[IP] Map-Packs, RPG-Now and other Marketplaces

[Schwarzkreuz]

Hi,

In recent anouncments some members voiced an interest in selling Map-Packs and other Products at Marketplaces like RPG-Now and so on. I just wanted to ask the more experience Members, who do already have some Items up for sell, if they could share some experiences?

[Gamerprinter]

Well, I have 12 products for the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG) being sold on DrivethruRPG/RPGNow and the Paizo store, and I just released my 13th product, which more than the others is primarily a map product (with some PFRPG crunch for added value) - and that last product is selling like hot cakes. That said, I haven't been able to quit my day job and do this full time, as it just doesn't generate a livable income. It is a nice add-on income stream, but not enough to live one.

I know that Jonathan Roberts (our Torstan) who also does map products through Rite Publishing (as I do), consistently sell pretty well - you frequently see his map products in the Top 100 Hottest products - so map products do sell well in my experience. Also DrivethruRPG has recently offered printing 6" x 6" map tiles on thick cardboard - so cartographers could generate 6" x 6" custom map tiles, and offer a hard product to customers, instead of just PDFs or image files for VT apps.

So opportunities certainly exist. Setting up a sales account on DrivethruRPG/RPGNow is pretty easy. I don't know if everybody needs this, but I had to obtain an industry 3 letter code from Gamerati to sell my products at the various online stores - a requirement if you are the publisher. (Incidentally my 3 letter code is an especially good one for map makers; GPS - which stands for Gamer Printshop).

[Schwarzkreuz]

Thats good to know, and congratulations to your productline.

Yes Torstans Work had made me interested in this kind of distribution. It is realy nice to be independent from production and storage, which minimizes the Project risks.
If this could be a side income, I would be very happy about it.

[Gamerprinter]

The real secret to earning a decent income in the gaming industry, as I've learned, is having a hundred or more products available - each doing marginal to moderate in sales. If you're only earning $15 a month per product and if you're selling 100 different products, there is potential for some kind of better income. Even with 13 products in my line, not every product is being sold every month - I probably earn something like $50 to $100 per month on these, I'll need a bunch more if I ever hope to earn something more substantial.

[Schwarzkreuz]

Yes, i understand that. Its realy hard to be recognized and establish a Brand within so many products. I would Love to see my Maps out there and to create something people can enjoy. I think I will try to put sonething up soon to Test how this works.

[Schwarzkreuz]

Do you think its better to join an already existing Publisher/Group on such markets like RPG now and others?
I guess its difficult to expand in a produktive manner As a one man team.

[Jaxilon]

Thanks for the insights GP. I am also interested in doing this some day but until I feel I have my style nailed down and put together a planned roll out of products I am uncomfortable attempting it.

[Gamerprinter]

Do you think its better to join an already existing Publisher/Group on such markets like RPG now and others?
I guess its difficult to expand in a produktive manner As a one man team.

Most professional fantasy cartographers are one man teams - I don't know any that aren't. Although I am a member of some Publisher Groups, only after having received a commission for maps for a certain set of freelancer/publishers. But I've done better on my own, and haven't seen a significant positive impact by being a member of such groups. What I've done is found a small set of publishers that I regularly do commissions for and those have consistently kept me busy with work. Now that I'm heavy into the design and development of my own game setting, I have very little time for anything else.

[torstan]

As GP says, you're not going to get massively wealthy off the back of digital map packs - but they do provide a nice side income. I can expect to sell around 50-60 of a new map pack in a month. RPGNow takes 35% of all sales, and Rite Publishing takes a cut too as they manage the store and do a lot of product promotion. Also, new products help sell your back-catalog, so a steady stream of publications will help build volume of sales over time.

I partnered with Rite Publishing and that was fortuitous. Steve Russell has built a large email list of past Rite customers that he emails each month about new releases. He also has a comprehensive list of internet forums that he targets with release news. Those, combined with traffic to my maps from the rest of the Rite store, make it worth my time working with Rite and giving them a cut. It takes all the hassle out of marketing the map packs. That's the advantage that I see in teaming up with an established publisher. Many third party publishers have spent a lot of time learning about the RPG market and how to advertise to it. It can be worth tapping into that rather than spending the time learning it from scratch.

Let me know if you have other questions. I can certainly provide some more details if it's of interest.

[Schwarzkreuz]

Hi, thanks to booth of you for your advises and insight. I also would prefer to join up with a publisher who already have a build up range of customers. I heavily doubt that I would Be able to pull of a successfull shop from scratch. What is important for me is to create a hight quality product which can Be enjoyed by the buyers. But also to push myself forward.

One of my Major questions to you two would be, in which Formats i should do the maps so People can use them easily. Black/White versions, blank versions, and devided into homeprintable sheets. All still a bit confusing about options