Monday, September 19, 2016

Now with fewer "Imperial Entanglements"

I have made some changes in the way that I will communicate/ share projects/ etc. going forward. This blog and the DungeonContest.com website will only contain information about dungeon contest related things/ products.

All Shattered Pike Studio projects that are not directly related to the One Page Dungeon Contest will live on a separate website once I build it.

G+ posts from the "Dungeon Contest" account will also be strictly limited to "Dungeon Contest" content. I have redesigned the Icon so that it does not include "Shattered Pike Studio"  I have also removed any posts referencing non-compendium related materials. This holds true for blog posts as well.

After taking over on the role of facilitator/ creator of compendiums I reskinned my website to accommodate the One Page Dungeon Contest, pushing all other projects to other pages aside from those annoying "fly in" cartoons I was experimenting with.

Anything I work on that is not related to DungeonContest.com is gone, and will soon live at Shatteredpikestudio.com, or shatteredpike.com once I put the site together.

I feel this is necessary, as the "waters" between what I make for my own profit ($159.64 for Waste-land Beasts and my share of The Unearthed Hack), and the One Page Dungeon Compendiums, which I do not profit from, were becoming murky at best.

The Compendiums (print and pdf editions) have generated $2,000.44 after OBS took their cut.
Money from Proof copies of print compendiums, print editions sent to judges, and now web hosting fees have been taken directly from this total. In April, before the contest ends, I will have to pay taxes on the prize fund as well. The total that remains will be split evenly, with half reserved for 2018.

I feel this is necessary as I won't be able to bank on sales from previous editions, as they have dropped off. Creating the earlier editions (2009-2012) will help, but every edition beyond 2015 has not sold very well compared to the later editions, so I do not want to count on getting a large "boost" from older edition sales for 2018.

The sales to date are as follows: (2016 and 2015 were available at pay what you want pricing for a longer than other titles, hence the larger number of copies sold.

2016 PDF Compendium: 2044 copies    $911.95 (($2.24 per PDF) almost half of all revenue)
2016 Print Edition                35 copies    $121.02

2015 PDF Compendium: 1050 copies    $434.43 (($2.42 per PDF) about half as well as 2016)
2015 Print Edition                25 copies    $ 77.88  

2014 PDF Compendium:   377 copies   $189.90  (($1.98 per PDF) about half as well as 2015)
2014 Print Edition               23 copies    $  65.47

2013 PDF Compendium:   250 copies   $143.34  (($1.74 per PDF) not as drastic, but still in decline)
2014 Print Edition                18 copies   $ 56.45

Total sales for September are 132 copies, down from 277 total copies sold in August. The existing books will generate some revenue over the months between now and April 2017, but I expect a steady decline and don't imagine the total to be great.

There were some sales made via Gumroad when I first started publishing the compendiums and had trouble getting them approved on OBS in a timely manner (as an unverified publisher), but Gumroad fees ate that money, and I had to delete the Gumroad account as a result.

I also think it is important that I address the "Spirit" of the contest, and how I do not wish to change it. This is your contest, not mine. It used to be mine, when I was a participant, but it is mine no more.
I'm not going to be a judge, so in the end my opinions don't amount to much anyway. As for my tips for a strong entry, well those are just my opinions, and half of my entries have "failed to impress" so take my advice with a grain of salt I suppose.

The One Page Dungeon Contest has always been a medium for members of the community to share ideas, and a showcase for creativity and creative problem solving. After authoring dozens of "one thing" posts in the past, I know that every entry has something to love. While there are several creators each year that are well known and publish their own works, many of us (myself included when I was a contestant) never get to see our names in print (or PDF). Sure the compendiums keep the contest self-sustaining, but they also give everyone a chance to share what they have made with their family and friends as part of the collected works of some of the most creative minds in the community. I personally always considered it an honor to be in this particular company, and I still do.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

One Page Dungeon Submission Guide

The Submission Guide for the One Page Dungeon Contest is now available as a free download on RPGNOW.

GET IT HERE

In addition to the contest rules I have added some resources, a playable sample dungeon, and a few tips that I think will make for a stronger entry.