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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steve Conan Trustrum" data-source="post: 2622609" data-attributes="member: 1620">Because, while self-publishing is relatively easy, self-publishing PROPERLY and producing GOOD product is another matter entirely. Having an idea that rocks on toast is not the same as knowing how to write, illustrate, do layout, edit, put a project together from conception to market, or run and finance a business.Few markets are currently as easy to get into at the moment as a PDF market, be it in the RPG industry or otherwise. All it takes is a computer and word processing software, two things that just about every household now has. That allows for an incredible possibility of a market that splinters to the point where it's no longer a matter of competition but damage.Consider this: gold is precious because it is rare and involves specialized skills and secondary resources to get it to market properly. Now imagine that someone created a computer that allowed everyone to make gold. Sure, the people still don't necessarily have the skills to make the gold into quality products, such as a well-crafted bracelet or ring, but hey, even a half-assed gold ring or bracelet on the cheap is great if it's still something you don't have the skills or time to do for yourself. As such, it makes it harder for you to get the well-crafted stuff because they can't compete with the accessiblity that the less refined products have on the market at much reduced costs. This leads to fewer of those well-crafted products being made--not because any other companies are driving competition up to a level that forces these companies to reconsider their business structures, but rather because the market has been diluted and splintered.While gold may seem like an odd analogy to use (rpgs certainly aren't worth as much as gold), it should give you an idea of what happens when accessiblity overshoots demand.It's not a debate--it's a proven aspect of economics. The easier it is for people to compete in any given industry, the more likely it is that everyone's income within that market will shrink because everyone's piece of the pie continues to get smaller unless new customers can be brought in at an equal or greater rate so as to ensure demand stays profitable--and we all know that there hasn't been a huge upswing in the number of gamers coming into the market, certainly not enough to match the increasing number of desktop rpg publishers who stick around enough to dilute the market but don't contribute enough by taking those extra steps and risks needed to help it grow.You're going to be seeing the effects of this with RPGnow's split in two: small companies that weren't really taking those extra, risky steps or lacked the necessary time, resources or exposure on their own are consolidating to create companies that will compete better as united entities--certainly better than with the limited time, cash, ideas, etc. that the individuals had on their own. Such consolidations increase the chance of quality products while reducing the risk of splintering a market too much.</blockquote>

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