Opinions on the E-Publisher's Guide

[Reynard]

I have decided to put my money where my mouth -- support d20/3E through adventures and the like (probably free PDFs because I don't harbor any illusions about making it big on rpgnow sales -- but that's neither here nor there) despite (or inspite of) the release of 4E. My question is: have other small e-publishers found the guide for sale on RPGnow and DTrpg useful i.e. worth the cost?

And regardless of the answer, what other resources do you recommend for someone that just wants to put out well written, well designed products (yes, i was once a professional freelancer, so it isn't like I have no experience here) for whatever is left of the 3E/d20 fanbase?

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Open Office and the GIMP are enough for free .pdfs.

 

[Vascant]

There have been a few posts in the past of people asking that exact question. To be honest I have found myself in the same boat as yourself.

In truth you just need a decent word processor type program (with some skill using it) and drivers for making PDF that work the same as your print drivers.

 

[Reynard]

There have been a few posts in the past of people asking that exact question. To be honest I have found myself in the same boat as yourself.

In truth you just need a decent word processor type program (with some skill using it) and drivers for making PDF that work the same as your print drivers.

Making a pdf is easy -- I was more interested in finding out if it had any insights that were helpful or if the srd's and the like bundled with it were worth the $$$.

 

[Prest0]

Edit: Sorry, I just re-read the post and saw that you were planning on giving them away for free. In that case you won't be signing up with RPGNow. It's still probably worth the money.

It used to be the case that when you signed up with RPGNow that you got the e-publisher's guide for free. You might look into that before you drop the money. Be warned that the statistics are out of date (originating in '05 or '06 and thus pre-Drivethru/RPGNow merger) but overall the guide is a valuable resource for newcomers.

I can't help but recommend a little thing I wrote last fall. It's free, so you don't have much to lose.

You might also want to listen to The Digital Front podcast, which is about RPG e-book publishing. That'll give you some insights into the state of the industry.

 

[Cassandra]

I can't help but recommend a little thing I wrote last fall.

Preston is being modest here; his "e-Publishing Secrets", while written in a light-hearted tone, are absolutely accurate. They are all things some of us wish we had known a few years ago, things new publishers don't usually even know to ask. It's not all the advice you could ever need, but what is there is incredibly valuable.

It used to be the case that when you signed up with RPGNow that you got the e-publisher's guide for free. You might look into that before you drop the money.

Actually, when publishers sign up at RPGNow/DTRPG, they get a bundle of three ePublisher's Guides. These include not only the ePublisher Guide to which you referred, but also one with information on creating PDF products and another with details on producing products using the Open Gaming License. (Some of the information in that one may soon be obsolete, but the rest will still be valuable to anyone who is planning to use any Open Game Content.) All three have excellent information, and can be purchased outright if you're not planning to sign up with the sales sites.

 

[GMSkarka]

If you're looking for more general advice regarding running an ePublishing operation, I'd second the recommendation for Preston's freebie, and also put in a plug for this:

[imagel]http://adamant.rpgnow.com/images/92/51247.jpg[/imagel] ePublishing 101 is a series of essays that were done by me and Phil Reed (of Ronin Arts), which have now been collected into a single edition. A collection of advice from two of the top ePublishers in the business, on everything from brand management to how to get more money out of your art budget. It's available in PDF, or as a physical book. Click the cover image for more information.