How to get into publishing

[CrimsonWineGlass]

Recently I turned 19 and have been thinking about using some of my spare time to start doing some writing for various D20 gaming systems and companies. How does one go about getting started on that? I'm slowly going through my computer and compiling things I've done for other forums, friends and just my own campaigns and starting to organize them. I have a couple campaigns which I have put into PDF format complete with stat blocks, NPC's and notes and some other materials. I would like to release some of this to larger companies who might be able to put their mark on the material so that other gamers can find it instead of it rotting and going out of date on some website 20 pages into a google search. How do I take my first baby steps into the industry?

 

[Voadam]

1 Check out the publisher forums here on ENWorld and see if anybody is soliciting submissions.

2 Check out publisher websites and see if they have submission guidelines.

3 Alternatively if you let people know here about free pdfs you have created on a website many will check them out.

 

[TheLe]

Yeah. People love free stuff.

-The Le Games

 

[Stormborn]

The best way to approach a publisher as a first time, or relativelly new, writer is to do work-for-hire. They put out a call and you answer it and do the best work you possibly can with the guidelines you have been given. Later, as you build a relationship with the publisher, you can pitch your own stuff and see if they like it.

EDIT: At one point I would have recommended starting with submitting to Dragon until you got something published. Until 4e happens and we see whats going on with the DI thats not really your best bet anymore. In fact, right now is going to be a hard time to get published at all.

This question has been asked and answered before. I will see if I can find the thread.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Post a couple of things to the WotC forums. Maybe a prestige class or monster or something. Make sure you have a handle on style and format. And make sure you have a nice thick skin for criticism.

Check out some publisher forums to see what people are looking for. Don't discount WotC. They're always looking for cool things, just like everybody else.

Read the publisher submission guidelines. Always. If the publisher is so small they don't have guidelines, assume they use WotC's.

Make sure everything is spelled correctly and has proper grammar. Always. Proper spelling and grammar will be dependent on what country you pitch your ideas to, so pay attention to that.

Have an idea of what the company publishes before you pitch an idea. If you don't see any adventures published by a company, odds are strong they aren't interested in them. My tiny dip into the world of publishing was a little discouraging that way. I had a setting and three guys approached me independently, each one saying "I have this great idea you should publish! OK, it doesn't really relate to your setting, but...."

Prepare to get rejected. Prepare to get rejected often. Prepare to submit several re-writes of the same article only to have it rejected. Don't worry. This happens to everyone.

Know what you're allowed to write about. If you're doing d20 fantasy, use the SRD. Suggesting to a d20 publisher that they publish your big mind-flayer adventure will cause them to print out your email just so they can burn it. A surprising number of publishers don't want the hassle of using other companies' OGC, so even if you tell them how wonderful and legal your manuscript is, they won't care.

Don't be paranoid about people stealing your work or making thousands of dollars off of your idea. The RPG industry is very small and many full-time writers work for less than a McDonald's burger flipper. In the words of Han Solo, "Don't get cocky, kid!"

Remember, every great success story started with a few failures. Writing is a wonderful hobby and you may as well get paid for doing something you think is fun. And trust me, if you have good spelling, proper grammar, and turn your work in on time, you'll be ahead of most people!

 

[CrimsonWineGlass]

Truly Han Solo is a god to all of us.

And thank you very much for all of your help, doubly so for your help BiggusGeekus. I just figure that I have some material and some skill (not sure if its enough), so why not try and get things out into the open and potentially (depending on job) get enough for some takeout chinese on the side?

But anyways, thank you very much for your help.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

Post a couple of things to the WotC forums. Maybe a prestige class or monster or something. Make sure you have a handle on style and format. And make sure you have a nice thick skin for criticism.

That's good advice; in fact, it's how I got started. Posting your creations on a messageboard like EN World can let publishers see your work with no risk. And what's better, if you're work is well received, then often times, the publishers will come to you.

BD

 

[CanadienneBacon]

In fact, paizo.com is hosting an open-call right now. They, and I mean this literally, are terming their contest "RPG Superstar." You submit content, they decide who makes the first cut, then they open up the best 32 compositions to voting on their website. You might want to check it out.