Concept to Shelf Episode 2
Chris Hanrahan & I have just released the second episode of our short podcast series on publishing RPGs & selling into retail, Concept to Shelf. In this episode, we talk about the math some,...
View ArticleFinding Your Break-Even Point
Last week, the second episode of Concept to Shelf dropped, where we talked a bit about the math of publishing and how to price your book if you go into retail. Here’s the time: it’s slightly deceptive...
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Thoughts On Picking a Title
Tracy Barnett is working on this project called Sand and Steam, a fantasy setting that’ll be triple-stated for Fate, Savage Worlds & Pathfinder in an interesting way. He’s taking a campaign...
View ArticleWhat Publishers Can Learn From Netflix/Qwikster
After hearing about the ending of Qwikster before it even began, and watching my Twitter feed on it, I had some thoughts. Gareth-Michael Skarka said it first, in a tweet: “Clever” cynics snarking about...
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Why To Not Print-Publish
We’ve received some comments regarding Void Vultures, most of them pretty positive, but occasionally some folks ask us to make a print product as well. Josh Roby & I have a lot of thoughts &...
View ArticleThe Biggest Pre-Order & Kickstarter Sin
(…okay, next to taking the money and running.) The biggest sin I see committed is when publishers sell their backed products to the general public well before backers get their copies. Seeing the...
View ArticleConvention Games & Calling Cards
Here’s a thought for publishers out there of the small press stuff. For the past several years, I’ve flown around from convention to convention running indie games for people. Many of them try several...
View ArticleDealing With Negative Reviews
I had a reader email me with: Hi! I have a suggestion for you to write about on your blog. How to recover from a negative review? [...] It hurt, especially since some very valid points were made. This...
View ArticleDon’t Take Free Work
Inspired by a conversation I had with a friend recently, I have some advice for all new writer-publishers[1]: Friends will offer help when you’re in need. They’ll offer to do some writing for free, or...
View ArticleWhy Small Presses Don’t Do Free RPG Day
The fantastic Manda Collis (of Charisma Bonus) sparked some interesting Twitter discussion this past Saturday, Free RPG Day, asking why indie people don’t do it. I’ve been asked that a few times over...
View ArticleKickstarter: Patronage or Pre-order?
There’s some heavy stuff going on regarding Kickstater’s recent change to prohibit bulk quantities, which you can read one take on by Fred Hicks and another take by Gareth-Michael Skarka. That’s not...
View ArticleThe Danger of Content Stretch Goals
“Time is money.” We’re all well aware of the adage, to where the point of it being a cliche. But there’s truth to it, and it’s a truth you need to understand if you’re going to get into the...
View ArticleHow to Deliver Digital Rewards
Recently, some folks behind a Kickstarter I backed released the PDF of the game to their backers. Unfortunately, they did so with a very ill-advised method: emailing the game to each backer as an...
View ArticleOn Rushing to Publish
I feel like I’ve said this a lot, but it’s time to say it again: If you rush to publish for Gen Con, Origins, or in general, and you don’t have much experience at publishing games, you’re asking for a...
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How to Be A Bad Kickstarter-er
(Okay, so “Kickstarter-er” is a crap word, but like all things it life, it’s a work in progress.) This morning, I woke up to a new follower on Twitter (as happens) and a mention to me. The first time...
View ArticleReasons to Question Whether to Crowdfund
There was a great G+ post from Epidiah Ravachol this past weekend about crowdfunding[1] that started with: As a producer, I’m in love with crowd-funding. As a consumer, I might hate it. And from there,...
View Article“Don’t Do It”
I’ve heard this time and time again, and have even said it a few times — when a curious person expresses interest in whatever industry or profession someone else is in, you’ll hear “Don’t do it.” I’ve...
View ArticleConfirm Receipt
Professionals everywhere: Confirm that you received an email, especially when it contains a contract, files, important directions, or anything else where “hey, I got this” could be handy for the...
View ArticleDemystifying Style Guides
When I mention style guides, or ask for a style guide from someone I’m about to work with, sometimes I get a confused look — like I’ve just spoken of some arcane thing. People ask to see one because...
View ArticleWhat New Creators & Publishers Can Learn From Working Out
Recently, with the good weather coming out and convention season coming up, I’ve decided to get back outside and do some light working out. I went to a sporting goods store this weekend to get some...
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