WotC and print runs

[monkeynova]

Hello!

I've always been curious about these questions:

About how large are WotC's print runs?
Are subsequent print runs after the first smaller, or are they the same size as the first print run?
When WotC's says sales are spectular (frex, DMG II), do they count only the number of items from the print run that were bought by distributors/retailers, or have they already subtracted the number of items from the print run that were returned (for whatever reason)?

This probably is sensitive/confidential data, I'm guessing; best guesses are okay. I'm just trying to get a sense of how big WotC's printings are compared to smaller companies.

Thanks!

monkeynova

 

[BiggusGeekus]

It is a very safe bet to say that any subsequent run is going to be smaller than the original.

I don't know the average size of a WotC run. A not-really-great source that the 2e book "Complete Necromancer" had a print run of 20,000. But please don't treat that number as anything other than rumor.

 

[Monte At Home]

Unless things have changed significantly, most of WotC's books don't have subsequent print runs. "Evergreen" books like the PH, DMG, MM and a few of the most popular books (that have been around a while) are the exception.

Now, that's doesn't mean that the books don't sell well. It just means that WotC management is good at predicting how many of a given book they will sell, and that WotC can afford to print and warehouse enough to last for a long time--often, for the life of a product. Really, unless it's a core book that has (theoretical) eternal sales, when a book goes back to print, it's a sign that someone did something wrong somewhere. Smart publishers* know their sales well enough to print the right amount the first time, because the more you print in one go, the more money you save. It's much more expensive to have two runs of 5,000 than one of 10,000 (or in WotC's case, 50,000 or 100,000).

That said, it sucks to print books that don't get sold, and then have to warehouse some or, in some cases, eventually remainder or destroy some.

*We aren't always one of the smart ones: I think Malhavoc has had three books go back for 2nd printings. While that indicates good sales, which is nice, I still see that as also a failure for not printing more to begin with.

 

[Monte At Home]

I don't know the average size of a WotC run. A not-really-great source that the 2e book "Complete Necromancer" had a print run of 20,000.

Sounds like a believable number, actually. Except for the really most popular products, in the 90s most print runs were probably in that range. It's interesting that there was probably more dichotomy during 2E for what a popular D&D product sold and a not-so-popular one than today.

The sales of the average D&D product (say, an adventure) in the year or two before 3E compared to after differed by an order of magnitude. Something like Paladin in Hell (1998) probably sold around 10,000 copies, if that (and it wasn't considered a failure in context), but something like Sunless Citadel or Forge of Fury probably sold around 80,000 to 90,000, maybe more.