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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Abulia" data-source="post: 854643" data-attributes="member: 8162">My rantOkay, Karg started this thread at my prodding, so time to weigh in with my own rants. I'm going to back up what I can with figures but I haven't spent a great amount of time in analysis. Meaning, I haven't intentionally cooked my numbers one way or the other. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />1) PDF Value: This one really cooks my shorts. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> Picking some random PDFs, some from the leaders of the PDF industry, we have page counts of 35, 48, and 69. These respectively sell for $5, $5.75, and $6.95. Quality of the content aside, lets just assume they are held to the same standards of print products with the same layout and presentation one can expect in an average off-the-self release. These PDFs are $0.142, $0.119, and $0.100 per page respectively. Still with me? Okay…Now, take some books from the print industry, some D20, some not. These three products (randomly chosen) are $19.95, $27.95, and $29.95. They're 144, 160, and 224 pages in length. Breaking it down on a per page basis, they're $0.138, $0.174, and $0.133 respectively. The first is softcover and B&W throughout, color cover. The middle one is full color with a high text density and softcover. The last is full-color throughout, glossy paper, hardcover. And while I said we're not going to compare the quality of writing, suffice it to say that the authors of the print products are well known.Obviously the true "value" of a product is whether or not someone individually finds it of value. But short of polling several thousand gamers on any number of products about the best I can do is try to compare the costs of the products. Looking here the PDFs don't fare well, in my opinion. Two of the print products are actually cheaper than the PDF offering -- and they're already printed out for you. To add insult to injury one the print products is full color and hardback. The PDFs are, obviously, not.When you factor in the quality of the content (yes, subjective) including art and presentation, the disparity becomes more prevalent.Rant #1: PDFs are overpriced2) Open Calls: I can appreciate the opportunity that an open call gives an aspiring writer. However, truth be told, if you're really serious about breaking into the hobby and game industry as a writer it's easier than you may think. With that said, open calls are the root of all Evil ™. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> Open calls really only serve the publisher. They get a large number of disjointed entries of varying quality of writing, tone of voice, at little to no cost. Clearly the publisher has no obligation to accept (or print) any material and the rates typically are not competitive when you break it down to a per word basis.I don't know if most publishers realize this, but for most writers it is only slightly more time consuming to do x+1,000 words then it is to write x. Meaning, if you'd just hire one or two writers you could a) increase the overall quality, b) have a consistent tone and writing style, and c) probably spend a hell of lot less time editing. Of course, the cost is slightly higher because you're hiring a professional. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> As someone in my gaming group said the other day: "Nothing screams 'quality' like an open call for a product." <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Rant #2: I can't stand open calls. Hire a professional! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />3) Leverage the medium: Another big one with me. I happen to like PDF technology. I'd just wish that more publishers would utilize it to its logical end. For example, a PDF product that includes the print version (suitable for nifty printing), a screen version, and an all-text version, and a tagged version for Acrobat e-reader. I'll bet most publishers don't know how to make a tagged version suitable for a PDA.PDFs will full bookmarking and indexing ability are easy to make if you design the layout from the ground up to support it. InDesign has a script that will automate most of the process. However, all I ever read about is "it's too hard!" It's not that hard. Or, look at it another way: what's the opportunity cost of you not providing those features? How many additional copies could you have sold?I'm going to single out Philip Reed for his excellent work at this point and embarrass him a tad. The layout-for-screen process that he's used is an example of value added. Ross Richey and DireKobold is another. Dynamic PDFs. Now we're talking. Ross offers a service that can't be duplicated. He's leveraging the competitive advantage of the medium and pushing the envelope.Rant #3: PDF publishers aren't using the medium fullyI'll stop for now. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> I'm sure this will generate some spirited discussion. I've got a few more on the size of the marketplace and the disparity for author rates, but I'll save those for another day.I'm interested in hearing other opinions or some friendly discussions on these topics. By all means, I'm open to hearing contrasting opinions or changing my mind.Regards,Don MappinFreelancer for <a href="mailto:mappin@xmission.com">Hire</a></blockquote>

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