Stock Wanted By Independent RPG Distributor

[Christopher Davies]

Twisted Chronicles is a new independent distributor of Role-Play Games, as well as distributing award winning games it also produces its own gaming line Gothic Society, we are currently looking for stock for are online store and forth coming retail outlet.

We wish to stock RPG's designed and published by independent developers only!

If your work is chosen by Twisted Chronicles we will place a order of 1 to 5 books, price to be arranged. If we find your stock item does well a larger order will be placed.

Twisted Chronicles is also happy to receive un-published work which we may aid the developer in taking to print, or offer to publish the work under the Twisted Chronicles brand name.

As well as the stock we will have on sale from other independent designers we will be stocking our own forth coming RPG line Gothic Society which is due for release in august 2005.

Twisted Chronicles office hours are 9.00 am to 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday.

You can contact us by post, phone or E-mail as listed below:

Twisted Chronicles LtD
67 North Street
Martock
TA12 6EH
England

Tel:  +44 (0)7981519848
E-mail: Info@Twistedchronicles.com

www.twistedchronicles.com
www.gothicsociety.org

[Vaxalon]

How are you defining "Independent"?

In what form do you wish manuscripts to be submitted for publication under the Twisted Chronicles brand name?

Do you have a website?

Will this distribution be limited to England, or are you aiming to distribute internationally?

[Christopher Davies]

How are you defining "Independent"?

In what form do you wish manuscripts to be submitted for publication under the Twisted Chronicles brand name?

Do you have a website?

Will this distribution be limited to England, or are you aiming to distribute internationally?

Anything not commercialised by a contract publisher...  

Work submitted for the consideration of Twisted Chronicles LtD should be sent by mail only. We require a synopsis of the work and two sample chapters. If you wish your manuscript to be returned, then please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage. Please send your manuscript to:

The Commissioning Editor
Twisted Chronicles LtD
67 North Street
Martock
TA12 6EH
England

All manuscripts are read by Twisted Chronicles LtD editors and every effort is made to respond to submissions within three months of receipt, though periodic backlog can result in delays to response times.

If there is a issue with reguarding posting your manuscript you can contact us and we may receive it by E-mail as a pdf, but please contact us about this before sending by mail.

Aiming to distribute internationally

[daMoose_Neo]

I've written already, but I'm wondering: Are you already established with shops? Who are you dealing with?

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Christopher,

I need some clarification of your use of the term "distribution."

Do you actually purchase the books from the publisher, or are you effectively acting as warehouse/fulfilment for the publisher's books? The difference is critically important.

Best,
Ron

[Christopher Davies]

Hi Christopher,

I need some clarification of your use of the term "distribution."

Do you actually purchase the books from the publisher, or are you effectively acting as warehouse/fulfilment for the publisher's books? The difference is critically important.

Best,
Ron

We are looking to buy direct from indepentent developers, if that means placing a order with there publisher rather than themselfs we can.

The stock will then go on sale through our forth coming online store and retail outlet.

Because we are buying and then selling stock we need to sort out a set price rather than purchasing for the cover price.

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

It seems to me as if you're willing to represent an entire three-tier process all by yourselves.

1. Publishing games

2. Distributing them

3. Retailing them

... and if anyone wants to jump in for a portion of this (e.g. at #2 especially), you're willing to do that too.

Overall, that's very ambitious. It also raises some difficult conflict-of-interest questions. Here are a couple.

a) Let's say I'm a game publisher (I am). What assurance do I have that, as a distributor, you will be making a serious effort to have my games appear in retail stores besides your own on-line service?

b) What assurance do I have that my games will receive equal attention and promotion as those games which you are publishing?

Are you familiar with the typical approximate 40% rate for distributor purchases? In other words, one of my games, Sorcerer, has an MSRP of $20 U.S. That means I would expect at least $8.00 from you per copy, and in fact, I typically get more than that (see Key 20, my warehouser and fulfilment house, for details). Are you planning to follow that model, or are you offering a different rate?

Last point: I am not sure whether you understand that, at this website, the terms "developers" and "publishers" are essentially synonymous. This isn't a big deal except that it makes communicating with you about your offer a little difficult.

Best,
Ron

[Christopher Davies]

Hello,

It seems to me as if you're willing to represent an entire three-tier process all by yourselves.

1. Publishing games

2. Distributing them

3. Retailing them

... and if anyone wants to jump in for a portion of this (e.g. at #2 especially), you're willing to do that too.

Overall, that's very ambitious. It also raises some difficult conflict-of-interest questions. Here are a couple.

a) Let's say I'm a game publisher (I am). What assurance do I have that, as a distributor, you will be making a serious effort to have my games appear in retail stores besides your own on-line service?

b) What assurance do I have that my games will receive equal attention and promotion as those games which you are publishing?

Are you familiar with the typical approximate 40% rate for distributor purchases? In other words, one of my games, Sorcerer, has an MSRP of $20 U.S. That means I would expect at least $8.00 from you per copy, and in fact, I typically get more than that (see Key 20, my warehouser and fulfilment house, for details). Are you planning to follow that model, or are you offering a different rate?

Last point: I am not sure whether you understand that, at this website, the terms "developers" and "publishers" are essentially synonymous. This isn't a big deal except that it makes communicating with you about your offer a little difficult.

Best,
Ron

Hello Ron

In truth there are no conflict of interests involved what so ever..

a) The assurance you have is, that if we don't sell your book we don't make any money, yet you do as we have already purchased your book from you, at a set price.

b) Equal opportunity as our games, is assured because as I stated earlier, in order to make money, we need to sell your books as well as our own.

If Sony takes its laptop to bestbuy, what's assurance have they that bestbuy will sell their Sony, just as well or hard as their e-machines.

Bestbuy have to or they don't make any money.

So in closing if we are purchasing books from you, in order to resell them at retail price... how do you lose, as you are selling books that you might other wise not.

[daMoose_Neo]

Well, while I imagine many folks here would like the sale, as many people would also like to see their product being played and used.
Sony sells laptops to Best Buy, but Best Buy doesn't have a 'house brand' and thats what Ron is getting at. Exposure is as important, if not more important, to indies than discounted sales to a distrubutor who will let it sit.
Besides, if you're producing and promoting your own title, ideally, you'll make money, moving the other products or not.

So, is there assurance that when you're promoting everything the other titles won't slip though?

[Christopher Davies]

Well, while I imagine many folks here would like the sale, as many people would also like to see their product being played and used.
Sony sells laptops to Best Buy, but Best Buy doesn't have a 'house brand' and thats what Ron is getting at. Exposure is as important, if not more important, to indies than discounted sales to a distrubutor who will let it sit.
Besides, if you're producing and promoting your own title, ideally, you'll make money, moving the other products or not.

So, is there assurance that when you're promoting everything the other titles won't slip though?

Bestbuy dose have a house brand the E-machine as i used in my example... and as i said the only assureance there is, is that Twisted Chronicles will do its up most to move stock as the more moved the more ordered and the more profit made that can be invested in other areas.

Stock that we buy that we dont sell is nothing more than dead money.

As i have already stated.

[smokewolf]

pm sent

[jdagna]

I just wanted to thank you guys at Twisted Chronicles for prompt payment and a good-sized order.  The books will be in the mail tomorrow.  It's certainly been a pleasure doing business with you so far!

[Del]

Hello Christopher,

2 things.

1. Are you willing to screen prospects delivered via PDF? A lot of this particular crew here develop first as PDF publishers then take any orders for print straight to the printer. It's a good way to guage a project.

IE: I delivered Cyber-Sea via a well known online destributer and because of poor orders for the PDF canned running to the printer for a 100 books.

If I gave you a PDF that I can get printed instantly because of my obsequious attitude and abject grovelling at the local printer, would you take that as a submission?

2. What are your thoughts on non-rpg products? I ask because I'm a tactical designer/publisher. Meaning I publish cardpaper piece board games.

Thank you if you can answer my questions. Feel free to check the link below for more info about my operation.

[Christopher Davies]

Sorry its taken sometime to reply Del its been a very very busy 2 weeks, i shall answer your questions the best i can.

1: We are willing to screen items delivered via PDF if informed before hand by the sender, as i am well awaire that a lot of people are unable to fund a print run inless they have per orders or someone backing the project.

We are alway happy to view work that we can either sell directly or publish under the Twisted Chronicles band.

2: In reguards to other products, we our looking more at RPG books but due to our links with local gaming clubs we can indeed look at other such items.


Yours

Christopher Davies

Hello Christopher,

2 things.

1. Are you willing to screen prospects delivered via PDF? A lot of this particular crew here develop first as PDF publishers then take any orders for print straight to the printer. It's a good way to guage a project.

IE: I delivered Cyber-Sea via a well known online destributer and because of poor orders for the PDF canned running to the printer for a 100 books.

If I gave you a PDF that I can get printed instantly because of my obsequious attitude and abject grovelling at the local printer, would you take that as a submission?

2. What are your thoughts on non-rpg products? I ask because I'm a tactical designer/publisher. Meaning I publish cardpaper piece board games.

Thank you if you can answer my questions. Feel free to check the link below for more info about my operation.

[Christopher Davies]

The pleasure was ours, the Pax Draconis range has done better than we could have thought with 75% of the stock already sold and advanced orders being placed with us for our next order from your selfs which should be shortly..

Yours Christopher Davies

I just wanted to thank you guys at Twisted Chronicles for prompt payment and a good-sized order.  The books will be in the mail tomorrow.  It's certainly been a pleasure doing business with you so far!