Importance of Lists and Timelines for a Proper Plan + Example

My wife loves to make lists.  There is a list for almost everything at my house:

• Grocery List
• Packing List
• Chores List
• Cleaning List
• Baby Prep List (expecting in March)
• Meal Calendars

Prior to being married I had no desire to make lists.  What was the point?  My younger naive self thought about lists as a waste of time.  Maybe, I thought a better use of time would be to just complete the list items rather than write them down.  After all, I would do what I wanted, when I wanted to, and care little about the consequences of forgetting something.  I guess that is how I ended up in New York City in November with only shorts and Hawaiian shirts.  For those unfamiliar with the weather there like I was, it was an unpleasantly cold trip for me at the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour.

On November 1st we will have been married for a wonderful 6 years.  In this time I have grown to appreciate the lists that my wife makes.  Especially the grocery lists since we travel between home and Safeway less often.  My true appreciation for lists has come into play more recently.

The Need For a Publishing Checklist

In the course of the past 8 months since Tasty Minstrel Games became a reality, I have done an incredibly large amount of work to bring Homesteaders and Terra Prime to market.  Additionally, that has not even come to pass yet!  The final leg of the journey is here, shipping the games from China.  I would like to think that I have not forgotten any of the necessary steps for publishing that have been taken.  I would also like to believe that I know every improvement I can make to the process for when I do it again. 

However, intellectually I know that my memory is insufficient.  Besides that, if something were to happen to me, would Erin and/or Seth be able to run Tasty Minstrel Games without me?  I am certain that they are more than capable, but they would have to relearn some of the things that I have already learned.  Things I could have left behind with a simple and handy checklist.

The Need For a Publishing Timeline

Being that this was my first experience publishing, I had no basis upon which to develop a timeline.  Going forward, I understand the power of having a timeline for each game.  If I know when I need to have each piece of the puzzle completed, then I also know when I need to light a fire under people and get things moving.  Time seems to move in slow motion while publishing games.  VERY SLOW MOTION.

The Preliminary Publishing Checklist

At any point along the checklist, I may realize that a game is unpublishable or needs further work.  The sooner … The better.

1. Write down game name, designer name and contact information, target audience, similar games, mechanics used, game type, and game medium (cards/dice/board).
2. Rate game based upon the following metrics: theme, rules simplicity, enjoyability, time, polish, uniqueness, replayability, and tilt.
3. Do you like the game?
4. Target market?
5. Super-competitive price based on scope, weight, and competing games?
6. Desired marginal profit per game?  Here marginal profit = Distribution Revenue – royalties – manufacturing costs – shipping – various other costs
7. Required manufacturing cost per game?
8. Get Preliminary manufacturing quote based on the current components.
9. Gauge interest of desired artists and graphic designers
10. Preliminary development
11. Re-rate the game after preliminary development.
12. Inform customs broker and  fulfillment house about possible upcoming release.  Get opinion of fulfillment house about box sizes, colors, themes, and other sales issues.
13. Check theme and possible re-themes.
14. Contract with designer.  Obtain w-9 from designer.
15. Add game to possible upcoming releases that are under development.
16. Make announcement to board game press?
17. Additional development
18. Re-rate the game after additional development.
19. Check for degenerative problems with the game play
20. Obtain quotes from artists and manufacturers
21. Start artwork.
22. Add game to upcoming releases information on website.
23. Add game to BGG if it already not in the database.
24. Re-inform customs broker, fulfillment house, and retailers about upcoming release.
25. Make announcement to board game press?
26. Seek weekly artwork updates.
27. Prepare and have distribution/retailer sell sheet distributed.
28. Slowly leak sample artwork via BGG and board game press.
29. Finish and finalize artwork.
30. Get final manufacturing quote.  Manufacture as little as possible.  The goals for the initial print run in order of importance are; do not lose money, create exposure for the game, make enough profit for a larger print run.
31. Get a timeline from the manufacturer.
32. Get weekly updates from the manufacturer and hold them to their timeline.
33. Continue to slowly leak more information about the upcoming game via BGG and board game press.
34. Volunteer for interviews with blogs, podcasts, magazines, etc.
35. Check for any faster shipping needs.
36. Begin shipping to USA via sea.
37. Send distribution/retailer sell sheet to all retailers on the mail list.
38. Setup ability to take pre-orders.
39. Send out pre-order availability to blog subscribers and appropriate mail/email lists.
40. Run BGG contest if applicable.  These will work best when you can combine multiple games and give out multiple prizes while saving on shipping.  Also to have continual hype, keep this close to the delivery date.
41. Have fulfillment house check shipment
42. Fill pre-orders.
43. Send out promotional copies to reviewers, magazines, bloggers, mommy-blogger contest giveaways, geek-chic comic strips, podcasters, etc.
44. Profit.
45. Communicate with BGG users.
46. Market, market, market.
47. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

So that is a long checklist.  Unfortunately, I am sure that I am missing some crucial steps.  At least I have an appropriate starting point.

Related posts:

1. Co-Op Publishing – Thinking Out Loud – Please Comment!
2. Optimizing For Cash Flow Or Total Profit Per Unit?
3. Fact or Fiction… Publishing Board Games Is Good Finance?
4. 5 Essential Questions To Ask Yourself Before Publishing A Board Game
5. How to get free container shipping from China
6. A Week At PSI’s Warehouse
7. Reader Questions: Why $39.95 for Homesteaders and Terra Prime?

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