Print-On-Demand: GURPS Mysteries and GURPS Spaceships

[philreed]

Two more titles added to the selection of print-on-demand GURPS softcovers -- http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/ondemand/ -- pushing the total number of available books through Amazon's CreateSpace service to eight! Our experiment with POD books continues, and we will look at the numbers again in June.

* GURPS Mysteries -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/1556348177...evejacksongame

* GURPS Spaceships -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/1556348169...evejacksongame

Also available:

* GURPS Bio-Tech http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556348142/...evejacksongame

* GURPS High-Tech http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556348126/...evejacksongame

* GURPS Infinite Worlds http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556348134/...evejacksongame

* GURPS Magic http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556348118/...evejacksongame

* GURPS Thaumatology http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556348096/...evejacksongame

* GURPS Ultra-Tech http://www.amazon.com/dp/155634810X/...evejacksongame

[weby]

Hmm.. GURPS Mysteries, the third edition book masquerading as fourth edition. Definitely an "interesting" choice.

[philreed]

Originally Posted by weby

Hmm.. GURPS Mysteries, the third edition book masquerading as fourth edition. Definitely an "interesting" choice.

We have to test a broad range of titles. The next two are -- as you say -- "interesting" in other ways.

The Steve Jackson Games catalog of OOP books is deep. What we need to determine is whether or not there's a pool of titles that will be the magic bullet and make these efforts worth the time invested in them.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by weby

Hmm.. GURPS Mysteries, the third edition book masquerading as fourth edition. Definitely an "interesting" choice.

This is one of the old soft-covers, so I presume it generally sells well. These are also the first two "slim" books, pdfs made POD, so that's interesting. I think SJGames is seeing if softcovers are profitable in this model as well. If so, we might see a lot more PDFs in print (though, I'm surprised to see DF not one of the first in the list. Is Spaceships really a better seller? Or perhaps they're holding off until the new version of DF is finished)?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

... These are also the first two "slim" books, pdfs made POD, so that's interesting. ... (though, I'm surprised to see DF not one of the first in the list. Is Spaceships really a better seller? Or perhaps they're holding off until the new version of DF is finished)?

Both of these have had softcover PoD-like printings in the past, so they may well have been easy to prepare. Spaceships is particularly useful to have in hardcopy, because it's full of tables that you need to consult when designing ships.

SJG will want to get the DFRPG moving steadily through the distribution system, and having something else with a similar title available on Amazon is an excellent way to create confusion.

Ordered both of these.

[CaptainNemo]

Hi! Since my initial post about the high costs for certain GURPS Supplements, I couldn't help but notice the going price for a Martial Arts 4th is now $95 and still rising. Psionic Powers is still only available from oversea, and is well over $300. Normally, if the price is that high, it shows a demand. How about it? Do you want to make this set another Amazon Print-on-demand property or what?

[philreed]

Originally Posted by CaptainNemo

Hi! Since my initial post about the high costs for certain GURPS Supplements, I couldn't help but notice the going price for a Martial Arts 4th is now $95 and still rising. Psionic Powers is still only available from oversea, and is well over $300. Normally, if the price is that high, it shows a demand. How about it? Do you want to make this set another Amazon Print-on-demand property or what?

We're still in the experimentation phase. It is too early to state what will/will not find its way into print-on-demand. We are aware of the market, and we are taking the steps necessary to collect real data on demand.

Producing these books is not free. Each costs staff time to prepare. And check. And fix. And check.

We'll continue the experiment a little longer before coming to a final decision.

[bert]

Mysteries is a good book! Already have it though. Will get Spaceships!

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by CaptainNemo

Normally, if the price is that high, it shows a demand.

Not necessarily. On Amazon, it may merely indicate a secondary seller with a flaky automatic pricing algorithm, who would hope to source the book from somewhere else should someone be desperate enough to place an order.

Amazon book pricing is sometimes an exercise in spontaneous surrealism.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Not necessarily. On Amazon, it may merely indicate a secondary seller with a flaky automatic pricing algorithm, who would hope to source the book from somewhere else should someone be desperate enough to place an order.

Want to buy a book about flies for $23 million dollars?

Two automatic pricing algorithms competing about who can get the highest price!