RPGNow Sales Numbers Update

[philreed]

Website

While a website is not a bad idea it can become difficult to keep it maintained. I know I wouldn't have time to maintain one. I would be willing to buy the domain and pay hosting fees if someone else would volunteer to act as webmaster.

Check the Digital Publishers Group for an example of the type of site you're suggesting.

 

[malladin]

Website

The Digital publishers group site is pretty much exactly what I had in mind, I was just thinking that a smaller group of member companies, dedicated to D20, would mean that it the site could become a hub for D20 pdf customers to cut though some of the chaff on the PRGNow site.

I'd be happy to webmaster the site - I'm pretty much on top of php now, and all I do all day at (real life) work is database programming and analysys, so I recon I can build a decent site, technically, I just don't have the access to the art to make it look good. I'd envisage the website pretty much running itself, anyway. My current design idea will llow the member publishers to post their own product details and news items to the site. If there's only a few co-interested parties involved it shouldn't need anyone to 'nanny' what people post, so its just someone to look after the technical side of teh site, which I would be capable of managing.

Ben, Malladin's Gate Press

 

[Nellisir]

A better option, IMO, is to include a PDF pamphlet about your other products in the zip file. Several publishers do this, and I have never seen a negative comment about this sort of "packaging".

Speaking as a fairly frequent purchaser of pdfs, I really appreciate this sort of add-on. It's free advertising for the publisher, and the customer doesn't feel that they've "paid" for it, been tricked into paying for it, or has to work around it when printing (my big issue). I like anything that gives me a good overview of the publisher's products, both current and future, and a sense of what type of product the publisher is creating, (which tells me how much attention I should pay to them in the future).

I also like the idea of a central website that coordinates information on pdf publishers, including short company bios, products, and website links.

My primary sources of information about pdf publishers are RPGNow and this board. I don't have the patience to page through EN World's publisher lists looking for publishers I don't recognize on the off chance one of them might have a product out I might be interested in. Similarly, I rarely chase all the links on RPG Now.

A simple website (no ornate graphics, no super-dooper hypertextdrive database markup formatting programming that makes every link an odyssey of errors) that has, on the left, a list of publishers linked to a publisher bio page (which includes a 1 paragraph summary of company philosophy/targetmarket/product type/whathaveyou, a link to their website, and a full product list with links to the appropriate RPG Now page), a banner up top, and a main page with simple, one to two line "what's new" announcements ("Mud Temples of the Leopard Frog People", a 64 page campaign sourcebook for the Frog Pond Campaign Setting by Amphibian Press). The title links to RPGNow and a product description, the publisher names links to the publisher bio page, and anything else can link to whatever's appropriate. NO THUMBNAILS on the front page! They take up too much space.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[Mystic Eye]

We have only had a free download at RPGnow for a long time. It was a set of facing rules for d20 we were creating for Mystic Warriors. We did not include them in the book and posted for free what we had. Since, it has been downloaded 732 times.

 

[Mark]

A simple website (no ornate graphics, no super-dooper hypertextdrive database markup formatting programming that makes every link an odyssey of errors) that has, on the left, a list of publishers linked to a publisher bio page (which includes a 1 paragraph summary of company philosophy/targetmarket/product type/whathaveyou, a link to their website, and a full product list with links to the appropriate RPG Now page), a banner up top, and a main page with simple, one to two line "what's new" announcements ("Mud Temples of the Leopard Frog People", a 64 page campaign sourcebook for the Frog Pond Campaign Setting by Amphibian Press). The title links to RPGNow and a product description, the publisher names links to the publisher bio page, and anything else can link to whatever's appropriate. NO THUMBNAILS on the front page! They take up too much space.

I'd chip in an equal share to be placed (or place myself through some form interface) for a spot on a site like that!

 

[rpghost]

Re: Re: Re: Ways to keep your PDF in front of the customer . . .

when it comes to backlist sales, is that every PDF should include some mention of other PDFs. A catalog page or something in each PDF. The page never has to be printed (and shouldn't be included in page count) but for those who want to know what else is available, they have it in the file.

What we (RPGNow and publishers in general) need is everyone to help spread the word of PDF's in general. Use someplace other then ENworld to harp your products. Get down to your local game stores and spread the word of RPGNow. I have demo CD's I'll send anyone wanting to personally hand them out to people specifically interested.

I think the bigger concern right now is getting more customers at RPGNow than to get your one product noticed more. Sure getting your products noticed more is an important thing- but chances are that most of the customers have already seen your product when it WAS on the front page and didn't buy.

We need new blood. We need it from places other then the typical online haunts. We have an ad in the current Dungeon Magazine (50,000 circulation), we have an ad on the new GamePlay CD (10,000 circ), and we're going to be on the Campaign Suite Demo & Install CDs (12,000 circ).

FYI: Currently RPGNow is growing by about 1000 customers a month and has about 12,000 right now. I know there are a lot more out there...

James

 

[rpghost]

A better option, IMO, is to include a PDF pamphlet about your other products in the zip file. Several publishers do this, and I have never seen a negative comment about this sort of "packaging".

One suggestion that was brought up was if we used our POD services to provide a mini full color catalog of some products form RPGNow. It would be funded by collecting $ from the vendors involved and would be handed out at conventions and FLAGS functions and such... basically it would cost each vendor $20-50 to be in it and we'd make 200-300 copies (whatever was collected could pay for) of it and hand it out (these are guesses at the numbers as it wasn't calcluated).

In short, produce a nice physical "pamphlet" to pass around and promote a select few vendors.

James

 

[rpghost]

on the left, a list of publishers linked to a publisher bio page (which includes a 1 paragraph summary of company philosophy/targetmarket/product type/whathaveyou, a link to their website, and a full product list with links to the appropriate RPG Now page)

Aside from the BIO, this is already on RPGNow's left nav window. A list of publishers that when selecting the one you want shows you all their products. Is this not what you meant?

Maybe you're looking for an RPGNow Lite or something where you can quickly skim around without all the thumbnails? I donno... I learned years ago people don't buy without pictures in their face.

Anyway, if there is anything I can do to help make RPGNow better or easier, please let me know. Or better yet, use our forums at:

http://forums.rpghost.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=3

cause posting here (while great and appreciated) only publisher questions here only gets you a one sided d20 centric view of things.

James

 

[annadobritt]

When I'm shopping for a pdf, rarely do I pay attention to the cover (no slight to the artists intended!!) It's usually the title that catches my eye or I read a post on a forum about something coming out.

 

[Nellisir]

Aside from the BIO, this is already on RPGNow's left nav window. A list of publishers that when selecting the one you want shows you all their products. Is this not what you meant?

Ah, look. I never noticed it before, squashed in with the Shopping Cart, Quick Find, Categories, What's New, Specials, Comments, and About.

I'm perfectly serious. I like RPGNow. I think RPGNow is cool, and I just bought $28 worth of pdf products there today (or last night?). I just never ever saw that before. And it is squashed.

Maybe you're looking for an RPGNow Lite or something where you can quickly skim around without all the thumbnails? I donno... I learned years ago people don't buy without pictures in their face.

I don't think it should be a sale site, I think it should be a specialized announcement page. Phil Reed led off this topic with a list of 5 products, and I'd never heard of 2 of them. I can't buy something I've never heard of. I have EN World as my homepage (much to my fiance's disinterest), and if they were announced here, they were lost in the melee of general stuffness. I check the frontpage of RPGNow about once a week (where I do look at the pretty pictures), and never noticed them there.

All -I'm- looking for is a list of what's new every week or so, possibly with a list of keywords id'ing what the product is about (way back in the day, someone, maybe Necromancer Games or Fiery Dragon, had a whole list of key words they were going to use to identify products. I liked that idea).

...

I just checked out the "what's new" page at RPGNow, and found it....a bit too much. I had to scroll horizontally to view products on the right, and the page, even after sorting for fantasy, was just -long-.

cause posting here ... only gets you a one sided d20 centric view of things.

I only buy d20, so what you see as d20centric I see as me-oriented, and as a consumer, I like things that are me-oriented.

It's 12:30am here, and I'm just getting over being sick, so I'll have to post back later. I'll try and stop by your forums to add my detailed opinion; but in a nutshell, much of the -look- of the site feels very square and clunky to me. I think it's the black boxy topic headers everywhere. There's also a great deal of (IMO) clutter. The poll, for one. I've answered it, now I'll be glad when it's gone. The 8 topics on the left side for others.

Thanks for your patience,
Nell.

Whoo-hoo! I shop like Annadobritt!

After rereading this and revising this post 4 times, I dunno's also. Maybe RPGNow Lite (Still good stuff, just less of it!) is what I'd like.