A bit more of a detailed update than the one below, since I'm sure some folks are wondering what's going on, or if I'm going to let this grand experiment die off.
Elf Lair is (mostly) a one-man operation. Tim gives his input, thoughts, and advice as he can, but he's a busy guy with a lot of expenses of his own (both financial and time-related). I have to call on volunteers to help me edit and proof documents, and that generally isn't conducive to cutting down typos and errors as much as they could be cut down.
Add to that the fact that I'm working on a novel (with interest from a potential publisher), a major freelance project, and gearing up to start grad school in the fall...and the grind has worn down on me.
I'm not saying I'm quitting. Far from it. What I am saying is that Elf Lair has suffered from its inception from inefficiency that needs to be eliminated. I wrote S&S on a whim, from early experimentation with using Chainmail as a basis for role playing. When it was complete I figured some people might be interested so I threw it up for sale. Never expected that a year later I'd be nearing 500 units sold by nothing more than word of mouth and a few postings on message boards!
That many sales means we have a solid fan base, and you guys deserve to have the best delivered to you, by a properly run organization. Until now I have admittedly been haphazard with things, making corrections as I go and letting certain things slide. That needs to stop. Sure, Lulu is conducive to that, but just because you can do something doesn't mean it's the best way to go about it.
So what does all this mean?
What has been going on behind the scenes is a lot of thinking and re-organizing. I'm recharging my batteries and clearing off my plate so that I can sit down and decide exactly how Elf Lair needs to be run. I may look for investors so I can provide you all with high-quality, professionally printed product in distribution. I also desperately want to move away from Lulu. I understand OBS is gearing up (at last) to get their PoD service up and running; I'll be watching that development closely.
Elf Lair Games may have started on a lark, but it's starting to take on a life of its own. I see that as a great thing, and I want to do right by the people who have supported us. So I need to recharge my own batteries and see what I need to do, to give us a place in the industry as a real player. I can only fly by the seat of my pants for so long before I have to step off and work it out; otherwise everything's going to fall apart. And none of us want that.
So I hope you all understand that and will keep watching, playing, posting, and supporting Elf Lair as it moves forward. Thanks again, everyone.
Elf Lair is (mostly) a one-man operation. Tim gives his input, thoughts, and advice as he can, but he's a busy guy with a lot of expenses of his own (both financial and time-related). I have to call on volunteers to help me edit and proof documents, and that generally isn't conducive to cutting down typos and errors as much as they could be cut down.
Add to that the fact that I'm working on a novel (with interest from a potential publisher), a major freelance project, and gearing up to start grad school in the fall...and the grind has worn down on me.
I'm not saying I'm quitting. Far from it. What I am saying is that Elf Lair has suffered from its inception from inefficiency that needs to be eliminated. I wrote S&S on a whim, from early experimentation with using Chainmail as a basis for role playing. When it was complete I figured some people might be interested so I threw it up for sale. Never expected that a year later I'd be nearing 500 units sold by nothing more than word of mouth and a few postings on message boards!
That many sales means we have a solid fan base, and you guys deserve to have the best delivered to you, by a properly run organization. Until now I have admittedly been haphazard with things, making corrections as I go and letting certain things slide. That needs to stop. Sure, Lulu is conducive to that, but just because you can do something doesn't mean it's the best way to go about it.
So what does all this mean?
What has been going on behind the scenes is a lot of thinking and re-organizing. I'm recharging my batteries and clearing off my plate so that I can sit down and decide exactly how Elf Lair needs to be run. I may look for investors so I can provide you all with high-quality, professionally printed product in distribution. I also desperately want to move away from Lulu. I understand OBS is gearing up (at last) to get their PoD service up and running; I'll be watching that development closely.
Elf Lair Games may have started on a lark, but it's starting to take on a life of its own. I see that as a great thing, and I want to do right by the people who have supported us. So I need to recharge my own batteries and see what I need to do, to give us a place in the industry as a real player. I can only fly by the seat of my pants for so long before I have to step off and work it out; otherwise everything's going to fall apart. And none of us want that.
So I hope you all understand that and will keep watching, playing, posting, and supporting Elf Lair as it moves forward. Thanks again, everyone.
"a year later I'd be nearing 500 units sold"
ReplyDeleteWow! That is an impressive number. :)
When I brought up some product issues on your forum, I was worried that you had mistaken customer feedback for personal criticism. Sounds like I had nothing to worry about and you're making some good decisions for ELG. S&S is a great game and deserves to go forward in strength as one of the pillars of the OSR.
ReplyDelete