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In lugnet.market.theory, Kerry Raymond writes:
>
> > > Perhaps an alternative is to publish on a CD-ROM, which is cheap to produce
> > > and distribute....
> >
> > And copy.
>
> True, it is easier to copy, but if someone is wanting to try out the idea of
> selling instructions for MOCs and doesn't want to make the large capital
> investment needed to get colour books printed, then CD-ROM would seem the way
> to go. Yes, you might lose some sales if people burn copies for their friends,
> but not as many sales as you will lose if you can't afford to get the books
> printed up-front in the first place. And, after all, you can photocopy/scan
> paper instructions too for your friends, although it's more effort/expense
> than burning a CD.
>
> Burning a CD at home each time you receive an order is a pretty low cash-flow
> business model. Of course, if you have a good colour printer, you could print
> a set of instructions at home for each order, but that is probably a lot more
> messing about than burning a CD-ROM. Also the cost of colour printer
> cartridges might make it not so cost effective.
Going the digital route is definitely less capital and time intensive.
Although everyone almost universally prefers print, as the producer of the
instructions you would have a tremendous amount of overhead both in terms of
time and money if you were to do it yourself. The other thing with print
is there is no middle ground. You either go small scale and print it at
home yourself or you go big and get it professionally printed.
> Either way, I'd recommend starting with a home-based solution to avoid the
> up-front costs, until it's clear that there is enough interest to warrant a
> more full-on approach.
Interest would have to be very great to offset the cost of 4-color printing.
At minimum you would probably want to sell at least a 1000. The less you
sell, the higher the price point of each individual book.
> I have no idea how much sets you guys in the Guild of Bricksmiths (tm)
> actually sell, but would it be worth the experiment of selling one set of
> instructions (especially for a set that you probably won't offer again due to
> lack of parts etc) on CD-ROM/paper just to see if it could be a profitable
> sideline?
I think I may be the first to offer instructions only, somebody else may
beat me to it at the rate I'm going :). One of the big advantages of
selling instructions only is it puts the product at a much more affordable
price point then a custom set and it also gives individuals the ability to
utilize their personal collections. It can definitely be worth your time if
the demand is there.
In my case I'll be producing the instructions on CD-rom, with full packaging
etc. For people who will be building off their computer I'm generating an
interface in a macromedia flash environment. And for people who want print,
a PDF printable versions will also be included. Of course I'll include
extras and additional materials as needed;ie stickers, transformation guides
etc.
Piracy is sadly a fact you would have to deal with going the digital route.
The way I'm handling this issue is if demand falls below a certain point or
I see my instrucions in a warez folder somewhere I'll cease development of
all future instructions. Nice huh? Let's see Microsoft do that! :)
I only have this option because I hate making instructions. So any excuse
not to make them would be great. But the demand is definitely there so I
produce. It's kinda funny because all my demand is coming from outside Lugnet.
sun
p.s. And just as a word of warning, building models in Ldraw is a piece of
cake(well not for mecha), it's the post production time that will drive you
nuts.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: YATA Selling MOC Instructions...
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| (...) True, it is easier to copy, but if someone is wanting to try out the idea of selling instructions for MOCs and doesn't want to make the large capital investment needed to get colour books printed, then CD-ROM would seem the way to go. Yes, (...) (23 years ago, 24-Jan-02, to lugnet.market.theory, lugnet.publish)
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