Financial Struggles in Seattle: A Thread
This blog discusses the financial struggles of living in Seattle, including the cost of living and the difficulties of publishing books. It also includes comments from an extended conversation about the realities of making a living in Seattle.
🥧 SUZANNE 🥧
tabletop games + app games + pie + AsAm Adoptee + She/Her = ruining games one tweet at a time. hates puns - but in a fun way. @SaltNSassGames. personal acct.
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Good thread... I will point out that in Seattle $70k/year is considered low income for a family so... the math is brutal if that's your target and you want to live in this area. https://t.co/Y7pi2xa2Q9
— 🥧 SUZANNE 🥧 (@425suzanne) April 3, 2023 -
I'll add a few comments from the extended convo... the thread is solid - but it's more "for example" than reality. As pointed out, 10k is a HUGE print run for many publishers. Indies often hit 1k-2k at most. And FWIW - $20k dev - illo costs can be huge (rightfully so.)
— 🥧 SUZANNE 🥧 (@425suzanne) April 3, 2023 -
MARKETING is more than just ad spend... it's know-how. And MOST people can't know how to 1) Design a game, 2) Produce and manage a game, 3) Marketing a game, and 4) Manage distribution, cust svc, etc.
— 🥧 SUZANNE 🥧 (@425suzanne) April 3, 2023
Optimal is rarely possible for small publishers. -
And the $7 manu cost is based on a general and commonly used calculation about % of MSRP for a distribution model. But that calculation hasn't changed in decades. What HAS changed is the cost of virtually everything related to producing a game (except salaries.)
— 🥧 SUZANNE 🥧 (@425suzanne) April 3, 2023 -
Oh - and shipping $10? Depending on size/weight... that's likely pretty low. Anything in that TTR size square box? It costs more to ship. And it means YOU are doing the work. If you want to handle 10k units? Go for it but... uhhh. Eep. That means you need to pay fulfillment.
— 🥧 SUZANNE 🥧 (@425suzanne) April 3, 2023 -
I guess my point is - Nick lays out a solid thread. I just think it presents kind of the prettiest picture possible in today's market. And rarely can reality fit the scenario laid out nowadays. But I think info like this is important because consumer expectations matter.
— 🥧 SUZANNE 🥧 (@425suzanne) April 3, 2023