So you want to be a freelancer?

Before Infinite, your options for breaking into the TTRPG writing world were limited to a Paizo Open Call, getting your Wayfinder submission noticed, or working with 3rd party publishers on non-Golarion and non-Pact Worlds stuff. Even getting a 3rd party publisher could be difficult, which is how writer’s groups like Freelance Forge started.

Now you can strike out on your own and have a fairly visible marketplace for your work, or work with a 3rd party publisher to get your vision published on Infinite. Ok, but… where do I start?

Working With A Publisher

This is still a pretty good way to go, as they’ve already got the literal tools and professional staff lined up to make your work look amazing. If you’ve not written anything professional yet, you’ll likely be on a team of authors putting together a product.

To get started, reach out to a 3rd party publisher whose work you really like. Let them know who you are, what experience you have, and what sorts of things you’d want to write.

Dear Everybody Games,

I’m Vanessa Hoskins, a huge Pathfinder and Starfinder fan who has written
some monster-of-the week on a blog and thought it would be fun to expand
to other rules elements. I love anything fey, and have a soft spot for
skittermanders. If you’re considering publishing anything for Infinite, I’d
like to be included on the team!

Sincerely,

Vanessa

You can also try and join communities like Freelance Forge or look for folks on the Paizo forums. Once you have a group, decide what to make and start writing!

Self Publishing

If you want to venture out on your own and you’re confident with layout, you can try and publish your own stuff solo. One of the great parts of Infinite is that they give you templates to aid with your formatting, plus a bunch of artwork and maps you can use as part of the Infinite licensing agreement.

This is the trickier of the two paths, but you’ll be master of your own product. Just be sure to read and understand all of the rules for publishing on Infinite posted on their site, plus all of the FAQs. You can also check out the other blogs in this series for more in-depth information about how to design “inside the lines” so your product doesn’t get ban-hammered.

Why Infinite?

The best part about getting into professional writing for TTRPGs right now are the things Infinite has to offer you. You can use all of Paizo’s IP (intellectual property), a bunch of their assets like art and maps, and you have a dedicated marketplace to sell your products. Always wanted to write about Gray Corsairs, complete with a dedication, magic items, and more lore? Now you can!

And Maybe Profit?

Maybe! Here’s the secret about TTRPG books: they can be really expensive to make. Between paying editors, layout artists, character artists, cartographers, and authors, producing a book is a huge investment. But if you’re going in as a team and using free art, such as provided by Paizo as part of the Infinite agreement or Creative Commons attribution assets (just make sure to site them and know which license requires what), you can keep your costs down. This will allow you to sell your product and start making a profit right away.

 

Now go out there and help build on the Infinite world of the Finderverse!