RPG Self-Publishing Basic Tools

Basic Tools for Self-Publishing

Now that you know why you want to self-publish RPGs, let’s go over some basics.

To self-publish you will need a computer, access to the Internet, and some program that saves files as PDFs.

I assume the first two are not an issue otherwise you would not have an email address. 

Writing and Saving as a PDF

The program can be MS Word, Open Office, Google Docs, or most other word processing or desktop publishing software.

The reason you need to save files as a PDF is that’s the file format most self-publishing platforms accept when you upload your product.

If you want more layout options other than a basic word processor, you can use a program called Scribus. It is a free layout and design program.

However, you do not need to use Scribus. Word works great to get you started. I know all the hipsters make fun of it, but if you are making a product that has less 100 pages it’s a great option.

I use Word often when making smaller resources like single 1D100 tables and I used it exclusively for the first year and a half that I was self-publishing.

I started using Scribus when I did Realms of Understreet and The Book of Random Tables. 

Image Editing

For image editing, you can use Gimp. It is a free photo editing software. You will need to edit/crop/arrange images as you do the layout and design of your product. 

I've been using Gimp since day one. It is a great alternative to shelling out tons of money for photoshop. 

Getting Started with No Cost

As you can see, you can get started on the computer you already have without buying some fancy software.

Make sure you have these basic tools in place and you will save a lot of time before you start to self-publish.

Keep Gaming!
Matt
www.dicegeeks.com