RPGNow/DTRPG POD Vendors?

[Morrus]

A quick question - how long does it normally take to get a product available? We decided to try it instead of Lulu for a while.

It took 2 weeks to go through the "...has been sent to the printer for verification" stage, and it's now 10 days into the "...files being prepped" stage. After that there's the 2-3 week "...buy a copy of your product to check it" stage. With Lulu, the first two stages are instantaneous, and the third takes 2-3 days.

In the meantime, we've written, edited, illustrated, and laid out another entire product, but it being a series we can't release that one when people haven't gotten the previous installment yet.

What have your typical experiences been?

 

[TheAuldGrump]

That seems... awfully slow on turn around.

I am pretty sure that DTRPG outsources to Lightning Source for their DTP. LS also handles POD for Ingram*, and they do quality work, but that seems like a long time to wait.

What are the percentages like when compared to Lulu?

The Auld Grump

* Pretty much all of my experience with Lightning Source has been through Ingram. I have been pretty happy with their quality, over all.

 

[Goblinoid Games]

It shouldn't take that long if the files are ok. If you haven't already you should drop Matt a line to ask him what's going on. It should only take a few days, maybe a week, to get to the point where you can order a proof. What I've discovered with my fiddling is that there must be some things happening at the back end of Lulu that we can't see, which is not a part of what RPGnow does (even though they both ultimately print at Lightening Source). So in other words, with Lulu you sink or swim depending on how meticulously you prepped your files and they'll let you order faulty product even of the files are messed up. Also I think Lulu has a stage where if your compliance settings are not set correctly it fixes them. That's why they tell you that you can use RGB instead of CMYK, I think, because they convert it on their end.

But if you can get set up with RPGnow total profit is roughly equivalent between the two sites for direct POD orders, but I'm finding for smaller orders (50-75) for your own stock their prices are way better than Lulu, and competetive with other short run printers.

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

The book we submitted only took six days for approval, then it was just a matter of ordering a proof copy and waiting for it to arrive.

 

[alms66]

Bare in mind that you have to submit to One Book Shelf, they submit to Lightning Source, then they come back to One Book Shelf, which then finally comes back to you (digitally, of course - physical product just goes from Lightning Source to you).
IMHO, this is a great thing for the industry though, since 90% or so of pdf sales are through One Book Shelf sites, the option to add POD for the consumer is just amazing. Not only that, but as a publisher you can offer total variety by doing both Black & White and Color interior layouts, and also offer Softcover and Hardcover books, with only a little more effort on your part, giving your customers the ultimate choice in physical books, plus the pdf of course.

 

[Morrus]

IMHO, this is a great thing for the industry though, since 90% or so of pdf sales are through One Book Shelf sites, the option to add POD for the consumer is just amazing. Not only that, but as a publisher you can offer total variety by doing both Black & White and Color interior layouts, and also offer Softcover and Hardcover books, with only a little more effort on your part, giving your customers the ultimate choice in physical books, plus the pdf of course.

I'm still waiting. It's been a month now.

 

[Matt James]

I'm still waiting. It's been a month now.

That's way too long.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

No contact at all?

Maybe it is time to go back to Lulu - something is wrong there.

The Auld Grump

 

[IronWolf]

I'm still waiting. It's been a month now.

I would definitely contact them if you have not done so already. Sounds like something didn't go quite right...

 

[Morrus]

It's finally done! Whew.

And the followup, which was waiting in the wings, was processed in about 4 days. Weird.