracts now, more on that below) in November. The publisher wanted a final draft by the end of January. That gave me two holiday-riddled months to get something out the door.
How large of a book are we talking about?
My publisher was very good in that he gave me a great amount of freedom. After I continually asked for a suggested manuscript length, I believe the answer was “60,000 to 80,000 words”. A good baseline, if you’re wondering, is about 800 words per page. This can vary greatly based on the font used, the number of charts/maps/art, etc.
What was the final size of your first book?
I think I clocked in at 110,000 words. I’m infamous for rambling. To reach that point, I had to write each evening after my kids hit the sack. I also spent quite a few weekends in a local Barnes & Nobles, chained to my trusty laptop.
So you made the deadline?
I guess so. But, as an author, you’d always like more time. I always felt – I still do – that if I had “just one more week” or even “one more day” I could improve the manuscript. I think that’s a fairly common belief for authors. Publishers, however, are on the other side of the coin – they want the product finished so they can begin layout, artwork, distribution, etc.
In short, if you are offered a contract – take a long look at your lifestyle, try to determine how much time you’ll have, and then agree on a deadline. No one wins if you’re rushed so much that your product ends up, well, stinking.
Layout? Artwork? Distribution? Huh?
I agree – Huh?. Those aspects of publishing don’t really interest me, and I have zero knowledge concerning them. I signed with the publisher because I assumed he’d take care of everything other than actually writing the book. And, believe me, there’s a lot of stuff that goes into a published print product other than the authoring.
Did you get to choose your artists?
No, I did not. I was asked to submit a number of recommendations for what I’d like drawn, but that was it. You’re really at the mercy of the artists and the publisher, in this regard. Their vision (e.g., artwork) may not match what you have in your head. You just have to cross your toes and hope.
Did you like the art when you finally saw it?
Some of it. Some of it I didn’t like. It was not so much that the artwork was poor – actually, it was quite good – but the images did not always match what I had envisioned. Oddly enough, I now see the “art” in my head when I think about certain towns or personas, instead of what I originally had imagined.
We also had some problems with maps – maps, as you know, are very important to many types of d20 material. They have to be accurate and consistent across scales. This is tough to achieve, at times, when the hired cartographer/artist is working from your roughly-drawn hand sketches. Some of our issues were resolved; some weren’t.
What’s this about distribution?
Well, you write the book, but someone has to be in charge of getting it out to prospective customers. In my case, with a printed product, there are a number of distribution channels – traditional booksellers (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.), online sellers (Amazon), hobby shops, vendor booths at conventions, the publisher’s own web site, etc. I’m sure there are more – again, I really don’t know much about the distribution side of things.
So when you sent the final manuscript out the door, was your work finished?
No – in many ways, it had only begun. I had to work closely with my editor to modify and improve the document. This is an iterative cycle and can take a fair amount of time.
A good editor is really, really important – he or she can tell you what works and what doesn’t, what makes sense and what’s confusing. The editor has the luxury of being divorced from your vision – something that makes sense to you as the writer may be confusing to others. I've always heard we're all great writers in our heads; the successful writers are those that can transfer those thoughts/images from imagination to paper.
My editor spotted a number of inconsistencies, gaps, etc. (The statblocks common to many d20 materials can be a writer’s nightmare.) With the deadline I was under, I was furiously pounding out new material and didn’t have nearly as much time to review my work.
Writing is re-writing, they say, and I find that out to be very, very true.
So, when the editing cycle was finished, you were done?
Nope. I then I had to send out descriptions for requested artwork. I had to annotate where I thought the art should be positioned in the text.
What happens after you finalize the manuscript?
After the product labors through the editing cycle, layout begins. Artwork is positioned in the text, charts are arranged, a table of contents is added, etc.. Then the book is shipped to the printer. The printer sends back a couple proofs and, if all is well, the publisher gives them the OK to do a print run. This phase can take a couple weeks to a couple months.
Print run?
Yah, a print run. That’s when your book is actually published, or printed. Print runs can vary, but I think 500-2000 units is probably the norm for smaller d20 publishers. Please note I could be completely off the mark on this estimation – I can only go with my own, limited experience.
They say you look a lot like Orlando Bloom.
Yah, I get that a lot. It was hard finding time to write while I was dodging my frenzied female fans.
Wait a second…I met you. You’re just a dorky, middle-aged-
Next question.
Do you like the final product?
I don’t know – the print run finishes for my first book on July 6th. So, at the time of this post, I have yet to hold the actual books in my ink-stained hands. That said, that first book is “my baby” – I spent many, many hours on it, and a love-hate relationship developed. I’d assume this is common throughout the writing industry.
You said the money wasn’t great and the time required was significant. What was your motivation to sign the contract?
I’ve always wanted to be able to walk into a bookstore and casually remark, “Ah, would you look at that – it’s my book.” Then I’d chuckle somewhat pompously, flip through the pages, and go order a triple espresso.
Really, that was all the motivation, and more, I needed.
You mentioned this was your first book. Are there others?
Yes, there are. I just finished a second book – this one a module set within the campaign setting – and it’s now undergoing the layout/art process. The publisher justifiably believes a product such as a campaign sourcebook needs to be supported by follow-on products. He's hoping to build a brand.
Did your contract change for the second book?
Yes, it did. I got a slightly higher royalty rate and a slightly greater advance. You see, in the publisher’s eye, I was now a “proven” author. I could write capably enough and I could meet deadlines. Hence the better rates.
You’ve done two books, then. Are there going to be others?
Most likely - I’ve already been asked what my third project will be.
But I’m taking a break. I need to see how the promotion, marketing, and distribution pans out. You can have the best books in the world (not that I’m saying mine are anywhere close), but if they’re not properly marketed and distributed, no one will read them – because no one has the opportunity to read them.
Nietzsche once said he didn’t care if people criticized his works, so long as they read them. I feel much the same.
So why spill the beans in a post like this?
I thought this information might be useful to some of you out there who might be interested in becoming published. I know that I was clueless when it came to contracts – what was good, what was bad – and that sort of thing. A few other recent posts have talked about the pdf publishing industry, and I felt inspired to chime in on the print side of the house.
Anyway, if you’ve read this far then you’re probably my “target audience”. Thanks for your time. And, if you did find this helpful – let me know. I would be happy to do another post, maybe a “design diary” or something, explaining how I went about writing a sourcebook and/or a module.
If your question isn’t in the FAQ, then let me know and I’ll try to answer it as best I can.
Take care!
D
Edit: Changed title of thread in the hope of attracting other published EN Worlders.
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