Low Inventory Warning for Older Conan RPG Books

[Strom]

I know everyone may not visit the General Discussions Forum regularly so I thought I would post Matt Sprange's warning about low inventory for the following Conan RPG books (plus others):

Hi guys,

The following books have very low stocks and, once gone, will not be re-printed in the same format again (if the informtaion reappears, it will be in very different books).

Across Thunder River
Free Companies
Tito's Trading Post
Minbari Federation Fact Book
Ships of the Galaxy
Babylon 5 GM's Screen

Get them while you can - once they are gone, they are gone!

Here's the link:


http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=36970

 

[warzen]

I'm sorry to be that rude but how can they be so stupid !!??

Out of print regional setting is the way to support the Conan line ?
Another reprint fest in a "secret of thunder river 2nd edition" !!??

I just can't find what is the logic behind these choices...
May be the license is nearing its end and the last few bucks need to be "milked".

W.

 

[Ichabod]

I somehow doubt that choices drove their inventory levels. Sure, there were choices of how many to print to begin with, but how they sold compared to forecast would determine their remaining inventory.

As for not doing another print run, given that the industry seems to be slowly moving toward .pdfs or some sort of ebook, it's not likely to be tremendously difficult to get ahold of the info even should there be something missing in secondary markets.

At Gen Con Indy this year, you could get many copies of Hyboria's Fallen or Shem for $2 a piece. Overages have a substantial impact on profitability, so I'd guess they'd be happier that they are running low on something.

 

[warzen]

If they don't want to reprint a large batch (something I can perfectly understand), at least they should strike a deal with lulu so that we can print them on demand.

W.

 

[The King]

They'll still be available on drivethru so where is the problem?

Even the biggest company can't afford to maintain a stock of 25-30 different books for long. That was also the case with TSR and Wizards of the coast.

 

[andysyk]

Any of the other books getting low as well?; just so I can make a purchasing plan.

Were they new copies of Shem and Fallen for $2 each?

 

[Ichabod]

Any of the other books getting low as well?; just so I can make a purchasing plan.

Were they new copies of Shem and Fallen for $2 each?

Yes. Looked to be over 50 of each.

 

[andysyk]

I wish I could find them that cheap in the UK :shock:

 

[Hervé]

Get Across The Thunder River as soon as you can, you'll regret it when it's gone...

 

[MGBM]

Get Across The Thunder River as soon as you can, you'll regret it when it's gone...

Seconded. Brilliant sourcebook.

 

[cbrunish]

Fortunatly I have all of these items. And I have to concure Across the Thunder River was an excellent supplement. But whats with all the e-books? I personally perfer paper and print in my hands. And what I save in purchasing an e-book does not cover the cost in wear and tear on my printer, plus paper and ink. NO E-BOOKS!!!

 

[The King]

I also prefer printed that e-books but when one doesn't have the choice...
Moreover once your printed books are badly used or damaged you can't print them anew.

Many books are printed B/W and laser printer are quite cheap and you can print only what interests you.
The only problem is that e-books aren't particularly printer-friendly.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Even the biggest company can't afford to maintain a stock of 25-30 different books for long. That was also the case with TSR and Wizards of the coast.

Indeed - at one point, during the D20 days, we had nearly $2million of books in stock. None particularly over-printed, but multiple titles tend to add up very quickly!

 

[warzen]

Even the biggest company can't afford to maintain a stock of 25-30 different books for long. That was also the case with TSR and Wizards of the coast.

Indeed - at one point, during the D20 days, we had nearly $2million of books in stock. None particularly over-printed, but multiple titles tend to add up very quickly!

And that's why, IMHO, a profesionnal print on demand (like lulu) is a nice solution between "out of stock" and "millions $ of stock".

W.

 

[The King]

Even the biggest company can't afford to maintain a stock of 25-30 different books for long. That was also the case with TSR and Wizards of the coast.

Indeed - at one point, during the D20 days, we had nearly $2million of books in stock. None particularly over-printed, but multiple titles tend to add up very quickly!

:shock: This means ca. 100'000 books and the corresponding space to stock them for a while which, I suppose, raises considerably the cost of the product.

 

[MongooseMatt]

:shock: This means ca. 100'000 books and the corresponding space to stock them for a while which, I suppose, raises considerably the cost of the product.

You are presuming I meant retail price

 

[The King]

:shock: This means ca. 100'000 books and the corresponding space to stock them for a while which, I suppose, raises considerably the cost of the product.

You are presuming I meant retail price

Yes I did; That means you had more books than that?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Yes I did; That means you had more books than that?

Under the Old System, we had something over 300 different titles, all of which sold enough copies every month to pretty much justify their existence - we tended to print enough books to last 3-5 years. All well and good, but with new books being added every month, this soon meant we were taking up some serious real estate. Individually, the stock of each book was justifiable, but taken altogether they were fearsome.

Once you get to a certain size, stock control maketh the publisher.

 

[Hervé]

msprange wrote:

Once you get to a certain size, stock control maketh the publisher.

Indeed! It's true even for smaller LGS like mine! :wink: