GURPS 2013 Wish List

[Kalzazz]

If your series ever includes Merchiston Castle I am totally buying it

The main thing I want is the RPM book which is already promised

I also always love Monster books

I would like to see Magic Items 4

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by hal

What keeps either of you or Dan Howard, from putting together said "books" in PDF format, and then selling them on RPGNOW.COM?

Dan's already doing it with his Castles books, but what's stopping me are quality of finished product and return on investment.

For the first, if I'm writing for a publisher, there's a QA process. There's an editor, and there's someone who does layout and pre-press stuff. The editor doesn't just fix spelling and grammar. The editor asks questions I haven't thought of and points out more than just technical flaws with the writing which I haven't noticed, and the man who many who does his own editing has a fool for both patron and client. There's also a skill set for laying out text for publication, and it's more complex when you throw a bunch of graphical elements like maps into the equation. That's a skill set I don't have. Both of those people make my book better, so I want them involved. It's certainly possible to hire such people, but I'm intensely averse to being a manager (another key skill set!), and it costs money up front, and that takes us to point #2...

For the second, the impression I've gotten is that, in the final analysis, I'm likely to make more money if I'm writing for a publisher than self-publishing. I know a number of people who have gone the self-publishing route, and some back-of-the-envelope math suggests that my royalties for the GURPS books I've written are better than the lion's-share-of-the-proceeds for most books they've written. There are exceptions, to be sure, but the math doesn't look like it's in my favor, and the obstacles posed by working with a publisher (for example, giant cybertanks blocking the way) are worth it in the final analysis.

This is not to say that things might not change that equation at some point in the future, but for the moment, if I'm going to write professionally, I'll work through a process which produces what I feel is the best work and the most pleasing profit. If I write stuff which I'm confident will never see professional publication but want to put out anyway, I'm likely to just put it up on the web somewhere without the expectation of it being salable.

[DanHoward]

Matt's right. I wouldn't put my name on anything that wasn't of a pretty high standard and the returns on that kind of writing can't be realised. I recently worked out how much time I spent putting together the castles book and I could have earned $12,000 if I spent the same time on a real job. I need to sell 2000 copies to break even. But I treated it as a training exercise since I've never self-published before. I'm pretty sure that I can be more efficient with the next book but I doubt it will be profitable. My Bronze Age book was only worth doing because I had already done a lot of the research during my time at Uni. In the past these types of books were written by the younger sons of wealthy families who were well educated but didn't have to spend all their time learning how to run the family business.

In addition to Matt's comments above, there is also the marketing that comes with writing for SJG. If I write for SJG they do all the promoting and they have a ready-made customer-base. If I self-publish, I have to shill my own work and I hate doing it. Even the link in my sig feels pretentious. My work speaks for itself once people read it. The trick is getting people to read it without having to act like a used car salesman.

[DanHoward]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

If your series ever includes Merchiston Castle I am totally buying it

Can't find floorplans.

[Dammann]

Is this not enough to go on? There is a section and plan, but the numbers imply that there is a more complete set of drawings somewhere.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

The main thing I want is the RPM book which is already promised

This and Technical Grappling... which I'm desperately and eagerly awaiting.

I'll repeat the desire once again for a disadvantages book, often going by Power-Downs. I just want it, regardless of the name. It should be what Powers did for advantages, but for disads - expanded rules and modifiers for disadvantages, some pre-built disadvantageous meta-traits (drawing from physical, mental, and superatural disabilities and diseases), an extensive quirk list, and possibly some new disadvantages.

I wouldn't hate seeing a really detailed book on Syntactic Magic (esp Verb Noun) either.

[Dammann]

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland sells prints, but using them for this sort of thing might require a license. A commercial license may well be beyond the budget for a supplement like this.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Rasputin

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: Treacherous Traps. Again, to give us something off which to riff.

I have submitted a DF (random roll) trap article to Steven for Pyramid. It was too massive to be included in the last issue of DF-themed Pyramid. It is done though. I hope to see it in print soon-ish.

Ghostdancer

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I wouldn't hate seeing a really detailed book on Syntactic Magic (esp Verb Noun) either.

Yeah I would like that too.
Should be easy enough to include several lexicons.

[DanHoward]

Originally Posted by Dammann

Is this not enough to go on? There is a section and plan, but the numbers imply that there is a more complete set of drawings somewhere.

Those are fine for Colinton Castle. I was looking for Merchiston Castle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchiston_Tower

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland sells prints, but using them for this sort of thing might require a license. A commercial license may well be beyond the budget for a supplement like this.

The budget is broken before I start. Only the wildest runaway success would be profitable. If I wanted to make money I wouldn't write it at all, but I'm not going to outlay anything for the project. The first book hasn't sold 100 copies yet, however, so other projects are higher on the priority list.