Our 2026 reports on publishing contracts are out! Industry standards to know before signing:

💵 Part 1: advances, credit, creative control

🎲 Part 2: royalties, designer copies, promotion

🌏 Part 3: co-publishing, extra royalties, rights reversion

https://cardboardedison.com/reports

How to grade board game publisher licensing contracts and the terms contained within them (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky1RyAbgCcc

A short thread with one big piece of feedback for game designers making pitch videos for contests or publishers:

https://bsky.app/profile/leafydragongames.bsky.social/post/3mt4yjn2htc2x

TTGDA has released a scoring rubric to help designers assess publishers’ licensing contracts:

https://irp.cdn-website.com/2b6905d0/files/uploaded/2026-08-11+TTGDA+Licensing+Scoring+Rubric.pdf

This website lists various board game playtesting and pitching events across Europe:

https://prototyping.games/

Published board game designers offer their top advice to a new designer in this Reddit board game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1vezq19/im_sure_this_has_been_asked_a_lot_im_looking_for/

10 tips for making a better print-and-play version of your board game prototype for playtesters and publishers (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Z3rGnXBQc

10 board game publishers who are seeking submissions—a walkthrough of their processes and requirements (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92eIywsY6YY

What kinds of things should you look for in a publisher before signing a game with them? Here are 5 things to consider:

https://www.benrosset.games/designer-advice#h.a85tfbdoyed0

How many times should you playtest a game before pitching it?

https://pamwallsgamedesign.substack.com/p/how-many-times-should-you-playtest

A process for figuring out what it is about your game that’s going to hook publishers and players (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGMGdiar1J0

Turning a bad sell sheet into a good one (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uew1LKp3Mwo

Advice for your first time pitching to a publisher—a Reddit board game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1timcp3/first_meetings_with_publishers_this_weekend_what/

Walking through the submission process for 10 different publishers—and general tips for submitting your game for consideration (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgdxymyZC3s

Soft skills that board game designers need: giving and receiving feedback, correcting a playtest experience that has gone off the rails, dealing with publishers, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bGs8WSxZE0

Tips for pitching board games to publishers from someone who has fielded thousands of pitches:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1sfrmj0/after_9_years_and_thousands_of_boardgame_pitches/

How important is theme when you’re pitching your board game to a publisher? A Reddit board game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1s16sy6/how_important_is_a_games_theme_when_pitching/

Board game publishers share how often designers’ pitches lead to a prototype handoff and eventually to a contract:

https://bsky.app/profile/elizhargrave.bsky.social/post/3mhb3m3oxjs2u

5 tips for pitching your board game to publishers—and step-by-step instructions for 10 of them (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoDCHTJJ7no

Matt Leacock on how the industry has changed in the past 20 years, working with publishers, advocating for game designers, and more:

https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2026/02/06/pandemic-creator-matt-leacock-on-fighting-for-designers-rights-working-with-effective-developers-and-his-publisher-pet-peeves/