GURPS PDFs 40% off
The last time they had a sale was 23% off. This one is pretty amazing. Now, this also means my royalties will be 40% less, but even so, if you'd like to support this blog and the game I write for, here are my books up on Warehouse 23:
Peter Dell'Orto's GURPS publications
$3.59 for Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 3. $4.79 for Henchmen. Ninja, only $2.99 apiece!
Even Martial Arts is only $16.79 in PDF, and the Basic Set only $32.94.
The sale runs until 12/15, so move your Wish List to your shopping cart and get going.
Also, hardcopies for some in-demand books exist now:
You can get Ultra-Tech, Magic, and Thaumatology in softcover from CreateSpace.
Why not Martial Arts?
I don't know. Come on SJG, my book has been OOP for a long time and sells steadily in PDF, print it again . . . even I'd like another hardcopy.
I hope that the new dead-tree editions are sufficiently successful that they not only bring other books back into print but also put some of the PDF volumes into print for the first time. I've got as complete a collection as I care to have of hardcovers, but I would probably shell out for physical copies of, say, the Action series or some of the more commonly used DF books.
ReplyDeleteI've printed enough copies of them to say, yes, I would do so, too.
DeleteI'd probably prefer them to go the box set route for the appropriate PDFs. Though I imagine Action would require picking a mode (eg mercs or cops) so it would be a somewhat different.
DeleteAs much as I appreciate the soft cover offerings, I'd love to lay hands on hard covers of Power, Thaumatology and Martial Arts. That would round out my collection of "essentials"
ReplyDeleteMy big concern here is that future softcovers will depend on whether these sell or not. I'm not sure what the "cost" to SJG is for keeping things in POD stores - it should be generating a sale they wouldn't get otherwise. But I'll admit I have no real idea.
DeleteStill, hopefully these do well and my book comes back accessible in print.
Not sure how the one they're using works, but if I sell into DriveThruRPG, they give me a royalty on each sale of roughly 2/3 the cover price, and handle shipping (which is, of course, extra).
Delete@Peter: I currently sell through CreateSpace (and know a few people who are more prolific than I am). The only "costs" (and they are not monetary*, but only in time and layout) are setup ones, and they are all upfront. SJG could put everything they have on CreateSpace and everything after that would be income.
Delete*Excepting, of course, costs at the creator's end. CreateSpace charges nothing other than a portion of the product price. I suppose that the question is how quickly the "long-tail" sales can recoup the setup costs on SJG's end for art, layout, etc. I'm also unsure of the legal issues, such as if setting up a POD counts simply as a new printing or if it requires a new contract (I doubt that the latter is the case, but I am not a lawyer; certainly, the existence of PDFs of the Classic GURPS line would indicate that it shouldn't be a problem).
@Douglas: Yeah, CreateSpace is more or less the same, though the specific royalty scheme varies of course.
*sigh* That "royalty scheme" link should be to https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/Royalties.jsp
DeleteI was thinking more of the costs in terms of fulfilling royalties to authors, potential costs in PDFs, as well as cost of staff time. I don't know their internal costs and operations so I don't know what costs they see.
DeleteIndeed it would be really nice to see the Martial Arts book included there.
DeleteMartial Arts is seriously an overly good value book.
ReplyDeleteIf it came out now the weapons would probably be hived off to Lowtech (which would be ok by me), but also probably the cinematic and realistic options would be split and the creating new techniques would be its own PDF.
Thanks. I hope it gets the softcover treatment.
DeleteActually, it needed weapons - there are non-low tech weapons that wouldn't be in Low-Tech, and weapons that aren't in Basic Set that directly apply to martial arts styles in the book. If it came out now, it wouldn't look all that much different. It's not like we didn't know Low-Tech was going to be done.
I'm pleased to see that SJG seems to be starting to realize that the lack of print books has been hurting them. I hope that it isn't too little too late.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I see your point. What in particular do you think is the problem with lack of print books and how do you think this particular solution (Amazon BW) solves it?
DeleteI'm not certain what you mean by "Amazon BW" and Google doesn't help, but given the context I'll presume that you mean CreateSpace POD books, since it is an Amazon company. If that's an error, please let me know.
DeleteI know several people who refuse to pay significant money (more than two or three bucks) for electronic files, and they quit playing GURPS after SJG decided to go the nearly pure electronic route. In addition, lacking a consistently available print option, GURPS books have less presence on FLGS shelves and such stores therefore have little interest in promoting the game to their customers. CreateSpace books can be ordered through normal distribution channels, making them much more accessible again. In addition, getting in-print books on Amazon can only help minimize the profiteers who block entry for new players by charging outrageous prices for out-of-print books.
I've been harping on this subject for years to anyone who will listen, while watching interest in GURPS waning among gamers I see. Maybe this, along with Dungeon Fantasy and the new Discworld, can reverse that trend.
Ahh I didn't know retailers could order from there.
DeleteThough I'd question why order through a retailer while Amazon free delivery exists. Though it's an option at least. And a retailer and then customer could get an extra three books instead of just the new ones.
There is at least one mail order catalogue in Australia that seems to have done well with GURPS that I imagine would get copies of in print books to sell if they could.
I'm happy for financial success of GURPS, but all I want is GURPS games. Id swipe my credit card for $9.99 a month for that. To some extent that means buying DFRPG (I have more GURPS books already than I will ever use in an actual game). On another axis it means buying peripherals like maps, snacks and miniatures that SJ Games doesn't sell, but will make players enjoy the game more. It also means for me electronic apps that make it easier to run GURPS games new GCA please!
I think the Discworld RPG would probably make a good physical gift for someone new to GURPS. I actually suggest people who want to support GURPS buying it as a donation to a library (make sure they'll take it first!) There are now almost weekly RPG sessions at librarys in Sydney. Perhaps I should budget some of my $9.99 to that if Discworld RPG stays in print.
There is someone complaining that there is NO retailer option. So I'm not sure that we will be seeing these books in at least one retailer if not others. So I'm not sure who has the wrong end of the stick, but that would imply these don't solve all your issues.
DeleteI'm fairly certain that most established distributors are already on the CreateSpace list, but an individual retailer can also sign up with CreateSpace Direct to get wholesale discounts. People complaining don't know what they are talking about, apparently.
Delete"People complaining don't know what they are talking about, apparently."
DeleteThat happens sometimes on the internet, yes.
Alternatively by complaining in a constructive way they've encouraged other to correct them. If theyd said nothing like every other retailer we wouldn't even know it was an issue for him/her.
Delete@Unachimba: Sure, but the correction would be "learn to use Google", since I found the direct link to the CreateSpace Direct program by searching "createspace retailers", and it was the second result (the first is for publishers getting their books into the retail chain of distribution - it isn't difficult, but there are some restrictions such as no off-size books). Admittedly, I already knew it existed and was just looking for the link more quickly than flipping through the site, but that's not a difficult search string to come up with if inquiring.
Delete@Peter: And I know that I've been one of them in the past (and no doubt will be again in the future), such as my not knowing about the work that you and others had already done for "official" low-point DF, in Henchmen mainly. In my defense, there's not really any way I could have known that, as the information is not included explicitly in the product descriptions, and there weren't any high-profile discussions mentioning that which came up in a Google search (I forget what my parameters were), though I did find the fan-produced low-point DF stuff.
Delete'learn to use google' as advice is not going to get anyone to do anything, except perhaps use Google... Maybe. Rather answering their question (as people here have 100% done constructively without problem) is about the best thing to do.
DeleteWe are literally trying to increase GURPS sales by one or two in each region. Putting up with 'dumb' questions is necessary.
@Unachimba: You're right, of course. Please excuse my venting.
DeleteIf there is a way to make what's already out there more obvious, I'd like to hear it. I'm glad you finally found DF15 even if it wasn't obvious it was out there. I try to write a lot of material, but making sure it's in front of the people who are looking for that material isn't easy.
Delete@Peter: As I've said before, the ship has already sailed on the best way (and I've gotten the idea that Sean Punch's position is negative on the approach), which was to offer "zero to hero" as the DF default with options presented to increase the starting power level. Given that situation, though, it might help to not bill DF15 as being just for "the help" ("My People Will Handle It" is the lead-off? The supplement is about roles that "delvers need filled yet deem beneath them"? None of the intro copy sounds remotely like it's for PCs), and focusing more attention on that last footnote at almost the very end of the product description, "…or kick off your Dungeon Fantasy campaign at a lower power level…". I mean, there is the bullet point on "adapting such roles for PCs", I suppose, but that's weak sauce for what I would say is the most important value of the supplement.
DeleteYeah, that ship has sailed, and neither of the authors was interested in pushing the approach that you are asking for. I was thinking more, "How do I make sure people looking for X, Y, and Z know that books with X, Y, and Z are out there?"
Delete@Peter: I'm not sure what to say other than "change the description copy so that it showcases X, Y, and Z instead of obscuring them". Other than that, it's a matter of repeated one-on-one education, as you did for me.
DeleteSadly, I have exactly zero influence on the ad copy.
Delete