RPG Now and Drive Through RPG merge

[Allura]

On Freelancers

The rate increase is not only likely to mean higher prices for the end user, but lower wages/rates for freelance writers, artists, editors, etc.

I'm probably shooting myself in the foot here as a professional, but I'd like to comment. If your rates get too low, there's no reason for any freelancer to work for you (you being generic, Mark, not you=CMG ). I have a minimum wage that I will not work for less than. I put too much time and effort into my work, to the point that I would rather not work than be paid too little. I love RPGs and I love working in the industry. And I'd give it up in a heartbeat if I could no longer make a minimum wage at it.

Of course, for that minimum wage, I do it all and it's always on time, but that's for a sales thread.

 

[Mark CMG]

I'm probably shooting myself in the foot here as a professional, but I'd like to comment. If your rates get too low, there's no reason for any freelancer to work for you (you being generic, Mark, not you=CMG ). I have a minimum wage that I will not work for less than. I put too much time and effort into my work, to the point that I would rather not work than be paid too little. I love RPGs and I love working in the industry. And I'd give it up in a heartbeat if I could no longer make a minimum wage at it.

Of course, for that minimum wage, I do it all and it's always on time, but that's for a sales thread.

I agree. And many publishers who operate on a shoestring are right there with you, many who, once the bottom line is figured, don't make much more than yourself. If the rate hike goes through, the money has to come from somewhere. It's a shame that this merger has not been implemented to tighten up the distribution level and lower rates, but rather to create a more limited field of options and subsequently use that dearth of options as a means and moment to raise rates for some publishers (mostly those publishers who were in on helping build this corner of the ePublishing industry in the early stages).

People will continue to spin this a lot of different ways over the next month, but most people can follow simple common sense; When a rate hike goes into effect in a segment of the industry, all subsequent tiers of the industry feel its ill effects on some level at some point. It's a ripple effect that those who claim isn't going to happen, simply aren't aware, aren't being reasonable, or aren't being forthcoming. Those on the outside looking in will have to determine into what category the various spokespersons fall.

 

[BryonD]

but most people can follow simple common sense; When a rate hike goes into effect in a segment of the industry, all subsequent tiers of the industry feel its ill effects on some level at some point.

This is certainly true. But I take exception to the word "ill".
Heck, insiders frequently complain that prices are to LOW in this industry. Now they seem to be complaining that they may go up.

The storefronts obviously felt a need to make a change. Perhaps the effects of not changing would be much more "ill" than the effects of this will be.

You may be forced to raise your prices in order to maintain a worthwhile profit for your efforts. This happens in business all the time. If the customers continue to buy then there is more revenue going into the industry and that is good. If the customers go away then the store fronts will be shown to have pushed beyond what the market will bear and they will suffer for it. And, eventually, things will get back to an equilibrium that the market will support.

Obviouly the OBS will need publishers if they want to do business. So clearly they have no desire to run them off. To the contrary, they have a vested interest in keeping them around. But, first and foremost, they have to be creating enough profit to make their own efforts worthwhile. If they are not making enough to make it worth it, then the idea of keeping publishers happy becomes completely moot. Perhaps there is already an effect in place at their level and this is simply a ripple of THAT. Would it be better to have all three decide to throw in the towel? Or what if two give up and the third as the "only remaining game in town" (setting aside e23 and paizo for now) uses that to raise their prices. Would that be any better? I think it would be worse.

I keep defending this change. But it isn't from an Pollyanna "everything is wonderful" position. Above all I'm completely commited to the idea that the people who invested in creating these storefronts have ownership of their product and therefore should be free to control them. The effect of removing that ownership would be truly "ill" for future investment. But even beyond that, the marketplace changes and the market has to change to keep up. And not every change has to feel good as it happens. But the best thing for the long term health of the industry is to stay in tune with the changes. I certainly don't want to pay more for pdfs. But I have no illusion that prices at fixed for the foreseeable future. And I can see a collapse or major retraction of the industry as vastly worse than a price shift.

 

[Mark CMG]

I keep defending this change.

We're on similar sides in this. Change is inevitable and often good. The merger is not at issue, IMO. It's the rate hike that I find objectionable. Some people keep insisting that there will be an increase in business that *should* cover the loss due to the rate hike. Does anybody really think someone should be reasonably pleased to contractually give up future profits or, in lieu of those profits actually materializing, give up a cut of what little they make currently. I really don't know any reasonable person who would agree that is a good thing.