How many prototype submissions per year to a major editor?

A great editor (Asmodee, Iello, Days of Wonder) receives 500-2000 proposals per year. Annual selection: 5 to 20 games according to the editor. Acceptance rate: 0.5 to 2%. For small specialized editors, sometimes 5 to 10% acceptance rate.

Expert guide8 min readGame publishing

How to edit a board game: auto-editing or editor?

Q: What royalties would you expect from an editor?

Standard Royalties: 5-10% of the wholesale price (HT editor price) on each copy sold. For a game at the average public price, the royalties represent a classic share per copy. On a success that sells 50,000 copies, the total royalties can reach several tens of thousands of euros.

Q: L'auto-édition est-elle rentable financièrement ?

On the first edition: often yes so well conducted (10-30% net margin after all costs). On the following editions: margin increases because initial investment amortized. Many self-editors succeed in their first game but struggle to make the personal time spent (200-500 h).

Self-editing or finding a publisher? The decision changes everything about creative control, income and risk. Here is the concrete decision grid and the 6 steps for both paths.

By Joeffrey Costa, founder of Craft Your Games · 30 May 2026

"My game is ready after 18 months of prototyping. Now, what do I do: I publish it myself or I propose it to publishers?" This question is the fork of the way for 90% of creators. The answer changes everything over the next 24 months.

Self-publishing and publishing by a publisher are not equivalent: different creative profiles, different risks, different income, different creative control. Choosing without understanding the two ways in detail leads to disappointment.

Here is the honest decision grid, the 6 steps for each path, and the tips from 80+ creative accompaniments since 2018.

Editing your game is not a career shortcut: it is a choice of entrepreneurship that must assume itself as such, or a choice of divestiture that must be legally consistent.

Go further: read our critical analysis of the Kickstarter self-publishing.

Track 1 : Self-publishing: game entrepreneur

Self-publishing transforms you into a game entrepreneur. You take all the steps: artistic direction, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, customer service. To succeed, you need a creative profile ET entrepreneurship.

Benefits 100% of the income, total creative control, direct relationship with the players, possibility to rotate quickly. You capitalize your learning on all the following games. (more about our L&D learning game)

Drawbacks : significant initial investment to carry alone, 60-80% of the time in non-creative management (admin, marketing, logistics), tight cash flow the first 18 months, high financial risk.

Compatible designer profile: experienced entrepreneurs, designers willing to learn business management, creators with a 12-24 month security pool.

Track 2 : Publisher: offer your game to an established publisher

Offer your game to a publisher (Asmodee, Iello, Funforge, Cocktail Games, etc.) frees you from all production and distribution. The publisher takes the financial risk, you get royalties (5-10% of the wholesale price).

Benefits : very limited initial investment, focus on creation, potential global distribution, press exhibition and conventions provided by the publisher.

Drawbacks : reduced revenues (royalties 5-10%), shared creative control (the publisher can modify mechanical, theme, illustrations), 24-36 month release time, very low acceptance rate (1-3% of successful submissions).

Creative profile compatible: very creative creators but not entrepreneurs, creators with stable main job, creators who aim for international volume.

6 stages self-editing

Step 1 : choose a legal status (auto-enterprise for modest CA, SASU for larger scale, association for educational games).

Step 2 : finalise the artistic direction (graphist + illustrator). Budget on estimate according to ambition.

Step 3 : choose the manufacturer. For launch (50-500 copies), recommended European B2B manufacturer for compliance + deadlines.

Step 4 : Kickstarter campaign or direct pre-sales (more about our Kickstarter board game FrancePreparation 3 months, 30 days campaign.

Step 5 : post-campaign manufacturing, backers distribution.

Step 6 : continue selling on your website + marketplaces. Maintain an active community presence.

6 steps to offer your game to a publisher

Step 1 : prepare a clean prototype (not necessarily final) playable and a presentation folder (concept, mechanics, target, duration, number of players).

Step 2 : identify 15-25 target editors compatible with your type of game (mechanical, complexity, audience). No need to send to Asmodee if you are doing a micro-niche game.

Step 3 : contact each publisher via their official channel. Many have a documented submission procedure on their site.

Step 4 The project will be presented at trade shows (Cannes, Essen). Publishers have dedicated slots.

Step 5 If interest, negotiate the contract (transfer, royalties, creative control, duration). Have a specialist intellectual property lawyer read again.

Step 6 : collaborate with the publisher on any adjustments. Time between signature and release: typical 24-36 months.

French workshop in Fléac (Charente). 1000+ B2B projects delivered since 2018. EN71, FSC, ESAT, plant-based inks. Costed quote within 48h.

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Have a custom game project?

Design, manufacturing, delivery turnkey. Detailed quote within 48 hours, free and no commitment.

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Sources and references

INSEE — French games & toys market studies 2025
European standard EN71 — toy safety (EN71-1 mechanical, EN71-2 flammability, EN71-3 chemical)
FFJP — French federation of toy and childcare industries
AFNOR — responsible paper labels PEFC and FSC
Bpifrance study — SMEs and B2B purchasing 2026

Questions frequent

What royalties do you expect from an editor?

Standard Royalties: 5-10% of the wholesale price (HT publisher price) on each copy sold. For a game at the average public price, the royalties represent a classic share per copy. On a success that sells at 50,000 copies, the total royalties can reach tens of thousands of euros.

How many prototype submissions per year to a major publisher?

A large publisher (Asmodee, Iello, Days of Wonder) receives 500-2000 proposals per year. Annual selection: 5 to 20 games published according to the publisher. Acceptance rate: 0.5 to 2%. For small specialized publishers, acceptance rate sometimes 5 to 10%.

Is self-publishing financially profitable?

On the first edition: often yes so well done (10-30% net margin after all costs). On the following editions: margin increases because initial investment amortized. Many self-publishers succeed in their first game but struggle to make money for the personal time spent (200-500 h).

Do you need a lawyer for publishing contracts?

Yes systematically for a first contract. Cost: reasonable legal fees for review and negotiation. Potentially saves several thousand euros on disadvantageous clauses (exclusive too wide, degressive royalties, creative control editor). Specialized lawyers intellectual property playful: few but identifiable.

Can we combine self-publishing and license with a publisher then?

Yes, it is even a classic strategy. Launch in self-publishing (1000-5000 copies), prove the market, then assign the rights to a publisher for international distribution or premium version. Higher margin but assumed initial risk.