to you guys selling rpgs online

[Tim C Koppang]

This is a suggestion meant for everyone here trying to sell their game over the net...

When I download a pdf file, I know more or less what to expect.  A sample page is a nice goodie to offer because it gives me a look at the page layout, art, and quality of writing that the product contains, but more or less I don't have to worry about anything else.

Now on the other hand, when you offer a print version of your product there are a whole mess of other factors that I, as a paying customer, have to consider.  Not that a Kinko’s printout and binding is bad, but I want to know it beforehand.  I want to know if it's staple bound, or if it's a "real" book.  In other words I want to know what I'm getting for my money besides a good game.  These things seem important to me.  Like I said, I'm not necessarily going to avoid buying your game because you printed it at Kinko's, but I just don't want to have any unpleasant surprises when the UPS man shows up.  I want my expectations, at least as far as the physical book is concerned, to be met.  If you did a really nice job binding and printing your game then maybe I'll pick one up, but maybe I'd also rather do my own Kinko’s job and pick funky colored paper and other goodies.

A digital picture of the finished product might even be a nice touch.  I suppose the reason I'm writing this has to do with my own paranoia when buying things off the net.  There are a lot of good games being offered as a result of Forge interaction, and there is a lot of buzz circulating here over internet publishing.  A lot of these game I want to pick up.  But I'm still parting with my cash, and I want to make an informed decision about my purchases.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

Tim,

Is the information on this page complete enough, or would you add some more information?

[Paul Czege]

Hey Clinton,

Page dimensions?

Paul

[Clinton R. Nixon]

Paul - good point. They're 8.5" x 11", and I'll add that to the page.

[Tim C Koppang]

Is the information on this page complete enough, or would you add some more information?

Yes, with the page dimensions I'd say this is perfect.

[Mike Holmes]

Hmm. We simply say 86 page, half-sized, perfect bound (here). Is that too brief? Or does it get the idea across? The cover is also presented on the page, but that doesn't give an idea of the dimensions or print quality. Do we need to do more to assure our buyers that the game is worth the $15? Perhaps some sample art (which we are very pleased with).

Mike

[Tim C Koppang]

Do we need to do more to assure our buyers that the game is worth the $15? Perhaps some sample art (which we are very pleased with).

I don't know if I can speak for all potential buyers, but I think that a good rule of thumb would be: more info equals more comfort.  It's one thing when you go to a web sight like Steve Jackson or Wizards of the Coast.  They're so big and well known that a custormer knows what type of production quality they can expect.  I don't think anyone expects that level of production from an indie-game (not that it's unheard of or a bad thing) but I also think that it takes a bit more effort to make a custormer feel at ease when buying something over Paypal from some guys random game company web site.  The more you describe the game, the less it seems like you are trying to hide something.

There is such a thing as overdoing it I suppose, but for my money it's better to tell a customer exactly what he's getting and totally meet his expectations rather than create some sort of misunderstanding that will in the end piss him off.

So, yes... art samples would be great.  Here's a list of things I would look for:

1. LENGTH... Telling the customer that your book is X number of pages long is good.

2. SIZE... half size pages, dimensions or whatever

3. PAPER... if the thing if from Kinko's then telling the customer that the interior is this paper type XXX and the cover is cardstock or whatever is nice

4. BINDING... saying the words "perfect bound" covers the binding details.  But maybe it's coil bound or staple bound or whatever

5. COLOR... or black and white.  This is a nice bonus but not a requirment in my mind

6. ART... Does the game include interior art, cover art, or none?

And if there's any other "special feature" that your book includes list it too.  Hey, incentives are always nice.

[James V. West]

I agree that publishers should give detailed information about the books they sell online.

I've been self-publishing small press comics for years so my automatic assumption when I order a book is that it will be small and photocopied. However, it's a nice surprise when someone has went to great expense for professional-level printing.