Tips For A Starting Freelancer

[Nazhkandrias]

OK, I've been considering breaking into this business for a while now. I have an understanding of the OGL and SRD, and I don't think that I'll be treading on anybody's toes. I have a good concept (a VERY detailed book covering swashbuckling-themed feats, classes, items, and ideas), a fun approach, and I can write fairly well. I am my own editor, I have somebody who can provide artwork for free, and I know plenty of people who would be thrilled to playtest my product. But, a few questions remain...

1. The OGL is a pretty fuzzy topic at times. I know that anything in the SRD (I use the one at d20srd.org) is up for grabs, and that anything that isn't, well, isn't. Certain psionic classes are OK, variant classes are fine, and there are even a couple of feats in the SRD that are legal to use. But, what about everything in the Core Books? Is anything in PHB, DMG, and MM1 fine to use? Or is it OK only if it is expressly written in the d20 SRD?

2. Another quick question concerning OGC... doing variants of classes like the Hexblade, Dragon Shaman, and Marshal is right out, correct? For example, I was thinking about doing a sea-themed variant class for the Marshal, but that probably isn't OGC. So, therefore, can I only use the classes provided at d20srd.org (this includes some extras, like the Psion and a few variant base classes) and in the Core Rulebooks?

3. I really think that I can put out a high-quality product, possibly up to 50 pages, with multiple black and white illustrations (provided for free by a friend). How much should I expect people to pay for this? I know that you can sell a good 5-pager for $1.50, how much for this?

4. Is there anything I should watch out for? Legal issues, rip-offs, copyright violations and such? Just tips for somebody with experience in d20 and writing, but none whatsoever in PDF publishing.

5. One of the publishers I've been looking at is RPGNow. A fair cut, high popularity... seems good to me. But I'm loathe to sign under big labels like that, so if anybody can post some suggestions for a publisher with reasonable popularity and fair cuts from sales (I think that RPGNow takes a 30% cut, so I don't want anybody suggesting a 60/40 split), let me know. Remember, swashbuckling is my theme (D&D 3.5), written in the style of a D&D Sourcebook (different sections for feats, classes, items, story suggestions, etc.).

6. How many people do you think would be interested in being able to pick up one book for all of their swashbuckling, plundering, treasure hunting, pirating, salty needs? Over-the-top pirate theatrics are included (How To Slow Your Fall Down A Sail With A Dagger, Sink A Ship In 3 Minutes Or Less Without Fire, Sink A Ship In 3 Minutes Or Less With Fire, Turn Your Beverage Into A Lethal Weapon, Witty Pirate Catchphrases, The Accessorizing Buccaneer, etc.).

 

[Alzrius]

OK, I've been considering breaking into this business for a while now. I have an understanding of the OGL and SRD, and I don't think that I'll be treading on anybody's toes. I have a good concept (a VERY detailed book covering swashbuckling-themed feats, classes, items, and ideas), a fun approach, and I can write fairly well. I am my own editor, I have somebody who can provide artwork for free, and I know plenty of people who would be thrilled to playtest my product. But, a few questions remain...

I'm also a freelancer, in that I'm not employed by a company, but here are some things I've picked up in my time in the industry.

1. The OGL is a pretty fuzzy topic at times. I know that anything in the SRD (I use the one at d20srd.org) is up for grabs, and that anything that isn't, well, isn't. Certain psionic classes are OK, variant classes are fine, and there are even a couple of feats in the SRD that are legal to use. But, what about everything in the Core Books? Is anything in PHB, DMG, and MM1 fine to use? Or is it OK only if it is expressly written in the d20 SRD?

You absolutely cannot use the Core Rulebooks at all. As far as the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Epic Level Handbook, and Deities and Demigods are concerned, even though they have had some of their material reproduced in the SRD, you cannot use the books themselves; just the material that is reproduced in the SRD. The most you can do is refer to the books (usually with specific abbreviations, and to specific sections, but not page numbers).

Books that have the OGL in them will have designations of both Product Identity and Open Game Content (such as Unearthed Arcana). In this case, you can use the designated Open Game Content (so long as no part of it also falls within the Product Identity), though you need to cite everything in that book's Section 15 in your own Section 15 as well.

Remember that using the d20 STL (as opposed to just the OGL directly) has a few additional restrictions, such as the decency guidelines, not printing rules for character creation, etc.

2. Another quick question concerning OGC... doing variants of classes like the Hexblade, Dragon Shaman, and Marshal is right out, correct? For example, I was thinking about doing a sea-themed variant class for the Marshal, but that probably isn't OGC. So, therefore, can I only use the classes provided at d20srd.org (this includes some extras, like the Psion and a few variant base classes) and in the Core Rulebooks?

Again, stick to just the SRD, or the clearly-expressed Open Game Content in books that have the OGL in them.

3. I really think that I can put out a high-quality product, possibly up to 50 pages, with multiple black and white illustrations (provided for free by a friend). How much should I expect people to pay for this? I know that you can sell a good 5-pager for $1.50, how much for this?

Are you talking for a printed book, or for a PDF? For a PDF, I find that the price doesn't increase directly compared to the page count. For a fifty-page release, I'd suggest around $8 or so, but that's just my opinion as a customer.

4. Is there anything I should watch out for? Legal issues, rip-offs, copyright violations and such? Just tips for somebody with experience in d20 and writing, but none whatsoever in PDF publishing.

There's really nothing I can offer here. I'm not a lawyer, and have no experience publishing my own PDFs. My one word of advice is that you might want to look into the legal side of starting your own business, since if you intend to publish this yourself, it might entail some legal issues if you do so as a company.

5. One of the publishers I've been looking at is RPGNow. A fair cut, high popularity... seems good to me. But I'm loathe to sign under big labels like that, so if anybody can post some suggestions for a publisher with reasonable popularity and fair cuts from sales (I think that RPGNow takes a 30% cut, so I don't want anybody suggesting a 60/40 split), let me know. Remember, swashbuckling is my theme (D&D 3.5), written in the style of a D&D Sourcebook (different sections for feats, classes, items, story suggestions, etc.).

While I think RPGNow (that is, OneBookShelf) does publish some things, they're a vendor more than a publisher, being an online store more than a company that actually creates the products. Creating a company can be an expensive enterprise, and you may want to consider selling your freelance work to an established company. If you do want to publish it yourself, you might want to check out Your Games Now, a new storefront that recently opened up. But I urge you to find out more about self-publishing d20 PDFs before you start deciding on a vendor to sell your first product; don't put the cart before the horse.

6. How many people do you think would be interested in being able to pick up one book for all of their swashbuckling, plundering, treasure hunting, pirating, salty needs? Over-the-top pirate theatrics are included (How To Slow Your Fall Down A Sail With A Dagger, Sink A Ship In 3 Minutes Or Less Without Fire, Sink A Ship In 3 Minutes Or Less With Fire, Turn Your Beverage Into A Lethal Weapon, Witty Pirate Catchphrases, The Accessorizing Buccaneer, etc.).

It's hard to say here. There are quite a few pirate-themed d20 books out, but I don't have a read on how many or how good they are. Judging the market for a product is, I think, something that's hard for even industry veterans to do.

Hope that helps!

 

[Nazhkandrias]

Alright, thanks for the info concerning the Core Books. I'll only use stuff EXPLICITLY stated in the SRD, then!

I intend on publishing a PDF, printed is too much hassle and FAR too expensive. I'm looking to do this with minimal investment, in my spare time. Just trying to get some ideas out there and make some money on the side!

I don't really intend to start my own business, I'm looking for somebody who will publish it for me. Doesn't RPGNow do that? I was under the impression that they published and sold. If not, I'll get somebody else to publish it, then sell it at the best site possible.

I've looked at many of the Pirate-themed books, and I think I can beat them on several grounds. First off, they tend to focus on NOTHING but Pirates. My book will branch into all areas of adventure on the high seas, from Viking raids to Pirate battles to Naval warfare. Secondly, they tend to be a little cut-and-dry. Like I said, I take a fun approach to this, since that's what swashbuckling games are meant to be - overacted, overly cinematic and theatric, seasickness-filled adventures. I'm confident that I'll put out something nice.

Anyway, thanks for your help!

 

[Stormborn]

From the sounds of it you dont want to be a freelancer you want to self publish. There is a difference and it is considerable, involing layout, the differences between editing for clarity and correctness and editing for publication, marketing, legal considerations, financhial considerations, not to mention the simple fact that having a friend supply free art work is usually a bad idea both professionally and personally. Rather than going into all of that or repeating the good advice you already have been given, my suggestion is to look around for open calls and see if you can work as a writer for someone on a specific project. Impress a publisher and get some writing credits under your belt and then you are in a far better position to approach a publisher about getting something you specifically want to do out there.

 

[Vigilance]

My recomendation is similar.

Stick to the SRD if dealing with a WOTC book. If a non-Wotc book, you can still run into closed content. There should be a clear declaration somewhere in the product of what is and is not OGC. Usually in the very front or the very back.

I'd also recommend just writing and dealing with an established publisher at least for a book or two. If you want to self-publish, ask a lot of questions and take note of the answers. You'll learn a lot along the way.

Also, even if you do decide to self-publish your first time out, never edit yourself. You will miss a LOT more than even a casual reader from the outside will.

Also, you know what you meant to say, so what is crystal clear to you might make no sense to someone else.

If you decide to look for a publisher, look for one who produces books similar to what you're producing.

 

[Napftor]

I don't have much to add here beyond what my esteemed colleagues have already stated except to recommend Adamant Entertainment as a publisher. AE stands out since it already produces piratey goodness and is a premiere vendor at RPGNow.

In addition, you mentioned having someone publish it and then selling where you want. Be prepared to take a back seat in this regard. In all likelihood, the publisher will happily produce your book in pdf form and then sell it at the sites he deals with already. You will then be given a percentage of the net sales. Since you state that you have free artwork ready, you may be able to negotiate for a larger cut of that percentage. Just my opinion.

And absolutely keep those corebooks away from the computer! Only use the SRD and open content from other publishers. You say you've looked at other pirate-themed books. Don't be afraid to adopt and adapt some bit of OGC that you think fits well with your own book. Make it the best it can be; that's what the OGL is all about.

 

[Nazhkandrias]

Sorry that I haven't been able to reply to these messages, I've been out of town. OK, it seems that my definition of freelancer is a little off. A freelancer is somebody that sells their work pretty much wherever they want (to an established publisher), right? I don't want to self-publish, I want to find an established publisher to get my stuff out there (in PDF form), they can sell it wherever they want. I expect to get a percentage of sales, but not an obscenely large amount. This is a hobby for me, not a full-time job. As for the back-seat position... that would be preferred, actually. I really don't know a ton about this, and I have multiple other things in my life to deal with - once again, this won't be something that I will invest my every waking minute into. Having somebody else take care of most of the details would be nice, at least until I figure out the business a bit more.

As for receiving free artwork being a bad idea, don't worry, this person is a VERY close friend of mine, and an excellent artist. We do each other favors like this all the time. There shouldn't be any problems, and if there are, then I'll just go without artwork (buying it from somebody else costs a lot more than I want to spend).

Now... I've put some thought into this, and I agree, it might be a better idea to put out a couple of shorter PDFs before I attempt an ambitious project like the Swashbuckling Idea. So, should I just go to a publisher, say give me a shot, they give me a subject, I put out a book on it? Or can I go to them with my own idea and they'll either say yes or no?

Finally, on legal issues... how much of the legal stuff will I have to deal with if an established publisher puts out some of my stuff? I don't have the time or money to deal with a lawyer around the clock, will the publisher handle copyright issues and such?

I can't thank all of you enough for suffering through the inane questions of a newbie publisher such as I!

 

[Bacris]

I can't speak for all other publishers, but from my perspective:

The publisher should have submission guidelines or should be able to supply you with submission guidelines when you pose your query. I'd suggest a query that would be summarized as "hey, I have this idea I'd like to develop and publish. Are you interested?" - but I'd recommend making sure the publisher carries that type of product line.

The publisher would also have legal documents already... or take the burden to create the legal documents.

For example, at Dreamscarred Press, I use a Work for Hire contract for freelance writers and artists. Depending on the agreement with the author / artist, this either grants limited or full use of the content and very clearly documents what is allowed and what is not allowed, including payment details, submission guidelines, timelines, and such. The Work for Hire contract also has a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

This is something I supply, not something I expect the writer / artist to supply.

Just my perspective

 

[Stormborn]

Watch for open calls on these boards or look around at publisher's websites and see what guidelines they have about submissions. Most will want a query that describes the type of product you want to do for them and how it fits into their current product line (if you are not responding to a specific request).

You then wait, and wait, and sometimes you wait somemore; or you hear back in a matter of hours - it varys both from publisher to publisher and from circumstance to circumstance.

If the publisher likes your query they will usually at that point give you a go ahead to start work and will discuss terms of payment. Typically about 1/3 to 1/2 of the profit is reasonable, to be paid on the 15th of each month or shortly thereafter (since thats when RPGNow pays the publishers), usually via PayPal, after the work is published. Some publishers may pay quarterly, which is also reasonable. Other publsihers may have word rates, and for a first time work that is likely going to be a fraction of a cent per word. If they do that you may recieve it either upon publication or one month later. Ask the publisher for a specific time you will be paid (if you do not have a clear contract that spells it out, and often you may not) and if you do not recieve payment from them or here otherwise contact them after about a week and politely ask about it.

If you have not gotten writer's guidelines yet do so before you begin work. If the company doesnt have any I suggest using Paizo's as it is an industry standard. Work from the SRD or MSRD ONLY. I cannot stress that enough. The publisher will deal with legal stuff, but you will be more marketable in the future and see your product in print sooner if you do your part. If you need to use something that is not in the SRD but is OGL ask your publisher first, that includes open content from books like Unearthed Arcana and even the publisher's own pdfs. Especially when starting out you should not make assumptions about what you can and cannot use.

Once you have submitted your work the waiting starts again as pdf publishers are small operations and some have a lot going on, and thats if they dont ask for changes. Editing, art commisions, and layout all take time. The larger the piece the more time. Some things I do come out within a few weeks of me submiting them to the publisher, other things have been waiting a considerable length of time (many months) and are held up by art or schedule conflicts.

Once the work comes out your part is done, except receiving payment. If it does well the publisher may come to you first before he or she puts things out for open calls. Once you have established a working relationship with someone mention the Swashbuckling project you want to do and see if they are interested and talk to them about what needs to happen to get it out. Alternatively look around at people who do puiblish material like what you want to do and see if they are interested.

 

[Roger]

1. The OGL is a pretty fuzzy topic at times. I know that anything in the SRD (I use the one at d20srd.org) is up for grabs, and that anything that isn't, well, isn't. Certain psionic classes are OK, variant classes are fine, and there are even a couple of feats in the SRD that are legal to use. But, what about everything in the Core Books? Is anything in PHB, DMG, and MM1 fine to use? Or is it OK only if it is expressly written in the d20 SRD?

The freelancer's world has two categories: things that are Open Content, and everything that isn't. The content on d20srd.org is Open, including the material they have from Unearthed Arcana. Most of the rest from WotC isn't, so steer clear. There's also the MSRD, containing Open Content from the d20 Modern game, which is often more applicable than you first might think, so give it a look. Also, quite a bit of many third-party publications are Open Content, although you'll have to check out their individual declarations.

2. Another quick question concerning OGC... doing variants of classes like the Hexblade, Dragon Shaman, and Marshal is right out, correct? For example, I was thinking about doing a sea-themed variant class for the Marshal, but that probably isn't OGC. So, therefore, can I only use the classes provided at d20srd.org (this includes some extras, like the Psion and a few variant base classes) and in the Core Rulebooks?

This starts to get a bit gray and fuzzy. Just how variant are they? If you rewrite all the text, my sense is that you'll be fine. If you happen to have mechanics which resemble those of published Closed Content... it's not entirely clear whether you could or would get sued over that. If you don't do anything dumb like actually calling it "A Naval Variation of the Hexblade Class" I personally think you'll be okay. But that's just my non-lawyer opinion.

3. I really think that I can put out a high-quality product, possibly up to 50 pages, with multiple black and white illustrations (provided for free by a friend). How much should I expect people to pay for this? I know that you can sell a good 5-pager for $1.50, how much for this?

That's a really hard question to answer from the outside. Check out the market, see what other products in that range are selling for, think about the price you can live with. Off the top of my head I'd say that $5 is not enough and $20 is too much, but take that with a grain of salt.

4. Is there anything I should watch out for? Legal issues, rip-offs, copyright violations and such? Just tips for somebody with experience in d20 and writing, but none whatsoever in PDF publishing.

Not really. There just isn't enough money in it to be really worth suing anyone over anything. I know your artist is a friend, but you still might want to write up something, even something informal, about just what rights are being signed over and what compensation is expected, and then have both parties sign it.

There's an OGL or something postcard to mail in to WotC so that they can contact you if they're all bent out of shape about something. I think it'd be a good idea to fill it out and send it in.

There's a section in the OGL that you attach at the end of your product, Section 15, I think it is, in which you should mention every product that you use OGC from. Also, every product that /those/ products use OGC from. And so on. Lots and lots of folks don't really take as much care as maybe they should in filling this section out. Lots of people probably don't care. But give it some thought.

5. One of the publishers I've been looking at is RPGNow. A fair cut, high popularity... seems good to me. But I'm loathe to sign under big labels like that, so if anybody can post some suggestions for a publisher with reasonable popularity and fair cuts from sales (I think that RPGNow takes a 30% cut, so I don't want anybody suggesting a 60/40 split), let me know. Remember, swashbuckling is my theme (D&D 3.5), written in the style of a D&D Sourcebook (different sections for feats, classes, items, story suggestions, etc.).

RPGNow isn't a publisher, per se, as other people have mentioned. As far as storefronts go, I've heard good things about YourGamesNow, but I haven't actually had any experience with them.

6. How many people do you think would be interested in being able to pick up one book for all of their swashbuckling, plundering, treasure hunting, pirating, salty needs? Over-the-top pirate theatrics are included (How To Slow Your Fall Down A Sail With A Dagger, Sink A Ship In 3 Minutes Or Less Without Fire, Sink A Ship In 3 Minutes Or Less With Fire, Turn Your Beverage Into A Lethal Weapon, Witty Pirate Catchphrases, The Accessorizing Buccaneer, etc.).

Sounds pretty hot, especially if you can get it launched near the release of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. But really, you're not going to be buying a new Ferrari out of it, no matter how popular it is. So just do something you enjoy, and release a product you're proud of.


Cheers,
Roger