Taking the Plunge - Freelance Writing

Onyx Path Publishing, and before them White Wolf, have always had open calls for new writers, and accepted submissions. And it was during my PhD that I thought I would give it a go. Needless to say, my first attempt was a fail. You don't hear anything about your attempt. And for good reason. Gaming companies get lots of submissions. And often the reason you are not selected is that you don't fit with the current schedule of books. I would try again a few years later, and then again in 2014. I even have that submission in my sent box of emails. It's OK, but not amazing. When that last submission was again rejected I gave up for a time. I had my job, and I had the podcast. The podcast was growing in prominence and I was attending events. However, around the same time as my last submission, I was picked up for writing on a different game - Noble Armada 3rd edition. This was my first true writing project for a game where I was not only writing fiction and setting material, I was also painting models and photographing them, and writing rules. I co-design the game with Todd Bogenrief, and seeing it in print was a real thrill. I learnt a good amount of how to work with a team writing, but there would be a long gap before my next writing contract.

The emergence of community publishing for games, such as D&D, Chronicles of Darkness and more is definitely what gave me the leg up. Around 2013 I finished my fan-made setting book for Changeling the Lost, called Venice Unmasked. I had released it as a non-profit book onto the web and over the years it had gained some 3000 downloads. With the advent of the community stores, I pulled this version and committed to a full rebuild, because the original version was written in Word. I quickly learnt a lot using Adobe InDesign, using the templates and art provided to make a book I considered was as close as possible to official books. Even with the original version out in the wild, people paid good money for the new version, and it has now sold over a hundred copies. Off the back of it, I have since published more through this avenue, in effect creating Darker Days Publishing.

It was then at Gencon, following the switch of the Warhammer 40,000 RPG from USNA to Cubicle 7, I was chatting to my now producer for Wrath & Glory, Zak Dale Clutterbuck, and basically explaining the podcast, my work, my self-publishing, and my history with Games Workshop (which is extensive). A few writing samples later from what I have published and I was picked up to write on the new revised version of the Wrath & Glory rulebook. To have the chance to write on such a game was a dream come true given how long I had been a fan of the games, and the likes of Andy Chambers and Tuomas Pirinen.

From there I then submitted pitches for Warhammer Fantasy, and put myself forward to write on Soulbound, leading to a series of publications, and writing on The Horned Rat for Warhammer Fantasy, the next part of the ongoing Enemy Within campaign book series.

Of course, this is not the end of my writing. I've now written for the PIP system by Third Eye Games, a few unreleased projects, and I was invited to write on Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition for Onyx Path. If there is a lesson in all this, I guess it would be to practice, persevere, and get your work out there. Write often and frequently. Look at how books are written and laid out. Learn a few new skills, and have a go at self-publishing. Also, be professional. Don't bad-mouth companies for not hiring your - because it can be a complex series of reasons. Sometimes there are legitimate grievances, but also you personally may not fit - either how or what you write, or you don't fit in a team. Coming from academia I have a lot more time for people who are willing to learn and are good team players, than those who can do well already but are a nightmare to work with. I would say I am somewhat hardened to rejection - getting rejected from an RPG company is small fry compared to losing out on half a million pounds worth of research funding. But these are always never something personal. If you got this far why not support my patreon which in turn supports the podcast!

- Chris