mroberon1972
First Post
I’m not sure if this will be of any use for publishers already started, but I feel like writing about my experience designing a product for sale on RPGNOW and then marketing it.
Back toward the end of 2002, I purchased a domain and web-space. By the first of the year 2003, it was setup with a PHP script based site and the general design of the site would be finished. The new site was called Ancient-Awakenings.com, and was to become the home site of Ancient Awakenings Publications.
Now, I had run businesses in the past, but never a web based publishing company. I also had several ideas for projects.
The first was a setting called Modern Awakenings. After about four months of work, it was becoming apparent that not only was the project too large for a single-man publishing house, but that very few people were actually interested in it enough to actually purchase it. Sadly, that project was placed on hold for a more traditional setting.
It was at about this time when my wife became pregnant with out second child, and had to reduce the number of hours she worked. A delay of nearly nine months took place while the family situation evolved, until in the beginning of 2004.
It was then that I sat down and began writing ‘The Valley of Frozen Tears’. It was to be a ‘drop in’ setting. A place that can be added to a game masters world without too mush work on his part.
The valley was originally ‘created’ for a game that me and my wife played for our ‘off time’. We would banter back and forth about what might be happening in ‘our world’, and had our favorite characters. It generally became an ongoing fantasy story.
The problem with ongoing stories is that they do not necessarily make good campaign worlds. I understood this, and began on putting the setting into written word for the first time.
I began by building the creatures. They were very much a part of the setting, and while only numbering less than a dozen, they were incredibly detailed due to their history. The overview was done next, allowing new visitors to our world to see everything in just a few minutes of reading. The rest of the book came soon after, going from the history to the major places of the valley.
Originally, it was going to be a 32 page mini setting. After about two months, both me and Rebecca (my wife) began to realize that it just would not fit.
We opened up the door a bit more… And more… And finally had a 64 page book.
We hired artists. Philip Kearney (cover artist) and Sheldon Dawson (interior artist), both agreed to work on the project, and a contract was hammered out that we each could agree to.
Philip, for his part, created a wonderful cover in very little time. About 3 months into the project, he already had the art done. It was everything we had asked for, and looked better than we pictured.
Sheldon created art for us at a pace that was insane. We never had to wait more than a business day for the art to magically appear in our inbox. It was always what we asked for, and when corrections had to be made, they were always made without complain or delay.
Hire both these guys. They do better work than I can pay for.
It was now at about the 3rd month of production. At this point, I looked at the book. Everything was there. The entire ‘world’ in all of it’s glory. One problem…
It was a pain to find anything…
Speaking with the editor (Rebecca again), we decided to tear it apart and reorganize it in a way more familiar to the average game master. The places of the valley were redesigned and expanded to include areas that were not originally going to be covered. The history was redesigned to not only give the history of the valley as a whole, but of how that history effected the villages as well. Characters were given more space for information and history, allowing a better idea of the people.
I then looked to clean up the manuscript. It was run though edit not once, but over a half-dozen times. During the last few, we found so few errors that we had to just attack sentences and phrases that could be misinterpreted.
During this time, I was also looking into methods for creating PDF files that would allow the best quality for the least size. This process took about the entire production time. By the time the book was ready, so was my method for creating a PDF. I consider it time well spent.
Finally, four months of production later, it was done.
We contacted RPGNOW, and within a business day were setting up our account. We uploaded the finished zip file containing the PDF and on 4-20-2004 our first book was ready for purchase.
Wait a moment, I have to do the Happy Dance. Don’t peek, ‘cause it’s not pretty.
<You don’t want to know…>
OK. Now many of you are wondering why I’m bothering to write this. It is for two reasons: First, many people want to know what they would be getting into if they decided to start writing/publishing. Second, I feel so good about my accomplishments that I wanted to toot my own horn. So sue me.
Let’s first talk about money: This product cost money to make, beyond the printing costs most people think of.
(Side note: Both Philip Kearney and Sheldon Dawson have given me permission to release this info. You should never talk about money unless you get the permission of EVERYONE involved.)
Cover Artist: $50, plus 33% of profits up to $150
Interior Artist: $100, plus 33% of profits up to $250
Webspace: $85, at $5 per month since the end of 2002.
Total: $235 in up front costs, plus $400 over the life of the product.
Please let me echo the statement that has been made before: “You will not get rich in this line of work.”
In fact, you will be lucky if you break even some days…
As of the same day the valley was released, it was purchased.
I have made a grand total of $-233.33 as of writing this.
But consider this: That might have bought five to six new video games, or rented fifty movies. I think it was money well spent. Instead of living in someone else’s fiction, I now have the opportunity to share my own with others. That’s not a bad deal.
Call it a kind of immortality.
Well, that’s it. I’m going to see what new projects look promising. I have decided that writing is good, and that I enjoy it. I see no reason to stop now.
Later…
John Bowden
The Fool
Mr. Oberon
Back toward the end of 2002, I purchased a domain and web-space. By the first of the year 2003, it was setup with a PHP script based site and the general design of the site would be finished. The new site was called Ancient-Awakenings.com, and was to become the home site of Ancient Awakenings Publications.
Now, I had run businesses in the past, but never a web based publishing company. I also had several ideas for projects.
The first was a setting called Modern Awakenings. After about four months of work, it was becoming apparent that not only was the project too large for a single-man publishing house, but that very few people were actually interested in it enough to actually purchase it. Sadly, that project was placed on hold for a more traditional setting.
It was at about this time when my wife became pregnant with out second child, and had to reduce the number of hours she worked. A delay of nearly nine months took place while the family situation evolved, until in the beginning of 2004.
It was then that I sat down and began writing ‘The Valley of Frozen Tears’. It was to be a ‘drop in’ setting. A place that can be added to a game masters world without too mush work on his part.
The valley was originally ‘created’ for a game that me and my wife played for our ‘off time’. We would banter back and forth about what might be happening in ‘our world’, and had our favorite characters. It generally became an ongoing fantasy story.
The problem with ongoing stories is that they do not necessarily make good campaign worlds. I understood this, and began on putting the setting into written word for the first time.
I began by building the creatures. They were very much a part of the setting, and while only numbering less than a dozen, they were incredibly detailed due to their history. The overview was done next, allowing new visitors to our world to see everything in just a few minutes of reading. The rest of the book came soon after, going from the history to the major places of the valley.
Originally, it was going to be a 32 page mini setting. After about two months, both me and Rebecca (my wife) began to realize that it just would not fit.
We opened up the door a bit more… And more… And finally had a 64 page book.
We hired artists. Philip Kearney (cover artist) and Sheldon Dawson (interior artist), both agreed to work on the project, and a contract was hammered out that we each could agree to.
Philip, for his part, created a wonderful cover in very little time. About 3 months into the project, he already had the art done. It was everything we had asked for, and looked better than we pictured.
Sheldon created art for us at a pace that was insane. We never had to wait more than a business day for the art to magically appear in our inbox. It was always what we asked for, and when corrections had to be made, they were always made without complain or delay.
Hire both these guys. They do better work than I can pay for.
It was now at about the 3rd month of production. At this point, I looked at the book. Everything was there. The entire ‘world’ in all of it’s glory. One problem…
It was a pain to find anything…
Speaking with the editor (Rebecca again), we decided to tear it apart and reorganize it in a way more familiar to the average game master. The places of the valley were redesigned and expanded to include areas that were not originally going to be covered. The history was redesigned to not only give the history of the valley as a whole, but of how that history effected the villages as well. Characters were given more space for information and history, allowing a better idea of the people.
I then looked to clean up the manuscript. It was run though edit not once, but over a half-dozen times. During the last few, we found so few errors that we had to just attack sentences and phrases that could be misinterpreted.
During this time, I was also looking into methods for creating PDF files that would allow the best quality for the least size. This process took about the entire production time. By the time the book was ready, so was my method for creating a PDF. I consider it time well spent.
Finally, four months of production later, it was done.
We contacted RPGNOW, and within a business day were setting up our account. We uploaded the finished zip file containing the PDF and on 4-20-2004 our first book was ready for purchase.
Wait a moment, I have to do the Happy Dance. Don’t peek, ‘cause it’s not pretty.
<You don’t want to know…>
OK. Now many of you are wondering why I’m bothering to write this. It is for two reasons: First, many people want to know what they would be getting into if they decided to start writing/publishing. Second, I feel so good about my accomplishments that I wanted to toot my own horn. So sue me.
Let’s first talk about money: This product cost money to make, beyond the printing costs most people think of.
(Side note: Both Philip Kearney and Sheldon Dawson have given me permission to release this info. You should never talk about money unless you get the permission of EVERYONE involved.)
Cover Artist: $50, plus 33% of profits up to $150
Interior Artist: $100, plus 33% of profits up to $250
Webspace: $85, at $5 per month since the end of 2002.
Total: $235 in up front costs, plus $400 over the life of the product.
Please let me echo the statement that has been made before: “You will not get rich in this line of work.”
In fact, you will be lucky if you break even some days…
As of the same day the valley was released, it was purchased.
I have made a grand total of $-233.33 as of writing this.
But consider this: That might have bought five to six new video games, or rented fifty movies. I think it was money well spent. Instead of living in someone else’s fiction, I now have the opportunity to share my own with others. That’s not a bad deal.
Call it a kind of immortality.
Well, that’s it. I’m going to see what new projects look promising. I have decided that writing is good, and that I enjoy it. I see no reason to stop now.
Later…
John Bowden
The Fool
Mr. Oberon
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