GDC 2025 Session Viewer
What Publishing a Book Taught Me About Publishing Video Games
Karah Sutton (Chief Publishing Officer, PikPok)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Business & Marketing
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
In 2020, PikPok's Chief Publishing Officer Karah Sutton became a published author, with her first book published by Penguin Random House. This journey led to Sutton reassessing the role of the publisher in video games and finding a new appreciation for the tools available to today's video game makers.
In recent decades, both books and video games have shifted from a business model that's wholly dependent on 3rd party publishers. We are now indie creatives empowered to self-publish. Yet, self-publishing demands market awareness and marketing savvy. What can game devs learn from the mistakes and successes of the world of book publishing?
Takeaway
This talk will help game developers create more engaging, successful, and innovative games by integrating proven strategies from the world of book publishing. Attendees will be inspired to discover new opportunities for creating and marketing games with a stronger understanding of how games fit into the wider entertainment landscape.
Intended Audience
This talk is designed for a general audience, and will appeal especially to indie developers looking to self-publish their games for the first time.
