Trying out a super-sale

[jmucchiello]

For what it's worth, I certainly am not complaining about the effect the sales items have on the best seller lists. (Although I do think mine was a simple solution--just don't count the sales of sale products for purposes of the list.)

So, someone could just change the list price of the product to a low sum to make it a "sale price" and it would still affect the top lists. Publishers have sufficient control to get around your solution.

Personally, if they add a best income chart to the rotation of charts and sometimes you see best income(by gross dollars) and sometimes by best sellers (by quantity) it should satisfy both methods of sale.Of course, this method involves more programming for James.

 

[jaerdaph]

I don't think it is unfair that EN Publishing $1 books are dominating the hot seller's list. I had 2 titles knocked off by this sale (22 Talent Trees and Hell on Earth), and like Joe, I'm happy.

You'll be happy to hear I picked up 22 Talent Trees to fill up my cart quota during the EN Publishing sale.

 

[Morrus]

Hmmmm.

Well, I see I've lost this argument. EN Publishing's positions in the lists are now considerably worse than they were even before the sale.

 

[rpghost]

Well, I see I've lost this argument. EN Publishing's positions in the lists are now considerably worse than they were even before the sale.

Not exactly... we're just trying out a new query to see what it's like based on $. So if you haven't checked today, go over and check and leave a comment here or on our forums.

My guess is we'll go with an alternating one or leave it the way it was.

James

 

[d20Dwarf]

This is a touchy point. On one hand I could just concentrate on making the most money and pimp all the best sellers and products and leave it all 100% up to my staff to make choices for the front page. But on the other hand we choose to try to level the field a bit to help new publishers get exposure.

A Malhavoc release dosn't need our help promoting it. People come to get it as soon as they find out it was released. News sites do that for you. An EN World product doesn't need our help either - they run the largest d20 fan site and soon as they mention something, people go to their product to buy it. I guess my point is that front page exposure for these mega pdf houses isn't nearly as important to them as it is for the other publishers.

Again, this sounds to me like punishing the largest and most profitable companies. You're essentially saying that if you make too much money, we're going to "level the playing field" by promoting companies and products that aren't doing as well.

I thought RPGNow was a business, but it seems more like an egalitarian economic experiment based upon the above.

Should you instead be advertising the best and brightest companies? Hell yes! The more quality product you promote, the more consumers will be getting good value for their money, and the more encouraged they will be to shop for more pdfs. The more crap you peddle in the name of egalitarianism, the less trust consumers will have in your ability to provide them with a product that they need.

 

[jmucchiello]

So all of the current listing are on gross sales in dollars, I assume? Interesting how that pops that map program up to the top of the lists. I'm going to reiterate my stance that you should figure out two different names for these list and alternate randomly between them. This way customers sometimes see the quantity figures and sometimes see the income figures. That should distribute the publishers' annoyance over this issue evenly. I'm not saying the annoyance will be reduced, just that it won't be as concentrated.

Perhaps ADs and Promos should be excluded from the gross sales lists since I don't think 1,000,000 Impressions at ENWorld really represents what you can find at RPGNow and it and similar products don't need the advertising really. (Can't wait to see if they disagree.)

Now, let's see how can publishers abuse this. You put your product up for $1,000, and buy a copy for yourself. RPGNow gets $200-250 and you jump to the top of the current best sellers and not very far into the all time best sellers. Would someone do that? For 20 days on the "current" best sellers list it might be tempting for some pubs.

 

[HellHound]

response deleted. communicated via email

 

[Monte At Home]

So, someone could just change the list price of the product to a low sum to make it a "sale price" and it would still affect the top lists. Publishers have sufficient control to get around your solution.

Only if no one at RPGNow is paying attention. Certainly won't work if they then say on the front page of ENWorld that they're having a sale or have slashed prices. But then again, if it's a permanent change rather than a short sale, maybe it shouldn't matter.

Really, my heart's not in coming up with a solution because I don't see it as that serious a problem. I was fine with things they way they were.

The change to the list so that it's now based on money earned is interesting, but I'm not sure it's as valuable to customers.

 

[Morrus]

Going back to the original subject - for anyone interested in following the course of this sale, the unit total is now up to 2165 units. Which ain't too shabby!

 

[Cergorach]

The change to the list so that it's now based on money earned is interesting, but I'm not sure it's as valuable to customers.

Can we say absolutely useless...
I, as a customer, don't care one bit how many dollars are earned by the publisher (and RPGnow). Which product is currently sold the most is so much more usefull to me (and i'm guessing, many more with me).