Running a Board Game Business
The business side of publishing games, from legal structure and money to reprints and growth.
Do you need an LLC?
When forming an LLC makes sense for a board game publisher, what it actually protects, and what it does not.
Board game trademarks
What a trademark protects for a board game, how to check if your title is available, and when registration is worth it.
Copyright and board games
What copyright actually covers in a board game, why mechanics are not protectable, and how to handle art and text rights.
Contracts
The contracts a small board game publisher actually needs, what belongs in each one, and how to keep them simple.
Accounting
Basic bookkeeping and tax practices for a small board game publisher, from separating accounts to handling sales tax.
Insurance
The insurance a small board game publisher should consider, including general liability, product liability, and cargo coverage.
Inventory
How to think about board game inventory, from print run sizing and storage costs to the risk of unsold stock.
Cash flow
Why cash flow, not profit, kills small board game publishers, and how to plan around the industry's long payment cycles.
Reprints
When to reprint a board game, how reprint economics differ from the first run, and how to avoid long out-of-stock gaps.
Expansions
When a board game expansion makes business sense, what expansions can and cannot do, and how to design one worth printing.
Building a publishing company
What it takes to grow from self-publishing one game into a sustainable board game publishing company.