Obviously the stuff I'd be looking to produce under the CUP wouldn't be uploaded to the DM's guild. However, if I were to release anything on the DMG (likely to be free or possibly "pay what you want") would that lead Paizo to think I was a publisher and therefor no longer eligible to utilise the CUP?
Would it depend on how much material was released through the DMG?
If you do reach that conclusion, is it irrevocable? (Like if I cross a line, can I walk it back and cease being thought of as "in the publishing business"?)
Cheers
If you're releasing products whether for free or not on a commercial marketplace then my guess would be that you'd be considered a publisher. However, that's clearly up to Paizo.
Note well the difference between "a publisher", and "in the publishing business".
Further note the phrasing "If Paizo believes". That means no matter how clever we are, all the speculating in the world won't help even a tiny bit. Only Paizo can explain what might lead Paizo to believe or not believe a proposition. And even then, they could change their mind. Though if they give you an answer here, and they change their mind later, it would be less than ideal for them.
If you're releasing products whether for free or not on a commercial marketplace then my guess would be that you'd be considered a publisher. However, that's clearly up to Paizo.
I wondered whether WotC (or DTRPG) would be viewed as the publisher and if submitting to the GM Guild would more be viewed as "being in the freelancing business".
If you're making any money from the content you are publishing, we are likely to believe that makes you a commercial publisher.
Thanks Vic, that makes sense. If anything ever comes of it, I'll avoid "pay what you want" and ensure everything is free, to keep things clear. However, that issue is kind of separate to my query (which is more about the semantics of 'being in the publishing business'):
I'm curious if me releasing through the DM's guild would make me the publisher (as opposed to me being a designer/writer or something with the publisher being DTRPG, onebookshelf (?) or WotC).
Are you willing to offer a view on that?
I would say you're the publisher. But what the Community Use Policy cares about is whether you're "in the publishing business." If everything you publish is free, you are probably not "in the publishing business."
Thanks very much Vic - both for the emphasis on the CUP wording and for the viewpoint on who's the publisher. I'll be very, very careful (if I ever manage to stop being very, very lazy).
Cheers