Open design house idea from a newbie

[Ron Edwards]

Hey Joe Hill,

In that case, I suggest avoiding the word "distribution" entirely, because it literally includes the concept of transferred-ownership in this business, and using "warehousing" (storing books), "representing" (promoting games and products before and after release), and "fulfilment" (collecting orders, sending books, invoicing) instead. One of the experts in this realm is Woody Eblom, the man behind Tundra Sales Organization. He's another great guy who can provide immense amounts of information, and I think we'd all benefit from more than one business, even a few, built on similar models. Another crucial person to talk to is Eric Rowe of Wizards Attic; if you haven't checked out that website from top to toe, you should do that soon.

Best,
Ron

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Sylus,

Here's something else to consider: payment.

How will you be paid? Tundra Sales, for instance, acting as warehouser, fulfiller, and agent, takes a commission on each sale and that's it. When I worked with the Sphinx Group (agent only), Liz took a flat fee each month. If you're going to be acting as printer, then that's presumably going to be a sliding fee based on non-predictable costs, just like "real" printers do it.

Do you intend a "schedule" of fees, to be combined for a client based on the services he or she wants? What are your thoughts on this issue?

Best,
Ron

[soundwave]

The other thing to consider is your business' reputation.

If you're going to print anyone and everyone who can contract you for the price you're quoting them, you won't be able to discriminate in terms of quality/type/format/etc of product.

Now, I believe that part of the definition of an indie game should (if it's not already) be that the creator is the only one making decisions about those things. Thus, should you decide to discriminate on that basis, you would remove the game's indie status.

But, if you won't pick the games you'll print, then how will the 'brought to you by' mark benefit the game? You say that games will be able to benefit from the company's reputation for putting out quality product, but if there's no 'quality control' aspect, that reputation is null and void.

I'm not trying to dismiss your ideas, or tell you that you're wrong here. You needn't pick one approach or the other. But you will need a way to distinguish between 'brought to you by' and 'printed by'. One will be approved by your company, the other won't.

[Alex Knapik]

I don't mean to derail this thread, but I just want to clarify a little information about Atlas Games from what I understand as a former employee. The only instance (to my knowledge) of Atlas being the type publisher that Mr. Edwards refers to them being is the special case of Unknown Armies. John Tynes and Greg Stolze own any/all rights to Unknown Armies, and Atlas Games licenses out the right to print the RPG books. There aren't any other games / books like this in the Atlas catalog. It's also important to note that, unless I'm mistaken, the freelancers that work on the UA books are doing it work-for-hire just like most Atlas titles (and the vast majority of RPG books in the industry).

The creator rights that John and Greg have for Unknown Armies are important, and probably the only way I'd have a company publish a game of mine. But using Atlas Games as an example of what I would call a 'record label'-type games publisher isn't really accurate.

(As an aside, I agree with most everything Ron Edwards has said here - just thought I'd take the opportunity to clarify some information about Atlas.)

Anyway, carry on...

Ron Edwards:
"What you're proposing is very much like what Atlas Games, Hobgoblynn Press, and (I think) Hogshead Publishing do. All of these companies pay for print costs and handle much if not all of the warehousing, promotion, and distribution-hassles for the games, whereas the creators "retain the rights." The profits are handled variously; sometimes it's a split percentage..."

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Alex,

Got it - and thanks. I was indeed thinking about UA as the prime example, probably because it's been kind of the poster-child in some of my recent discussions with Industry Luminaries who favor this mode of publication.

Hobgoblynn Press might be a better example, in the long run.

Best,
Ron