What kind of Sales can you expect from PDF?

[rpghost]

Create a pdf catalog of all current products. Each product would contain only the information currently displayed on that product's information page, with no graphics.

This is something that was suggested before and why I put together this page:

http://www.rpgnow.com/new_products.php

It lists new product in a condensed maner. The problem with creating something zip'ed up is that it gets out of date quickly and requires some manual effort on a regular basis and we're understaffed as it is. But we can certainly give it a try if you think that will help. Would that formate do for you? Just some HTML pages saved to a ZIP that you can read at home?

Originally posted by Sir Whiskers
1) How many products are currently available on RPGNow?

390 with another large batch on its way and about 5 per week.

Originally posted by Sir Whiskers
2) How many products could such a catalog list before becoming too large for a reasonable download?

If it's just text, all of them would be fine. If it's thumbnails. I'm thinking just a few hundred. What's reasonable for a 56k download though? 1MB? 2MB?

Originally posted by Sir Whiskers
3) How much time would it take to create and maintain the catalog? Would RPGNow have a reasonable expectation of regaining those costs through additional sales?

That's a key question. I'd prefer to have something automated if we do it at all.

Originally posted by Sir Whiskers
4) Would anyone besides me actually use the thing, if it existed?

Probably 1% of the customers would. Maybe. Just a guess.

Originally posted by Sir Whiskers
5) Can much the same thing be accomplished by simply having two product pages for each product - one with graphics, one without?

Isn't it an option in your browser NOT to display graphics? I'm sure there is one, just turn off images and browse that way.

James

 

[Morrus]

Updated list:

2: 730 (TF&T)
4: 578 (Wild Spellcraft)
5: ~530 (Inns & Taverns)
6: 528 (LE1)
9: 450 (CG1)
10: 381 (4C2F)
11: 351 (Bey. Monks)
13: 329 (Gar'Udok)
21: 235 (Interludes)
19: 232 (LE2)
24: 172 (Campaign Suite)
26: 160 (Enchiridon)

Below #30:

156: 101 Spellbooks (+16 elsewhere)
152: Moon Elves (+55 or so lost figures...grrr...)
150: Right Beneath (Right Under our Noses?)
149: Everyone Else
146: Drow (+6 Print On Demand not counted)
135: 101 Treasures (+6 elsewhere)
125: Enchantment
121: Death: GotG
99: Bodies & Souls
87: Call of Duty
75: 101 Components (+28 elsewhere)

 

[rpghost]

Incidentally - looking at those referrals lists, is that working out? It doesn't seem like, for example, your Dragon and Dungeon ads really have much effect. $10,000 seems a lot of money when you appear to be getting most of your customers from here.

Promotion is also in other modes like pay search engines and conventions and such... But you're right... most of it isn't paying off directly in sales. We have had ads in most major magazines, they just don't do that well even for RPGShop.com

Still one of the major reasons we spent a lot of money in our first year was to build awarness and vendor confidence, which DID pay off. So I regret little of what we've spent, but don't expect to see many big ads in print from us in the forseeable future.

James

 

[Krug]

Well my suggestions:
1) An indepth survey. Find out why people who do big downloads (such as Asgard) don't purchase. Are they underage? No access to credit cards?

2) Banner ads at targeted sites, announcing a discount if you spend $10-15 or more. Maybe a discount coupon?

3) More promotion in game stores sounds like a good idea, but would game stores benefit?

 

[rpghost]

The key question: How to get more gamers to purchase PDFs? What about those who don't have access to a credit card?

RPGNow takes paypal and even money orders. If you send a money order in with your REFERENCE number at checkout, we'll process it. We also offer an option to put your order on CD and mail it back. So hopefully that covers most people.

I have found though, that MOST people have access to a credit card and only 15-20% of orders we sell are paypal.com - something the independent publisher should consider.

James

 

[Frilf]

Hey, gang,

I really enjoy this thread. It has been most illuminating and entertaining to read. So, I thought I'd just to supply a little more data for the list-makers among you. Here are the sales figures for our products (as of now-ish):

Book of Templates - 153 sales
Races of EVernor I - 66 sales

Both products have done well for us and we are grateful to those of you who have purchased copies (now, go get your friends to buy copies! ). Additionally, both products have received very good critical reviews and positive comments from customers. (As an aside to Morrus and the staff reviewers - perhaps the system could be changed to 10 points rather than 5? It might provide a better reflection of what the product is like. That's a whole other topic, though...)

BEGIN TANGENT
Not to risk dwelling too long on a tangential point here, but I'd like to know the other publisher's views on how reviews in general (and in particular, from affiliate or staff reviewers on EN World) affect their sales in general. How do comments on RPG Now affect sales? Would it be good to encourage folks that browse the virtual isles of product at RPG Now to post their comments? Perhaps there could be a list for those products that garner the best customer feedback, so that sales in general did not dictate everything as far as rankings go. Just an idea. I realize that this will be somewhat controversial due to the highly subjective and sometimes truly uninspired comments that folks can leave occasionally, but it might provide an avenue whereby products that are critically-acclaimed or well-liked by customers can be seen still. I'm not just saying this because our products got good reviews but did not have corresponding sales, either. I think there are other publishers out there with the same situation besides myself. Anyway, back to my regularly-scheduled post, now...
END TANGENT

I agree with others here that I'd like to see the Top X lists at RPG Now adjusted somewhat. I liked the idea of a chart for "Top Sellers This Month" on a floating 30-day basis. Perhaps it could feature the top 20-30 products, as well. As far as the current all-time top-sellers list goes, it could be expanded to the top 50 or 100 (which, in the great scheme of things, will become an ever-shrinking percentage of the total number of PDF products) and be left as it is. However, to show some chronological perspective with respect to sales, perhaps a "Top 40" could be assembled for the year, as well? My two scheckels on the topic, anyway...

I also agree with other publishers that the current RPG Now system is very much "out of sight, out of mind, out of money". A better system for keeping track of what's been published and keeping it in view for a longer period of time would benefit everyone, I think - I'm not just speaking from my own pocket book here

I'd also like to know whether or not sales were part of a multi-purchase transaction on RPG Now. Perhaps a little (M) or some other icon could be added to the reports that would show this information. Perhaps even a numeral system that would show how many items and the publisher's sales position among those various other products. For example, M3/4 would indicate the product was bought as the third product in a four-product purchase. Just another idea. Prattling on, now...

What do you make of that?
Cheers!
Ian

PS Cheese! This is a long post for me!

 

[HellHound]

Morrus: update - Everyone Else, 151 copies. Not that it makes a difference until we hit the 160 line so we can gauge exactly where the #30 spot is.

SO...

THREADJACKING MODE ON

Come on everyone. Have you been considering buying Everyone Else? This is THE game aid for the stressed DM working on a campaign world. You can provide the villains, you can provide the heroes, you can provide the rulers, the church heads and the adventure... Everyone Else will provide... everyone else.

Do it now, and know you are helping us gauge the exact sales figures of the RPGnow top 30!

Buy Everyone Else now and join in the experiment!

THREADJACKING MODE OFF

edit: color and removed sig

 

[rpghost]

I agree with others here that I'd like to see the Top X lists at RPG Now adjusted somewhat. I liked the idea of a chart for "Top Sellers This Month" on a floating 30-day basis. Perhaps it could feature the top 20-30 products, as well.

Ok, then... lets try this. I'm going to make the following changes and see how they go. I'm afraid the longer lists make it harder for low-speed internet connections, but let me know your feedback. Here's what I did:

1) Increased the HOT SELLERS list to use past 30 days of sales.
2) Increased the HOT SELLERS list to a top 20.
3) Increased the Best Sellers (of all time) list to Top 40
4) Increased the number of products shown on the front page from 18 to 24

As for letting people/reviewers know about new product - we have a mailing list link on the top center of the site that you can join.

Hope that helps.
James

 

[Morrus]

Updated list - James has increased the list to Top 40.

2: 732 (TF&T)
4: 578 (Wild Spellcraft)
5: ~530 (Inns & Taverns)
6: 528 (LE1)
9: 450 (CG1)
10: 385 (4C2F)
11: 351 (Bey. Monks)
13: 329 (Gar'Udok)
21: 235 (Interludes)
19: 232 (LE2)
24: 172 (Campaign Suite)
27: 160 (Enchiridon)
31: 156 (101 Spellbooks) (+16 elsewhere)
33: 154 (Moon Elves) (+55 or so lost figures...grrr...)
35: 153 (Book Templates)
36: 151 (Everyone Else)
37: 149 (Drow) (+6 Print On Demand not counted)
38: 135 (101 Treasures) (+6 elsewhere)
39: 125 (Enchantment)
40: 122 (Death: GotG)

Below #30:


150: Right Beneath (Right Under our Noses?) [is that right?]
99: Bodies & Souls
87: Call of Duty
75: 101 Components (+28 elsewhere)
66: Races Evernor

 

[jezter6]

FLGS input

As many of you know, I'm going through the process now of opening my own FLGS. I saw someone (Krug I believe) post about a perspective from us.

While I'm not in business yet, planning a business takes a lot of these details into account. I, personally, would love a way to offer PDF's to my customers. For those of us with high speed data connections, it would be easy for us (a few hundred dollars in a decent printer) to run a Print-on-demand service to our users. I'd also love a way to get PDF's to my people, especially since my customers are going to be younger gamers without credit cards.

Publishers: How would you like to see an FLGS handle transactions like this? I personally would like to see a bulk license to print out/make a cd for my customers. Even the possibility of putting multiple products on 1 cd for my customers. Not sure how to handle this with multiple publishers and the sort. Maybe some kind of deal through RPGnow?