Writer's Pay

[Nellisir]

What's the rationale, particularly in open calls where the submissions are more likely to be small "chunks o' crunch", for "experienced writers will be paid more than inexperienced writers"? If Sean K. Reynolds and I both submit a 100 word feat, and neither needs editing, or improvement, why should he get paid 2x to 3x as much?

Just curious
Nell.

 

[Cergorach]

One word: Cruelty!

 

[HellHound]

Because the publisher can expect to sell more copies based on having SKR's name on the cover than by having your name on the cover.

'Name' designers are just that. They have a name that is worth enough money on its own that they get paid more for their work based on their established track record but even more based on the fact that using their name in the book amounts to free advertising.

Look at Queen of Lies by Fiery Dragon. Their best selling module. Know why it sold out? Because it was one of Monte Cook's few freelance products between WotC & Malhavoc.

 

[Scorpio]

It's the same with artwork.An Experienced Name = 'Perceived Value'.

 

[Morgenstern]

Peace of mind. Your odds that a nugget of crunch from an experienced writer is going to interact strangely or blow up in your face during playtesting (or worse, after publication) are reduced.

There is also a certain amount of "paying your dues" mentality .

 

[Arnwyn]

It's kind of neat to see this, actually.

Some years back (at the end of the TSR era, and the beginning of WotC), it was suggested on multiple mailing lists at the time that author names were, in fact, one of the least noticed and valued aspects of a product.

Nice to see that this has changed a bit - it certainly allows for the consumer to get a better guage at the product's quality (in terms of consistency, if nothing else).

Very interesting.

 

[d20Dwarf]

It's kind of neat to see this, actually.

Some years back (at the end of the TSR era, and the beginning of WotC), it was suggested on multiple mailing lists at the time that author names were, in fact, one of the least noticed and valued aspects of a product.

Nice to see that this has changed a bit - it certainly allows for the consumer to get a better guage at the product's quality (in terms of consistency, if nothing else).

I don't think it has, really. I think the vast majority of D&D players don't know who writes what, and don't care. d20 afficionados, on the other hand, tend to be much more net savvy and aware, perhaps leading to greater name recognition within that community. The difference between the 5,000 sold by a d20 publisher and the 2,000,000 sold on the core books also means that a higher % of consumers will know and perhaps even become loyal to certain names that keep popping up on their favorite books.

 

[Mouseferatu]

What's the rationale, particularly in open calls where the submissions are more likely to be small "chunks o' crunch", for "experienced writers will be paid more than inexperienced writers"? If Sean K. Reynolds and I both submit a 100 word feat, and neither needs editing, or improvement, why should he get paid 2x to 3x as much?

Just curious
Nell.

Something else to consider is that contracts are signed and agreements finalized well before the publisher actually sees your 100 word feat. So he has to make his payment decisions based solely on what he knows of the individual's past works. The odds are goodr that SKR's feat won't need much editing or improvement, as based on previous works. However, if nobody knows your name, they have to contract on the assumption that your stuff will need editing. If that proves not to be the case, and you build up a body of work that proves it, than you'll find yourself getting paid more.

Basically, you're being contracted for the anticipated value of your word count, and publishers can't anticipate an unknown nearly as well as someone with an established rep.

 

[Nellisir]

Because the publisher can expect to sell more copies based on having SKR's name on the cover than by having your name on the cover.

Even 1 feat out of a 100 page book?

Peace of mind. Your odds that a nugget of crunch from an experienced writer is going to interact strangely or blow up in your face during playtesting (or worse, after publication) are reduced.

Maybe I'm naive, but isn't a big chunk of -that- responsibility on the editor? And if it does "blow up", do you get to cut his pay in half?

The argument that experienced authors are automatically better at it than everyone else is going to have to fight its way past the WotC splatbooks, and every other "broken" rule WotC ever put out that generated a 4 page argument here at EN World, at least for me.

I dunno. I understand the rationale when an experienced author -writes- a book, but not when s/he contributes smaller amounts of material to an open call. I'd like to think my material is judged by whether or not it's good, not by my name.

 

[Ghostwind]

A good example of why there is a difference in pay can be illustrated by the recent submissions for the Arms & Armor open call. Many submissions that were received will require extensive spelling and grammar corrections along with changes to the game mechanics if we choose to use them (not to mention that some folks didn't even include their contact information). On the flip side, those sent in by "established" writers have no need of corrections as they are properly formatted, spell checked, and contain appropriate grammar.

The less work a developer has to do, the more receptive the publisher will be to paying them better.

-Steve Creech