Questions about PDF’s.

[Aries_Omega]

Da Big Dawgs

I hear you with being a bit intimidated. I mean I see this great stuff being published out there in pdf and print and wonder if my work will even remotely stack up. Will I ever get a letter asking if I will make an appearance at a Con. Will anyone refer to me like we do with the big names like "this campaign has a huge Monte Cook influence" or "this psionic campagin is very Cordellian" and "Okay...think....Greenwood".

I think of this...then I rememeber one thing. Something that a very wise E-6 told me in the Army the first time I was a VIP driver for a general. He said something to the effect of these great men...thats all they are. Men. They get up in their morning, scratch their neather regions and put their pants on one leg at a time like us. They just happen to be good at what they do and close to retirement. I also mean this about the women gamers too like Gwendolyn F. M. Kestrel and Faith M. Price from Wizards. They are all like us. They game, they have dice your cut them with a sword and they lose HP...well...unless they have stone skin on casted on them...and you make your attack roll.

Aries
AKA Cris Picado
Creative Ideas Workshop

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

This is definately a life long dream. I have been in and around gaming since 1979. If nothing else I'm going to give this a serious shot. Heck. You only live once!

For me it's been since 1987, but I agree 100% with the above, which is why I have decided to take that leap from freelance to self-publishing as well. I really have nothing to loose, and a whole lot to gain.

 

[mythusmage]

Another Thing to Consider

PDF publication can be viewed as another way of making submissions to the print publishers. And they pay for it.

If it looks interesting, and covers a subject the publisher hasn't considered you may find them picking up a copy and giving it a look. While it probably won't lead to the product itself being put out in a hard copy version (though that has happened), it might lead to your being solicited for work.

My advice is...

Write. Simply write. You aint gonna get no better if you don't write, and write a lot.

Write about what you know. If you don't know it, do research. And don't rely on game books for your information.

Write about things that interest you. Don't be surprised if your subject proves to have an audience. Interests can vary a lot even in a community of 'only' a few million people. Most important, write about the subject as if you actually liked it. In short, have a voice. OGL Steampunk from Mongoose Publishing has a voice. The voice shows up even in the mechanics, and helps bring the game setting to life. There is a there there.

Last of all, remember that even if you only sell 20 'copies' that's still around another $50.00 in your pocket, and that's a good thing.

W