Can someone in the know tell me what writers get paid to write RPG's.. I know its not much but a general idea would be good.. 4-6cents a word?

Brette:)

lets say rulebook/supp..

How many words can you fit on a page.. (just so I can estimate how big something will be with say 100,000 words)

Brette:)

I saw this in a TV Commercial.
They get paid in Gum...

Yeah it is not much.  In my case I also got 5 copies of the book which was cool.

ShaneG.

I was going to say "diddly-squat", but you guys are so much more diplomatic!!  

cgould42 wrote:Robert J. Schwalb, a prolific writer for RPGs created an insightful blog post on this very subject. As you may be able to tell from the title it is not very uplifting

Crapping on Your Dream: Freelancing 101
http://www.robertjschwalb.com/2011/06/c ... ncing-101/

Cheers,
Curt

Ain't it the truth.

I spent about 15 years (from when I was 12 until a few years after I left grad school) dreaming of some day being able to break into SF writing. Even had a few stories rejected by the likes of F&SF and Amazing Stories. I even felt badly about myself for having a decent-paying IT job and not trying too hard to write anymore. When I finally realized the stultifying drudgery involved, and how little writing pays, I started feeling better. Like Harlan Ellison said, "Writing SF stories is a job of work. Like ditch digging."

Sounds like game design is even worse, unless you get spectacularly lucky.

When I was in high school a friend of mine's father was a professional writer. I remember one time he was called on a Wednesday to do a rush job on a movie novelization. They mailed him the script. He told them he'd send them his manuscript on Monday. He went to his study, door open, and just started typing. Sunday he was done. Monday he mailed out the manuscript.

This guy was a pro. He wasn't famous but he made a living writing. He and Asimov competed with each other over how many books they had published. His advice to writers was to just sit down and write and keep writing. If you want to be published find out what the editor/publisher is looking for and keep sending in material.

Times have changed. Skip the publisher and just start writing adventures and self-publish, or for fiction, go right to kindle. Every author I've met seems to say about the same thing, just keep on creating and writing, listen to the guy paying you money, if you are lucky to find a publisher or employer, but just keep writing.

For myself, the few times I've been published it has always been someone contacting me to do some work or wanting to buy work that I've already done. I've done work for free, for .5c a word, for merchandise, for $60 a page. I haven't tried the kindle/ebook route, but the percentage you make is huge compared to print publication. With all the bookstore chains collapsing hopefully ebooks will be the way of the future.

What percentage do the print on demand places take? It looks a lot simpler than trying to get an adventure, rulebook or sourcebook printed yourself, or trying to find a game publisher who would want to publish or hire you.

$0.07 per word writing web articles for wizards.com from about 2005-2008 or so.

mbassoc2003 wrote:I wonder who has the rights to the Harry Petter RPG.

The State penitentiary.