Samothdm said:
Congratulations! Did you self-publish or did you freelance? What product? Were your experiences similar to mine in terms of timing, rewrites, etc.? Have you gotten any reviews yet? (Welcome to "20 Questions"... well, "Four Questions").
I'm awaiting reviews and customer feedback as well.
I wrote the Primer of Practical magic for Pelgrane Press
(see this thread here on Enworld to find out more about it)
http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1611035#post1611035
which is based in England. I had some similar and some different experiences. For one, like you I was caught unawares by the 3.5 upgrade, which required a lot of rewriting.
One wierd thing for me (which is probably commonplace now days) was that the entire time we worked on the book I never met anyone from Pelgrane face to face or even spoke on the telephone... everything was done by email which led to a few communictions problems. They are some of the best writers I have ever worked with though, and have exquisite taste. I'm glad that my first RPG industry project was with such an estimable outfit.
My book was published a few months ago, so we have already had two official reviews so far, one positive and one mixed, as well as maybe three other unofficial ones in the EN thread above, all positive. I'm waiting for two more 'official' reviews which will pretty much decide the fate of the book, for better or worse, including one by Psion here on Enworld.
Overall, marketing the book has been by far the hardest and least rewarding aspect of the project. The d20 market is a big, big, big, confusing place, and I basically have no idea what I'm doing and Pelgrane doesn't have the resources to even begin to tackle it. My one bit of advice: avoid usenet!!
So wihle marketing was an unpleasant chore, and there were a few other problems, some of which are ongoing, overall it's been a positive learning experience. I think the book turned out marvelously, and just the fact that at least a few people seem to have really liked it make it all worthwhile, especially since it led to more work in the industry. It's also nice to feel like I have contributed a tiny bit to one of my favorie hobbies. I wouldn't want to go through it all again though!
I think (hope) my next book will be much easier... I'm definately staying out of the marketing from now on! Maybe some time I'll write a detailed description of my experiences here on Enworld, when I have more time on my hands
. Meanwhile I will follow your continued reports with great interest!
DB
