I have written solo rules for many different publishers. I also take requests from my patrons. The difference here is that the primary marketplace for these rules is going to be Kickstarter and probably Backerkit. Drivethru is likely to be secondary and lead to long-tail sales.
This fits into my long term goal to be less dependent on DTRPG.
In early 2019, the bulk of my sales came were coming from Community Content Programmes. Things like DMs Guild, Grim & Perilous Library and the Free League Workshop. When I realised the importance of email contacts and Publisher Promotion Points I shifted focus towards my publisher titles.
In 2019 47% of my income came from CCPs and Affiliate earnings.
In 2020 that was 37%
In 2021 that was 25%.
I am now on a similar journey to break my dependence on DTRPG. In 2019 99% of my income came from DTRPG, last year that was down to 87%. I would like to get it sub-50%. It is never a good idea to be entirely dependent on just one platform, and it is doubly true not to be dependent on a platform you don’t own.
I am looking to expand my own store, my Amazon offering, build up my Patreon and do more on Kickstarter. Commissions are another way of weaning myself off of DTRPG.
I will still look at other storefronts. I have titles on Itch and Open Game Store, and I am looking at physical stores such as Exalted Funeral, IPR, and online storefronts such as WORKs. It is always the same, there is not enough time to do everything. So I have to prioritize. My priorities are going to be those four, Shopify, Amazon, Patreon, and Kickstarter.