MerricB said:
Is Tor Books putting out too many books then? (To pull an example at random).
I's sort of an awkward comparison, though.
A Tor book costs less to produce, costs less to buy, is easier to use, and theoretically appeals to anyone who can read, though mostly to people who are interested in fantasy/SF.
A D&D book costs more, cost more to create, requires a great deal more effort to use/incorporate, and theoretically only appeals to people who play D&D. More specifically, to people palying the current edition and who have some interest in the subject matter (e.g., I don't buy FR books anymore).
The question Chris Chinn raises is: Is the PR/marketing effort required to maintain fan interest in the supplement cycle, plus the development cost of the product, really cost-effective? Would it possibly be more profitable to sell fewer, but better books that can be hyped louder and longer. And could some of the leftover PR/markleting resources then be used for the possibly more profitable goal of
expanding the user base, instead of just trying to sell more products to the same people all the time?
I find these ideas intriguing.