Midnight 2.0 PDF on sale now...for $50!!!!

[reveal]

I'm curious as to how much more, on average, it costs a publisher to send out their product to the printers/distributors as opposed to putting it into PDF format (if it isn't already in said format) and releasing it through Internet outlets.

That would help me decide whether or not I wanted to pay for something in PDF format that's the same cost as the hardcover.

 

[aguynamedbry]

I'm curious as to how much more, on average, it costs a publisher to send out their product to the printers/distributors as opposed to putting it into PDF format (if it isn't already in said format) and releasing it through Internet outlets.

That would help me decide whether or not I wanted to pay for something in PDF format that's the same cost as the hardcover.

It's not much in comparison to the costs of printing, but how do you assign all the various incidental costs?

You would be a rare person who actually uses the costs incurred by the manufacturer to impact spending habits. In my experience, consumers will spend the least amount possible to get the most enjoyment from their entertainment dollar. Comparing against other forms of entertainment is common but taking into account the costs to the manufacturer? Where would one begin and what metrics?

I know of cases where if things weren't priced the same way between channels (core gaming vs. online being two) particular retailers wouldn't carry your product. So do you include the possible lost sales of the book product against the cost? Projecting this isn't easy.

You could argue (with sound logic) that the PDF should be given away (or lower cost) to those who bought the hardcover, but will that actually increase hardcover sales? Or have you just made it easier for the person who bought the hardcover to give the PDF to a friend so they don't buy the hardcover? Even if this doesn't happen, core retailers might think it would happen and might order less of your product or not carry it - especially for the smaller companies).

Overall the pricing strategy for each company/release is quite complex between virtual and “real” product and each company has a lot to think about when they do it. In general it’s considered “safer” to price them equivalently for a variety of reasons. Examples include pricing the PDF too low and having people think that the books are too expensive and staying away from the books – if this happened you’d be hard pressed to continue being in business as a small company in this industry.

Your mileage may vary...

 

[reveal]

It's not much in comparison to the costs of printing, but how do you assign all the various incidental costs?

You would be a rare person who actually uses the costs incurred by the manufacturer to impact spending habits. In my experience, consumers will spend the least amount possible to get the most enjoyment from their entertainment dollar. Comparing against other forms of entertainment is common but taking into account the costs to the manufacturer? Where would one begin and what metrics?

The reason I bring it up is because of all the "that's way too much!" and "it's a rip-off!" replies in this thread and in others I've seen before. A lot of people seem to be under the impression that because it's PDF it must be cheaper to produce and the company is just trying to "rip-off" the consumer.

I would like to know what the average cost for producing PDFs is compared to producing hardcovers so that, in the future, I can be an educated consumer when shopping for PDFs or hardcovers and help myself pick which are the best monetary values.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

A PDF requires next to no effort to create.
Whoever does the layout for the book is certainly using a computer program. I'd guess something like Adobe InDesign. That's what I used for the Midnight's Tome of Sorrows, and it's just a matter of hitting Print and and selecting your PDF driver.

So that's...what...20 seconds?

Now if you want to do a good job bookmarking, that'll take some time. A day maybe to do a good job.

 

[Crothian]

Now if you want to do a good job bookmarking, that'll take some time. A day maybe to do a good job.

Doesn't that depend on the size of the book though? And a day is 8 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours??

 

[Turjan]

I would like to know what the average cost for producing PDFs is compared to producing hardcovers so that, in the future, I can be an educated consumer when shopping for PDFs or hardcovers and help myself pick which are the best monetary values.

Well, that's why I brought up Malhavoc in this thread .

Arcana Evolved (432 pages):

MSRP print: $49.99
Price I paid print: $32.99
Price pdf: $16.80 (but as I understand, this is sale priced)

Iron Heroes (256 pages):

MSRP print: $37.99
Price I paid print: $25.07
Price pdf: $14.00

Compare this with Midnight 2.0 (400 pages):

MSRP print: $49.99
Price you get it for print (all inclusive): $32.97
Price pdf: $49.00


The difference between Malhavoc and other companies, like FFG or WotC, is that the former actually want to sell pdf's and see it as a valid part of their business, whereas WotC only wants to cater to overseas buyers, who might still make a cut if they count in shipping fees. I don't know the reasoning behind FFG's pricing politics.

 

[DaveMage]

Doesn't that depend on the size of the book though? And a day is 8 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours??

According to my wife (who does this for a living) it can take anywhere from 1 minute to 30 minutes per page, depending on the options you want and the content of the page.

So, in Midnight's 400-page book, that's from about 7 hours to about 200 hours .

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

I'd say you could do a great job bookmarking Midnight in 8-12 hours.

 

[Crothian]

Either Davemage's wife is a bit off on times, or Ashrem Bayle needs to get hired by someone fast!!

 

[Turjan]

Either Davemage's wife is a bit off on times, or Ashrem Bayle needs to get hired by someone fast!!

I suppose it's just that most RPG pdf bookmarks contain only chapter headlines and no special gimmicks. That's pretty easy to do and doesn't take a long time and will fall on the lower margin given by DaveMage.