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Specifically, how an RPG book gets made from initial idea to the printed product being sold to and delivered to customers. And balancing that process with multiple books in flight in various stages. To quote Matt from an earlier interview about Mongoose Publishing (roleplaying games): “…you can explore space and alien worlds in Traveller, get your friends executed and avoid the traitors of Alpha Complex in Paranoia, sail a galley in Sea of Thieves, and fight against the gods in Shield Maidens.”
Charlie Dunwoody (CD): Thanks for talking with EN World and me again. Where do the initial ideas for a product come from and how do they get sorted into either the publishing queue or get rejected?
Matthew Sprange (MS): Some titles can be ‘obvious’. If we release a new edition of Traveller, we are going to need a Core Rulebook, High Guard for shipbuilding, Central Supply Catalogue for equipment, and so on. Beyond that, we do have a list of titles that we would like to bring out, and these are a combination of ideas that build the game in certain directions (such as universe creation, as with the World Builder’s Handbook and Sector Construction Guide), or things that we just think would be kind of fun. Added to that, writers also approach us with ideas that they want to work on and, if we think they will bring something to the game, they may well see a commission. Finally, some ‘sub-lines’ get extensively planned, such as with the The Fifth Frontier War series where we have two to three years’ worth of titles plotted – but things can always change, with titles getting shifted around, dropped or added as new ideas develop.
CD: When work is ready to begin on a new RPG book who is needed to complete the work (writer, editor, artists et cetera) and what order does the work normally get done in?
MS: Usually, it starts with an outline from the writer which charts out the chapters, themes and ideas going into the book. Once this is agreed, writing commences. Incidentally, when a writer has worked with us on a game system for many years, it is possible for the outline process to be bypassed to a great degree – we have, in the past, given a frontline writer the title of a book and just let them run with it. Rare. But it can happen when the writer is truly trusted and has demonstrated a deep understanding of the game and its universe. Once the manuscript is complete, it undergoes editing. Sometimes it needs to go back to the writer with comments, but this is actually very rare with our frontline writers (there is a reason they are frontline writers!). After the manuscript has passed the editing process, it gets handed to the layout team, who turn it into a book, create the graphical elements and commission artwork. Once everything is in place and artwork starts rolling in, it gets passed to a proofreader – we used to do that after the editing process, but found that errors can creep in during layout, so it makes more sense for proofing to be one of the very last steps. Can create a problem when you are presenting previews to the wider world, as they are likely to be pre-proofing, but it does mean any errors are trapped after any process that can introduce them.
CD: How many drafts does an RPG manuscript usually go through? Is any playtesting part of the process? How long until the RPG book is finished and ready for print?
MS: It all depends on the nature of book and the pedigree of the writer. A frontline writer is capable of producing a manuscript that is ‘this’ close to being publishable right off the bat – this is a key component of what makes a good writer (self-editing and proofing). So, in the best of all possible worlds, we will receive a manuscript that will rip right through the editing process with few changes other than tweaks in wording and the hunting down of typos. If that does not happen, the ‘clean’ system can start to break down and things can dissolve into a fair nightmare! In the heaviest of cases (and we have had a couple of these recently, though I don’t think anyone will be able to guess which books these were due to the process they went through), it can mean manuscripts get handed back to the writer for correction, heavy re-writes take place on the editorial side, large sections get deleted and other writers are brought in to fill the gaps. This slows things right down in the production schedule (often adding many months to a book), and is why we like our frontline writers! As for playtesting, some books obviously do not need a formal playtesting process – Behind the Claw, for example, which depicts two sectors in Charted Space, does not really have anything to playtest, though all the starships and vehicles in it go through to our stat checkers to make sure everything adds up. For more complicated works and adventures, frontline writers often have their own playtest groups and, for the very heavyweight stuff, we can bring in a wider group from our forums, as is being done with the new Vehicle Handbook.
CD: What are some parts of the publishing process that not too many people know about and/or what part is the most challenging?
MS: It might be the simple things – like most of the people who are working on these books are doing it full-time. Many RPG writers and artists do this work alongside ‘real world’ jobs, but not all. Some writers and artists are doing this as their full-time work, and everyone else involved in the process, such as editors and layout artists, do this as their main job. As for challenges, I think the toughest thing is when you get a manuscript in that has lots of great ideas, but has just not been written well at all. You can see it is worth salvaging but the workload to get it ready goes shooting through the roof.
CD: Once the manuscript is complete, the art is in, layout and editing are done, what are the next steps in turning something on the computer into something on paper and finally in print?
MS: Ah, that is where the wizardry happens! These days, it is almost an automated process, especially if you have been working with the same printers for some time and know the formats they need to see files in. When we started (which, in RPG publishing terms, was not all that long ago) everything was a bit more manual with physical proofs and the like, but printers have come a long way.
CD: Please discuss any other steps in the publishing process that we may not have covered.
MS: Well, while there is a standard process, there can always be little oddities that throw things out – we might decide a campaign needs a soundtrack CD, for example, so that means talking to musicians. The Opening Moves adventure for the The Fifth Frontier War had the idea of doing a ‘trailer’ for the book, so that involved rebuilding our studio, hiring actors and putting together a script. Always something to keep us on our toes!
CD: How do you determine how successful a book is? Do those involved in its creation and/or the staff get bonuses based on a book’s (or book line’s) success?
MS: Bonuses are based on overall company performance rather than individual projects, and all staff get the same bonuses at the same time as it is assumed that they have all contributed to the company’s success – so, we could have a wildly selling book one month but if the staff have decided to buy something big for the company (such as Traveller…), then bonuses will be affected. By the same token, we may release nothing in a month but if a royalty cheque comes in for the Victory At Sea video game, bonuses become possible. This boils down to the people here being far more involved in the operations of the company as compared to working somewhere else, and everyone very much has a very real stake in how the company does.
CD: What is it like to work for Mongoose Publishing? Examples: how do you feel at the end of the day or work week? How much stress is there in your job? Would you recommend working at Mongoose Publishing to others?
MS: I think it would be best if I handed this question off to one of the people working here – Bella, a writer & editor:
Bella: The way Mongoose is run can be hard to explain to people who have not worked here… we’re all adults, and there’s no micromanagement (or anything beyond, ‘Hey, when can you get this done?’), which gives you a lot more freedom and flexibility. Whilst sometimes I can be exhausted (e.g. after finishing a mammoth project), I know that tomorrow I’ll be working on something completely different, and normally something I’ve chosen to do. There’s a small degree of stress, but it’s alleviated pretty easily when you know you can set your own deadlines, and change them if need be. We have to make books, but I think there’s a general understanding that sometimes things take longer than we thought. Making the decision to rewrite a chapter or two will push things back, but if it makes the book better… that’s what we’re gonna do. We’re aware that we are humans, not just word/art machines, that creativity is a human experience, and sometimes humans need time. Mongoose is not afraid to prioritise staff, and we are quite lucky in knowing that closing the doors for a day won’t be disastrous. I’d definitely recommend working here, if you’re able to wear many hats. My education is in philosophy and now I’m a writer, but I also know how to manage a company’s tax returns, balance our bank accounts, organise costs/profits for a Kickstarter… you don’t get that in most jobs. I don’t get a creeping dread on Sunday evenings, because I know I’m going to be doing something I chose to do, in a timeline I think is realistic, in a place where I can just come in in my pyjamas if I want to.
CD: Anything else you would like to share with the readers of EN World?
MS: Well, we are currently looking for marketing staff, so if there is anyone out there who wants to work in a very different environment at a company that is moving towards employee-ownership (you will literally end up owning Traveller!), then get in touch!
Charlie Dunwoody participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program and the Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG and Noble Knight Games respectively. If you like the articles at EN World please consider supporting the EN World Patreon.
