page size questions
David Berg:
I've just ported my game text (still being revised) into Adobe InDesign to work on some presentation issues, and I figure it might save me some hassles down the road if I finalize a page size early on in my layout work.
I am tentatively planning to publish via Lulu at first, and then if I think I can sell more than a handful of copies, talk to another printer later to get better per-unit prices.
Lulu has a couple weird page size options I am considering:
"A5" - 5.833" x 8.264"
"royal" - 6.139" x 9.21"
"comic book" - 6.625" x 10.25"
Does anyone have any idea if these sizes would be problematic (or cost me more) when dealing with subsequent printers? I am not hugely opposed to doing the tried-and-true 6" x 9", but if there's no practical upside, it probably isn't my first choice.
I should also admit that I am largely ignorant of why an independent RPG publisher would pick one size over another besides "I just like the way it looks." Perspective on that front would also be appreciated!
Thanks,
-David
Eero Tuovinen:
This issue has many factors going into it, so there's not quick answer. For example, the reason I use A5 for the Finnish-language translated indie games we make is that A5 is a common size in Finland and familiar with Finnish printers, which makes it a bit cheaper than other options. These same factors wouldn't hold for you, however. Similarly I don't have to care about the rpg "standard size", as our publications are more likely to be found at a library or mainstream bookstore than a gaming store, considering how few of the latter there are in Finland.
Apart from that subjectivity there is the fact that a large reason for picking a particular book size is that you want to express the nature and use of your product with it: a small book is easy to transport and read everywhere, so it implies a product which you might want to read, but would not need to refer to so much during play. A large book might be large because it's easier to use for reference, or perhaps because it has pretty pictures and other aesthetic considerations on its side. A book might have a strange shape because it wants to just look different, or it might emulate some other form, like a comic book, in which case it makes sense to be the same size. My own zombie game, for example, is packed into a VHS cassette case exactly because the game purports to create movie-like zombie stories.
Your question about potentially problematic sizes for printers is a very good one. The standard answer is that a competent printer won't have any trouble with any size, which of course isn't that helpful if you happen to work with a non-competent one. Generally speaking, a small, cheap digital printer will prefer the standard sheet size, which in Finland is the A series; their cutting tools might not be very good, or their equipment might even be unable to print in other sizes. Of course, I couldn't tell you what are "standard" sizes for American printers, but I'd imagine that there would be some nigh-universal ones you'd expect anybody to be able to print. But apart from these potential problems with non-competent printers there shouldn't be much difference with different sizes; at most you'll have to pay slightly more for your book if the printer is forced to cut the pages with lots of paper loss because of the strange page size (which, as I mentioned above, is one reason for my sticking to A5 here in Finland).
If you have no particular preference for book size, I warmly recommend choosing some typical size. As a retailer I find it a bit annoying that often enough indie rpg sizes are all over the place, which makes stocking them a bit tricky. Pick some nice size that half a dozen other indies have already used, and the retailer will like you. (Not that I'd make my stocking decisions based on the book format, mind you.)
Clinton R. Nixon:
David,
The "comic book" size is not uncommon, and most printers have it as a standard option. (Games currently using this size include Sorcerer and With Great Power. As for the two European sizes, I don't have a lot of information on that, but Eero's post seems to be on the mark there.
- Clinton
Peter Nordstrand:
Yes, the A series is one of the most common formats. In fact, United States, Canada, and parts of Mexico, are the only industrialized nations in which the ISO standard paper sizes (to which the A series belong) are not widely used. Or so I'm told.
The standard size for letters in many (most?) parts of the world is A4, and the A5 is half of that. However, historically A5 has been an unusual size for printed books, for various (good) reasons. Simply put, the pages are wide and give a static impression, and they invite the use of too wide text rows (too long rows are hard to read), or font sizes that are too large to read comfortably.
I suggest that you don't use A5, but pick a format that has a greater width to height ratio. Oh, and while Eero is right about most things, don't choose book size based on what you think would make retailer's happy.
David Berg:
Eero, Clinton, Peter -- thanks! I'm leaning toward comic book size, but still pondering.
Quote from: Eero Tuovinen on February 25, 2008, 12:17:27 AM
a large reason for picking a particular book size is that you want to express the nature and use of your product with it
I have a very fuzzy idea of how this works -- at first glance, it seems hopelessly subjective to me. (Well, except for putting a movie-like game in a VHS box, that's just fucking brilliant.) I'd love to discuss this further.
Quote from: Eero Tuovinen on February 25, 2008, 12:17:27 AM
a small book is easy to transport and read everywhere, so it implies a product which you might want to read, but would not need to refer to so much during play. A large book might be large because it's easier to use for reference
That's interesting, my first thought was "portable = reference". Is your point that, when finding a look-up table or some such, it's easier to flip through 100 large pages than 200 small pages?
Quote from: Eero Tuovinen on February 25, 2008, 12:17:27 AM
or perhaps because it has pretty pictures and other aesthetic considerations on its side
I'm leaning large partly for the option of having a two-column page where (1) a reader-friendly (i.e. not too small) font size can wrap well in a half-page column and (2) pretty pictures can be big without needing to squeeze out all text.
I also plan to use some comic book panels from time to time in my play examples, so the comic book size might be apt in that respect. However, my game is "serious" as RPGs go, and I worry that consumers' "comic book" associations will predispose them against such seriousness. (Though maybe the "comics are just lighthearted kiddie fluff" attitude is finally nearing its overdue extinction...?)
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