ww2steel Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 I'm almost done with my Panther Ops manual. I logged 905 miles in the mobility tests today I finally got that section done! A handful of tests with enemy AT guns and the differences section and it'll be ready! I'm going to see how much the hard copies are to have professionally printed which will almost completely determine the sale price. The question, what manual should I do next? I was thinking of the SU-122. I really like this vehicle for some unknown reason. Anybody particularly want anything different? Mike 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 A word to the wise--don't go too much out of pocket for printing lots of copies. You've got to remember that you're producing a niche product for a niche game. You also might want to publish a pdf version, which might be attractive to some users. As you're probably aware, there are also print-on-demand options which would allow you to print individual copies as they are ordered. Don't mean to discourage you--I will definitely buy one (ahem, depending on the price)--but I would not plan on selling too many. As for next vehicles, I would definitely do one of the Soviet work-horses: your SU-122, T34/85, or T34/76. But to maximize sales, you should probably pick another of the sexy German vehicles--Tiger, Jagdpanther, Stug, etc. because most players seem to like them best. Best of luck! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2steel Posted July 10, 2006 Author Share Posted July 10, 2006 Yeah, the "Meow Mix" will certainly attract sales better than a manual on an SU-76 or something. I like the PDF idea, except that it allows for easy (free/ illegal) distribution of something that I've put many many many hours into. The sale price will only be a few bucks over the price to do a nice color printing (for the graphs and screenshots) of a 25+- page manual. I don't think it should cost too much. You have any idea? Mike 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Frankly, under the best of circumstances I would not plan on making any significant amount of money on your manual, so I'm not sure if I would worry about illegal/free distribution of a pdf copy. In fact, I think the wider the distribution the better, because if people like the pdf version they might be more inclined to buy a printed version. And I strongly advise against printing hundreds of the things--I think print-on-demand would make the most sense--while this is more expensive per booklet than a large print run, you don't go out of pocket until you've got an order, so you can't lose much money either. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juan_gigante Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I'd recommend T-34/85 for your next manual - classic, common tank. I think that, in all fairness, it really should be a Russian, and the T-34/85 is the classic Russian tank, I think. Plus, it is a good counterpart for the Panther. And if it means anything, I'd much, much rather buy a PDF and get it within a day or so than wait to have a printed version printed and shipped. That would make it cheaper to produce, and consumers could get it quicker and easier. Honestly, anyone who is dedicated enough to actually buy a "Tank Usage Manual" for CM:BB is probably dedicated enough to not illegally share it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2steel Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 Yes, you guys are right. I can get it out to way more people, and much easier in a PDF format. I also agree that most people on here won't scam me over a $5 pdf just on principle. I would only print on demand. I think you are probably right, maybe a pdf should be primary. (I need to figure out how hard that is to convert from a .doc file.) I would certainly also offer a color, hard copy as well. The .pdf file would make distribution of 'updates' very simple. These updates would come out as new info is found out through other tests that are relevant to an existing manual. T-34/85 huh? Perhaps. That would be an obvious first Soviet vehicle. Mike 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joachim Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Shipping and handling will add 5$ or more for a printed version - plus some tax for several countries. So you either get 5$ for sending an email (convenient) or 5$ plus cost of printing plus S&H plus tax plus some time handling these issues. Guess you'll see more legal buyers at 5$ than with 15$. There are pirates, of course - but they can as well get their hands on a scanned version of your work. IMHO piracy is best fought if you offer real bang for the buck. Just look at the guys here. I'd even spend money on getting a replacement CD for CM - but I dunno when I bought the last music CD (at 15€ = 18$). (Nope, don't pirate music either - I just don't buy something that I have to copy so it does run in my car CD player if I am not allowed to copy it) Gruß Joachim 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2steel Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 Yes, you guys all have good points. Electronic is certainly the primary media to use. Mike 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tar Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 (I need to figure out how hard that is to convert from a .doc file.) Depends a bit on your platform. If you are on a Mac, the print dialogs have options to save as PDF right out of the box. On a PC, it's a bit trickier. Adobe Acrobat is one method, but there are likely to also be some free methods. Unfortunately, I don't normally use Windows, so I can't give exact advice, but a Google search should turn up something. In any event, I bet you could find someone with a Mac willing to do the conversion for you. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonm Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 ww2steel, I’d be happy to do the conversion for you. I have Adobe Acrobat Professional which lets you make PDF’s and can provide security and other features as well. As for distribution why not have a look here: Take Control These guys publish a host of PDF formatted publications for a modest fee and they maybe able to give you some insight into how to set it up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George MC Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Originally posted by ww2steel: Yes, you guys all have good points. Electronic is certainly the primary media to use. Mike check out this it's a freebie PDF brewer - works within word if you are using that. Not sure about Macs. Look forward to it Cheers fur noo George 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww2steel Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 Thanks a lot guys! I'll look forward to checking on this stuff tomorrow when my brain is actually functional! Mike 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.