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Distributor or Publisher???

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questccg
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Joined: 04/16/2011

Hi all,

I have a bit of a dilemma about which is the one that I need. In a recent post with larienna, he suggested that what I would need would be a *distributor* to sell copies of my game to brick and mortar game stores.

BUT the problem is that I need someone to *market* and publicize my game also...

Correct me if I am wrong (my thinking):

-Since I need marketing and promotion of my game, I could self-publish a game using TGC or other service after running a successful Kickstarter in order to finance the artwork for my game.
-Once I get contributors their copies of the game, the next step would be to see a publisher and tell them: "Hey I have this game - it's completed and done - do you want to market and distribute the game?" And then all they would need to do is stick a sticker saying: "Published by ..."

They would obviously take care of marketing the game and making sure some distributor sells the game to game stores around the USA.

Is my thinking any good??? Does this seem like a reasonable way to make a game?

lewpuls
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You publish, someone else

You publish, someone else takes care of the rest? It's a form of "fulfillment." Talk with Gamesalute (there are likely others).

questccg
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Fulfillment + Distribution + Marketing?

lewpuls wrote:
You publish, someone else takes care of the rest? It's a form of "fulfillment." Talk with Gamesalute (there are likely others).

Thanks for the clarification... I'll try Gamesalute. I will most probably contact a couple of game sales companies that might also be interesting in a "fulfillment" scenario. A little bit of marketing could also be good... since I do not have the capacity to market the product.

Does Gamesalute also perform marketing or is that something I should discuss with them? Like combo fulfillment + distribution + marketing...?

hotsoup
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This article by Sit Down and

This article by Sit Down and Shut Up would probably be helpful for you.

http://susd.pretend-money.com/blog/2013/6/20/game-salute/

questccg
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Not exactly what I was expecting

hotsoup wrote:
This article by Sit Down and Shut Up would probably be helpful for you.

http://susd.pretend-money.com/blog/2013/6/20/game-salute/

Man after reading that article, I'm depressed... I think I should find another publisher. And when I mean *Publisher*, I mean PUBLISHER. I'd rather get 7% from a publisher that handles marketing also, then from some quasi-distributor that wants things like a barcode, choking warnings, CE logos, etc.

Just having barcodes for a year costs $150. It's a process that takes time - you need to deal with the company responsible for barcodes, they need to process your request, you need to send them the $150 per year, etc. It's a detail as a DESIGNER, I am NOT INTERESTED in handling.

What I will do is jointly create the artwork of the game. If things need to be added to the box, well that means I will provide the publisher with my PDFs (artwork and all) and let them ADD what is missing (in their court - not mine).

Because the artwork would be fulfilled with a good Kickstarter campaign, there is really no loss anywhere. My time perhaps, but that I can get back from the 7% the publisher will pay me... It isn't much however it's to ensure my game gets publishers (out there) and word of the game spreads.

So I still think my best bet is to hit up a publisher with a near-complete game and see if they want to take it on!

LostCarcosa
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Joined: 05/28/2013
Hi Quest, I'm in a similar

Hi Quest, I'm in a similar position right now so please keep us updated on your progress and decision-making.

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