How much to pay for writers of PDF products

[Malak]

I think a better way to pay an author is royalties. A percentage of net ensures that if the PDF sells well the author benefits.

That's exactly what I was about to suggest. And I'd say that goes for all the contributors, frankly -- slice up that 80% after RPGnow.com's cut to everyone, work it out how you like. By the hour, simply by your judgement, whatever, but it does mean that no one is out of pocket other than thair time, and everyone has a stake in the success for the product. Nomatter how far it's sakes go.

I'd much rather take part in an exsercise like that, if I had faith in the project to net some cash, rather than just blindly do som work for some cash, and never see the pubisher again is the book bombs & he goes broke, nor see any of the reward of the book skyrockets...

The vast majority of PDFs are far more part of the small press world that the world of commertial publishing, and a more communal approach may serve them well.

 

[Mark]

I don't think anyone's getting rich with PDF projects but I know it's an excellent way for new authors to get some exposure.

...exposure...

That word usually calls out fanatic posters who are ready to defend the right of all writers everywhere. I won't be surprised if it yet does just that.

Nevertheless, I think some folks who freelance forget that most publishers are primarily writers themselves. I know that I can't afford to pay anyone at this time, but that means that I simply won't ask for help writing anything. If someone comes to me with a seed of an idea, and I wind up making it into a full work, I'll give them a "with" credit, but there is simply so much more involved in taking something from seed to harvest that paying someone to write a full work is simply not in the cards for me.

 

[Ayrk]

As a writer, I'd much rather have an upfront fee than a royalty.

I've been paid both ways (granted these are for print books, not PDF) and royalties are a huge hassel. First off you have to wait a while for your money, which comes in small chuncks. You also are trusting the company to pay you correctly based on numbers you do not have access to.

Now PDF is a little different, but in the print world, almost all the money a publisher makes on a book is done in the first two months of release, so really a royalty is much like a flat fee, just deferred 60 days.

Of course in the PDF world you do not have to worry about the size of your print run and your sales can gradually increase due to word of mouth. Still I'd rather see a check for $250 rather than a series of 5 checks for $50 spread over a period of two years.

But that is just my feeling. And I did get burned for over $1,000 when one of my publishers went bankrupt before they paid me. *Heavy sigh*.

That's exactly what I was about to suggest. And I'd say that goes for all the contributors, frankly -- slice up that 80% after RPGnow.com's cut to everyone, work it out how you like. By the hour, simply by your judgement, whatever, but it does mean that no one is out of pocket other than thair time, and everyone has a stake in the success for the product. Nomatter how far it's sakes go.

I'd much rather take part in an exsercise like that, if I had faith in the project to net some cash, rather than just blindly do som work for some cash, and never see the pubisher again is the book bombs & he goes broke, nor see any of the reward of the book skyrockets...

The vast majority of PDFs are far more part of the small press world that the world of commertial publishing, and a more communal approach may serve them well.

 

[Malak]

As a writer, I'd much rather have an upfront fee than a royalty.

I'm not for a moment suggesting that this should replace professional practice.

I am saying that most PDFs aren't really professional, they are more part of the 'small press' movement.