Indie Successes and Failures?

[Ron Edwards]

Hi SC,

With apologies to Chris for shouldering in and addressing the question you asked him ...

It depends on the physical nature of the product.

1. If you're talking about an electronic file, then ignoring the three-tier (stores, etc) is both necessary and functional. It's all you, your website, your on-line interactions, service sites (RPGhost, RPGmall, whatever), and customers paying you for download access. It works great.

2. If you're talking about a hard-copy product, let's split it into two categories.

a) Relatively low-budget printing, whether print-on-demand, "Kinko's Special," or perhaps a short-run but spiffy small book. If your product looks like this, then follow the strategy outlined as #1 above, and I also suggest a fairly solid commitment to the mutualist strategy. This approach works wonderfully in terms of customers.

Its downside is that you're responsible for fulfilment, which is to say, sending the game to each and  every person who orders. That's fun ... for the first month. After that it's a grinding chore, and the more succcessful your sales, the more onerous the fulfilment gets.

(People to talk to about the details: Ralph Mazza, Matt Snyder, Matt Gwinn, and Vincent Baker.)

b) Plain old familiar book-printing, just like most of the games you see at the stores. Getting one of these into print takes a lot of financial outlay - several thousand dollars at the very least, and perhaps over $10,000 if you're careless or unlucky. Frankly, it's a real risk - you stand to lose your total investment and to sit on a basement full of RPG books that you can't pay people to take away.

With that kind of investment at stake, even if you haven't printed on credit, a publisher probably does need to use the three-tier in some way, to get the games across the stores, across the land. When your costs are in the thousands, your profits need to be in that range as well, and that means bulk.

That "in some way" is a big deal - you cannot afford simply to get the game out there and then sit about, feeling entitled to profits. Personally, I consider the three-tier to be promotional and supplemental for most of my business, but crucial during the first few months after releasing a new book (and also crucial in the long term for select retailers). Everyone arrives at some personal approach to it, of which mine is only one example. Arriving at one's own approach includes lots of decisions about promotion, conventions, printers, format, and much more.

Anyway, that's my very brief call, without a whole bucket of qualifiers, examples, or other stuff. Chris, what do you think?

Best,
Ron

[Pramas]

Chris,
     Thanks for all the good points.  If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question- How important is it to use the three tier (manufacturer-distributor-retailer) system?  Right now, I'd like to retail my game directly to the consumer, without going through the three tier system.  Is this possible, or suicide?  I know that my sales would very likely be MUCH lower, but I would avoid all the discounts to the middlemen, and I wouldn't have to deal with all the hassle of going to GAMA (which, as you note, is for distributors and not consumers) and such.

I agree with Ron's points. I especially want to reinforce the idea that you shouldn't do a traditional print job if you plan to sell direct. It only makes financial sense if you are going to print 500-1000 and if you print in those numbers and only sell direct, you'll lose money. Either a PDF or Print On Demand scheme will suit you better.

If you are serious about cutting out the middle man, you might also take stock of how many conventions are within driving distance of you. If you live in an area with lots of small and medium-sized cons, you could try taking the game to the customer that way. Tables at small shows are cheap and many are only one day anyway. If you can show up with a friend or two and run lots of demos, you might get a grassroots campaign going. This presumes you have some kind of print capacity, probably POD.

In the end, a great deal about publishing in the industry is about expectations. You don't need the three tier system unless you seriously want to make game publishing your livelihood. If that's not your goal, you have several options that are not suicidal.

[Space Cowboy]

Hi SC,

...
2. If you're talking about a hard-copy product, let's split it into two categories.

a) Relatively low-budget printing, whether print-on-demand, "Kinko's Special," or perhaps a short-run but spiffy small book. If your product looks like this, then follow the strategy outlined as #1 above, and I also suggest a fairly solid commitment to the mutualist strategy. This approach works wonderfully in terms of customers.

Its downside is that you're responsible for fulfilment, which is to say, sending the game to each and  every person who orders. That's fun ... for the first month. After that it's a grinding chore, and the more succcessful your sales, the more onerous the fulfilment gets.

(People to talk to about the details: Ralph Mazza, Matt Snyder, Matt Gwinn, and Vincent Baker.)

b) Plain old familiar book-printing, just like most of the games you see at the stores. Getting one of these into print takes a lot of financial outlay - several thousand dollars at the very least, and perhaps over $10,000 if you're careless or unlucky. Frankly, it's a real risk - you stand to lose your total investment and to sit on a basement full of RPG books that you can't pay people to take away.

With that kind of investment at stake, even if you haven't printed on credit, a publisher probably does need to use the three-tier in some way, to get the games across the stores, across the land. When your costs are in the thousands, your profits need to be in that range as well, and that means bulk.

That "in some way" is a big deal - you cannot afford simply to get the game out there and then sit about, feeling entitled to profits. Personally, I consider the three-tier to be promotional and supplemental for most of my business, but crucial during the first few months after releasing a new book (and also crucial in the long term for select retailers). Everyone arrives at some personal approach to it, of which mine is only one example. Arriving at one's own approach includes lots of decisions about promotion, conventions, printers, format, and much more.

Anyway, that's my very brief call, without a whole bucket of qualifiers, examples, or other stuff. Chris, what do you think?

Best,
Ron

Hey Ron,

Thanks so much for your swift reply!  My co-designer and I have gone back and forth on what format to present our project once it is finished.  For our own reasons (largely intellectual property and marketing issues), we would like to go with a printed (rather than PDF) product.

As you note, and as many threads at the Forge and on rpg.net concur, the two most effective ways to print a book that looks and feels at least semi-profession is either Print on Demand (POD) or traditional book printing (TBP).  I would prefer TBP, with a run of 1000 units, because of the larger profit margin per book.  However, I do recognize that POD is 1) much less risky, and 2) scalable to meet demand- if my project actually attracts such, LOL.  I'm very much willing to be flexible on this point.  Moreover, I realize that this is not a one-zero situation (i.e., it is possible to print a few copies using POD to test the waters, and, if warranted, later use TBP).  For now, until I'm done writing, I'm just going to play it by ear.

Yes, Ron, I do not intend to "simply to get the game out there and then sit about, feeling entitled to profits."  LOL.  Once I'm done with writing, getting artwork, layout, etc., I will aggressively go out and try to grassroots market.  If there's interest, only then I'll pull the trigger to go ahead and print. (I have no interest in printing something that is of no interest to others.  LOL)  And, after it's out, I'll continue to push the marketing effort very hard, as hard as I can.

Some other questions that I have are:

How much storage space does 1000 copies of a 160 pg soft cover (8.5" x 11", e.g., the Capellan Confederation Field Manual (Battletech Sourcebook)) take up?  Would they take up 4' x 6' x 6'?  I'm really in the dark about this stuff.  Guessing conservatively, I'd think that you could fit 20 units in a stack 1 foot high, making 100 units a 5 foot stack.  Thus, 1000 units would, conservatively cover a surface area of 10 square feet, and be 5 feet high.  Does that sound about right to you?  Would that fit in a small bedroom?  Garage?

How much of a pain is it to handle your own fulfillment?  I've read on the threads that you can expect most of your sales in the first 60 days, then slowing to a trickle.  Would this mean that self-fulfilment would only be a short-term chore, until the next printing or product?  Hmm.. though, I would guess that with a successful grassroots marketing approach, your sales pattern would be different.

Where does that $10K figure come from?  My understanding is that printing a run of 1000 units of a 160 pg soft 4 color cover (8.5" x 11"), with B&W interior, runs, estimating high, is about $2K.  For my project, the artists, and web designers compensation is heavily back ended, and I'm doing the writing and layout (if the project fails, I'll be the one to point the finger at).  Marketing is going to be grassroots (conventions and such- see below), and on the internet, so those costs should be minimal.  What are some errors that I could make to that would be "careless or unlucky"?

Many thanks in advance!

PS- would you know where I could get in touch with Ralph Mazza, Matt Snyder, Matt Gwinn, and Vincent Baker?  Many thanks!

[Space Cowboy]

I agree with Ron's points. I especially want to reinforce the idea that you shouldn't do a traditional print job if you plan to sell direct. It only makes financial sense if you are going to print 500-1000 and if you print in those numbers and only sell direct, you'll lose money. Either a PDF or Print On Demand scheme will suit you better.

If you are serious about cutting out the middle man, you might also take stock of how many conventions are within driving distance of you. If you live in an area with lots of small and medium-sized cons, you could try taking the game to the customer that way. Tables at small shows are cheap and many are only one day anyway. If you can show up with a friend or two and run lots of demos, you might get a grassroots campaign going. This presumes you have some kind of print capacity, probably POD.

Hey Chris,

Thanks heaps for your swift reply!  

Hmm.. if you would be so kind as to ponder them, two questions that I have for you are:

Why is it very unlikely for an indie RPG to reach 1000 units sold?  I don't disagree with you, I'd just love to hear your reasoning.  For example, is demand for indie games really that low?  Are gamers adverse to trying something new?  From my own experience, I've found that if I can spend 5 minutes talking with a gamer, I have a good chance to interest them in my project.

What sorts of things do you think work well for a grassroots marketing approach for RPGs?  For example, that's a great idea on how to use small to mid-sized conventions.  There are, indeed, a bunch of such conventions that are held within fairly easy driving distance of me.

Many thanks in advance!

[jdagna]

I'll try my hand at answering some of your questions from my experience...

Storage space for books adds up pretty quickly.  30 books take up a box about 12x12x18 (about 1.5 cubic feet). 1000 books is about 500 cubic feet - a little more than a 10x5 room at most storage places, at a rate of about $70 a month (in Seattle, anyway).  You'll need a dry and preferably cool place to store them.

1000 units is a lot to sell if you plan on doing it directly.  It took me a little over a year to sell 100 units of my pre-release, and that's with attendance at GenCon and Origins (which cost me more than I made by selling them, but were valuable for the exposure, I think). POD suddenly seems a lot cheaper if you think of it that way.  Storage for 1000 books costs about $800 a year, and if it takes 10 years to sell them all, you're looking at $2 a book (your figure) for printing and $8 a book for storage.

The best quote I've seen for printing at 1000 units would put your per-unit cost at about $4.50, however and $6-8 is more common.  I'm not sure where you heard $2, but if it's an actual quote, I'd like to know who.  Make sure you factor in shipping costs - they can be a significant part of the printing price.  Your $2 number may be for overseas printing... in which case you'll pay a lot more for shipping and see much longer turnaround times, plus import hassles.

Can you sell more than 100 units a year?  Maybe, but probably not.  It partly depends on where you live, who you know and how much time you put into sales.  Don't make the mistake of thinking that "interest" equals sales, however.  Of all the people who tell me they want to buy the book, only a third actually do ("my wife has the wallet" is a very popular one at conventions).  Others want to buy the game, but can't convince their friends to buy it (since they need someone to play it with).

It depends on the person how much of a pain fulfillment is, but expect to spend at least a few whole days doing nothing else.  If you also do the writing, art, etc. it may well be a significant drain on your time.  I live less than a block away from my store room, the post office and the UPS place so I can get around quickly - but if you have to spend half an hour driving to ship every order, the time adds up that much faster.

[Space Cowboy]

I'll try my hand at answering some of your questions from my experience...

Storage space for books adds up pretty quickly.  30 books take up a box about 12x12x18 (about 1.5 cubic feet). 1000 books is about 500 cubic feet - a little more than a 10x5 room at most storage places, at a rate of about $70 a month (in Seattle, anyway).  You'll need a dry and preferably cool place to store them.

1000 units is a lot to sell if you plan on doing it directly.  It took me a little over a year to sell 100 units of my pre-release, and that's with attendance at GenCon and Origins (which cost me more than I made by selling them, but were valuable for the exposure, I think). POD suddenly seems a lot cheaper if you think of it that way.  Storage for 1000 books costs about $800 a year, and if it takes 10 years to sell them all, you're looking at $2 a book (your figure) for printing and $8 a book for storage.

The best quote I've seen for printing at 1000 units would put your per-unit cost at about $4.50, however and $6-8 is more common.  I'm not sure where you heard $2, but if it's an actual quote, I'd like to know who.  Make sure you factor in shipping costs - they can be a significant part of the printing price.  Your $2 number may be for overseas printing... in which case you'll pay a lot more for shipping and see much longer turnaround times, plus import hassles.

Can you sell more than 100 units a year?  Maybe, but probably not.  It partly depends on where you live, who you know and how much time you put into sales.  Don't make the mistake of thinking that "interest" equals sales, however.  Of all the people who tell me they want to buy the book, only a third actually do ("my wife has the wallet" is a very popular one at conventions).  Others want to buy the game, but can't convince their friends to buy it (since they need someone to play it with).

It depends on the person how much of a pain fulfillment is, but expect to spend at least a few whole days doing nothing else.  If you also do the writing, art, etc. it may well be a significant drain on your time.  I live less than a block away from my store room, the post office and the UPS place so I can get around quickly - but if you have to spend half an hour driving to ship every order, the time adds up that much faster.

Hey Justin,

Thanks so much for your post and for sharing your experience!  I've played RPGs for years but this is the first time I've ever seriously tried to put together a real, working game so anything and everything that I learn is gravy to me.  Sounds like I may be overestimating my ability to sell this project.  I'll also need to ask some printers myself for price quotes.

If you would be so kind to answer, some questions that I have for you are:

If I "need a dry and preferably cool place to store" the printed copies, will a bedroom or garage suffice?  What if I wrap them in garbage bags or something?

If you don't mind my asking, if you were moving about 100 units a year, what did you do to promote your RPG, other than attending GenCon and Origins?  How much time did you put into marketing?  Did you have a day job at the same time?

Many thanks in advance!

[rafael]

How important is it to use the three tier (manufacturer-distributor-retailer) system?  Right now, I'd like to retail my game directly to the consumer, without going through the three tier system.  Is this possible, or suicide?  I know that my sales would very likely be MUCH lower, but I would avoid all the discounts to the middlemen, and I wouldn't have to deal with all the hassle of going to GAMA (which, as you note, is for distributors and not consumers) and such.

Hey, man.

Yo, Ron and Chris, if it's okay, I'd like to toss my two cents in.

See, Space Cowboy, this is exactly what I did with my game.  It's possible, and it's not necessarily suicide.  Your sales will be lower, but you won't have to deal with all the hassles of distribution.

Now, if you're fulfilling orders yourself, it can be a hassle.  For the first few weeks, I found myself running to the post office every other day.  Since then, sales have slowed somewhat, and I now go on the weekends (if at all).

For what it's worth: I broke even.  The game cost about ten bucks per book to print up.  It looks pretty sweet, or so I'm told.  People have reacted with surprise when told that I did the whole thing myself.  So you can produce something that looks just like what you seen on the shelf at the game store (more or less).  Now, ten bucks per book is kind of steep, so I only printed a hundred copies.  I figured it was money I could afford to gamble.  I also paid for art.  I won't discuss the exact figures, since that's for the artists to divulge, but I paid hundreds.  There were several artists.  It was worth it, I think.

Now, I haven't sold every copy.  I still have a few.  They're in boxes, in the closet, and they really don't take up much room.  If you print up thousands of copies, you'll have to find storage space.  If you print up thousands, you want distribution, probably.  You may not be able to move thousands by yourself.

You can try.  I certainly won't tell you it's impossible.  But you'll probably wind up moving about what that other guy said, 100 copies per year.  I figure by the end of its first year (this winter), the game will be sold out, all hundred copies.  Taking into account printing costs, art, and web hosting, I'll be ahead a few hundred bucks, part of which I'll disseminate among the artists and the rest I'll probably invest in a sequel to the game (or a new version or something).

So that's how I did it.  I should note that I actually produced the book in two print runs, so it wasn't even like a thousand bucks all at once.  Five hundred, then five hundred more.

I should also point out that I've convinced three local retailers to stock my book, and I've sold a few copies that way.  They take a cut, sure, but each sale is still profitable for me, and I reach an audience that I might not have reached via the Internet (which is my primary advertising tool).  And I've been invited as a guest to a local con, so I'm trying to use that to get the word out to the people.

Anyhow, hope this helps in some way.  Good luck with it.

-- Rafael

[jdagna]

Glad that I was able to help.  I think it's very easy to overestimate sales or ease of entry into the game market at the scale that would provide a real income for you.  

If you would be so kind to answer, some questions that I have for you are:

If I "need a dry and preferably cool place to store" the printed copies, will a bedroom or garage suffice?  What if I wrap them in garbage bags or something?

If you don't mind my asking, if you were moving about 100 units a year, what did you do to promote your RPG, other than attending GenCon and Origins?  How much time did you put into marketing?  Did you have a day job at the same time?

A bedroom would be perfect for storing books.  Most garages would work, but it'd probably depend on where you live.  As I understand it, high heat and/or humidity can warp some cover coatings so that they curl back.  It's relatively harmless, but doesn't look nice.  At the extremes (like an attic in Pheonix that might easily get over 140) heat can weaken perfect binding.  Moisture problems are the bigger concern.  Garbage bags could work - what's even better are standard shipping pallets.  They'll keep your boxes about four inches off the ground, and then if you put bags over the top, it'll keep any drips off.

I probably could have done more marketing that I did.  Game publishing is my day job, but I also work as a resident manager (it's about part-time level of involvement).  My efforts basically revolved around whatever could be done free (except for conventions).  You can see my convention list on my website.  Other than that, I worked through various banner exchanges with RPG sites and tried to stay active on a few posting boards and newsgroups.  I had a local RPG store carry some of the books on consignment which sold a few, but I was in a small town at the time and had already done a few demos to the local gaming club.  A few of my sales went to former players of an online free version of the game that had 120 players at its peak.

[Pramas]

Hmm.. if you would be so kind as to ponder them, two questions that I have for you are:

Why is it very unlikely for an indie RPG to reach 1000 units sold?

Basically, there's too much competition for the mindshare of the average gamer. There are a ton of RPG products released every month, more than anyone can actually use. Many of those products come from established games and companies. Convincing the average player to try something new (with a system that's not familiar, that's published by a company they've never heard of) is a tough proposition.

The classic publisher mistake is to think, "Well, my game is so brilliantly designed and so clearly better than D&D/Vampire/Rifts that we'll sell the crap out it!" Quality though, is only one part of the equation. Familiarity with a system is important, having a group to play with is important, having a reasonable expectation that your new favorite game will be supported is important.

The question you have to answer is, what does my game offer that isn't available elsewhere? Followed by, how can I let people know that?

What sorts of things do you think work well for a grassroots marketing approach for RPGs?  For example, that's a great idea on how to use small to mid-sized conventions.  There are, indeed, a bunch of such conventions that are held within fairly easy driving distance of me.

One of the ways you can build support for your game is to work the stores in your region. Contact the owner, set up a day to run demos, and maybe offer each retailer a deal on stock. If your game isn't available through distribution, you may find the retailers reluctant though.

Another avenue is game clubs, especially at colleges.

Really, the demo is the best weapon in your arsenal. If you can show them how good your game is in actual play, that's half the battle. When I published the Whispering Vault way back when, we'd give out $2 off coupons to every person who played a demo. That gave them an incentive to buy the game if they liked it, and it gave us a way of tracking the effectiveness of demos. We found that about 25% of the people at each convention ended up buying the game, which was very good. Of course, our demos were four hours long and included handholding everyone through character creation (since that was one of the coolest features of the game), so the number of demos we could run was somewhat limited.

[Mike Holmes]

Of course, our demos were four hours long and included handholding everyone through character creation (since that was one of the coolest features of the game), so the number of demos we could run was somewhat limited.

But as Chris says, even those few sales are critical. Because players of your game are your ambassadors to other players. Nobody buys advertising about how great a game is: everyone says the same things. But hear from a trusted friend how great a game is, or better yet play it with him, and you'll buy, right?

To reiterate Chris's point, if people aren't playing, people won't buy. Get the game in the hands of people who will play by whatever method you can, and that generates consistent sales. At least the sort that we count on around here.

Mike

[Space Cowboy]

How important is it to use the three tier (manufacturer-distributor-retailer) system?  Right now, I'd like to retail my game directly to the consumer, without going through the three tier system.  Is this possible, or suicide?  I know that my sales would very likely be MUCH lower, but I would avoid all the discounts to the middlemen, and I wouldn't have to deal with all the hassle of going to GAMA (which, as you note, is for distributors and not consumers) and such.

Hey, man.

Yo, Ron and Chris, if it's okay, I'd like to toss my two cents in.

See, Space Cowboy, this is exactly what I did with my game.  It's possible, and it's not necessarily suicide.  Your sales will be lower, but you won't have to deal with all the hassles of distribution.

Now, if you're fulfilling orders yourself, it can be a hassle.  For the first few weeks, I found myself running to the post office every other day.  Since then, sales have slowed somewhat, and I now go on the weekends (if at all).

For what it's worth: I broke even.  The game cost about ten bucks per book to print up.  It looks pretty sweet, or so I'm told.  People have reacted with surprise when told that I did the whole thing myself.  So you can produce something that looks just like what you seen on the shelf at the game store (more or less).  Now, ten bucks per book is kind of steep, so I only printed a hundred copies.  I figured it was money I could afford to gamble.  I also paid for art.  I won't discuss the exact figures, since that's for the artists to divulge, but I paid hundreds.  There were several artists.  It was worth it, I think.

Now, I haven't sold every copy.  I still have a few.  They're in boxes, in the closet, and they really don't take up much room.  If you print up thousands of copies, you'll have to find storage space.  If you print up thousands, you want distribution, probably.  You may not be able to move thousands by yourself.

You can try.  I certainly won't tell you it's impossible.  But you'll probably wind up moving about what that other guy said, 100 copies per year.  I figure by the end of its first year (this winter), the game will be sold out, all hundred copies.  Taking into account printing costs, art, and web hosting, I'll be ahead a few hundred bucks, part of which I'll disseminate among the artists and the rest I'll probably invest in a sequel to the game (or a new version or something).

So that's how I did it.  I should note that I actually produced the book in two print runs, so it wasn't even like a thousand bucks all at once.  Five hundred, then five hundred more.

I should also point out that I've convinced three local retailers to stock my book, and I've sold a few copies that way.  They take a cut, sure, but each sale is still profitable for me, and I reach an audience that I might not have reached via the Internet (which is my primary advertising tool).  And I've been invited as a guest to a local con, so I'm trying to use that to get the word out to the people.

Anyhow, hope this helps in some way.  Good luck with it.

-- Rafael

Hey Rafael,

Thank you for kindly posting!  Based on your reply and others on this thread, and from other anecdotal replies to various other posts here and on rpg.net, it sounds like selling about 100 printed copies a year, with solid support, grassroots marketing, and some conventions, sounds like a fair guesstimate of what a solidly designed indie RPG can sell (though, obviously, result may vary do to a host of reasons (e.g., genre, system, etc.)).  As I said before, at this early stage for my project, I'm playing things by ear and keeping all my options open, but it's definitely good to learn more about the "lay of the land".

If you don't mind and you would be so kind as to consider them, I do have some questions for you- What do you mean when you say "fulfillment"?  People have been throwing around the term "fulfillment", and it sounds like a term of art with a specific definition.  I assume that it means that once you receive an order, you process the paperwork, and mail out a copy of your game.  That doesn't sound too bad to me.  Am I missing something?

Also, what, by way of marketing and support, did you do for your game?

Finally, did you use Print on Demand for your books?  If so, did you encounter any problems?  What was the turnaround time? (e.g., how long, after you approved the final proofs (I think that's what they are called) did you receive the printed products?)

Many thanks in advance!

[Space Cowboy]

Hey Justin,

Thanks for again replying!

[Space Cowboy]

Hmm.. if you would be so kind as to ponder them, two questions that I have for you are:

Why is it very unlikely for an indie RPG to reach 1000 units sold?

Basically, there's too much competition for the mindshare of the average gamer. There are a ton of RPG products released every month, more than anyone can actually use. Many of those products come from established games and companies. Convincing the average player to try something new (with a system that's not familiar, that's published by a company they've never heard of) is a tough proposition.

The classic publisher mistake is to think, "Well, my game is so brilliantly designed and so clearly better than D&D/Vampire/Rifts that we'll sell the crap out it!" Quality though, is only one part of the equation. Familiarity with a system is important, having a group to play with is important, having a reasonable expectation that your new favorite game will be supported is important.

The question you have to answer is, what does my game offer that isn't available elsewhere? Followed by, how can I let people know that?

Hey Chris,

Thanks heaps for the reply!

I agree with some of the feedback that's coming from my playtesters (one of whom has been roleplaying for longer than I've been alive. LOL), and I think that, in terms of what I'm working on, what's going to make or break it is the game universe (i.e., the setting), not the game system.

The game system seems like it will be pretty solid when it's finished, and folks have definitely been having fun playing, but it's certainly not "revolutionary".  In my humble opinion, that term can only be truly applied to games that come along once a generation, such as D&D in the 70s, and Vampire in the 90s. (The generic/universal systems such as GURPS and Palladium were revolutionary in a different sense)

In terms of "what does my game offer that isn't available elsewhere?", I think that my project, when finished, is going to rely on the setting, and that's where most of my energies are focused presently.

As for "how can I let people know that?", do you have any suggestions?

Many thanks in advance!

[Space Cowboy]

Of course, our demos were four hours long and included handholding everyone through character creation (since that was one of the coolest features of the game), so the number of demos we could run was somewhat limited.

But as Chris says, even those few sales are critical. Because players of your game are your ambassadors to other players. Nobody buys advertising about how great a game is: everyone says the same things. But hear from a trusted friend how great a game is, or better yet play it with him, and you'll buy, right?

To reiterate Chris's point, if people aren't playing, people won't buy. Get the game in the hands of people who will play by whatever method you can, and that generates consistent sales. At least the sort that we count on around here.

Mike

Hey Mike,

Nice to meet you, and thanks for your post!

I definitely agree with you on the importance of gamers to a game's ultimate success.  As a fan myself, in my humble opinion, fans want something that is worthy of their time, energy, and, dare I say it, heart.  I know that I do.  To me, that means, not only producing a product with good to excellent writing, artwork, layout, and design (game system and game universe), but doing little things like getting back quickly to personal emails.

Just my $0.02.

[rafael]

What do you mean when you say "fulfillment"?  People have been throwing around the term "fulfillment", and it sounds like a term of art with a specific definition.  I assume that it means that once you receive an order, you process the paperwork, and mail out a copy of your game.  That doesn't sound too bad to me.  Am I missing something?

Yeah, you got it.  Doesn't take any time at all once you get your system organized.

Also, what, by way of marketing and support, did you do for your game?

Well, I published a few supplements (all free PDFs).  Got a few more in the works.  And I answer people's questions on a mailing list.  Uh, I posted to forums like RPG.Net and the Forge.  I sent reviewers free copies.  I attended conventions, handed out fliers, ran some con games.  Going to another con in about a month, going to do the same thing there.  I hung out in game stores, talked to the store owners, met the employees, gave 'em free copies, chatted with them on the phone and via email, and got the word out.  I traded ads with other indie game hombres.  You know, stuff like that.

Finally, did you use Print on Demand for your books?  If so, did you encounter any problems?  What was the turnaround time? (e.g., how long, after you approved the final proofs (I think that's what they are called) did you receive the printed products?)

Yeah, I did p.o.d.  Worked great.  Company did my printing, they work with huge companies.  Their average print run's like twenty thousand units, fifty thousand.  My little print run took them about five minutes.  Seriously.  Color cover, interior, trimming, folding, perfect binding.  I took them my cd, and I said, here it is.  They said, come back tomorrow for the proofs.  I came back, the proofs looked great, I said, let's do it, baby.  They said, come back the day after tomorrow and we'll give you the bizznazz.  I returned the day after tomorrow, and they had my product ready.  Looked great, just what I wanted.  I cried like a baby and flipped out and kicked my mom in the face.  It was good thing.

Word is bond,
Rafael