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Is there any chance we can convince some of you that publish either truly sizable .pdf files, like the recent Mega-Feats Revisited, or lots of smaller .pdf products around a similar theme, like the Undefeatable line, the Remarkable Races line, or Adamant's Fell Beasts, to publish the product in softcover form someday, or collect all the smaller .pdfs into a collected edition in softcover? (This could be as simple as putting them up on lulu.com's print-on-demand service for my purposes.) I'm seeing a LOT of good products out there, but am less able to use them in an actual game because of their electronic nature and the fact that I do most of my gaming here in the grand wilderness, where it's harder to find a place to tuck a laptop. Plus, I just really love to have an actual hardcopy of things to haul around with me from place to place. (I'm that kind of guy.) Price increases are totally expected and OK with me, even disproportionate ones... I'd just like to see this stuff made available that way someday soon, and done so in a way that rewards you folks for all of your hard work financially as well. I'd say I'm not the only gamer out there that feels this way. At any rate, it's something to consider, and I'd love to hear from you fine publishers about the chances. Thanks.
Seconded. Print is still king.
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It's not difficult to combine multiple PDFs into one file, and then it would just be a matter of sending it to a PDF printer (PrimoPDF.com has been recommended all over the boards, but I haven't witnessed their end product firsthand).
I'm considering doing that with some of the products such as the UndeFEATable line. I'd end up putting it in a hard binder, with tabs to separate various chapters. But that goal is secondary to my current quest of picking up as much of the Paizo Pathfinder stuff as I can get my greedy hands on because I have a self-imposed limit for how much I spend per month on RPG products.
Tricky Owlbear currently has one long series of spell-intensive products (the "Behind the Spells" line) and we placed the first 3 dozen pdfs into one volume--the BtS: Compendium. It seemed like a no-brainer to have it available in pdf and in PRINT form (I'm a prefer print person myself). You can find a brief rundown of alterations to the Compendium needed for your Pathfinder game in this very forum.
As pdf products from a single line grow, I don't know why more publishers wouldn't take advantage of collecting them and selling the work in both formats.
My friend the Owlbear, you just sold your product. :) I'll be buying this as soon as payday comes around. I'd never even heard of it before now, but that'll work out perfectly with a PC in my home campaign. (Codenamed "Unfrozen Caveman Mage")
Woohoo! That was easier than usual. ;)
Seriously, though, it does sound like a good fit with your campaign. More than one of the "spell secrets" returns an effect that a given spell may have lost in translation from previous editions...effects your "caveman mage" would already know, I'd wager.
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Can I add to this the following request: Can people publishing in PDF please stop putting the boilerplate "Reproduction in any form is explicitly forbidden without written permission" on the PDFs unless that is what they really mean? Are we honestly supposed to be forbidden from printing a single page of it at home? Or getting a repro agency to do a nice printed bound copy?
What I've tried to get out of Paizo, and failed so far, is a statement as to whether it is OK by them to buy products as PDF and then print them, either at home or via Lulu or a similar service. The copyright wording above currently forbids this, but if Paizo makes the same net profit on a PDF sale as they do a physical sale, then allowing me to organise my own printing would vastly increase the number of items I could afford to buy from them.
Admittedly, I've only tried by asking on the boards. I may try an actual letter to Paizo formally asking for written permission.
The books from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming are available both as PDF and in print form, via Paizo and IPR. Most of their Gaming aids are PDF only but they're meant to be printed and used as needed, as cards or sheets to accompany the character sheet.
I definitely expect to take the "Mor Aldenn, City of Mages" Campaign Setting to print sometime, but I just need a bit more setting info and some colour artwork.
If everything goes according to plan, Mor Aldenn will see print sometime during the first half of the year 2010!
My concern about print is that, once you take your product to print, it need to be as good as it possibly can! I'm not saying that my pdfs are of poor quality, but pdf is just easier to change along the way.
Also, I can highly recommend everyone to buy the Owlbear's "BtS: Compendium", which is topnotch work! I personally own a softcover version that I use often.
Hi guys,
I have some upcoming PDF products and would, of course, love to one day see them in print - and they're being formatted with that in mind. The decision will be case-by-case and will come down to expected volume (have to sell enough to cover costs).
I prefer nicely printed stuff to pixels, though I have become somewhat addicted to using the PDFs to prep for games and I plan to offer some benes along that line to GMs that buy PDFs from me.
M
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It's not difficult to combine multiple PDFs into one file...Do tell; I was wondering how to reorganise the fiction and the Bestiary pages from the APs into one document.
Is this doable in Adobe 8/9, or does it require further expense?
If you 'do Linux' there are simple command line tools that can do this. For Windows, I think that you are looking at Acrobat Pro.
Edit: Caveat is that this probably requires the PDF to be unprotected to be easy...
Edit: Caveat is that this probably requires the PDF to be unprotected to be easy...
Bing.
Gotta turn off the protection to be able to reflow, extract/implant pages, etc.
:(
OK here is a little PDF business 101: Smaller PDFs are more profitable long term then larger PDF. If a small PDF tanks, it is nothing major. You do a "big book" say 64 pages (rougly 32,000 words) it is going to run you between 1 to 3 cents a word ($320 to $960 for writing alone). Let's not even talk about artwork, layout and editing. A small PDF (2,500 words equals $25 to $75 each) is a great deal to do to test the market for start.
Now with that said LPJ Design is converting the complete NeoExodus: A House Divided to Pathfinder rules. We have already over 40 products for the line and we will be convert all of them over so there will be alot of large page count books and PDFs coming out. So don't worry.
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I guess what I'm asking, LPJ, is that, after you've already got a set of products like the Undefeatable line or things like that, that have proven to be successful, why is it a bad idea to connect them together to one product and sell them in paperback through some of the available sources. You've got some great stuff, stuff I've purchased even, but I'd love to have it in an actual paperback product, and I'd like to see you make some cash on that. :)
RDP will be making print versions of our Class Options line, once we have enough products out to make a decent sized book.
I guess what I'm asking, LPJ, is that, after you've already got a set of products like the Undefeatable line or things like that, that have proven to be successful, why is it a bad idea to connect them together to one product and sell them in paperback through some of the available sources. You've got some great stuff, stuff I've purchased even, but I'd love to have it in an actual paperback product, and I'd like to see you make some cash on that. :)
Well we plan to do all the class (including the new base classes), prestige classes and races for Undefeatable before we make a "big book". But maybe we could come up with something to satify you while you wait.
Our Feats 101 book will be available as a print on demand book with a free pdf November 1st.
Coliseum Morpheuon and Breaking of Fostor Nagar will also be available as PoD once the patronage projects are complete.
Steve Russell
Rite Publishing