A Cubicle with a View
I should add a proviso that this is the process as it works for us. Other publishers will have different methods and priorities, so there will be some variation from company to company.
Planning and preparation
It takes a while to get a game or supplement out. Even longer than you’d originally think. If you've kept track of RPG publisher release schedules over a period of time, you will generally see slippage. It's not just the known unknowns...
We start our planning by looking at each game line, and deciding what products we want to see for the game. This is a mix of our own feelings and interests, feedback from gamers and proposals from writers. Next we put the schedule together, setting deadlines and checking that we should have the money to pay for everything. We also have to check that the combined schedule (with all products factored in) will generate enough income to cover our fixed costs as well – salaries, rent etc.
Schedule sorted – that’s that, then
Well, no.
One thing that we always have to keep an eye on is cash flow – making sure that we’ve got enough money coming in at the right time to pay our costs as they are due. There are a huge number of variables here and the further into the future you plan, the less precise your predictions become. But what matters so far as the release schedule goes is that you have to minimise the time between paying out (writers, artists, print etc) and getting the money in from sales. This means that we have to time the production of a product very carefully – as close to the point of release as possible – so that we are not sitting for too long with our money tied up in unreleased products.
We sell most of our games to distributors, who then sell them on to retailers, who sell them to customers. In order to give the distributors enough time to market and sell our products, we need to confirm our releases four months in advance.
However, some of our production timetables are less than four months long. The writers are working on them before this, but editing/layout/print is comfortably about three months. So we need to confirm our releases before we’ve received the final manuscript. If we don’t do that, and wait for final delivery, our cash flow dries up, and we don’t have the money to invest in new products.
A late manuscript can quite easily result in a delayed release, as can any other interruption to the normal running of things. You can be ‘on track’ four months before release and then seriously delayed at the three-month stage.
More established companies might well have some cash available to be able to produce things earlier on and sit on them until the release date comes around (it’s something we aspire to), but many need to tread the line between maintaining a good cash flow and the risk of delays.
Some companies help to manage their cash flow by paying writers and artists upon publication of a product. We prefer to pay on acceptance of the manuscript – it seems fairer that way, and rewards writers who meet the deadline.
Forced marches
You can try to make up any lost time by accelerating editing and layout, but you need to be aware of the risks to quality that can come from this. You also need to make sure that everything you need in order to perform these tasks is to hand.
Covers and interiors and maps – oh my!
On a tight deadline, one thing I dread is coming to the end of an editing job and finding the line indicating that a map is required, that I didn’t spot previously.
It’s an embarrassing phone call to make, when you need that map done in 48 hours…
Thankfully we’ve got some fantastic artists and cartographers prepared to work evenings, but it’s an example of an easy oversight that can add a delay exactly when you don’t need it.
Glass half full
Although there are many reasons why delays can creep in, it’s not always the case, and many products make it out on time.
Building working relationships with writers and artists who regularly meet deadlines is one action that a publisher can take to help reduce the risk of delay. Developing accurate estimates for the length of time a task takes is another, and setting reasonable workloads helps too. It looks good on paper if employee X is delivering 6 books this month, but it falls down quickly when they crack up from the pressure…
Getting involved
The planning stage generally falls to Line Developers (or equivalent) and the people running the company. But if you aren’t one of those people, you can still contribute.
Talk to the company – online, at conventions, etc – about what you want to see. We are interested, even if we might not have a huge amount of time to chat. Or, if you are interested in writing, pitch an idea for a book. Again, we might not be able to run with it, but you never know. If you come across as eloquent, passionate and knowledgeable about our games, it could lead to involvement in another project.
Getting the work done
Next month, I’ll move onto the nuts and bolts of putting a game or supplement together ...
