Coming soon · Book Profile
The Board Game Designers Guide to Getting Published How to Find the Right Publisher, Know What to Look for in a Contract, and…
A practical, insider guide showing aspiring board game designers exactly how to find the right publisher, pitch effectively, and negotiate a fair contract to get their game signed and published.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Making a great board game and getting it published are two entirely different skill sets, and this book bridges that gap. Drawing on Joe Slack's experience signing four games with different publishers, plus advice from a dozen published designers and direct insights from sixteen established publishers, the book walks you step-by-step from finishing a publishable game to crafting a killer sell sheet, overview video, and elevator pitch, to finding and reaching the right publishers (at conventions, speed dating events, through referrals, contests, or agents), to understanding what publishers actually want, and finally to navigating contracts—royalties, advances, reversion clauses, and the exploitative traps to avoid. If you have a game you want to share with the world but don't know what to do next, this book gives you the exact roadmap to become a published game designer.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- An aspiring or emerging board game designer who has created a game they love and want to share with the world, and who wants to become a published game designer.
- The problem
- They don't know how to find the right publisher, pitch effectively, or navigate the contract to get their game signed. They feel anxious, overwhelmed, and intimidated—especially as introverts—about selling their game and fear rejection or being exploited.
- The plan
- Make sure your game is truly great, unique with a clear hook, and marketable as a product.
- Playtest extensively, write clear rules, and blind playtest to ensure the game works without you.
- Prepare your pitch toolkit: elevator pitch, sell sheet, overview video, working prototype, and business cards.
- Research and rank publishers who are a good match for your game.
- Reach out via conventions, speed dating events, referrals, cold emails, contests, or agents.
- The payoff
- You become a published game designer with your game on store shelves for gamers to enjoy. · You have a fair contract with advances, escalating royalties, and protective clauses. · You build lasting relationships with publishers who want to see your future games.
See our guide
Additional reading
- Start with Why · Simon Sinek
The book's core idea—'People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it'—is central to crafting a compelling crowdfunding narrative that connects with backers on an emotional level.
- To Sell Is Human · Daniel Pink
Provides insights into the psychology of pitching and influence, such as the importance of making the audience (backers) feel like collaborators, which is a key strategy for engagement.
- Funding the Dream Podcast · Richard Bliss
A recommended resource for creators, offering interviews and specific insights into crowdfunding tactics and strategies.
- jamesmathe.com (blog) · James Mathe
A creator's blog recommended by the author for its detailed, list-based entries full of practical information for crowdfunders.
- Ready Player One · Ernest Cline
Recommended as an enjoyable alternative read for those who decide crowdfunding isn't for them, showing the author's engagement with geek culture.
- Homo Ludens · Johan Huizinga
Referenced for its foundational concept of the 'magic circle,' which defines play as a separate, protected space outside of ordinary life. This contextualizes the author's own theory.
- Man, Play and Games · Roger Caillois
Cited for its academic definition and categorization of games, providing a counterpoint to the more practical definitions offered by game designers.
- Rules of Play · Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman
Mentioned as a key contemporary text offering a precise, systemic definition of a game, which the author uses as part of his survey of existing definitions.
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience · Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The concept of 'flow' is discussed as a state of deep immersion that is often associated with fun, but the author distinguishes his theory by focusing on learning rather than mastery.
- The Essential Difference · Simon Baron-Cohen
The theory of 'systematizing' versus 'empathizing' brains is used to explain why different types of games may appeal to different people, particularly along gender lines.