Comrades!
Whatever the rights and wrongs of whether Issaries 'should'
be doing it (and here I am sadly sitting on the fence: Prax
is a wonderfully rich environment with which to woo new
players, but re-releases, however framed, are not as sexy
as all-new), they're not going to produce a Praxpak (much
less the multi-volume cycle some people are now talking
about) in the foreseeable future. So, fan publication is
the only way it will appear. Fortunately, there's an
inspiring amount of enthusiasm on the list. Also, as
publications and websites show, there is also the ability
to put together attractive, readable and professional
material, proving that 'fannish' need only mean amateur in
the best sense of the word.
Having been involved in editing and publishing (though not
in the gaming field), let me just make a few observations
as regards the idea of publishing a hard-copy volume (as
opposed to the much easier web-version). I hope no one
feels I am pontificating from on high, much less trying to
stifle any of that enthusiasm, but I know from my own
experience how important it is to build on the firmest of
foundations.
- Aim at the first instance on a single book. Sure,
this may take off, there could be a cycle of Praxbooks and,
who knows, perhaps the Unauthorised Guide to the Red Lunar
Empire, Grazepak, whatever. But to make an impact on the
market, aim at a single, self-contained work and do it well.
- Establish the basis on which it is to be published.
Maybe an imprint, Moon Design or an equivalent. And do it
with the blessing of Issaries, even if it is clearly noted
that this is unofficial and may be contradicted by official
Issaries canon. This might well involve a contract with
Issaries offering a share of the profits if it takes off.
In other words, the fans take the risk, and the first cut
of any profit, but should it bring in four figures, then
Issaries are due a cut for their IPR.
- After all, Issaries is - despite everything - on
our side. We may squabble about exactly *which* Glorantha
we are promoting, but we all gain from a vibrant and
expanding base of players. And while fans can keep the
flame burning, any major expansion will depend on Issaries.
Fan publications can thus support Issaries' own output
without, as Alex Ferguson put it (25 May), tying up a wave
of books on re-exploration (OK, he said 'rehash', but it's
been made clear that this would be more than just a
cut-and-paste collation of CoP, etc). Rick Meints
suggested (24 May) that 6 publications a year is the bare
minimum to keep the HW momentum going as 12 ideal. From a
marketing point of view, I agree completely - but I'd be
(very pleasantly) surprised if Issaries could sustain that
sort of a production rate. So such fannish publications
help make up the numbers.
- There shouldn't be any expectation that Issaries
will do anything to promote or distribute the product. It
may well do so, even if only as a link on their website,
but serious sales should not depend on it. Get an ISBN
(the first one is free!) so that shops have something to
order it by and make sure that as well as the fun stuff
(writing, etc), someone is going to handle marketing, even
if only to email distributors and shops.
- Go for the worst-case estimate on time the project
will take. Then double it. You may have to do the same
with costs.
- Editing a collaborative venture, especially when it
is not produced by suitably-paid authors who can just be
told 'I pay the money, I own your text', *can* be exciting
and life-affirming. More often it is time-consuming,
rancorous and deeply political. Make sure your editor has
the authority the job needs, as well as the technical
ability, and support him/her!
I hope all this doesn't sound too negative - it's just
always worth considering worst cases before embarking on a
major project. I think the Praxpak a wonderful idea, and
another excellent example of just how motivated and
adventurous Glorantha's explorers are, and I wish you all
the very best of luck!
Mark
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #679