Quick question about Patherfinder submission policy

[Sanguinemetaldawn]

I am asking this here in case it was posted here and I missed it...

Did Paizo's reps clarify what their submission policy was with respect to creators rights?
Specifically, will Pathfinder use the "Work-for-hire" model of WotC/Dragon/Dungeon, or will writers retain rights beyond the initial agreement, as they would along the model of a short story submitted to serial/"pulp" magazines?

 

[Odhanan]

Submission guidelines and policy for Gamemastery modules and/or Pathfinder have not been clarified as of yet.

The staff repeatedly said this would be pretty soon though.

I guess it's a matter of a few weeks. If I may hazard a wild guess, I'd say that as far as the rights are concerned this could be the former of your options: Paizo would own the rights to your submission. But that's a huge guess on my part. We'll see!

 

[Sanguinemetaldawn]

hmmm....

Right now, I am certain the policy is "Work-for-hire" for Dragon and Dungeon magazine, having made inquiries regarding this subject with Paizo staffers. Anything published in Dungeon or Dragon is the property of WotC.

This is how the periodicals were run in the day of TSR as well.

Basically I am hoping that this is no longer the case with Pathfinder, though I would not be surprised to be disappointed.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Almost the entire RPG industry--certainly all the "big names"--use the work-for-hire model. Frankly, there's almost no incentive to do anything else (particularly when it comes to legal issues).

I cannot officially answer for Paizo, of course, but I would be stunned speechless if they did anything else.

 

[Sanguinemetaldawn]

Almost the entire RPG industry--certainly all the "big names"--use the work-for-hire model.

Quite true. I know Necromancer has the same policy as well, etc.

Pagan Publishing (creators of Delta Green) does not.

Frankly, there's almost no incentive to do anything else (particularly when it comes to legal issues).

See, I seriously wonder about that.
Look at the profusion of quality material produced under d20/OGL (and yeah there is plenty of garbage too).

I wonder how much of that we would have seen if WotC claimed ownership of all such material, and how much people would have refused to publish if it meant loss of their creation.

 

[+5 Keyboard!]

As one of the core group of writers for Paizo right now, I can tell you that there has been no mention of any changes in their Work for Hire model. You can probably expect it to be pretty much the same in that regard. I say "probably" because, hey, they're the publishers and may have some changes in mind, but have been to damn busy preparing to launch their new products to focus on that yet.
So far the writing team have all received a new template for adventure format since the other set up was part of the whole Dragon and Dungeon magazines model. Specific changes I can point out that will stand out the most is a new stat block format. IMO, it's much, much better, without deviating terribly from the ones you will continue to see through issues #359 and #150, respectively.

 

[James Jacobs]

Figuring out how to handle submissions is one of my top priorities, especially since getting "new blood" into the industry is one of the best ways to keep things fresh and interesting. I've got several ideas, but it'll be a bit before we figure them all out (especially since a third of Paizo was at the GAMA trade show last week).

We'll certainly post the news on our website once we figure it out. One of us'll make a post on these boards as well.

In any case... it is in the works, and I'm pretty sure we'll be maintaining the "work for hire" for most of what we print in Pathfinder and the GameMastery modules. As in, we'll be purchasing all rights to the materials, just as we did with Dragon and Dungeon. Except that material for the GameMastery brands (including Pathfinder) remains the property of Paizo, not Wizards of the Coast.

 

[kensanata]

I've been spoiled by free software and wikis…

I'd buy Pathfinder whether the authors resold their contributions to other magazines or published them on their website. I'm paying for printing, distribution, art, layout, selecting, editing, and I wouldn't feel cheated if articles appeared elsewhere.

If Paizo is afraid of contributions being sold a second time to the Digital Initiative, then they should craft a separate agreement that locks down contributions for half a year or something like that. How plausible is it that they're going miss out on a sales opportunity if somebody else can build on material half a year old?

As I said, I've been spoiled by free software and wikis…

 

[MatthewJHanson]

If Paizo is afraid of contributions being sold a second time to the Digital Initiative, then they should craft a separate agreement that locks down contributions for half a year or something like that. How plausible is it that they're going miss out on a sales opportunity if somebody else can build on material half a year old?

I think it has more to do with allowing articles and adventures to build on each other. For example if I were to write an adventure detailing a new never-before-mentioned city, and somebody else wanted to set a new adventure in that city, it's much easier if Paizo just owns the whole thing.

 

[Sanguinemetaldawn]

I'd buy Pathfinder whether the authors resold their contributions to other magazines or published them on their website...if Paizo is afraid of contributions being sold a second time to the Digital Initiative,

Well, this isn't really what I was thinking of.

Given the significant restrictions on submission length and so forth, lets say I was just going to submit one portion of a larger multi part scenario.

Or if I submit a monster design that I intend to include in a published scenario elsewhere, etc...

So in those cases, I would have to pay Paizo to use my own creation, assuming they give me permission...?

Yeah, no thanks.

I mean, it would depend on the terms. For example, if Paizo wanted first right of refusal for a partnership publication, I could understand that.

Then there is the issue of other people adding to a creators work. I am sure such creators are flattered by this, but if such alterations were made with no input/respect for the initial creator's vision, I doubt they would be welcome.

I suppose all that sounds a bit pretentious, but with the loss of the D&D rights, I am not seeing any particular reason to opt for Paizo over any other publishing company, and the OGL remains in force, making indie publishing always an option.

Just curious really.

I also wanted to thank the Paizo people for replying. A disappointing reply is better than the "no reply" and sifting through opaque FAQs and boards found elsewhere.