
        

                                WE GET LETTERS! 

        

       This section is devoted to feedback from shareware authors, 
       vendors and subscribers to the $HAREWARE MARKETING $YSTEM or 
       other readers wishing to express their views about the shareware 
       industry or shareware marketing. 
       
       Files or letters to the editor which are over 50K in length and 
       which are accepted for publication earn a free one year 
       subscription to the $HAREWARE MARKETING $YSTEM. One free offer 
       per author. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 
       SMS and are intended to stimulate discussion about shareware 
       marketing methods. 

       Please note that older letters from previous editions of SMS, 
       many with HIGHLY valuable marketing information, have been moved 
       to the SMS archives disks. See the GOODIES section of SMS for 
       information on ordering this archived material. 
       
          -----------------------------------------------------------
                Letter from Richard W. Bonin, Piedmont Software
          -----------------------------------------------------------
       
                                 Richard Bonin
                              524 Buck Run Drive
                            Kernersville, NC  27284
                               September 7, 1992


                                  Jeff Napier
                                ANOTHER COMPANY
                                 P.O. Box 298
                             Applegate, OR  97530

       Dear Jeff, 

       I, as co-owner of Piedmont Software, use a registered copy of 
       Writer's Dream Version 3.0.  I will take this opportunity to 
       express our appreciation for a well written, reasonably priced, 
       simple, easy to use program.  Piedmont Software is a new 
       shareware vendor that markets shareware at local flea markets in 
       the Greensboro - High Point - Winston-Salem area.  Your program 
       helped eliminate one of our major start up concerns - how to 
       present our shareware programs in an professional manner. 

       As shareware vendors we need to support program registrations.  
       Only by supporting shareware authors will top quality shareware 
       continue to be produced.  Piedmont Software has established the 
       policy of giving 3 free disks to any user who has purchased a 
       shareware copy from us and has provided us with proof of program 
       registration. 

       We receive many shareware vendor catalogs both paper and disk.  
       Several vendors are now using Writer's Dream such as Southern 
       Enterprises of Atkin, Virginia, Wagner Enterprises of Ravenna, 
       Ohio and First PC of Charlotte, North Carolina and our own 
       company - Piedmont Software. 

       I have enclosed a vendor catalog created by using Writer's 
       Dream.  The shareware vendor is Practical Motivation Associates 
       of Scottsdale, Arizona. What is driving my curiosity is: 

     Why would a vendor rename the program name to READ.COM?

     Why would a active shareware vendor not upgrade to the most
     current version?

     Does Practical Motivation Associates hold a "Registered" version
     or are they guilty of depriving you of your registration fee by
     continued usage of a non registered version?

     Is there any way of identifying a registered copy just by
     viewing the catalog?

       Too often I see commercial or registered program versions being 
       offered as shareware.  I have on many occasions received 
       appreciation from the authors for such notifications.  Action 
       was taken by these authors and the commercial or registered 
       versions were removed. 

       Shareware vendors have a responsibility to protect the interest 
       of authors. Just like the dreaded computer viruses we all fear, 
       any shareware vendor who violates our established principles 
       also needs to be disinfected. 

                             Sincerely,


                                (signed)
                              Richard W. Bonin
                              Piedmont Software

          -----------------------------------------------------------
                      Letter of response from Jeff Napier
          -----------------------------------------------------------
       
                          ANOTHER COMPANY
                           P.O. Box 298
                        Applegate, OR 97530
                                USA
                            503-846-7884

        Hello Richard,
      
       Thanks for the tip!  Practical Motivational Solutions is NOT  
       registered  to use Writer's Dream, so it would appear that by 
       renaming DREAM.EXE to READ.COM, they've been trying to hide! 
      I've sent them an invoice for "unauthorized use of Writer's 
       Dream."  We'll see what happens... 

                                            Sincerely,


                                             (signed)
                                           Jeff Napier,
                                      d.b.a. Another Company
       
          -----------------------------------------------------------
                            Letter from Fred Parker
          -----------------------------------------------------------

                          PARKER FRED    404/435-9137                     
                              USE-FULL SOFTWARE, 
                         POB 2157 SMYRNA GA 30081-2157
                                                                       
           I credit $hareware  Marketing  $ystem  and  Jim Hood, for   
       making possible my  entrance  into  the "Shareware Industry".   
       Without the mail lists, tips, strategies and methodologies it   
       contains, USE-FULL SOFTWARE might never have emerged.           
                                                                       
           Jim Hood  has  been  a  good  business  friend  and  very   
       generous in  publicizing  our  efforts.   This  letter  is to   
       fulfill a self-imposed  obligation  to  explain events of the   
       last  year  surrounding  the  still-born  "SWAPS"  (ShareWare   
       Authors' Professional Services) program.                        
                                                                       
           The "SWAPS" program  did  not  "fail"  as  my  friend and   
       colleague, Paul Scanlon,  mentioned  in  $m$.   The "concept"   
       died from lack of author  interest.  It was never implemented   
       or formally offered.  All funding was from USE-FULL SOFTWARE.   
                                                                       
                 A BRIEF HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF SWAPS              
                                                                       
           My first shareware  program,  HealthAide(tm), was written   
       during 1988 - 89, copyrighted  and  released in 1990.  During   
       that time, I was an avid  buyer of shareware, many of which I   
       registered or ATTEMPTED to register.   In a one month period,   
       I sent out five (5) registration checks and received three of   
       them back as un-deliverable.  That  evoked  a germ of thought   
       about the nomadic nature of  our society and the lost revenue   
       to Authors - perhaps to me, if I moved.                         
                                                                       
           This was one Author problem that screamed for a solution.   
       Then I released my HealthAide  program to several hundred "A"   
       distributors.  I don't have to tell  you  what a two disk set   
       costs to mail in disk mailers.   (This  was before Jim put me   
       on  to  envelopes  and  LHA).   I  subsequently  released six   
       up-dates.  The cost in time,  effort  and real money was huge   
       by my standards. One up-date  was to simply change my address   
       and make cosmetic changes.  By now,  of course, I had no idea   
       how to up-date  every  vendor  selling my program world-wide.   
       This posed a second  problem:  how  to  distribute my program   
       without the concomitant tremendous costs in postage, time and   
       materials ?                                                     
                                                                       
           This started me  to  thinking  about the "SWAPS" concept.   
       The final nail was driven home when I realized that 90% of my   
       registrations came  from  10%  of  my  distributors.  But how   
       could  I  get  the   greatest  proliferation  of  my  program   
       otherwise ?  Another problem to be addressed by "SWAPS".        
                                                                       
           I began to outline a  program  that would ease the burden   
       of distribution costs from the  Authors and shift a little of   
       the costs to disk  vendors  who  were better able to shoulder   
       it.  Obviously, any  such  plan  would  have  to  benefit the   
       vendors as well.                                                
                                                                       
           The plan, put simply, was to:                               
           1) Organize Authors to establish a focal point for Author   
              redistribution;                                          
           2) Establish a sophisticated  BBS with multiple nodes and   
              "800" and "900" telephone lines;                         
           3) Prepare a detailed directory  of  Authors with the aim   
              of  coordinating   direct   marketing   mailings   and   
              reciprocal services among member Authors;                
           4) Amass a mail  list  of  Users  who actually registered   
              shareware;                                               
           5) Maintain a central data  file for authors who moved to   
              change their address by making one, free, up-load;       
           6) Provide a  contract  programming  registry for Authors   
              who desired to earn additional income in that manner.    
                                                                       
           To test the feasibility  of  "SWAPS",  I spent months and   
       lots of money  amassing  an  Author  mail  list and PC owners   
       list.  In  November,  1991,  I  began  to  compile  a list of   
       registered Users through the cooperation of other Authors and   
       to introduce the "SWAPS" idea.   To  do this, I asked Authors   
       to cooperate in the common  cause of combining our registered   
       users and to provide feed-back on the "SWAPS" concept.          
                                                                       
           From November, 1991, to  March,  1992,  I mailed to 1,300   
       Authors by first class mail.  Most  as  many as three times -   
       some I even called.  This  accomplished two things: I cleaned   
       my Author list and compiled a list of 14,400 registered Users   
       which was shared with the  participating  Authors.  Oh yes, I   
       also spent $20,000 of which $650 was funded by participants.    
                                                                       
           The interest in "SWAPS" was  virtually nil.  Out of 1,300   
       Authors, only about 35 showed  any interest.  However, a few,   
       with vision,  were  enthusiastic.   (Paul  Scanlon,  for one,   
       offered great inducements for joining the program by offering   
       some of  his  excellent  programs  to  members at substantial   
       discounts).                                                     
                                                                       
           Perhaps the mailings were not "slick" enough.  I felt the   
       benefits and substance of the  plan  were more important than   
       paying a large printing  bill  to  sell something that should   
       not have to be sold.                                            
                                                                       
           USE-FULL SOFTWARE would  do  all  the work, Authors could   
       up-load new and up-dated programs  to one place on free "800"   
       numbers, they could change their  address  with one free call   
       to the  BBS,  and  vendors  could  download  the  most recent   
       versions of Authors' work  via  "900"  numbers  (to cover the   
       lines costs).  A small charge of  $25 - $35 per year for file   
       maintenance from the  Authors  and  vendors combined with the   
       revenue from the "900" lines should provide a fair management   
       fee to U.S.A..                                                  
                                                                       
           While doing all of this,  our new program development and   
       our shareware distribution service  was severly curtailed and   
       cash flow became a problem.  An investor in Georgia expressed   
       an interest in the project on  a  more profitable basis so we   
       relocated to the  Atlanta  area.   We  finally concluded that   
       Author interest was insufficient  to warrant further expense.   
       Perhaps, our intentions were too altruistic ?                   
                                                                       
           So here we are in  the  "throbbing metropolis" of Smyrna,   
       Georgia.  We  are  writing  our  catalog  to  disk  as a more   
       economic approach to distribution.  This involves writing the   
       program,   re-writing   descriptions   and   setting   up   a   
       point-of-sale database to allow us  to track and report sales   
       by Author.  (Something we  have  wanted  from our vendors for   
       some time and which all have steadfastly refused to provide).   
                                                                       
           The "SWAPS" program would have  been  a good deal for all   
       of us.  Eventually it might have led to substantial discounts   
       on systems,  disks,  supplies  and  other  materials  through   
       cooperative, quantity  purchasing  and  professional courtesy   
       discounts on registrations among members.  We might even have   
       been able to  setup  group  insurance,  a  credit union and a   
       relief fund.                                                    
                                                                       
           Alas, it was not to  be.   I  could not do it alone.  "Of   
       all sad words of tongue  or  pen,  the  saddest are these: IT   
       MIGHT HAVE BEEN" !                                              
                                                                       
           How are we doing now ?   Well,  about as well as a priest   
       in a small town  with  no  car.  Nevertheless, we are sitting   
       up, taking nourishment  and  paying  the  bills promptly when   
       due, thank you.                                                 
                                                                       
       NOTE TO AUTHORS:                                                
                                                                       
           USE-FULL SOFTWARE  ANTHOLOGIES  does  not  distribute any   
       programs received from  any  source  other than the copyright   
       owners/Authors or their authorized  agents.  Our mail list is   
       small (approximately 40,000) but highly targeted.               
                                                                       
           We welcome your direct  submissions  for inclusion in our   
       Library.  SUBMISSIONS ARE ACKNOWLEDGED!                         
                                                                       
                                   Best regards,                       
                                                                       
                                   Fred Parker                         
                                   USE-FULL SOFTWARE ANTHOLOGIES       

          -----------------------------------------------------------
                           Letter from Chris Kangley
          -----------------------------------------------------------
       
                 SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
               P.O. BOX 52 EL PASO, IL  61738-0052
                      PHONE (309) 527-8579
              FAX (309) 527-8579 BBS (309) 527-4232


       ATTENTION ALL AUTHORS OF SHAREWARE:                                   
                                                                             
       Looking for a way to reduce your mailing cost?                        
                                                                             
       Tired of sending your programs to vendors who do not exist or         
       never respond?                                                        
                                                                             
       Would you like more time to design those new programs or              
       improving what you have written?                                      
                                                                             
       Shareware Distribution Services (SDS) is the place!                   
                                                                             
       We can give you major savings on mailings and reduce your time        
       spent on distribution of programs. SDS was created for authors so     
       they could distribute their programs at a cost they could afford.     
                                                                             
       Listed below are some of the many services we have to offer.          
       These are only points about the services. If they interest you        
       please send for the complete package that explains all of our         
       services in detail.                                                   
                                                                             
       ********************  PROGRAM MAIL SERVICE  ********************      
                                                                             
       Will cut your mailing cost by as much as one half.                    
                                                                             
       We have no set quantity of vendors you must mail to.                  
                                                                             
       We only charge for the space a program takes an a diskette.           
                                                                             
       We maintain a database for each of your programs we send. We show     
       who listed your program and who did not. We maintain this for any     
       updates you may want to send to vendors                               
                                                                             
       We have a database of 2000 plus names of people dealing in            
       shareware in some way. We offer mailings to diskette vendors or       
       clubs at this time.                                                   
                                                                             
       You pick who you want to mail to or you can mail to both. We can      
       mail to our list, mail to your list or your list plus some of         
       ours.                                                                 
                                                                             
       We grade each vendor we mail to. This ensures your programs are       
       sent to vendors who list programs and respond.                        
                                                                             
       A vendor response form is included with each mailing. You are         
       informed by us what each vendor did with your program.                
                                                                             
       We do not charge you for bad addresses we just resend the             
       program.                                                              
                                                                             
       Using our mail service your programs are added to our catalog and     
       rebate program. Yes rebate you make money from the catalog also!      
                                                                             
       We are able to handle special needs such as putting the vendor        
       name on your registration form.                                       
                                                                             
       ********************  DISK CATALOG SERVICE  *********************     
                                                                             
       Each author using the mail service will have their program added      
       to the catalog.                                                       
                                                                             
       Each sale of your program we give a rebate back to your mailing       
       account. You can make money from our catalog also.                    
                                                                             
       We can furnish a list of who purchased your program from us. This     
       could be used to send out a letter asking why a person did not        
       register. The input from that could be put into a upgrade to make     
       them register.                                                        
                                                                             
       ****************  PROGRAM REGISTRATION SERVICE   ****************     
                                                                             
       You can send us your registration forms and we will input them to     
       a database.                                                           
                                                                             
       We maintain the database for future needs like notification of        
       new versions or what ever you would like to do. We can do             
       mailings to your registered customers.                                
                                                                             
       For a small processing fee we can also send out a authors             
       registered program and printed material.                              
                                                                             
       **************************  IN CLOSE  **************************      
                                                                             
       These are only three of the many services we have to offer. We        
       are able to meet the needs of most authors and very open to any       
       ideas authors may have.                                               
                                                                             
       If you who would like to cut your mailing cost in half. Make          
       money from our catalog. Have more time to research and design.        
       Then send a $11.00 registration fee that is a one time charge.        
       This will bring you our complete package explaining all of the        
       services we have to offer. It also contains our complete price        
       list for mailings and has a 30 day money back guarantee. Hurry        
       and do it now. Don't wait till you have a mailing going out to        
       register because you can start to earn credit from the catalog        
       now. Make sure to send your program with the registration fee.        
                                                                             
       We accept checks, VISA or Master card for payment of services. If     
       you have any questions about our services please contact our          
       office. If you would like to register with your credit card call      
       we will take it over the phone.                                       
                                                                             
       Sincerely,                                                            
       Chris Kangley                                                         
       Director of Marketing                                                 
                                                                             
                                                                             
        

       Please note that older letters from previous editions of SMS, 
       many with HIGHLY valuable marketing information, have been moved 
       to the SMS archives disks. See the GOODIES section of SMS for 
       information on ordering this archived material. 

        
        
       

