Invasion of the 5-10 page PDFs . . .

[Mark]

I've noticed a vast increase in the number of 5-10 page PDFs lately. Would anyone be willing to let us know what drew them to publish short PDFs?

When I used to do it (pre-phil if I am not mistaken), my intention was to offer some material in a way that print publishers could not match. I started dropping 4 to 16 page PDFs on RPGNow.com and pricing them accordingly (between $0.50 and $1.50, IIRC). There was a bit of a backlash, then, and they even polled the publishers and public to see it they should allow it at all...

http://forums.rpghost.com/showthread.php?threadid=1621

 

[DaveStebbins]

The price per word ratio applies only if the entirety of both short and long works are equally useful. Like most DMs (according to the market study Wizards had done a bunch of years ago) I run a homebrew campaign, so I tend to cherry-pick items and ideas that are useful to me. Usually, that means that only a portion of a large book will have any value for me, which greatly increases the cost to me per (useful) word. The percentage of short, narrowly-focused, PDfs which is useful is much higher because of that focus. In the end short and long books have about the same value per word to me, which is why I buy both types of books.

The five dollar minimum at RPGNow isn't a barrier for me as I always have a bunch of items in my wishlist. If I find a short PDF which I absolutely must have right now, I already have other items picked out which will meet the minimum.

Finally, unless I'm mistaken, all the mini-PDF items in the top 20 for this month are from the same author/publisher...

 

[lmpjr007]

However once small products reached a critical mass where the consumer could pick up 3-5, depending on price, to make up the $5 minimum this "barrier" became a feature.

I know for my PDFs this has been one of the great selling points. I try to set my price of 3 to 4 PDFs for the $5 minimum. The fans of the work like to get several PDFs at once. Based on my sales, this seems to be a great way to get known as a company that produces regular products, which we all know is great for your business survival.

 

[philreed]

When I used to do it (pre-phil if I am not mistaken),

Oh, I know I wasn't the first to try it. I've also tried to not imply that I did it first. I remember that discussion you linked to and I remember watching it with interest.

 

[philreed]

Finally, unless I'm mistaken, all the mini-PDF items in the top 20 for this month are from the same author/publisher...

Publishers -- Ronin Arts -- if you check the product descriptions you'll see that I don't write all of the releases. I think Ronin Arts is doing a pretty good job with the short, 5-10 page PDF.

 

[malladin]

I think the commercial aspect is what makes these small products viable. As a publisher your time spent provides you with a much greater reqard for these small PDFs. I have said it a number of times before, this is probably the only way to make PDFs a viable business, particularly for newbie publishers.

There are some people who, due to their pre-pdf credentials can make a decent amount of money on a proper sized book, but even some of these (i.e. the Game Machanics) split their print release up into smaller PDFs.

One phenomenon that still baffles me is EN Publishing. I suppose its largely the advantage of this site, but they do an incredible amount of sales of decent sized ebooks for a company with no regular print partner and no massive industry credentials.

So, if I'm sold on these mini-pdfs as being the best business solution, why don't a produce them myself? I thinkthis comes down to what inspires me to write in the first place. I am inspired by the RPG supplements I buy from other publishers and think 'hold on, I can do that' I feel I have the ability to design and write decent new mechanics and to layout such a book (although I can't draw for toffee). Therefore I try, in my own vain way, to emulate the works that have inspired my to write in the first place. I get a buzz from the flatering reviews of my products more from actual sales. I like to think that my products have teh abilityto inspire others as some peoples products have inspired me. Therefore I possibly shoot myself in the foot commercially, but i don't really care. I'm just someone who thinks 'I can do that' so I did. I just didn't want to go through life and say at the end 'I could have done that' but didn't.

Cheerio,

Ben

 

[GMSkarka]

One phenomenon that still baffles me is EN Publishing. I suppose its largely the advantage of this site, but they do an incredible amount of sales of decent sized ebooks for a company with no regular print partner and no massive industry credentials.

Simple answer to this, really. Most of the hardcore D20 pdf purchasing base are regular EN World visitors and participants. EN Publishing is therefore a known quantity, as it is attached to this site. They have no print partner, to be sure, but they certainly DO have massive industry credentials...at least in the PDF side.

 

[Kaji]

I can't answer the why, but I can speak to the market niche as a consumer...

If I want something crunchy, I want something crunchy. I bought A Dozen Necromantic Devices recently, because it fits my campaign and I know RoninArts does a nice job (I own numerous products). I did not want to read 50-100 pages of stuff to extract out a few good bits to use in my campaign. Plus, the price is right. Even if I don't use any of them, it's sure to spark some ideas of my own. As a busy DM, I value short products that speak to a specific need I might be having, and that I can copy into an adventure I'm writing or my own personal database of cool stuff.

 

[TheLe]

I've noticed a vast increase in the number of 5-10 page PDFs lately. Would anyone be willing to let us know what drew them to publish short PDFs?

The answer for me is a bit sad: I get tired of writing after 15-20 pages. Synergy Artifacts took me 2-3 months to write over 50 pages. I would rather get three 15-page books out in the same time rather than one massive book.

Really, I hate writing.

~Le, aka The Le Games

 

[philreed]

I bought A Dozen Necromantic Devices recently, because it fits my campaign and I know RoninArts does a nice job (I own numerous products).

And we thank you greatly for that!