WotC Seeking Your Setting Proposals (was "Big Wizard announcement")

[mirzabah]

Huh, Monte, you wouldn't write a little pager for 160K bucks?

Of course, I can't speak for Monte, but it's 120K (not 160K), it's not a 1 pager - it's a 111 pager (1 + 10 + 100) and it would have to be bloody good. Based on that material, WotC will publish at least one setting source book, numerous adventures and a swag of novels, the revenue from which the winning contestant will not get the merest whiff of.

This is not to say its a bad deal - I think it's a great idea and a fantastic opportunity. It's just not very attractive to someone werewithal to publish it themselves and who could probably get a hell of a lot more out of a great idea if they did so.

 

[FireLance]

Hi Anthony, I'm writing from some tiny island state in the middle of Asia with a couple of queries:

1. Would you accept entries from here? Even if I send it by 21 June, it's going to take a week to reach you.

2. Is it OK to format the Idea Submission Agreement to make it fit within 2 pages? Better still, could a .pdf be provided?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mythusmage]

Okay, let's say I published my setting myself. I keep costs down and manage to produce it for a retail price of $20.00 a copy. Now how many copies will I have to sell to make $120,000.00 ?

Wrong.

At wholesale I'd be charging about 8 bucks. Of which I'd get maybe 2 dollars after paying off all the bills. So I'd have to sell 60,000 copies to make $120,000.00. Now, how many small RPG publishers do you think have actually sold that many books? How many small RPG publishers do you think have actually sold that many setting books?

Now make it an officially licensed DnD setting book. Which may increase sales, but it would certainly add to the cost of production.

Unless you either get real lucky, or it catches on with the gaming public, you're not going to get $120,000 for a self published setting. Besides, this is an opportunity to get your name before WotC. Even if you don't 'win', a professional submission will certainly improve your chances of winning free lance contracts with them.

As for 111 pages being hard. Keeping it to something like 600 words a page (single spaced) that gives you around 66,600 words to write. Plus you need to be creative, communicate clearly, and write professionally. My advice to everybody out there is; don't wait until you get word back about your submission, go ahead and write that 10 page proposal and 100 page bible. Your submission passes muster you'll have them ready to send in. It doesn't you'll have a setting written up you can use in your own game, and possibly get published by a third party or publish yourself.

(Don't you hate it when you don't have a closing for an essay?)

That's my posting for now. More to come as others post and I think of things to say.

 

[GothVader]

A question for Mr. Valterra,

I am sorry to pester you on nit-picking details, but your previous posts did imply that following instructions is critical for acceptance.

As a writer, I usually use the cover letter to introduce myself, and mention my previous credits and qualifications. I may also write a paragraph or two concerning design principles of the proposal (though nothing on the actual world itself). Is this acceptable as a cover letter, or would you like it to simply be contact information?

 

[CWD]

I don't know why so many people are wetting their pants about Monte et al submitting proposals, or puffing up their chests at the thought they may be up against the big boys and girls. A professional writer wouldn't sell anything they thought was halfway decent for USD$120,000. 120K plus royalties, maybe.

Like Eric or someone said, this would be a great way for someone to get a leg up into publishing. However, that doesn't make it a good deal for an established writer.

ROTFLOL
You don't know how little RPG writers make, do you?
Most of the websites I've seen offer between $0.03 and $0.05 USD per word. If a 100 page treatment has 1,000 words per page, your talking about 100,000 words for $20,000 - thats $0.20 a word! And $100,000 - well that's $2.00 a word! Sure you lose the rights, but its a MUCH better deal than you could get from most RPG publishers (and you'd lose the rights with them too). And most publishers don't allow royalties either. I don't think Monte or anyone else could generate that kind of money from a single idea without a major corporation behind them, and a major corporation is going to want total control.

This is as much a contest as a competition, and I think its an awesome PR move with the hardcore fans.

 

[reutbing0]

A professional writer wouldn't sell anything they thought was halfway decent for USD$120,000. 120K plus royalties, maybe.

Say what ? $120.000 is a lot of money. I Repeat : A LOT OF MONEY. People usuallly don't get rich in the RPG-business and individual writers most probably won't earn this amount of money if they published it themselves. I suspect this will be a great deal for professional writers. The odds of winning are small but if you win..Wel 120K is a lot of money.

 

[mirzabah]

Damn! I hate when I'm wrong...

 

[mythusmage]

Now convert it to Australian dollars.

Okay, figure that 7,500 send proposals in. of that about 750 will be worth looking at. Of that 75 will show hints of creativity and originality. Ten will be good enough to further pursue.

So being creative, original, and writing well will certainly improve your chances.

In other words, even a gonzo chaot like you (old timer RPG in joke) has a chance, if you are willing to put the work in something like this demands.

So start writing and get that proposal in.

 

[ninthcouncil]

I think we'll all have to come up with a core ethos sentence stronger than: "FORGOTTEN REALMS is a world of sword-and-sorcery adventure, where heroes battle monsters with magic."

A little feeble?

 

[smetzger]

Conspiracy theory says that the PO Box goes to Vince Caluori. He plans on obsconding all the ideas and starting his own d20 company.

For those of you who are saying "It can't be for real its not on the WOTC website". When has WOTCs website ever had a news scoop before other sites?

*:> Scott