Tips for catching a shop owners eye?

[Ron Edwards]

Excellent! We're cool. Back to the regularly scheduled thread topic ...

Best,
Ron

[coolblade]

I think you should reconsider not using distribution. CCG's that are successful are like a drug, kids build an addiction then they drop their paychecks on them. Retailers want to know that when that happens they can easily add another case to their weekly order with alliance or some other distro. Now back to the point at hand... You want to reach retailers you need to spend money, I'm sorry but you do have to spend money to make money. E-mailing is not effective, snail mail campaigns are more effective but not really worth the investment of time & money. What I would do is some targeted advertising. There are several publications out there that have a reach of 2000+ retail gaming shops, specifically 'Game Buyer' who has a reach off 2200+. For as little as 120.00 you can reach 2200 retail stores. These 2200 retail stores pay to read about new, up and coming games and therefore it can be assumed that they are willing to purchase new product and possibly your product if your ad makes a good pitch. Next and probably the most important thing (which has been mentioned) is networking. You have to get out there and scream! Look at this! If people don't know your selling product then they can not possibly buy so you need to make sure everyone knows what your selling (even your pets). Goto every con you can afford and spread the word, make contacts, throw out free packs of cards. Bottom line your going to have to get out of your cave in the long run. Your small town might as well be a prison if you can't get out and sell your product.

Advertising with Game Buyer contact Impressions Advertising:
http://www.impressionsadv.net/AdvFactSheet.PDF

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

Views differ about how effective print-advertising is for role-playing publishers, and for what goal. A publisher does well to to examine all the possible options.

Best,
Ron

[Christopher Weeks]

So, imagine I live in a cave with only the internet at my disposal- any ideas on how I can reach some people?

Find people who write reviews of CCGs and email them asking if you could send them a copy of your game.  Then do so and follow up a few days later.  

Mostly, I think you're shit-outta-luck by refusing to travel.  It seems kind of odd that you went to print without a firm marketting plan, but I don't pretend to know the business decisions that you may have to have made on print-timing and the like.

'Game Buyer' who has a reach off 2200+. For as little as 120.00 you can reach 2200 retail stores. These 2200 retail stores pay to read about new, up and coming games

Dang!  Maybe producing trade magazines is the business to be in.

Chris

[daMoose_Neo]

Not really refusing, but I won't able to hit the road until end of June, first of July with the way all of my schedules are falling.
As for GB, dang thats cheap advertising and something I could probably swing.
Printing kinda got jumped a little. My printers are wrapping up their end of the fiscal year and are trying to squeeze as many runs through as they can. Turns out they had some space on some other printing sheets and could squeeze my game onto a couple of them to shave the costs some. I've been watching for different avenues for quite a while now and was just starting to pull something more cohesive together when they said they could do this, so its jump a little early and get it cheaper or pay full price a little furthur down the road.
Between printing and shipping I have about a month to pull something together before I have my hands on the merchendice. Working on this myself from about 9:30 pm to 4 am, I have quite a bit of time personally to work something up ^_^
Thanks for the link! ^_^

[coolblade]

Views differ about how effective print-advertising is for role-playing publishers, and for what goal. A publisher does well to to examine all the possible options.

Its not the route I would go but if you limit traveling, and cut out distribution then you leave yourself with very limited options and out of the options that he has available, in my opinion, this is a better one.