I have one very strict policy when it comes to Mystical Throne Entertainment: With each new year requires a plan of action. That means that after the turn of another year, I step back and think to myself, “What am I going to do different to improve this company or grow our fan base?” In the second half of last year, I rolled out a new design for layout using our standard 6×9 size. This was to add a sidebar section on each page to better highlight important information regarding the content.
I really like how the new layout turned out and how it looks, but it’s limited. The size of available content space on each page ties my hands a bit when something large needs to be displayed on a given page, such as a large Savage Worlds creature stat block. It turned out that although it worked well for Shadowed Earth and the EGS core rulebook, the size is proving difficult for other publications.
It’s also increasing page counts versus the raw content as written due to the loss of 1″ of space on each page for the sidebar.
Now I’m handed an opportunity. I don’t want to abandon the sidebar as I really like it how it looks and how easy it is to highlight important content on a page or add additional flavor that doesn’t fit the flow of the content. I also want to continue improving the look of our publications; the space along the edges didn’t really afford this as it would tighten the content too much. I also rather like the one-column flow as I find it much easier to read in printed format and on a handheld device; that is, the smaller printed sizes. To keep all the aspects I like and allow our publications to continue moving forward in presentation, I’ve chosen to move to a new publication size: 7″ x 10″.
I looked at many different sizes and considered standards. 7″ x 10″ allows me to print in black & white and color, softcover and hardcover. It’s also an industry standard and keeps that nice rectangle shape. By moving to this size, The content moves back to the same size it did with prior 6″ x 9″ books, but I get that extra 1″ on the side for my sidebar. To keep the shape, the height grows to 10″, which now allows me greater flexibility with borders without sacrificing word count per page.
This change is being rolled out immediately, although it’s not retroactive. Previous publications will not be updated unless they’re moved to a new edition or revision. You’ll see this new format on the upcoming Judgment Day 2.0 core setting guide for EGS, Mythos: Hero’s Handbook and Mythos: Epic Gamemastering for EGS, the Ultimate Knights Templar Guide for Savage Worlds, and the Cryptozoology #01: Chaos Realm supplement for Savage Worlds.
Please note the Entropic Heroes: Science Fiction book will not exhibit this new size as it’s already entered layout.
I fully realize this will not look nearly as nice on your bookshelf next to our previous books, but then, nowadays, books are coming in many different shapes and sizes according to the needs of the publication. Being that I don’t want to move to the two-column 8 1/2″ x 11″ size due to not being able to read it as nicely on a handheld device, it was time to nail down something that accommodates all my desires from a publication standpoint.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can post them here or on our Facebook page or Google+ community.
Here’s to an awesome new year!
Aaron T. Huss
President
Mystical Throne Entertainment