thread: 2008-10-02 : Fellow Publishers: Success? Failure?
On 2008-10-03, Graham wrote:
1. What's your name?
Graham Walmsley
2. What's your publishing company?
It doesn't have a name.
3. What game or games have you published?
I've published Play Unsafe, which applies improvisation techniques to roleplaying games.
4. When you first started publishing, what success did you hope for?
I decided I'd be moderately happy if I sold 50 copies and ecstatic if I sold 100.
5. Did you achieve it?
Yes (and more).
6. What success do you hope for now?
I'd like to publish other books to other niche markets. On acting, perhaps. I'd like the publishing to be a solid second income.
7. Have you achieved it?
Not yet.
8. If a hopeful new RPG publisher came to you and asked you for your wisdom, to help her set reasonable expectations for her own games' success, what would you tell her?
Have high ambitions but low expectations. You'll probably be as successful as Intergalactic Cooking Challenge or Covenant, although it would nice if you were as successful as Spirit Of The Century.
Be a little commercial. Think about pricing, marketing and so forth. And especially about differentiating your product.
Take the time and effort to produce something of good quality. Partly, it's a matter of pride; and partly, it'll sell more in the long run.
Graham
