Quote from: flyingmiceAnd who is forcing you?

In terms of work? They (capital T). In terms of leisure, anybody who would sell their gaming materials pdf-only. The former enforcement I can't resist, the latter easily.

What's wrong with POD?

Quote from: Pierce InverarityIn terms of work? They (capital T). In terms of leisure, anybody who would sell their gaming materials pdf-only. The former enforcement I can't resist, the latter easily.

What's wrong with POD?

Tsk. You obviously work in an office. Use their laser printer!

Quote from: Pierce InverarityIn terms of work? They (capital T). In terms of leisure, anybody who would sell their gaming materials pdf-only. The former enforcement I can't resist, the latter easily.

Of course I meant the latter, Pierce, but pdf is just an option. (Added) The vast majority of times, the choice for a publisher isn't "Pdf or Print?" so much as "Pdf or Nothing?"

Quote from: Pierce InverarityWhat's wrong with POD?

Nothing. I offer all my games in POD. Some of my supplements are available only in pdf, but there's a cost point where it isn't worth making PODs.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceYou've never seen any of my pdfs, then. Anything with an index - or TOC - is hyperlinked.

-clash

You're just lucky you also sell books Clash otherwise...shit, who am I kidding, I'd still buy those damn pdfs which I loathe because I really dig the games. Hate the format not the game, I always say. Besides I make these nice looking covers for the pdfs and they look really cool hidden between my other games :haw:

Regards,
David R

Quote from: WilTsk. You obviously work in an office. Use their laser printer!

Works for me.

Wil, it's not always advisable to print out one's gaming accoutrements in one's work environment...

Clash, if you're doing POD, then you are officially A Good Man.

This issue rubs me the wrong way because I've read a couple thousand books in my life so far and I'd like to continue doing just that. But guess what, I'm being increasingly forced to publish in online journals these days. -> More screen time for me, and who knows whether those journals will be online 50 or 500 years from now. To write for the web is to write for the trashcan icon.

Quote from: WilTsk. You obviously work in an office. Use their laser printer!

I can vouch for this and you wondered where all your tax dollars went.  Thanks America!

Quote from: David RYou're just lucky you also sell books Clash otherwise...shit, who am I kidding, I'd still buy those damn pdfs which I loathe because I really dig the games. Hate the format not the game, I always say. Besides I make these nice looking covers for the pdfs and they look really cool hidden between my other games :haw:

Regards,
David R

Thanks, David! But no need to suffer - I have those PODs.

-clash

Quote from: Pierce InverarityWil, it's not always advisable to print out one's gaming accoutrements in one's work environment...

Clash, if you're doing POD, then you are officially A Good Man.

This issue rubs me the wrong way because I've read a couple thousand books in my life so far and I'd like to continue doing just that. But guess what, I'm being increasingly forced to publish in online journals these days. -> More screen time for me, and who knows whether those journals will be online 50 or 500 years from now. To write for the web is to write for the trashcan icon.

Understood, and I sympathise. All my day writing is on pdf now as well.

-clash

I can understand the pdf movement quite a bit.  After looking into the printing costs for a book (non rpg) I was amazed anything manages to come out in a small scale operation like a RPG company.  

Costs are probably the main reason, coupled by the fact that the distribution chain is really terrible.  They have to sell the printed book at around 25 percent of the cover cost to the distributor and hope to make a profit.  It just isn't cost worthy, they may make a profit but the amount for small companies is so low that it's not worth the effort.

So for me I see the electronic market as a way of keeping the hobby alive with new material coming out.  But I'm just as picky in my pdfs as I am with print books, I don't buy on impulse.

The POD market is something I don't know much about.  Except that RapidPOD is a terrible company to go through.

QuoteThe POD market is something I don't know much about. Except that RapidPOD is a terrible company to go through.

Lulu is pretty awesome.  So awesome in fact, that I don't see any reason any more to release solely through PDF.

It also seems that in-house printing is finally taking off. As in, you order a book, the publisher prints it for you--even specially tailored versions of it. That seems to be what Mongoose are gearing up for, and even ICE, a much smaller outfit, are apparently working with that.

How that could replace traditional distribution, I have no idea but would love to hear more about.

Quote from: Pierce InverarityWil, it's not always advisable to print out one's gaming accoutrements in one's work environment...

It is if everything falls apart if they fire you. I use the printer in our projects department, before they even get in in the morning.

Quote from: GunslingerI can vouch for this and you wondered where all your tax dollars went.  Thanks America!

My tax dollars don't pay for the laser printer at work. Of course, given the rather screwed up merit increases we went through this year I feel obligated to print a couple multi-hundred page PDFs just to feel well compensated.

pdf's are just criminally overpriced. If you're charging, what, £2 less for an electronic version, you're a terrible businessman.