China publishers? Who should I use?

I've frequented these forums enough to tell you that, although I've never published any of my own games (yet), there are a host of publishers around that have experience with this kind of thing. They've got distributor contacts, as well as sourcing groups, which can take away a lot of the headache associated with self-publishing. Most designers I've encountered advise heavily against going off to publish on your own: saying that it was a big investment of time and money that didn't really pan out. Perhaos you should look around some of the older posts on the forums about publisher lists: maybe you'll encounter one there that works for you.

For example, have you read this post?
http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-creation/publication/list-publishers-2014...

Also, if you're looking for a small scale production (1-5 units or so), have you taken a look at thegamecrafter.com? They're a fantastic resource for producing prototypes, and even getting started as a designer.

I self publish. It started with one game, now I've done 8 and at the end of this month, 6 more are due to land.

They all follow a similar production style. All custom dice, custom dice bag and instructions. I've used a couple of small factories in China, one for dice, another for bags, and now have moved over to a larger Chinese games manufacturer, Ningbo Lijia, who will do all components and package etc.

I've read a lot on the subject of dealing with China and I've lived there for 9 years so I have enough experience to comment on the matter first hand.

Firstly, self publishing at a market entry price is possible without breaking the bank. I often wonder why small designers don't at least give it a try rather than trying to find a publisher. For most of us, we want to make some money right?

The larger factories will have a higher MOQ but you should contact a few. Some will be willing to do a run of 500 copies.

The negotiating side of things may frustrate you as this takes a fair bit of back and forth and as mentioned by other posters, time. All of this process gives you a great crash course in everything you didn't know or think of involved in making your game. It's well worth the first time effort, whether the result is good or bad, as the next game you plan to do, you'll be better prepared and know how/what to streamline or improve etc.

Don't be concerned with English levels. All factories have dedicated English speaking sales staff that communicate well via email. Patience and clear direction on what you want will help this process. In fact, on this point, be happy you're dealing with someone who has studied English well and knows about game production. Unless your Mandarin is better :)

Product quality is good (enough) for what you need starting out. By this I mean if you are wanting the lowest price and shortest run of games, the quality will be that. If you pay top dollar, you will get a top quality product, just like the big brands receive using these manufacturers in China. Use the forums here to know what material you want or need. Dice for example, using different material like resin or acrylic will vary in price and how you want to print (engrave or silk screen) on them will differ in result as well. There will be 'set up' costs as well so be prepared for your budget to expand a bit.

I suggest checking out these options
http://www.cnlijia.com.cn/ - I'm currently using these guys and service has been prompt and professional. I have 6000 games being produced as I type this.

http://www.wingogames.com/ - I've spoken to the owner, Leon Lau about doing some graphic design work for them. Very nice and always on Skype

http://www.longbright.com/en/jj.htm - the first factory I used and was with them for 4 years (still have our injection mould there). A little smaller and mainly dice experts.

I have more contacts for other manufacturers too. Getting quotes from 3 or 4 places will give you a good idea of the market price for each item you may need.

Now.....all of that aside, marketing and distribution of your game is a whole different kettle of fish. I can only comment on my own experience and should say....making the game was the easy part!

Start with a simple website with PayPal functionality and Facebook page. Know that a distributor will want your wholesale price less 30% but don't rely on them to do much.

Hit the streets and approach shops that may take a few games to sell as a trial. Prepare for a lot of NOT INTERESTED, thanks, but keep going until you at least get 1 to take a few games. This is a small success that you can arm yourself with on the next day so you say you're already stocked by other local businesses.

I've not done any tradeshows yet, so I can't comment on if/how effective that is.

Finally...if you can do this you'll be on your way to being a full time independent designer/publisher. I've been very fortunate to have started like this and we've ticked over 20,000+ games sold and counting!

I say go for it!

Let me know if you need any assistance