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Would you pay a small price to learn?


Would you pay a small price to learn?

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Mark putting $2 or $3 on a credit card isn't really worth it....... to be honest I would rather pay a yearly sum as Welles suggested
to work out how much to charge be realistic on how many "books" you would write in a year....... times that by $10 canadian and there is your fee - if you were to break it up into terms there are 4 terms in a school year a book a term = 4 per year $40 per year make the options for term payments or yearly payments then everyone is happy :D

what you have to remember Mark is that everytime someone pays by paypal etc you are charged from that payment most are $1 for processing then 2 or 3% (at least we were) therefore paying per tute is not worth it for you :B
just a thought :D
sfm
 
I would not object to a 'Full Access Yearly' subscription. (Or 2 x six monthly as an option.)
Individual tutorial billing sounds like an administrative nightmare.
Rattling up small denominations on the Visa is a bit of a pain.

Have you considered file size for the PDF's and download time, for 56K'ers. (Like me.)

Complete set of tutorials on CD could be an option, although that would be a future option as you have still to write them!

Would you put up open 'tasters' to preview what individual tutorials contain?

Heck! The tutorials which are already posted here have got to be worth a reasonable running cost 'donation/ contribution'.

Sorry no great ideas, just observations really.

Go for it Mark, you ain't a charity!

Al. (What' $ Canadian > ? Sterling anyway? Approx. BTW)
 
Mark, you could do something like Al Ward has set up on his site, ActionFX - charge an upfront fee for total access to the goodies. He also has a free section.

Make it like a monthly or annual charge, maybe a one time annual payment of $20 gets you into the special section with all the tuts, etc.
 
More good thoughts, thanks guys. :righton:

Ok lemme see...

Welles...
Yes i AM going or would create a "special area" for this venture. It would still be a part of my normal site, but be an "addon" to it. Access would only be gained through an onLine registration/payment form.

Sue...
I agree, i don't think that would be worthwhile doing. I just thought i should mention it.
You have the 'books' concept confused though Sue. As seen in that tute list i posted at the beginning, for example "3D Interface Design" has 4 "chapters" each comprised of individual tutorials. I was thinking to charge $10 CAD/'chapter'. Which works out to $40/'book'.
There is a LOT of indepth info in these tutes, and since the entire lot takes a long time to write/debug... at present i'd see myself only doing 2/year. But this could change too depending on the specific subject matter covered.

Al...
As mentioned, no specific details have been worked out yet... this is still at the alpha stage. But yes, annual, bi-annual, quarterly, & monthly subscriptions could be possible.
Plus i like the idea about a CD. However, since this special area would be run with PHP i'd hesitate to provide anything other than the PDF versions of the tutes on a CD. It wouldn't really work any other way.
BUT... i COULD create a special Flash interface whereby each 'chapter/tutorial' could be accessed quickly and read through while the CD is running.
Again... more on that kind of detail will be worked out later on.

Doug...
Ya i know Al...we were hosted together on the old i/US.com Website for a few years. I haven't been to his site in a long time... every since we had to vacate the i/US server. I'll have to checkout his new home.
Thanks for reminding me.

To be honest though... writing tutorials of this size & depth is a lot more involved than recording an Action. So $20 for access to the whole body of work would not be worth the time investment.
But as with the rest of this, pricing is still undecided.

Thanks again guys this is getting much more crystalized now. I'm starting to see "shapes" in my head. [honesty]
 
Another question or maybe I'm going to far/deep and is this not what you mean but I ask it anyway: the tutors are made for PS activity only?
I mean: no Illustrator or other Adobe products has to be used?
Everything what is in the tutor will be possible by just using PS? No filters or other actions who are not standard by PS?
Auch, ;\ hope you understand me, sometimes it's hard to explain what I mean and translate in into english too... ;)
Bye
Ashcat
 
Nothing but good ol' 'native' Photoshop is used guys. I don't "do" tutorials that need outside help from 3rd party plugins. I leave that to the other Photoshop dudes on the Web. ;)
 
Mark -

What you offer is incredible information for the serious graphic designer. I believe the example of using Mark's site as a successful marketing model is good. Obviously it is profitable for him because it has been going and growing for some time now. What you offer is far more sophisticated. I bought Mark's cd early on because it was the only one available.

I think your price is too low. I'd suggest 20$ (plus freight and handling) for download and also ship a cd to buyers. I always insist on receiving a cd with my download due to fear of crashes.

I would recommend you just jump in and do it!

You will have the extra cost of running a shopping cart. If your current server supports SSL- your only extra charge will be a gateway's monthly charge and a few cents per transaction.
 
theKeeper said:
To be honest though... writing tutorials of this size & depth is a lot more involved than recording an Action. So $20 for access to the whole body of work would not be worth the time investment.
But as with the rest of this, pricing is still undecided.
Click to expand...

Well, that's $20 per person, times that by how many pay to get your tutorials.
 
Even MORE good thoughts Joy. Thanks. That's stuff to consider for sure. Especially the SSL setup and whatnot. I haven't thought that far ahead just yet.

I have a few friends that write shopping carts so i'll have them to bounce things off of. ;)

Doug...
Yes i realize the math appears to work in my favour. But you're talking about accessing ALL of the tutorials for an entire year... for $20. That just doesn't "feel" appropriate. But like i said before... this is something still on the drawing table.

Guys this info/advice/suggestions is just great. I'm lovin' all this great input from you bunch. Thanks a whole lot for helping me with this venture. :righton: :} [honesty]
 
This is just my .02 worth.

A sample/description of the content is a good idea. Some people are only interested in certain areas of PS.

I like the idea of a subscription fee...by the month/6 months/1 year or for a "book" or whatever. It keeps the transactions down and saves everyone time and money. Maybe $x.xx for each tute and for 10 tutes a special savings?

Downloadable PDFs is a quick and easy way to get the info. on your computer or print it out to make your own book. A CD, for an aditional fee (to cover mfg. cost and mailing), might be an option to think about.

I know most of this has been covered by others, but I thought I'd voice my .02 worth to help you get a feeling for what we would like to see.

Please let us know how this monumental project progresses.
 
To go on with Joy's idea: fear of crashes I can understand, yet there is another method. Don't ask me how to do it, I'm just a painter in a rock and roll band (huh???).

Yet: At Renderosity you have a login and password. Registering means your pw is sent to the valid e-mail adress you gave. When logged in, you have your shopping page which allows you download what you paid for some three times if I'm not mistaken. I'm not against the idea of a CD, but personally, I prefer downloads an burn on a multisession CD myself. Question of customs-officers asking painful questions and my wallet being plundered by the government and all their taxes and fines.
 
Sounds like an interesting undertaking, Mark! ;)

Someone mentioned a "per tutorial" payment method. That sounds like a good idea, because then people can pick specific tutes if they want to. Only thing is... how much would be a fair price per tute..? $2? $3? Would anyone put $3 on a credit card? Albeit they could just prepay for a group of tutes too.
Click to expand...

I ran across a site a little while back (and have been looking for it) that charges $5 U.S. for the "juicy" tutes. I'll keep looking... I didn't BM it at the time, 'cause there wasn't anything there that I was willing to pay $5 for. [innocent]

[shhh] [confused] I put $3 on my credit cards all the time!

Whatever way you ultimately decide to structure this project, your quality tutorials could be a decent income generator for you. :D
 
Thanks Wendy. And yah, plz have a looksee for that site. I'd be interested in seeing what they offer. :D

I now want to make an upDate to this topic.

I have decided to go ahead with this huge project. Huge not only in the amount of writing i'll have to do, but also in the amount of html and backend work that has to be done to create an onLine store kind of system. Then integrate it into the existing site.

I'll post more upDates as they happen.

This is the current idea for the payment system:

- each tute can be pay for individually.
- each chapter full of specific tutes can be prepaid for.
- more than one chapter can be prepaid for.
- and the entire project can be prepaid for.

i'm thinking (not completely decided yet) that each tute will be @2.50 Canadian. Now that means you US folks AND Euro folks will get an above par deal. The exchange rate will knock this price right down for you. Canadians will get a face par value.

If prepaying for a group of tutes, cut-rates will apply. Something like 10% off/chapter. Or something on an incremental scale / tute. Like $1 for one, $2.50 for 3, $4 for 5, etc etc... (these are just example numbers). But it'll be something along that line.

Method of payment is currently PayPal and direct deposit. And i believe direct deposit will be quicker so the materials can be accessed quicker. Otherwise, confirmation will be required before the materials can be accessed.

Ok so that's about it for now.
More as we go... :B
 
Mixed feelings

I'm really on the fence on this one.
On one hand, I can certainly appreciate all the time and effort Mark has put into writing GOOD, easy-to-follow tutorials, and feel he should profit in some way from those efforts,

But, on the other hand, I personally steer clear of sites on the Internet charging me to see their content. The original intent of the World Wide Web was the free (as in unfettered) exchange of information, which, for the most part it has succeeded in doing. Although I might not have the special PSG touch on my interfaces, there are already enough tutorials out there providing the techniques for free that I would'nt pay for a CD.

But, hey, I am NOT a typical PS User, and have been learning this app for almost 5 years now. There are probably more than enough new people to the application wanting to have all the tuts in one collection who would think $10 to be a steal...which brings up the copyright protection of the CD, Mark. There IS a process that will encrypt your Interface CD so it cannot be copied or downloaded. The downside is the app costs about $700-$800, but if you do go "big time" with this (and you've paid your dues to the Graphics community enough to deservedly do so), you may want to consider that route as an additional selling point, since the tuts will then be truly 'exclusive content'...
 
Hey i totally understand your view madster.
Ever since i started doing this, back in '96, i've never ever thought of charging people for my services. This site is a labour of love, not profit. I watched a lot of my peer sites from way back, go to pay-per-view, and seen them die away. So it's definately not been something i was ever thinking of doing.

BUT... that was then and this is now.

Now, i have 2 good reasons to want to give this a shot:
First and foremost is i have a son to think about now.
And second is, that my work has slowed right down and i'm exporing alternative methods to generate income; of any kind.

It's these 2 factors that have me even considering this venture. Any if it ends up being the demise of my site, then sobeit. I feel the time is right to try this kind of thing. I can feel the planets aligning. 8[

Stick i agree about your view of "why not".
Only thing is, i haven't fully considered whether to even make a CD. I was thinking of providing PDF copies of all the material.

Anyone think this is NOT a good idea?
I mean... if it's just a matter of guaranteeing this material is original, that's very easy to do. I actually already thought that out part way. But it would mean not supplying the material in any "offline" format.

CDs can be cracked and copied very easily nowadays. So it's not even worth considering encryption. All it would take is one person with the resources, to flush the whole investment down the crapper.

Thanks for further input folks. I appreciate this. :righton:
The more you think about something, the clearer it gets.
 
I'm all for your idea, Mark. When I first started using Photoshop, just over 2 years ago, I realized that I could find tutorials on the web and was shocked that people were just giving them away free. As I have amassed quite a collection of tuts, I'm still amazed that people such as yourself freely distribute tutorials on difficult projects.

As for selling your tuts, there are several guys on the www already in that business -- Designs by Mark, Colin Smith, Anders Qvickers has already been mentioned, etc. . . My take is "if you have the talent to create a spectacular tut, you might as well benefit from it."

I recently joined savva.com.au and realized that all his tuts are members only (you can join the site and forums for free, but must pay a monthly/semi-annually/annually charge to download.) I was impressed with the screenshots of what tuts he has to offer, and am considering joining up. If so, I'll be making that decision solely on his marketing skills and not really knowing if his tuts are special, or just run of the mill.

However, I've downloaded all of the tuts you have available and used many of them in my work. Knowing the quality of work you do, I wouldn't hesitate to pay a fee to access your creativity. It beats shelling out 40 or 50 bucks for a book half full of tuts that you've already seen on the web.

~Dub
 
I also just noticed over at extremephotoshop.com that Matt Kloskowski is soon to launch his own Paypal-payment special tutorial section later this year.

You're certainly not alone in your thinking Mark.

~Dub
 
Absolutely, I'm in, and eagerly looking forward to this!

Lynda.com charges $25 a month; that's steep for this since she has a LOT of tutes to choose from; I assume this would be an ongoing thing, with one or two to start, so you'd have to charge by the tute.

However, a "straight" monthly charge might be an option in the future, once you get a lot up there.

Either way, I'd pay! I'd prefer to pay by SSI, not PayPal, but that's not a big deal, for me. It may be for some people, though...something to keep in mind. PayPal has been having some bad press lately. Maybe offer a couple of options.

Very important, either way: People should have instant access once they've paid. Nothing more frustrating than paying for something that should be accessible online, and having to wait a few days for access.
 
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