|
Disclaimer: this is only an idea at the moment and nothing has been started. If something like this already exists please post a link here and end this discussion. Finally I have absolutely no clue on how do any of this and I don’t pretend to so if you do like this idea and now how to make it come about please do post so here
Onto the project itself; codenamed: “freelancerpg.com” (that website may already exist but this is just a placeholder name)
Aim:
To make a website to help starting publishers to have everything at their disposal to make an RPG book, as long as they can pay for it. Presumably with advice or services for copyright, print runs and standard fees
To allow existing and well establish publishers find new freelancers to fill any deadline or project
To allow freelancers to show their stuff and be more visible to publishers
To allow starting freelancers get a foot on the RPG industry with non-paid projects
The idea itself:
To make a website that will allow publishers to find all the freelancers needed to make an RPG book the obvious being writers and artists but I suspect there would also be editors, graphic designers, layout designers and play-testers
There would be a rating system for both publishers and freelancers. Publishers would be rated on things like paying on time and how easy it was to work with while freelancers would be rated on punctuality and quality of work.
Each freelancer would have their own page with their CV and writing credit + specialities like writing for fantasy games, OGL or sci-fi
Each publisher would have their own page with a list of their products, presumably with a link to them, and maybe a list of products on the works
There would be a pm service
There would be an advertising page so publishers could post when they were looking for freelancers and what they were looking for the freelancers to do. This place would also include fees and deadlines.
Closed playtest area, where publishers would be able to play test their products
An open playtest area for those publishers who would wish to have a bigger playtest audience
Ideally the services of the website would be free, although depending on costs for certain services and the cost to run the website itself some services may require a fee
Now onto why I’m posting this
First I have no idea where to find programmers and servers to host the website or how much they would cost, so any help on that front would be appreciated.
Secondly I have no idea how useful this would be, so no idea if it is worth pursuing, so any publishers or freelancers out there who read this please post your opinions on the matter
I'm trying to take a shot at this, at least on the graphic part (graphic design, layout, artwork and cartography). Is tricky specially on the pricing, since it depends on who's doing the work.
The most "comlicated" part is production, in case you are planning on actually doing your ´products physically. Production is tricky mostly on the prepress side (prep your PDFs for professional printing) and all the production costs involved. PoD makes this a lot easier thou, leaving the tricky part on the distribution process. Lots of things to consider.
This requires lots of administration, so that's something you should consider a priority.
My 2 cents
|
Are you looking at doing something like freelancer.com, elance.com or freelance.com but specific to the RPG industry? If so, you are not talking a small project for site development (front end design as well as back end functionality and security). Granted you could outsource to a lower cost vendor overseas (India and Pakistan are areas that I regularly saw what I would consider ridiculously low bids originate from ... ridiculous as in below the US minimum wage based off of hour estimates).
That said, do be wary of anyone who bids really low; there are two adages one should remember: "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is" and "you get what you pay for". Some folks will way underbid in order to get a gig and then deliver the bare requirements as outlined for the project, even if the intent was clearly different for what the end result should be.
Regardless of where you find a programmer and designer, there are a few things you should definitely do. First, be extremely clear on what look are looking for in the design, in site functionality, etc. The more detailed you can be in your expectations, the closer you will be to what you were ultimately wanting. Details which are left out of a scope of work, once signed are not part of a project and can lead to a project's price tag increasing.
Second, double check their previous work before agreeing to hire them. You are hiring them, so you should review their portfolio.
Third, make sure a set time line is laid out for the project. If there is no set time line, the project can extend beyond the expected time frame. It is also a good idea to include a buffer in your deadline requirements as things do pop up to cause delays. better to have a buffer and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Lastly, pay them promptly. Once the project is complete, pay the people who did the work for you. Anyone who has done freelance has had a client who has taken forever to pay, or just not paid at all. Do not give karma (or anyone else) a reason to whack you in the back of the head. Besides, you may need their assistance down the road.
Hosting the site can run from very cheap (Bluehost and other shared server solutions will run you about $5-$7/month, but if you experience decent traffic, you could experience throttling which would result in slower page delivery) to very expensive ($~175/mo through Rackspace for a server with 4GB RAM and 160GB in storage but you handle all aspects of the server yourself; a managed solution would run you an extra $100/month).
Also, these two aspects:
To allow freelancers to show their stuff and be more visible to publishers
To allow starting freelancers get a foot on the RPG industry with non-paid projects
are kinda covered with RPG Superstar, Wayfinder, KQ (not unpaid, but a definite recommended route for new folks wanting to try to get into print for RPGs). That said, having an additional avenue for new folks to get exposure could, I think, be a good thing.
As to wanting the content/services to be free, that's cool and commendable, but you will be shelling out of pocket every month (which can get expensive really quickly). Covering hosting, servers, start up and expansion through fees is good as well, though integrating e-commerce will boost your initial costs a little bit, and depending on the route you take, you may need to deal with PCI Compliance.
Just some food for thought.
Do you know about RPGFreelancer.com?
Posting on a small device, so linking is difficult.
Indie Press Revolution is something that exists. IPR even does booths at conventions.
Also print on demand services, like lulu exist as well.
