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Notes On Designer's NotesBy Steven MarshUpdated February 28, 2002Okay; you've just created your brilliant new creation for SJ Games. Now what? Well, depending on your contract, you probably owe Pyramid or JTAS a Designer's Notes. :-) This article presents some advice and thoughts on how to do that well and easily, to make our readers happy and get them to buy your work. The Purpose of the Designer's NotesThe Creative-type would say that the Designer's Notes are a way of talking directly to the audience . . . to let them know the blood, sweat, toil, and tears that went into the product. The Marketing-type would say that the Designer's Notes are a way to recruit customers who otherwise wouldn't buy a product. The Tired-Writer-type would say that the Designer's Notes are a pain in the neck, but are required by contract, and should be done as painlessly as possible. The Pyramid-Editor would say that it's a way to get a good article that needs minimal editing and will have zero impact on his budget. :-) In my mind these views are all correct, and should be balanced. Let's look at them in turn. CreativeA lot of readers love to peer "behind the curtain" . . . to read about problems that came up during the creation process, design choices and the reasoning behind them, things that had to be radically changed or deleted, and so on. And a lot of writers like to tell their audience those stories, too. I think this is great . . . provided (in my opinion) they're interesting and pertinent stories. Saying that you thought of your idea when you were eating a hot dog on a subway probably won't excite many folks. Revealing that you thought of your idea when you were falsely arrested for arson and spent the night in jail . . . now that's compelling. Going into excruciating detail about how the draw phase of the card game was tweaked to allow maximum strategic possibilities probably isn't interesting; telling them that two simple rule changes reduced the playing time from three hours to 30 minutes is. (To be really interesting, tell folks what those rule changes were, and offer it as the "Three-Hour Variant.") This is your chance to let readers know about the hard work you put into your masterpiece; if you have any cool war stories, design choices, or insights, please share them. MarketingLet's face it; there are a lot of products out there. What makes yours special? How can we sell copies to people who wouldn't buy it otherwise? How do we make it fly off the shelf so fast the Powers That Be beg you to create something else brilliant? Well, there are a bunch of ways. Telling your audience what the product is about is probably one of the best; if a reader learns that a book contains a chapter on Mayan Spaceships, and that's just what he's been looking for, he'll snatch up the book. (This can be particularly important if the book contains hidden jewels; one reader said he would pick up GURPS Cops, for example, because he learned from the Designer's Notes that it contained information on evidence analysis and the judicial system.) Being yourself also helps. If readers like you and your style in the Designer's Notes, there's a good chance they'll like your book. Finally, it's great to give them useful and interesting bits that whets their appetites. If you give them a variant of the game that sounds fun, they'll pick it up to give it a try. If the outtake from your book of secret societies fits perfectly in a reader's campaign, maybe a book with 128 more pages of societies will also be useful . . . Making them hungry for more is a tried and true marketing tactic. Tired WriterYou've just written 90,000 words for a book. You don't want to write any more . . . at all . . . Too bad. It really is a requirement; we think it's important and will help sell your book and please your fans. But it can be fun, or at least, not painful. We like variety in our Designer's Notes, so we are very flexible; if you want to be chatty and informal, you can. If you're more comfortable being more formal and essay-like, that's perfectly fine. If you want the bulk of the article to be interesting outtakes that didn't make it in the book, you can do that. Although they're contractually obligated, I hope no one loses too much sleep over the Designer's Notes. Compared to writing a 90,000-word book or designing a six-player game, these should be relatively fun. I would ask that you don't try to "dodge" the requirement. An introduction that says, "Here are some excerpts from GURPS Spoons," followed by 1,993 words that just didn't make it in the book, probably won't be well-received. Cutting-room floor scraps are fine; just make sure they're useful. Perhaps you can give some context, say why they ended up cut, or generally make it interesting. Word CountMost Designer's Notes are around 2,000 words. The contract calls for 1,000 (sometimes less for very small books) but most writers send around 2.000. If you feel the urge to write more, feel free . . . it's not like we pay for 'em. :-) All I'd ask is for the restraint to make sure your Notes stay interesting. The last thing we'd want potential customers to read is a 4,000-word article that bored them silly. ConclusionThe best Designer's Notes seem to take all these threads and weave them together: a smattering of info about the project, a few fun anecdotes, a dash of insight into the hard decisions, and some cool bits that couldn't fit into the book. In my mind, good Designer's Notes mean that everyone can win. The writers can plug their book, spur interest, and talk to their readers. The company can sell lots of books and run around carrying sacks of money. And the Pyramid editor can get fun, quality articles that need minimal editing. If you have any questions, problems, or concerns about this whole thing – and telling yourself to "Relax!" doesn't work – please feel free to write me at [email protected]. Some Good Examples
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