PDFs - Does size matter?

[philreed]

vs Monsters (main file and supplement)

Hey, I think I'm familiar with that one.

 

[jezter6]

Phil,

I am not trying to dog you, really. My only interest is d20 modern at this point, and a good portion of the modern/future stuff is single item stuff (single class, single starship, 'a dozen this or that', etc).

I won't say that the quality of short pdf's are below par, because honestly I have only give 1 or 2 a cursory glance because it just isn't what I'm interested in. I am sure you have larger products out there, just none that are in my scope of gaming.

I originally wrote off LPJ and Adamant products for being too short, but once I found a product that fit my wants, I purchased from them and have been happy with what I got. Yes, that's right...I disagree with how they are releasing most products, but when something good comes up, I still buy it because they are high quality.

If you have something that fits my niche, feel free to let me know. Like it was said above, sometimes products get lost, and browsing your rpgnow site is definately no exception. hundreds of products, tons of categories, and I haven't been able to find something for my liking.

 

[Emiricol]

Interesting thread, except for the flaming. I'm in the final stages of writing on my first PDF book (see sig.), and I've been worrying if it has grown too long. The first Vikings D20 book, Midgard, is looking to be roughly 200 pages. Is it too much?

What is the going price on a PDF that size? (It is of course of the highest possible quality! )

As a consumer, I'd say split it up. I love the way RPGO does theirs (among other companies). DW is 3 PDFs, and I think their Excalibur and Samurai books are 2-3 products each as PDFs.

It's also a lot easier for me to convince myself to spend $10 three times than it is to spend $30 once, whether print or PDF...

 

[Roudi]

The first Vikings D20 book, Midgard, is looking to be roughly 200 pages. Is it too much?

I say no. Given what I've seen of it thus far, and the fact that it is the really good Norse-ness, stick to your guns and release it complete. If you find folks like particular parts of it but are reluctant to buy the whole package, THEN consider splitting it into smaller products (like RPGObjects did with LoE's Honor system, or DW2's mutations).

 

[Mark]

PDFs - Does size matter?

Not all of the time.


Only when they are small...

 

[Keith Robinson]

I have a 256 PDF, it's selling for $12. I must admit that I do not reccomend this buisness model. Being able to focus on a small topic makes the document easier to format and you don't have to worry as much about cohesion with other products. The market is clearly aiming toward smaller products and that's the advice I would give anyone starting in the PDF publishing world.

Not that it's what I'll be doing myself. But I'm not terribly bright sometimes.

I think there's a place for both large and small PDFs and that is one of the great things about PDF publishing in the present market. Choice.

From a publishers point of view, I can certainly understand why small is beautiful - the profit margin is almost certainly higher, as production costs are going to be lower and more people are willing to shell out $2 than $12.

We also offer a 300 page PDF at $15. It seems that a lot of the popularity of PDF publishing is the expectancy of a low price. Of course, as a purchaser of PDFs (and I purchase quite a few), you have to take into account the cost of printing it out. But as a publisher, $12 or $15 for 250 to 300 page PDFs is cheap. The problem is, no one would buy them if we hiked the prices.

The Kyngdoms won't be going into short PDF productions either - we'll release the short stuff for free on our website, as part of the setting. We will, however, be releasing 30+ page adventures as PDFs.

The main thing, however, is that the PDF market remains viable, as it offers a real alternative to both buyers and publishers to the traditional publishing market. Some of the smaller productions and smaller companies would otherwise never see the light of day and that, IMO, would be a bad thing.

 

[philreed]

If you have something that fits my niche, feel free to let me know. Like it was said above, sometimes products get lost, and browsing your rpgnow site is definately no exception. hundreds of products, tons of categories, and I haven't been able to find something for my liking.

I'd have to know a lot more about your game to make an informed suggestion.

 

[DMH]

Hey, I think I'm familiar with that one.

The first supplement (the one that looks like vs Monsters) is great. The one with multiple authors is, IMO, not even close. I am happy I have it, but I go to the first supplement and fiddle with ideas in it before I go to the second.

Phil, since you are looking at Fudge, would you consider a vs Monsters 2nd ed. that is Fudge powered?

 

[jmucchiello]

Phil, since you are looking at Fudge, would you consider a vs Monsters 2nd ed. that is Fudge powered?

Where did he say that?

 

[philreed]

The first supplement (the one that looks like vs Monsters) is great. The one with multiple authors is, IMO, not even close. I am happy I have it, but I go to the first supplement and fiddle with ideas in it before I go to the second.

Yeah, the Anthology was more of an unusual idea. The Addition is a direct companion to the game.

Phil, since you are looking at Fudge, would you consider a vs Monsters 2nd ed. that is Fudge powered?

I'd never even considered it. The only current plan I have for vs. Monsters, beyond the comic, is to strip the rules down and release them under the OGL.