Quick premises: You release a PDF for free and you are wondering whether or not to make a print edition and actually charge for it. I know you receive far more downloads whenever you offer something for free. However, is there a point where any amount of interest would justify making a print edition and selling it?

Another assumption is that if you start to charge for the PDF, you will tick off a number of people. Thirdly, the item is an actually complete rpg...its not a set of quickplay rules, a character sheet or any sort of sample product.

Quote from: ancientgamerQuick premises: You release a PDF for free and you are wondering whether or not to make a print edition and actually charge for it. I know you receive far more downloads whenever you offer something for free. However, is there a point where any amount of interest would justify making a print edition and selling it?

Another assumption is that if you start to charge for the PDF, you will tick off a number of people. Thirdly, the item is an actually complete rpg...its not a set of quickplay rules, a character sheet or any sort of sample product.

If you're going to release it for free first, just make it clear up front that you're considering a print run if it generates interest.  Keep the layout minimal and don't include art past the cover.  Include new content in the print version, whether it be adventures, additional setting material, or new crunch (classes, feats, optional rules, etc.).  

Anyone who gets ticked off that you're trying to sell your work isn't worth worrying about.  

Pete

I'd say if you add more material, clean it up more.

I've got a free RPG out there (a 24 hour one), someday I'll expand on it and make a for sale full version. (Better explanations, examples, some artwork.)
Its not in the works any time soon, mostly because of other projects.

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I thought about what everyone has said up to this point. I have B&W art inside of it. Granted, I tried to choose pieces that looked good for the medium it is but it's still clipart.

Additional content is possible in regards to npcs, rules, plot ideas, etc. I would also fix anything if someone suggested it and the comment made any kind of sense. I can honestly say my intention was to present a complete rpg to anyone who downloaded it...in other words, no intentional sabotage.

At this point, I am toying with the idea of keeping the core free and selling supplements although going to a place like Lulu.com hasn't been ruled out.

Anyway, I will shill at this point and show you what I was thinking about and hope someone else benefits from this thread.

Quote from: ancientgamer--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought about what everyone has said up to this point. I have B&W art inside of it. Granted, I tried to choose pieces that looked good for the medium it is but it's still clipart.

Additional content is possible in regards to npcs, rules, plot ideas, etc. I would also fix anything if someone suggested it and the comment made any kind of sense. I can honestly say my intention was to present a complete rpg to anyone who downloaded it...in other words, no intentional sabotage.

At this point, I am toying with the idea of keeping the core free and selling supplements although going to a place like Lulu.com hasn't been ruled out.

Anyway, I will shill at this point and show you what I was thinking about and hope someone else benefits from this thread.

Marco gives away his JAGS game and supplements as pdfs, and also sells them for profit from Lulu.

You can also sell the book from Lulu at cost if you wish.

-clash

I'd just leave the PDF free, and sell the print version, and possibly the supplemental material.

That's pretty much the business model I had planned from the start for my own project.

As Clash suggests, pay for a real book and have free PDF download.

Alternatively, I'd release a new version with a load of extra stuff in it and have that as the pay-for-download/POD version.

I would not be ticked off, though.

In case anyone is interested, here are my thoughts on what to do next for my project.  I am going to keep the core book free on PDF and sell a cheap print version (relatively speaking via Lulu.com).  I won't make major efforts to change other than to fix something broken if anyone is kind enough to send me feedback.  

I will sell the PDFs and prints of supplemental material but I will try to keep the printing costs down.  The speed of following up will depend on if the downloads keep happening or not.  I have hundreds of downloads already but I want to see if they still take place after the initial rush of excitement over a free new product is over.  Additionally, I hope at least a few people out of that group will free feel to contact me.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions but feel free to comment here still.

Quote from: ancientgamerI know you receive far more downloads whenever you offer something for free.

Yes, but if they paid for it they actually read it, instead of it sitting on their hard drive unread and forgotten until the next crash and format.

I wrote an article for the Millennium's End website called On Killing. As far as I recall, in 18 months it got something over 2,000 downloads and... exactly zero comments or emails. I had them take the article down, I rewrote and expanded it, and put it up for five bucks on rpgnow.com. Within a couple of months it had over 100 download/sales, several comments and emails, and was abused on rpg.net (usually a good sign).

People don't read free stuff very thoroughly, and they rarely play it. If you want them to read and play your rpg, charge them for it - even just a buck or two. People only pay a buck for the newspaper but many of them still read the thing thoroughly.

Quote from: ancientgamerAnother assumption is that if you start to charge for the PDF, you will tick off a number of people.

Yes, but only cheaparsed fucksticks who would never have played it anyway because they have no game group (being a cheaparsed fuckstick usually inhibits your social life).

Quote from: Kyle AaronYes, but if they paid for it they actually read it, instead of it sitting on their hard drive unread and forgotten until the next crash and format.

I wrote an article for the Millennium's End website called On Killing. As far as I recall, in 18 months it got something over 2,000 downloads and... exactly zero comments or emails. I had them take the article down, I rewrote and expanded it, and put it up for five bucks on rpgnow.com. Within a couple of months it had over 100 download/sales, several comments and emails, and was abused on rpg.net (usually a good sign).

People don't read free stuff very thoroughly, and they rarely play it. If you want them to read and play your rpg, charge them for it - even just a buck or two. People only pay a buck for the newspaper but many of them still read the thing thoroughly.


Yes, but only cheaparsed fucksticks who would never have played it anyway because they have no game group (being a cheaparsed fuckstick usually inhibits your social life).

Just when you think you have the answer...Seriously, those are good points to consider.

Quote from: ancientgamerJust when you think you have the answer...Seriously, those are good points to consider.

I think he overstates his point because he's a bitter cockwit, but that's just me.

I mainly agree with Kyle, except for his extremely lame generalization that cheap people don't have a social life.

But there is definitly a correlation between price and interest. The ratio of people giving a thorough read to your product (and possibly trying it in a game situation) will definitly go up as the price go up.

It's not just a .pdf thing either. I bought WEG's Masterbook used for one buck several years ago. I have yet to read a single page. My interest in this product was pretty much nil. At $3, I probably wouldn't have bought it (It was part of a large stash I bought that day) at all. Had the book been priced at $8, it might have waited until someone with a sufficient, REAL interest in Masterbook had come by. That person might have put it to use.