It's not easy, but you can try to build a personal/company reputation for making quality stuff. For one example, Jeff Vogel[1] has been making a living writing

It's not easy, but you can try to build a personal/company reputation for making quality stuff. For one example, Jeff Vogel[1] has been making a living writing old-school RPGs for decades. He did so by finding an underserved market and treating his customers well. For another, Cold Cold World[2] makes packs that some climbers swear by, and recommend to others; they may do some advertising, but I've never seen it. You won't become a billionaire this way, but you can do just fine. [1] http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/ http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/ [2] http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com