Inactive Publishers speak up!
- Thread starter JoeGKushner
- Start date
afstanton
Explorer
Howdy -
I'm Aaron Stanton (Stanton Industries), and yes, pretty inactive. Having a child along with major job changes pretty much put publishing on indefinite hold. Combined with the mistakes made in our first two products (rushed to press, so they didn't look very good, and hence didn't sell...and other significant errors), it will likely be a bit before new product comes out.
PDF is certainly the route I'm going to use next - can't afford print runs right now. We don't have the rights necessary for a second edition of one of the products, but we might do a second ed. of The Void. There was work being done on a collection of completely new pantheons for a while, but that, along with everything else, is on hold.
I guess part of the problem is that it strikes me that rpg publishing is not a very profitable venture. It was a good experience to have created product, despite the mistakes made, but I honestly cannot tell if it would be worth the effort. There are a few publishers who can do this for a living, and a lot who make very good product but don't make enough money to do it except part time. So will we see more product coming from this corner? I'd like to think so...especially since GenCon is now in my hometown and thus much less expensive. (Though you won't see me at a booth this year. Just a tourist.) Don't hold your breath.
I didn't even bother with getting the early release of 3.5 from WotC, as I saw what happened with the last go around of the SRD, and decided it made no sense to do anything with a prerelease version of the 3.5 SRD.
Anyway, that's the status here.
Aaron
I'm Aaron Stanton (Stanton Industries), and yes, pretty inactive. Having a child along with major job changes pretty much put publishing on indefinite hold. Combined with the mistakes made in our first two products (rushed to press, so they didn't look very good, and hence didn't sell...and other significant errors), it will likely be a bit before new product comes out.
PDF is certainly the route I'm going to use next - can't afford print runs right now. We don't have the rights necessary for a second edition of one of the products, but we might do a second ed. of The Void. There was work being done on a collection of completely new pantheons for a while, but that, along with everything else, is on hold.
I guess part of the problem is that it strikes me that rpg publishing is not a very profitable venture. It was a good experience to have created product, despite the mistakes made, but I honestly cannot tell if it would be worth the effort. There are a few publishers who can do this for a living, and a lot who make very good product but don't make enough money to do it except part time. So will we see more product coming from this corner? I'd like to think so...especially since GenCon is now in my hometown and thus much less expensive. (Though you won't see me at a booth this year. Just a tourist.) Don't hold your breath.
I didn't even bother with getting the early release of 3.5 from WotC, as I saw what happened with the last go around of the SRD, and decided it made no sense to do anything with a prerelease version of the 3.5 SRD.
Anyway, that's the status here.
Aaron
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Re: Re: Inactive Publishers speak up!
I've seen it but like Path of the Magi, that was on the backburner for a long time.
I'd like to know for instance, if they'll still be doing stuff themselves or going through Atlas and Trolllords. Nothing wrong with that at all as it gets us (the fans!) more books but it's a point of reference.
I know that there were some issues over at Citizen not too long ago and by including them in the thread I was hoping for some more 'official' info.
Paradigm said:
I've seen it but like Path of the Magi, that was on the backburner for a long time.
I'd like to know for instance, if they'll still be doing stuff themselves or going through Atlas and Trolllords. Nothing wrong with that at all as it gets us (the fans!) more books but it's a point of reference.
I know that there were some issues over at Citizen not too long ago and by including them in the thread I was hoping for some more 'official' info.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Paradigm said:
Ah, the spelldecks.
Not being a funny here but when can we expect to see the 3.5 ones? There are a lot of changes that need to be incorporated into these puppies to increase their utility again outside of busting out the markers and I'm looking forward to the 3.5 ones.
Paradigm
First Post
JoeGKushner said:
The 3.5 versions will not arrive until we are certain we can avoid production issues like we experienced with the first run. Also, they will likely be $30 when they are redone due to the cost to produce and ship them.
In the meantime, are putting together a 3.5 update provided for the units already on the market.
Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
JoeGKushner said:
Just an errant (although at least temporarily on-topic) thought:
The spell decks have an advantage over book formats here-- just publish a smaller update "deck" that includes ONLY the spells that have changed.
Wulf
Last edited:
rpghost
First Post
Re: Re: Re: Inactive Publishers speak up!
The word on the street is that they are DEAD. Selling off assets (like Dungeoneer to Atlas, etc.)... But I guess there never was (will be?) a press release.
Anyway, I wouldn't count on anything from them in a while.
James
JoeGKushner said:
The word on the street is that they are DEAD. Selling off assets (like Dungeoneer to Atlas, etc.)... But I guess there never was (will be?) a press release.
Anyway, I wouldn't count on anything from them in a while.
James
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Re: Re: Re: Re: Inactive Publishers speak up!
Now see this is news to me. I had heard there were issues with the change in leadership (the hacking of their website etc...) but not that they were indeed gone as opposed to being published by other venues.
rpghost said:
Now see this is news to me. I had heard there were issues with the change in leadership (the hacking of their website etc...) but not that they were indeed gone as opposed to being published by other venues.
KingOfChaos
First Post
Realms of Evil Games is still going, albiet a bit slowly. We still haven't gotten out a paying product, but for the moment we are content with the Stygian. Like Ed above, I have found that freelancing is paying off more than publishing, which has placed a lot of my books 'on hold'.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
KingOfChaos said:
This is an interesting comment. Having 'too' much work so to speak. I'm glad that both you and Ed are coming out with material though. I've always enjoyed Ed's maps in the products he's done.
You'll probably beat me with a wet noodle, but which ones have you been on amigo?
