WOTC is out of their freakin minds...

[diaglo]

I'd be surprised if many of these books get reprinted. Royalties only have a meaning if there's more than one print run.

Cheers!

my only hope for OD&D(1974)

Reprints....

 

[ThoughtfulOwl]

I think it's fine that Frostburn is available at full price as a .pdf.

As has already been said, they are probably:

1) testing the market; and/or
2) making their products available to those for whom print products are not a good option; and/or
3) trying to increase revenue.

I see no problem with any of those options. They're a business. They try to make money.

It's #2.

Here is a post about it from Charles Ryan on the WotC boards. Basically, it boils down to the fact that pursuing the potential market of those who consider pdfs to be less valuable (and require them to be cheaper) would infringe on the market of the physical books, which would in turn would alienate the distributors.

To avoid this conflict of interests, WotC choose to pursue only the market of those who wouldn't buy the physical book anyway.

 

[DaveMage]

Well, there you go.

I'll bet it's a bit of #1 as well, though - otherwise all of their books would be available right now.

 

[CharlesRyan]

To avoid this conflict of interests, WotC choose to pursue only the market of those who wouldn't buy the physical book anyway.

While that's certainly true, it's not the entire answer. We're also serving the marketplace of people who simply like PDFs better (based on the features, not the price) than physical books.

Here's the entire post I made on the WotC boards (for the convenience of those who haven't clicked over there):

-----

Since we offered Frostburn as a DRM eBook online, we’ve had a number of questions (here and in other fora) from gamers about the decision. In particular, many people have concerns about the DRM format, and about the fact that the eBook format has the same MSRP as the physical book. There have been a million other comments and questions--good and bad--but since those two issues seem to be the biggest, they’re what I’m going to tackle here.

The MSRP: The problem most people have with the price seems to be that eBooks are not "worth as much" as physical books. If that’s true for you, by all means continue to purchase physical books at your local game store (or wherever you shop for D&D). We’re not trying to convert you into an eBook user if you don’t want to be; I myself will likely stick with physical books around the gaming table for the time being.

Some people, however, feel that the eBook format offers a lot of advantages over physical books. It’s easier to carry 20 books in a laptop than to lug a 30-pound bookbag around, for example. eBooks are bookmarked and easily searchable. And you can cut and paste text out of the eBook (in limited amounts) if, for example, you want to paste a monster’s stat block into the adventure you’re preparing, or want to add the text of a feat description to your character sheet.

eBooks cost less to manufacture than physical books, that’s true. But the bulk of the value of a D&D product--and the bulk of our cost in making it--isn’t the paper, ink, and glue of the physical product. It’s the great content--the art, the ideas, the writing, the game mechanics, and so on. That’s what you’re really paying for when you buy a D&D product, and that’s what generates the real cost for us.

Finally, we value everyone who has helped make D&D a success over the years, and that "everyone" includes not just gamers but the game store owners who have supported D&D and helped it grow for three decades. We could always make a few more bucks by cutting out the middleman and selling directly to you--that’s true of physical books as well as eBooks. But we aren’t going to undercut the businesses that have helped us get where we are today--the businesses that probably helped you first get into gaming, and maybe continue to be a place where you find games, meet other gamers, and keep up with what’s going on in D&D. These game, hobby, and book stores are our bread and butter, and we’re not going to operate a cut-rate side business at their expense. If that means that we sell a few less copies of the eBook, so be it.

Please don’t think of an eBook as an el cheapo alternative to other formats. If the only reason you want to buy a PDF is to save a few bucks, this offering isn’t for you. There are plenty of places where you can buy D&D products at below MSRP; feel free to take your money there. If, on the other hand, you see more utility in a PDF than in a paper product, I think you’ll find that Frostburn is just as valuable in eBook form as it is as a physical book--and worth every penny.

The DRM Format: Sorry to be a little long-winded on the MSRP issue, but it’s a complex issue and there’s a lot to say. This one should be easier (and shorter).

There’s a lot of false information on the net about secure eBooks. Some people will tell you that you can’t use your DRM product unless you’re connected to the internet, or that you can’t print it, or that you can’t use it on more than one computer, or that you can’t make back ups of it, or that Adobe Reader is spyware, and on and on. Frankly, that’s a bunch of baloney, propagated mostly by people who’ve never actually tried a DRM eBook.

Here’s the scoop: If you have a copy of Adobe Reader (and who doesn’t?), you simply register it with Adobe. (Go to Tools-->eBook Web Services-->Adobe DRM Activator in Adobe Reader.) It takes three minutes, tops. Once you do that, you can use any DRM eBook you purchase just as if it were a regular PDF. You can read the eBook on other computers you own, as long as you register Adobe Reader on that machine too. Other people can’t read the eBooks you purchased, and you can’t read theirs, but other than that there’s no difference between a DRM eBook and any other PDF. If you don’t believe me, I invite to you go to DriveThruRPG.com, download one of their free products, and give it a spin. Doesn’t cost you a dime.

-----

I think my comments here address the majority of questions that have been raised--if not, feel free to post your comments. Again, the bottom line is this: If you don’t think the eBook is a good deal, don’t buy it. We won’t be offended--honest! If you like the idea of eBook D&D products, give it a shot. You won’t get any special discount, but you will get a great book in a really useful format.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

As for the pricing and distribution, that is your perogative and bussiness decision. If you feel that telling a potential market segment that you don't care about them then fine. Doesn't make sense to me, but oh well.

As for DRM that was covered massively when DTRPG first came out. You are fighting a losing cause on these boards trying to convince people that DRM is a good or even effective thing. There was another thread recently from another author wondering wether to do business on DTRPG and the feeling about DTRPG apparently had not changed much. DRM is not effective against piracy and only irritates large segments of the market.

 

[Jaws]

The MSRP:And you can cut and paste text out of the eBook (in limited amounts) if, for example, you want to paste a monster’s stat block into the adventure you’re preparing, or want to add the text of a feat description to your character sheet.

In limited amounts. Yes. That is the problem. 10 times in 10 days doesn't make the e-book equal in value to the physical book.

The DRM Format:Frankly, that’s a bunch of baloney, propagated mostly by people who’ve never actually tried a DRM eBook.

I agree. DriveThruRPG has fixed most of the problems.

Here’s the scoop: If you have a copy of Adobe Reader (and who doesn’t?), you simply register it with Adobe. (Go to Tools-->eBook Web Services-->Adobe DRM Activator in Adobe Reader.) It takes three minutes, tops. Once you do that, you can use any DRM eBook you purchase just as if it were a regular PDF. You can read the eBook on other computers you own, as long as you register Adobe Reader on that machine too.

You need at least Adobe Reader 6.0. Also, my other computer that I own isn't connected to the internet. I have no desire to. That way I have a secure computer without worrying about spyware or viruses.

I think my comments here address the majority of questions that have been raised--if not, feel free to post your comments. Again, the bottom line is this: If you don’t think the eBook is a good deal, don’t buy it. We won’t be offended--honest! If you like the idea of eBook D&D products, give it a shot. You won’t get any special discount, but you will get a great book in a really useful format.

I think WoTC is making a mistake by not having their e-books competitively priced with the other products on DriveThruRPG. Malhavoc Press has always had their pdf's at half price or lower than their physical books.

Thanks for posting Mr. Ryan.


Peace and smiles

j.

 

[buzzard]

As for the pricing and distribution, that is your perogative and bussiness decision. If you feel that telling a potential market segment that you don't care about them then fine. Doesn't make sense to me, but oh well.

Huh? Are they or are they not offering pdf books?
Obviously the answer is that they are. Thus they care about the market segment. You may not like their pricing, but I'm pretty sure nobody is holding a gun to your head to make you buy the product at that price. Don't buy it. If enough people follow your lead, then either the price goes down, or they stop offering it.

buzzard

 

[The Lemon Merchant]

It seems to me that WotC is setting this endeavor up to fail. Ayrwind mentions that he's paying $34.95 for the intellectual property contained in the book. Going on this assumption, one could say that the price for all pdf's is the cost for the intellectual property, a pleasant thought but not entirely accurate. However, based on the Frostburn example, one would think WotC would 1) charge less for the pdf or 2) charge more for the hardcopy. There's no way I'm going to pay the same price for an electronic version of something I can drive down the road and purchase. I have to think that most folks are thinking the same thing, and those that weren't aware are a bit miffed now.

 

[Cam Banks]

Heroes For Sale on K' Rd has a slightly better selection and gets them in sooner, but there's still not a whole lot of third-party stuff. Basically, if it's not WotC, you pretty much have to order it in.

I went there during my visit back in April and wasn't that impressed. The sales clerk didn't know anything about Sovereign Press' new releases, and didn't seem to know about much beyond the list on his computer. On the other hand, there's a gaming store in Takapuna along the Strand that's excellent and was responsive to my questions about stuff. I told them I'd co-written a book and they said they'd be sure to get it in once it was available, which I thought was nice of them to say.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[maddman75]

Like I said in the other thread, the DRM is far more of an issue than the price. DRM makes the file useless and I find it offensive. I wouldn't download it (or any RPG book) with DRM on it. All it does it tick off your customers and make things easier for the pirates. Cracking the DRM is considerably less work than scanning in a book and results in a better file. Thus the consumer is faced with buying a less functional pseudo-PDF*, or illicitly downloading a fully functional file. This is the fatal flaw of all DRM schemes.



*I call it a psuedo-PDF because PDF means Portable Document Format. If I can't freely move it to different PCs, convert it to different formats, and use it on different operating systems it isn't very portable.