Also, it's not exactly easy to do a complete typo fix, balance edit, and add 4 additional pages of content to a product within two weeks of its release, and it certainly isn't lame to do so.
You're right, it isn't easy, but with all due respect, I have to say that those things should have been done *before* the book came out.
I understand the desire to go through a book that you just put out and fix all the stuff in it. And I know it seems nearly impossible to fix all the errors. I know it seems like, after spending two weeks going over a book, page by page, paragraph by paragraph, that you've got all the errors. Then, two days later you find another one. I know that frustration and the desire to deal with it.
I know that happens, and I've had to tell my editor things like "look, we can't catch them all. We can do the best we can, and after it comes out, any other errors we find, we'll catalog in a file. When it comes time for the re-release we'll make those changes."
I'm not trying to tell you how to run your business or anything. You seem to be doing a fine job. But when I saw the Legends of Excalibur re-released within 2 weeks of its initial release, I thought "WTF! What if we all did that?"
I could easily make several changes to Hell on Earth and re-release tomorrow, but I'm holding those corrections until I do the re-release in about 6 months.
You're also right that it isn't lame to do that. But I think consumers and other publishers alike could perceive it that way.
Correcting a product two weeks after it comes out doesn't look good to the consumers. I bought Blood and Guts right after it came out. A week or two later, I got a message that it had been updated, and a link to the update. But you know what? I *still* haven't downloaded the updated version.
Why? Marketers call it "time poverty." Psychologists would talk about psychological "value" and "investment." Businessmen only need to know that when they release an "updated" version, not everyone who bought the original version downloads the update, for whatever reason.
I think it is in every publisher's best interest to put out the best work they can, and not try to update it immediately after. Give it some time to sink in. Don't give the consumer the impression that you routinely put out unfinished work. If anything, that will slowly kill your sales of initial releases as people learn that you always update the title a few weeks later. Due to "time poverty" people will decide to just wait and buy the updated version so they don't have to download twice. In fact, When I saw that Legends of Excalibur was updated I actually said to myself "well, I'm glad I haven't bought it yet. If I had, I'd be downloading it *again.*"
(or maybe not, given my previous behavior with Blood and Guts)
I don't know where you got the idea a product being on the front page didn't matter to me.
I didn't say "didn't matter." I said "figures so small." Your comments about how marketing is so much more than just front page exposure on RPGnow led me to think your marketing plan was much more extensive than just front page exposure. Which, compared to your recent behavior, seems duplicitous.
I apologize if I seemed too defensive (or aggressive). I'm not interested in getting into an argument, but I also am not interested in remarks like
Apparently if you can succeed in the current environment, and indeed thrive, that isn't worth discussing.
That seems haughty and arrogant to me.
Is it possibly that because you are thriving in the current environment, you don't want to see the environment changed? Therefore you speak out against anyone who suggests changing the RPGnow site?
Again, I don't want to argue, and that's not a veiled, smarmy attack. Its a genuine question, intended to asses your motives.
I would like to see the home page of RPGnow changed to contain only links to all the sub categories, therefore funneling traffic to more desirable product pages (as James and Chris have mentioned).
Are you opposed to that idea? If so, why?
