I wasn’t really sure of which topic to post this question under. Hopefully, I’ve guessed correctly, but you have my apologies if not!
I am an experienced writer who also happens to have developed online games (which are all text, by coincidence, so effectively ongoing novels not unlike interactive fiction). However, due to my disability, it isn’t until now that I’ve pursued the idea of being published on a professional label. Just free games made for people to enjoy.
I’ve read through the Hosted Games requirements, and those are easily achieved by anyone looking to enter the professional arena. The CoG label games are a bit more strict, though, and I’m unclear regarding the prior published works requirement. Let’s say I write a really successful Hosted Games publication, or several successful Hosted works. Would this satisfy that point for purposes of “graduating up” to writing a CoG title?
In my opinion, I’m offering something relatively fresh and fun through my gamebooks, which blend interesting narrative with a lot of random elements and rules D&D fans are going to enjoy. It’s my hope that I find success as a Hosted Game, and in turn, that I can transform this success into writing CoG titles. Truly accomplish that goal of overcoming my disability, in other words, by climbing as high as I can go!
Disability has not offered me the chance to author a thesis or any prior publications. I’m hoping that success as a Hosted author can serve as qualification to pursue a CoG path, as my coder and I have worked really hard to produce a great addition to the Hosted Games lineup. Hopefully, the gamebook engine we’ve designed through ChoiceScript will lead to even more interesting titles and eventually, the above mentioned goal.
Yep, a high-quality Hosted Game release (or two) can open the door, but it’s not a shortcut or a sure thing, by any stretch. As Rose said, the process for reaching out to them is on the website.
I am proud to soon be joining Paul and Jim as Hosted Games authors who later wrote a CoG.
Ok, I can’t find where it’s explicitly stated, but per the What is a CV? page on the company’s website, they say (emphasis mine):
So yes, when you’re sending in your CV to CoG, you can include a Hosted Game as part of your experience.
In addition, I would also like to clear up how the query process works for CoG per the company website (and please do follow the link as I have pared down the information on the page for this post), specifically these parts:
And then if your concepts work for them, you’re invited for a pitch in the form of an outline, and if your pitch is accepted, you’ll be offered a contract.
So yes, your Hosted Game could be added to your CV but it does not guarantee a contract if you decide to inquire about becoming a Choice of Games author.
Here are the relevant quotes from the Choice of Games official website:
If we’ve rejected your application to our Choice of Games label, feel free to apply again after 12 months. Don’t forget that you can always write a game for our Hosted Games label. Writing a solid HG is highly relevant experience for the Choice of Games label.
That’s from the Choice of Games official writers page.
Hosted Games authors may be invited to pitch us to write for Choice of Games after publishing a Hosted Game.
As everyone has said above, it’s not a shortcut or a guarantee by any means. But writing a solid and successful HG is relevant and great experience to show when submitting your CV for consideration to be a COG author. So to answer your question:
Thanks for your replies! Please don’t misunderstand my intentions; I had no expectation of a Hosted Game being a free pass into writing a CoG title. I was just wondering if being a Hosted author, in and of itself, could qualify one to be a CoG author (absent any other professional experience as an author).
Life simply dealt me a bad hand with my disability. I’ve been largely stuck in or near my bed since I was 17, and I turn 35 this February. I’ve never had the opportunity to publish a thesis or write a novel. I’ve had other opportunities to create worlds, to write, even to debut games online with a narrative focus. I’ve just never had that ability to do this professionally.
Now, my condition is such that I am in “bucket list” mode and getting published is at the top of the goals. Seeing my work published as a Hosted Game would be an honor, but getting all the way to a CoG title is the goal. I’ve been blessed with the help of a great coder who was interested in my ideas and has helped bring them to life in unique ways. If I can line up an artist, I’ll be just about set to have my first work out there. It’s a stepping stone, but I’m at a point in my life (I’m more ill than I’ve ever been, and both of my parents - my caretakers, to boot - were just diagnosed with cancer) that I need to get things done that I want to do.
Dang, I’m really sorry to hear that. I’m going to be praying that you’ll get some good news, both with your health and with finding the right people to make your story and get it out there.
I’d like to chime in on this topic as I’m currently in the application process with COG to write for their HC label.
The “previous published works” requirement isn’t actually super restrictive. When I initially sent in my application (which included my resume and a cover letter), I included a list with three publications: my two WIP Hosted Games, Voltaic and Bring Us to Washington; and an unfinished Episode story, Springmist Lake. They allowed me to go on to a writing sample and then onto my pitches.
So, considering that you have free games (that I assume are completed) published, you’ll definitely be fine if you use those. My impression of COG is that they care far more about the quality of your writing than whether you have a completed, published work.
Sorry to hear that, but looking forward to having you in the club of HG authors!
Just to add my two cents (and completely personal view on this). I don’t (personally, I emphasize!!) consider CoG titles superior to HG (in a hierarchical sense). If you read this forum, you’ll see that some of the absolute fan favourites are HG, and many of these outsell CoGs. I obviously don’t have data for this, but please don’t think you can necessarily do better with CoG than HG.
CoG has a very defined style. I see why these rules exists (and I have adopted many of their recommendations into my games gradually, seeing the wisdom of their ways). But, I still feel my games are… games. So, they don’t really fit in the CoG. Things might change, but I doubt I’ll make a CoG in the near future (I started trying to make one, and then got distracted…).
So… what I am trying to say in a very long and convoluted way is to make the game you want to make, and then see where it fits (rather than worrying about later making it into CoG). Many HGs have a huge fan base and following (Infinity series, fallen hero, etc, etc).
Go ahead and send in your CV, definitely including your online stuff. If it’s out there, it’s published. When I first did that, I didn’t have any professionally published novels, and that certainly wasn’t a barrier to writing a CoG title (my proposals didn’t fit style guidelines; that’s where I fall down… if you want to avoid that pitfall, buy and read a bunch of CoG games, starting with “Choice of Broadsides” which is conveniently short so you can play it multiple times).
And be aware that Hosted Games are pretty good earners in their own right. Seriously. A HG is much more than training or beefing up one’s writing resume. They are great stories, and that 25% royalty really does translate to actual cash (not like full time work because… well, that’s the writing life innit?)
A lot of writers on here are disabled and/or mentally ill, including me. I strongly recommend writing HG to all the disabled writers I meet, because there’s no deadline and there’s a built-in fan base.
