
        

                      SHAREWARE MARKETING - FILL A NEED! 

        

       To begin at the beginning, you have a software package or at 
       least an idea for a package. The first question is does your 
       software fill a market need? And is the need so great that 
       someone will pay money for your solution? It is easy to confuse 
       the hard work and frustration of programming - which is 
       considerable - with the perception that the package must be 
       worth something since you worked so hard to produce it. In 
       reality there is NO relation between your programming effort and 
       the real need for the program. Spend some time imagining and 
       researching a group of computer users who have a REAL need for a 
       package you could produce. 

       Successful shareware fills definite market needs. Glance at the 
       list of successful shareware authors which I will provide in a 
       few paragraphs and consider how your package fits into the 
       market pattern of these documentable winners. You don't have to 
       offer a similar package, just something that fills an existing 
       or emerging niche. Serious authors offer SEVERAL packages or one 
       mainstream package and develop it to near commercial quality. 
       Complexity and a wealth of features tend to sell in the 
       shareware arena. Shareware marketing methods require SERIOUS 
       work committment despite the fact that you can get by without 
       substantial startup cash - at least for a while. 
       
       Another pattern is that some successful packages tend to be 
       mainstream (databases, spreadsheets, serious utilities, 
       accounting) BUT NEW IN CONCEPT. 
       
       Shareware winners hang in there for the long haul. They have 
       patience measured in a duration of years. 
       
       Speed is crucial. Successful shareware authors bring a program 
       to market quickly before other competitors. In some ways this is 
       the advantage of remaining an independent programmer: program 
       features can be rapidly implemented and a fresh idea or 
       programming algorithm can be brought to market FAST. 
       
       Excellence - successful authors continually refine and hone 
       their programs to be the fastest and most user friendly. Then 
       continuously update them which itself attracts market attention. 
       
       Next a list of recognized shareware authors and companies. You 
       might want to obtain and study several of the packages 
       mentioned. Several companies, for example Buttonware and 
       Datastorm, market both commercial and shareware versions of 
       their products. However, in most cases these enterprises STARTED 
       with shareware marketing methods and may still maintain 
       shareware products at the time this article was prepared. 

       RECOGNIZED ENTERPRISES WHICH DERIVE INCOME FROM SHAREWARE
              
       JP Software - 4DOS
       McAfee Asoc/Interpath - Viruscan
       Datastorm - Procomm
       Apogee Software - Commander Keen, Duke Nukum
       Trius - ASEASYAS, Draft Choice 
       Quicksoft - PC-Write, PC-Browse, PC-Write Lite
       Brown Bag - Powermenu, PC-Outline, Homebase
       Contact Plus Corp - Contact Plus
       Magee Enterprises - Automenu, Treeview 
       Buttonware - PC-Calc, PC-Type, PC-File 
       Expressware - File Express, Express Calc, Check, Graph, Onside
       PKWare - Pkzip 
       Hooper International Inc. - Cheque it Out, Takin' Care of Business
       Progressive Solutions - Back & Forth
       AM Software - AM-TAX 
       Mustang - Wildcat 
       Starlite - Galaxy/Nova Word Processor 
       Jerry Medlin - Medlin Accounting, PC-GL  
       Eric Isaacson - Zipkey
       
       Obtain shareware catalogs from larg disk vendors such as PC-SIG, 
       Public Brand, Software Excitement! and others listed in the 
       database which accompanies this package. Closely examine these 
       marketing treasure troves and determine if similar packages to 
       yours exist or, from a contrary viewpoint, if market gaps for 
       your package are apparent. 
       
       This is basic research costs little and can prevent frustration 
       when you discover that the superb printer utility you had 
       planned already exists as 23 different variations in the the 
       shareware market. Look carefully for market gaps in a variety of 
       shareware catalogs before you start writing code! A shareware 
       programmer without a LARGE stack of shareware catalogs next to 
       his/her computer is flying blind. 

        TIP  Know thy timeline: it will take 3 to 5 years 
       to build critical mass behind your product. Be patient and hold 
       on to that mail room job for a while. Fill a need. Don't program 
       games (low registration potential) if you can program an 
       application. Don't spend hours programming a killer database 
       when 760 databases already exist. Find a niche market, create a 
       niche market or spot a problem that isn't being solved. Watch 
       for commercial software packages that seem new or unusual in 
       concept then see if you can "shareware" the same concept to 
       market quickly. Study other shareware that is "almost" market 
       perfect but somehow misses the mark. 

       Consider weaving the good ideas from several packages into one 
       package. Consider collaborating with another shareware author. 
       You will have to write more than one package if you are serious 
       about shareware as a marketing method! 

       As a starting point, consider these concepts for shareware 
       packages: 
       
       Mapping and plotting of contours, conversion of satellite 
       imagery, business plan creation tools and templates, decision 
       making software, IEEE 488 interface programming tools, 
       contractor accounting package for DOD 2002. 
       
       How about an OCR package with spell checking and AI, Criterium 
       clone, AI resume generator? Other ideas include Windows 3.1 
       programs and toolkits, toolbook clone, libraries in C and 
       pascal, dBase compilers, label printer with AI which can scan in 
       any source document and find and format label information, Rbase 
       clone with royalty free runtimes. 
       
       As another variant, clone any of the programs in the PowerUp 
       software catalog, Reflex database clone. If you have expertise 
       in a specific technical area, consider complex vertical market 
       management and market research packages for banking, law, 
       medicine, statistics, accounting, biotechnology. 
       
       A winner if you do research carefully might be database 
       compilations of selected mailing lists, magazines, package-
       specific tutorial systems, home business planning and marketing 
       packages, shareware distributor inventory and billing packages, 
       direct mail planning and marketing kits. Also consider a package 
       covering how to deal with lower back pain for computer 
       programmers, planning and pricing a move to another state, job 
       finding kits, foreign investment guides, lists of Russian 
       entrepreneurs, emerging home office income opportunity 
       newsletters, tropical fish disease database, packages for senior 
       citizens on a state by state resource basis and on and on! This 
       is just a little from the "fat idea file" on my desk! 

       Another great idea is to scan each issue of Compuserve Magazine 
       which is published monthly for Compuserve members. Within the 
       pages is a detailed list of "popular and recommended shareware" 
       downloads. Study the list carefully and ask yourself the 
       question: could I clone a better variant of a particular 
       shareware package which is ALREADY POPULAR? 

       The key here is that these are POPULAR downloads by a vast array 
       of Compuserve users which means the marketing research is done! 

       The idea is obvious and updated every month for your perusal in 
       Compuserve magazine! You are not charged for the magazine 
       subscription, only for Compuserve connect time which can be as 
       much or little as you like! Obviously, if you develop a package, 
       you should upload it to Compuserve as a nearly instantaneous way 
       to distribute it to a mass market. Upload time is at no charge. 

       If you want to stretch your thinking, go down to your local 
       library and scan through shelves of books and magazines and ask 
       the question: could I program a package similar to this book or 
       magazine as an interactive data/tutorial system? Could I find 
       the precise market niche for the resulting product? Books and 
       magazines are still the best and most original random access 
       device invented by man - a floppy disk and computer are the same 
       thing with a a bit more speed, intelligence and grace. Both my 
       packages, PC-Learn and The $hareware Marketing $ystem are "books 
       on a disk" rather than more traditional applications packages. 

       A beautiful concept for a package I had is a TOTAL management 
       and billing control package for a person taking care of a senior 
       citizen - the package would manage medical billings, physician 
       appointments, banking and money, dental claims, unpaid bills, 
       income sources and so forth. With the graying of the baby boom 
       generation this is sure to be an explosive opportunity. I have 
       hundreds of ideas and more like this in a fat folder on my desk. 
       And I don't have the time and programming skills to make these 
       ideas happen! Write me if you want to brainstorm ideas for 
       packages nobody has yet done which may have incredible market 
       potential as the shareware market matures. I would like to see 
       shareware distributors start compiling a list of "needed 
       software" derived from actual requests of their customers. 

       Better yet, this could become the "bright ideas" database within 
       this $hareware Marketing $ystem: you submit an idea which is 
       maybe a little too complex for you to program or team up with a 
       programmer to write the tough code while you work on an elegant 
       user interface. 

       My next bright idea is a shareware DISTRIBUTORS newsletter with 
       a compilation of the best and brightest marketing ideas I have 
       seen and discovered from shareware distributors throughout 
       America. I'll bet most shareware distributors would find such a 
       newsletter interesting and my idea and concept file for that 
       package is already 8 inches thick (still too thin for me to get 
       interested just yet!) 

       Today more packages are published as shareware than as 
       commercial software. It is possible, some would say probable, 
       that in the future all software will one day evolve into 
       shareware . . . 

       ORIGINALITY, PROFESSIONAL EXECUTION, RAPID DISTRIBUTION AND MORE 
       THAN ONE SHAREWARE PACKAGE are the keys and are more important 
       than raw programming skills! "Marketing source code" (mailing 
       lists, ideas for packages, identification of market niches, 
       distribution tricks) at starting point for most successful 
       shareware packages.  

       Avoid the standards which everyone else writes such as bible 
       search programs, text managers, hard drive menu systems, 
       checkbook programs, general ledgers, genealogy systems, tiny 
       little printer utilities, games, lotto pickers and spreadsheets. 

       PC-LEARN evolved in a more or less logical fashion. 
       
       As the coordinator for a computer club I noticed an insatiable 
       need for a SIMPLE tutorial for beginners. I wrote a few articles 
       for the club newsletter which were avidly snapped up. Next I 
       compiled several articles into what might be termed a PC-LEARN 
       prototype. 
       
       Response was good, but the articles were deemed too complex! 
       Back to the drawing board and another try. Each time I got a 
       little closer the market told me what to do next. I searched 
       shareware catalogs for competitors to PC-LEARN (there were some, 
       but lacking in some areas of content and simplicity). I checked 
       commercial sources for similar tutorials which gave me further 
       encouragement. Finally I submitted an early version of the 
       package to several BBS systems and PC-SIG which is a large 
       shareware distributor in California. Still more revisions and 
       more aggressive marketing followed. 
       
       I was prepared to wait about five years and then abandon the 
       product since my commercial photography business was far more 
       profitable with a lot less effort. Then the magic happened and 
       PC-LEARN began to produce registration checks and I knew I might 
       be onto something interesting. 
       
       Moral: programming a package is the easy part. Marketing 
       persistence and patience measured in terms of years is where the 
       work starts! 

       Reasons to try shareware distribution methods? You can't afford 
       a major advertising and promotion budget. You need extra income 
       but already have a job. Your existing package for a consultation 
       client is good and might be adapted to a larger audience. Your 
       small utility or game wouldn't be attractive in the commercial 
       software market, but a realistic extra $5,000 per year for your 
       small package might be a stroke to the ego. 

        

                         SHAREWARE MARKETING STEP TWO 
                               PROGRAM LOGISTICS 

        

       The best shareware adheres to certain common formulas. 
       
       Strive to have your package run on humble monochrome machines as 
       well as sophisticated VGA graphics computers. Can your software 
       auto-detect various graphics resolutions and adjust accordingly? 
       Remember that there are more monochrome machines out there than 
       anything else. The customer can't send you a registration if 
       he/she can't even read the registration request screen! High end 
       packages have a very narrow base of support for registrations. 

       Make the program run by intuition. Can the user fire it up and 
       run your program without even glancing at the documentation? 
       Good shareware is self-documenting as it runs. 

       Don't rely on Windows specific programs unless you are willing 
       to wait until the majority of users run Windows. If you must, 
       offer a version for windows and a non-windows version. 

       Don't program specifically for 386 CPU chips or math co-
       processors unless you want your program to leave the majority of 
       users behind. Auto-detect these chips but don't hardwire 
       instructions for these chips directly into your code. 

       Make sure the program is REALLY bug free. If necessary reduce 
       your program features even if you suspect a bug might be 
       contained in a flashy graphics or machine code sequence. 
       Shareware has a reputation for being buggy in the eyes of many 
       users. 

       Consider having the program display a copyright and registration 
       notice as the first welcome screen. This protects you and 
       reminds the user of the need to register. In the shareware trade 
       this is usually called a "beg screen." 
       
       The most productive registration schemes force the software to 
       start with a beg screen and short pause then request a random 
       keypress number or letter (which defeats automatic macro-induced 
       startup by the user). Next the program runs. Upon program 
       completion, a small reminder message to register the shareware 
       displays and the opportunity to print a registration form with a 
       mandatory yes/no keypress. This elaborate process induces 
       registrations from folks who use the program frequently. With 
       some programs, the registered version is free of these mild 
       "cripples" which is an additional inducement to register the 
       program. Upon registration, the author mails to the user an 
       inexpensive postcard which reveals an undocumented software 
       command which shuts off the annoying messages. Simple and clean. 
       
       Will your program fit in whole or logical portions of standard 
       360K floppy disks? This is essential. Don't require a hard drive 
       unless the program absolutely needs it. Provide two versions - 
       one hard drive compatible and one floppy compatible, but don't 
       neglect the big market of users with simple machines.  While we 
       are speaking about drives, do not hard code a floppy drive or 
       directory into your program. Always allow a default directory 
       and user selectable switching to other drives and directories. 
       If necessary provide either a separate configuration program for 
       drives, colors, and options or provide choices from a menu 
       within the program. Not everyone's computer is the same as 
       yours! 

        TIP  Consider "brain bartering" Example: your 
       package has many software features, but you need some excellent 
       documentation upgrades for your package but aren't a good 
       writer. Try swapping some programming skills with another 
       shareware programmer whose package needs some revision or bug 
       fixes in exchange for that author doing a serious rewrite of 
       your documentation. No matter how proud you are of your 
       programming skills, there is another shareware author out there 
       who is better at machine code, documentation production, beta 
       testing or something you can't do. Make a list of what your 
       program needs but you don't know how or have time to accomplish. 
       
       Post a message on a BBS system or write directly to another 
       shareware author. Brain bartering! I would like to list in this 
       publication a brain barter database: send me a note about what 
       programming skill you can offer and what programming skill you 
       need. Write it like a little want ad, ship it to me on ASCII 
       disk and we thus have the brain barter database. 

       Crippleware (a program with severely limited features, date or 
       time traps, or other cripples) is a sure looser. Few crippled 
       programs have made it in shareware! At one time the famous 
       WAMPUM database had a date trap cripple which has now been 
       removed. Moral: As soon as a user even faintly smells a cripple 
       your program is out of the running for that registration check! 

       If you make references to DOS commands be PAINFULLY clear. A lot 
       of users still don't understand statements such as "boot DOS 
       then diskcopy your master floppy onto a backup diskette and 
       prepare two HD subdirectories, one for the program and one for 
       the data." This seems pretty simple, but will confuse a lot of 
       users who will not even try your program. Explain DOS commands 
       clearly in both your program and documentation. 
       
       Consider offering a detailed DOS training course in your 
       documentation which some users will register even if they could 
       care less about your program! Many good shareware distributor 
       catalogs always have little mini-DOS courses on the inside 
       cover. Commercial software houses such as Borland include mini-
       DOS courses in the appendix section of their program manuals. 
       Moral: there are a lot of computer novices out there who need 
       clear instructions and will send you a registration check if you 
       can keep your documentation clear, simple, useful and 
       educational. 

       If your program prints files, documentation or reports, be sure 
       to have the program include an extra form feed at the end of the 
       printout to eject the paper from the printer - this is 
       especially true for laser printer users who will be most annoyed 
       that the final sheet of your report or screen display remains 
       inside the laser printer and is overwritten with yet another 
       document when they go to use the printer again. 
       
        

                        SHAREWARE MARKETING STEP THREE 
                     DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING LOGISTICS 

        

       The final product, pending yet another inevitable revision, is 
       the DISTRIBUTION DISK which is duplicated and submitted to 
       shareware vendors, computer clubs and unsuspecting neighbors. 
       Checkpoints: 

       Always include a file named README on the disk. The README file 
       must be sorted to the top of the directory listing so it can be 
       found quickly.  I suggest avoiding a file extension (e.g., don't 
       use README.TXT.) Here is why: when you sort the files in final 
       distribution order (best by extension then filename) the README 
       file will sort to the top of the directory where it belongs and 
       where it will catch the eye and serve its purpose. 
       
       Within the README file the first item at the top of the should 
       be the program name, version number, how to start the program, 
       author mailing address and a provocative description including a 
       few "sizzle words." 

       The top of the README file is the most valuable real estate in a 
       shareware disk. Use it well! It demands more programming time 
       and thought than the rest of your program code. 

       A program description must be provocative and precise. A 
       reviewer will look for this first and frequently use it verbatim 
       as a catalog listing. A user will be encouraged to try the 
       program. The description isn't just a description, it must 
       sizzle with what might be termed marketing adjectives! Obviously 
       don't overdo the sizzle to the exclusion of the steak. Look 
       again at an example README file: 
                   

                 THE $HAREWARE MARKETING $YSTEM (c) 1990, 1991   
                   VERSION 91.02 (Year: 1991, Revision: 02) 
                 Suggested BBS name, this version: SMS9102.ZIP 
       
       A shareware software package from Seattle Scientific Photography 
                        Editor, Jim Hood (206) 236-0470 
             Mailing address: PO BOX 1506, Mercer Island, WA 98040 

              To start:     A>GO   <then press return/enter key>   
       
                             DETAILED DESCRIPTION 

       The $HAREWARE MARKETING $YSTEM is a detailed two part resource 
       for shareware authors who need creative marketing ideas and a 
       RATED mailing list of over 2,300 major shareware distributors, 
       large computer clubs, key contact names and recommended BBS 
       systems. 

       The first part of the package, the mailing list database, 
       contains addresses, phone numbers, a UNIQUE MAILING LIST RATING 
       and other detailed data which can be used to prepare envelope 
       mailing labels or BBS calling uploads. The database file is 
       rated by a unique quality ranking so you can mail shareware to 
       vendors, computer clubs and BBS systems ranked A, B or C. The 
       database file is supplied in standard dBase III (DBF) file 
       format which can be imported to your database! You can sort 
       lists of shareware distributors, computer clubs and BBS systems 
       by zip, state and other criteria. Foreign and U.S. source lists 
       are included. 

       The second portion of the package is a detailed newsletter and 
       marketing strategy guide which has been prepared by an 
       established shareware author and contains dozens of creative 
       tips, tricks and traps which every shareware author should 
       review. Written by the author of the PC-LEARN computer tutorial 
       which has accumulated over 9000 registrations in 3 years, the 
       $HAREWARE MARKETING $YSTEM provides detailed and experienced 
       information in a frank, candid and sensible style. This is a 
       package for the shareware author who desperately needs CREATIVE 
       IDEAS for positive financial results. 

       Program runs on ALL systems and does NOT require color or 
       special graphics. You will need a database program such as PC-
       File, Wampum, dBase, Rbase, Reflex or any database program which 
       can load files in dBase III format (DBF files). Other file 
       formats such as Lotus, Paradox and ASCII file formats are 
       available from the author. Hard drive suggested, but author of 
       program can also supply mailing list files in smaller portions 
       suitable for floppy systems if requested. Updates are planned (4 
       issues per year) and monthly updates are contemplated.       

                         (end of example) 

       Notice that IMMEDIATELY the reader locates the essentials: what 
       is the name? What is the version? What is the description? Is 
       the description interesting? How do I start the program? If 
       space permits within the README file also include a list of 
       files and their descriptions, sizes and dates as well as further 
       instructions on how to start the program and print the 
       documentation. The top of the README file also includes a 
       suggested ZIP file name for BBS use which is rarely supplied 
       with most shareware packages but aids standardization if you go 
       into national BBS distribution or if shareware distributors 
       decide to archive/zip your file to conserve space on a floppy 
       disk. I suggest you investigate the shareware program PKZIP and 
       LHA if you are not familiar with archiving and file compression 
       technology. 
       
       A distribution disk should be defragged, date cleaned, EN sorted 
       and spell checked. What does this mean? 
       
       1) Use a file defragmentation program to make all files 
       contiguous prior to preparing the distribution disk. 2) Run a 
       small utility like TOUCH.COM on the disk so all files have the 
       same date/time stamp. 3) Run a file sorter like Norton on the 
       disk to sort the files first by extension then by name (EN 
       sort). 4) Use your word processor's spelling checker to clean up 
       unprofessional documentation spelling errors (we're all human!) 
       5) Never use subdirectories on your main distribution disk which 
       vendors and customers receive. This will drive most disk vendors 
       and BBS SYSOPS wild and you will hear from them rather quickly! 
       The idea is that many programs are archived on BBS systems and 
       subdirectories on a distribution disk works against the "all 
       files in one primary floppy root directory" philosophy. Create 
       subdirectories, if you must, when the distribution disk installs 
       to a hard drive. 

       Prepare thorough documentation in ASCII text for your program. 
       Include instructions on how to print it for the novice user. 
       Maximum suggested text width is about 65 columns to allow for 
       margins and printer variations. Consider ALL of your 
       documentation for novices and prepare it accordingly. Document 
       all auxiliary programs, special drivers and configuration 
       programs as well as the main program! Don't use jargon; give 
       examples of steps you intend. Good software gets the customer 
       interested, but good documentation gets the registration sent. 
       
       When you release a first or early version of a program, be 
       prepared to listen to suggestions for updates and changes. It is 
       tempting to dismiss requests for program changes since "you know 
       the program bettter than anyone else." Don't let indpendence and 
       ego get in the way. Software is most of all attention to detail. 

       Abide by normal keyboard conventions which most users expect: F1 
       should bring up help screens. Escape should back a user out of a 
       situation or menu or undo a previous command. F2 is an edit 
       function in many programs. The slash bar or alt key activates a 
       menu to open in many programs. F10 continues the program action 
       in some older programs. Stay with conventions unless your 
       program REALLY needs a novel interface. 
       
       If your program asks for a filename, try to show a list of all 
       names availble as is common with many word processing packages. 
       If possible allow the up and down plus right and left arrow keys 
       to move through a table of filenames to select the file in 
       question. 
       
       Explain error messages. Cryptic errors such as: "67878 overlay 
       abort" are curious and unfriendly. Think in terms of fuctional 
       error messages like: "disk drive door open." The rudest insult 
       is to allow the program to abort and simply drop to the DOS 
       prompt and lose all user data in the process. 

       Try to return the computer to the same defaults it began with 
       when your program exits: same screen colors, video mode and 
       screen column width. Close all files and reset clocks and dates 
       as necessary. 

       Many programs require adjustment of the AUTOEXEC.BAT or 
       CONFIG.SYS files. Explain this in detail and give examples! You 
       cannot explain BATCH files, AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS too 
       frequently! Installation programs should provide the user with 
       the option for the program to automatically modify the 
       CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT or continue installation WITHOUT the 
       modifications. 

       Check out your program with a LARGE file of dummy data. That 
       accounting package you so carefully crafted may be great with 
       about 100 entries doing simple searches and reporting. Try it 
       with about a year's worth of dummy data (say 5,000 entries). If 
       the program slows down to a crawl, maybe you should consider 
       optimizing a few routines in C, pascal or assembler instead of 
       that clunky Clarion/Quick Basic compiler. Good programs are 
       fast, deep, feature-rich, novel, elegant and magical! 

       If possible provide example letters, files or other data so a 
       user can play with the software with dummy data to quickly see 
       if the package is useful. This makes your software both fun and 
       handy. 

       Always check your shareware disk for incompatabilities with 
       OTHER programs which are popular such as 4DOS. I recently had 
       problems with my PC-Learn package whose installation routine 
       uses a small file called INKEY.COM. To my surprise, a few users 
       found that when running 4DOS, which has an internal reserved 
       keyword named INKEY, my PC-Learn installation bombed out. There 
       are many other shareware and commercial packages which can also 
       conflict. In general you can't fix everything, but be aware of 
       4DOS and other popular packages which should be at least beta 
       tested with your product. 

       If your package contains Lotus style worksheets or templates 
       will your macros run under both 123 and popular shareware 
       packages such as ASEASYAS and PC-Calc? 
       
       Many shareware authors ship large programs in ZIP or ARC 
       compressed format. Be sure to thoroughly explain how to unpack 
       to single drive systems, double drive systems and hard drive 
       systems! Harder than it sounds when you consider the variations! 
       
       Try to construct batch file(s) to unpack or configure the 
       program to various systems. As a clue to unpacking to single 
       drive systems, instruct the batch file to create a ramdrive, 
       unpack the archive file into the ramdrive and then copy it back 
       onto a formatted floppy. Conversely, you could copy the archive 
       into the ramdrive and then directly unpack onto one or several 
       floppies. You get the idea . . . 

       PC Magazine offers a batch file compiler utility which makes 
       slow clunky batch files fly. Consider compiling your batch 
       files. The little compiler is named BAT2EXEC.COM and was 
       discussed in VOL9N15 of their Magazine. The utility itself is 
       contained on many bulletin boards and the PC MagNet service on 
       Compuserve. There are also commercial and shareware batch file 
       compilers which add screen colors, popdown menus and other 
       goodies, all from a compiled batch file which runs quickly! 
       
       Always include an invoice in standard layout format in several 
       areas of the program as well as an exclusive menu option. Some 
       shareware programs make it an option every time the program 
       exits! Corporate users and Government offices require an invoice 
       to process billings. The simple statement "$30 registration 
       required" doesn't cut the mustard! Include a line for purchase 
       order number if space permits. Speaking of standard formats, 
       consider adding "Print documentation and program instructions" 
       as a permanent menu item! A little shareware program named 
       FASTFILE does exactly this. 
       
       Whenever you ship a disk to a distributor or customer the 
       prevailing thought is to enclose a pleasant business letter 
       describing the program and asking the reader to consider using 
       it or adding it to his/her list. My own personal opinion is to 
       reprint the README file from your disk verbatim and submit it 
       instead of the pleasant business letter! If you can't submit it 
       verbatim, fix your README file! It should be more effective than 
       the polite business letter because it has a clearly focused 
       market style understandable to readers, reviewers and users of 
       shareware. 

       I feel strongly about a personal theory of shareware marketing I 
       call "critical density marketing." Simply stated: set up up your 
       distribution so that a large mailing/BBS distribution/marketing 
       push of your disk takes place in a short duration of time. Key 
       words: LARGE MAILING/SHORT TIME. Thus 1000 disks and 200 BBS 
       uploads of your new shareware program or update is MUCH more 
       effective in the space of three days rather than dribbled out 
       over 6 weeks. Saturate your marketing push with critical density 
       in a short time! 

       What is minumum volume? Opinion: anything less than 500 disks 
       mailed and 50 BBS uploads is barely minimum. 1000 disks mailed 
       and 150 BBS uploads is decent. 3000 disks mailed and 300 BBS 
       uploads is premium. What is critical duration? About two or 
       three days! Time to payback for raw materials and telephone time 
       with zero net profit? Depends on the quality of your program, 
       but 6 months to a year would be a fair guess for an average new 
       program which is not an update of an existing popular shareware 
       program. 

        TIP  Make sure you receive a catalog from each 
       distributor to whom you have sent a disk. Jot a note in your 
       computer database about the date you shipped them a disk. Get a 
       catalog from them 4 to 6 months later to determine if your 
       program has been listed. Call their toll free number. Give them 
       the name of your cat and mailing address for a free catalog so 
       they don't cross reference your name on their mailing list. Some 
       distributors are notoriously stingy sending out free catalogs 
       and thus won't send you one if they know you are a shareware 
       author poking around trying to see if your software is finally 
       listed in their catalog - they may have your name on file in 
       their computer, but certainly not your cat's name! 

       Two disk-based catalogs which I especially enjoy are from 
       PrairieWare and Disk Count Data, both of which are listed in the 
       main database. Disk-based catalogs are interesting in that we 
       are beginning to see some distributors exploring new frontiers 
       in catalog production using disks which are infinitely more 
       recyclable than chopping down trees for paper - call this a 
       personal bias, but I wish the shareware industry would head this 
       direction. When you are tired of the disk, put something new on 
       it and send it along to someone else! I don't think most trees 
       will complain, and the petrochemicals used to make disks are 
       already dead! 

       If you are archiving all or sections of the program be logical! 
       Will each unpacked archive still fit on a single 360K floppy? I 
       have seen many archived programs which are too large to unpack 
       to single floppy disks. You can kiss many registration checks 
       goodbye from owners of simple machines. Many BBS sysops will not 
       accept program files in ZIP format if the archive is greater 
       than 360K in size per ZIP file program portion. Summarizing: 
       keep ZIP files in their packed state to less than 360K in size 
       and likewise check to make sure the unpacked version will also 
       fit on a 360K floppy. As an example, my PC-LEARN package 
       attempts on installation to configure itself with a simple menu 
       system onto two separate 360K floppies if that is all the user 
       owns. However when installing to a hard drive or 720K floppy, 
       the installation will omit the simple menus and instead install 
       the deluxe full-featured color system. Flexibility is the key. 
       It takes timing and a little sensitivity to users to second 
       guess what type of computer system your program might run on. 

       Some shareware authors (and even disk vendors) include a copy of 
       the PKUNZIP utility on the disk to assist unpacking a program. 
       Unless you are a commercially registered user or are including 
       the COMPLETE PKZIP utility with documentation, this might be a 
       problem! Legally PKZIP is shareware and it is unlawful to 
       distribute only a portion of the program without all parts and 
       full documentation. Shipping a file in ZIP format is fine. The 
       ZIP file format is available for public use just as you might 
       use a LOTUS WKS format file. For this legal reason, some 
       shareware authors distribute programs in LHA format and include 
       the LHA unpacking utility which does not have similar 
       restrictions. LHA is a copyrighted product, but does not require 
       payment for private or shareware distribution use. Be careful 
       and be legal! By the way, a public domain unpacking/unzipping 
       utility does exist: UNZIP.EXE. 

       Is the archive file name descriptive and possibly hint at the 
       version number? (e.g., THE LAWNMOWER REPAIR UTILITIES Version 
       3.6 = LAWNUT36.ZIP) 
       
       Label your disks professionally. On a single label at the top of 
       your disk use a large font for the program name and version, a 
       medium font for the startup/installation command and finally a 
       small font description of the program. Good labels reveal a lot 
       about the disk. 
       
       Some shareware authors use oversize labels and almost squeeze 
       the entire README file onto the label - which is not such a bad 
       idea! Just as the README FILE is the most valuable real estate 
       inside a disk, the label is the most valuable real estate 
       outside a disk! There are many good label programs which will 
       run on humble dot matrix printers. Many of these programs are 
       shareware or public domain. Speaking of labels, I sometimes 
       print mailing labels on plain paper, two or three labels wide, 
       and cut and glue them to the face of the envelope. Saves money 
       on sticky Avery labels when you mail out a lot of disks. 
       
       An odd shareware tip to save money: zip or archive SEVERAL 
       programs onto one disk (everybody in the distribution network 
       knows how to unzip files), SKIP the disk label, SKIP the disk 
       sleeve/cover, enclose a one page printout of the README file on 
       lightweight paper, ship in a single weight manila envelope (no 
       metal clasp, just lick and close), do NOT enclose a cardboard to 
       protect the disk from bending and put a SINGLE postage stamp on 
       the face of the mailer which is all it will cost to mail your 
       shareware economy class! Quite inexpensive, VERY unorthodox, and 
       the few disks bent in shipping will be followed up with a "send 
       me another" letter from the .05 percent who get a damaged disk. 
       If you want volume and are willing to go "Volkswagon Class" in 
       your mailing, you can do some incredibly LARGE mailings! Extend 
       this idea by doing a COOP mailing (shared mailing of several 
       authors shipping two or more unrelated programs in the same 
       envelope.) 

       Always update your database list and record to whom and when the 
       distribution disk was mailed. Make a note to check back in 6 
       months to see if the distributor added your disk to his/her 
       catalog. 

       Don't forget to mail your shareware to foreign vendors! I 
       receive foreign registrations from time to time and the volume 
       is growing. Large shareware authors, for example Quicksoft, 
       maintain foreign translations of their programs and have begun 
       to align themselves with foreign shareware agents and brokers 
       who can facilitate the exchange of foreign currencies from 
       foreign shareware registrants. Foreign shareware sales are 
       growing and will become a dependable income source for more 
       authors as time goes on. The world is a big LUCRATIVE market. 
       
       Commercial software houses (e.g., Microsoft) now develop a 
       LARGER income stream from foreign sales than domestic U.S. 
       sales! Primary countries in your first mailing should include 
       English speaking countries or those with high English 
       proficiency. Examples: Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada, 
       Germany and Denmark. 

       The shareware concept (try before you buy) is a surprisingly 
       well established concept in some foreign countries (e.g., 
       England) and represents an affordable and respected option. 
       
       A special word to American shareware authors about Canada which 
       is home to MANY shareware customers, authors, high quality 
       vendors and BBS systems. Make every effort to encourage a sense 
       of "hospitality" in your documentation and shareware which will 
       be viewed by potential Canadian customers and vendors. Small 
       details like currency exchange courtesy will go a long way. 
       
       Canadian customers and shareware vendors are sensitive to 
       overtones that you may consider them a "foreign country". For 
       example, your registration documentation may suggest $25 
       registration fee for US customers and $35 for foreign orders. A 
       small notation that "Canadian orders honored at $25 (US funds) 
       will earn you many friends! Likewise be cordial about returning 
       long distance calls to Canadian customers in need of support. 
       Maybe even include some examples of Canadian towns and city 
       names if, for example, your program includes zip code or 
       telephone area code sorting. Canadian zip codes are different 
       than US zip codes. Can your program handle sorting and searching 
       BOTH formats? The bottom line: Canadians resent the status as a 
       "foreign" country and many prefer to be considered as North 
       American neighbors and not foreign trading partners. You'll be 
       surprised what a little fine tuning will do to increase 
       registrations in the Canadian market! 
       
       Some U.S. distributors maintain operations in foreign countries 
       (e.g., PC-SIG) so if you submit your shareware to them, it will 
       find its way overseas anyway. Foreign distributors in the 
       mailing list database are noted as distributor type "F" 
       (foreign) while U.S. distributors are type "D" so that you may 
       sort and search for those categories to select or exclude when 
       you prepare mailing labels. The foreign distributors listed in 
       the mailing list are also good candidates for research and 
       proposals regarding the "brokerage" of your program to a foreign 
       audience and the subsequent collection and conversion of foreign 
       registrations into dollars. 

       Use "distributor leverage" to get your foot in the door. 
       Example: once my package PC-LEARN was officially listed by PC-
       SIG, most other shareware distributors were willing to add it to 
       their library just to "maintain marketing parity" with PC-SIG. 
       Moral: work hard on listing with the big distributors, then let 
       the smaller ones know via a printed letter accompanying your 
       submission that major distributors have assigned your program to 
       their catalog. Include the disk number/catalog number for that 
       major distributor as evidence! 

       Should you distribute to computer clubs/users groups? My 
       personal opinion is to mail to the shareware distributors first, 
       BBS systems second and mail shareware disks to the largest 
       computer clubs in major cities third. 

       The reason, although this may raise the ire of computer clubs, 
       is that most club members are awash in shareware anyway and 
       seldom check each new offering. Only the largest clubs have a 
       newsletter which might feature your shareware as a new addition 
       to the library. The rate of registrations I have experienced in 
       my own documented analysis of registrations coming from computer 
       club sources versus shareware distributors and BBS systems is 
       about 35:1. Meaning I receive about 35 registrations from 
       distributor's clients for every one from a computer club member 
       who directly traced their source copy to the club library. In 
       general shareware distributor catalogs reach more people who 
       need shareware than those who are already awash in shareware!  
       It is not that I dislike clubs, in fact I am a former computer 
       club coordinator. It's just that the registration potential in 
       my opinion is unreliable if cash flow is your focus. 

       Should you distribute to BBS systems? YES! This is probably the 
       fastest method to get your shareware into the hands of people 
       who use and frequently will register a GOOD package. I place BBS 
       distribution as a high priority (right after shareware 
       distributors) on my list of MUST DO distribution methods. See 
       file RAPID.TXT elsewhere on this disk or examine the main 
       mailing list for "A" rated BBS systems which I consider a high 
       priority distribution method. I have healthy respect for all 
       SYSOPS since their "grapevine" opinion of a shareware package 
       travels far and fast! In addition they are genuinely nice folks 
       and have a sincere interest in computers, communications, 
       electronic "pen pals" and shareware authors. 

       Another target is computer stores. Here in Seattle, two large 
       computer chains distribute my PC-LEARN tutorial system on hard 
       disk with every computer sold. Since PC-LEARN is tuned for 
       beginners, most computer stores love to distribute it to lessen 
       the tedious phone calls from new computer users. This is a 
       simple idea few shareware authors are using. Can you distribute 
       your package in similar fashion? 
       
       It is amazing to me the registration checks I get from huge 
       government agencies and large businesses who purchase a volume 
       of computers from a large distributor and then stumble onto my 
       product carefully embedded onto every hard drive on every 
       computer they purchased. Some commercial software houses would 
       kill to have a demo of their software included with every 
       computer a large distributor sells to a major corporate account. 
       This is a simple trick which a small shareware author can use to 
       "outgun" even the largest commercial software company! 

        TIP  Two interesting target audiences are 1) folks 
       living in small towns beyond major metropolitan hubs and 2) 
       seniors who have a little more time than most of us and are just 
       getting started in computers. Sounds crazy but many 
       registrations I receive are from little towns and are seniors if 
       you carefully read the notes, questions and comments. However 
       your package must be simple and attractive for this type of 
       audience: a simple database, gardening guide, genealogy system, 
       or personal accounting package would be a good candidate. A 
       cross compiler wouldn't, obviously! Moral: if you decide to buy 
       a small ad in a publication to try marketing your package 
       directly, go for a logical four star choice like the TOPPSQUASH 
       TRAVEL AND LEISURE GUIDE. Or even your own church bulletin if 
       you have a religious software package. Skip the expensive ads in 
       computer magazines. Are you after money or an ego stroke in an 
       expensive magazine? 

       You might consider joining the ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE 
       PROFESSIONALS to further your education if you are serious about 
       your software. The ASP has the backing of major players like 
       Buttonware, Magee and Quicksoft and some fine ideas for 
       marketing and mutual support. Dues are $50 per year. One 
       drawback is that currently information flow is limited to 
       Compuserve meetings on line and personal updates at Comdex. I am 
       not a member simply because I am too busy, but I certainly 
       endorse the concept of shareware authors banding together and 
       helping each other in a constructive fashion. In a sense that is 
       what this package is about! 

       The ASP publishes a disk based catalog which freely circulates 
       among U.S. BBS systems and is essential reading for all. The ASP 
       was formed in 1987 and members subscribe to a code of ethics. No 
       ratings are given to member shareware. The ASP Ombudsman can 
       help customers resolve disputes with ASP members. The ASP 
       maintains four forums on Compuserve: IBMJR 8, 9, 10 and 11. 
       IBMJR 8 and 9 are open to the public. Type GO SHAREWARE at any 
       CIS prompt. In addition, a recent agreement with Compuserve will 
       allow any shareware user who registers an ASP shareware program 
       a free membership to Compuserve and a $15 usage credit. The ASP 
       membership application (on disk) contains a detailed author 
       guide which is similar to this tutorial yet interesting and 
       different. Another file discusses trivial software which will 
       probably not be eligible for consideration by the ASP. 
       
       ASP members agree to allow their programs to be examined and 
       approved by the ASP the membership board. ASP members must agree 
       not to cripple the program and must provide adequate support and 
       documentation. 

       The trademarked ASP symbol and address follows: 

                               Ŀ(tm) 
                         Ŀ     
                       ĳ         o    
                            Ŀ   Association of
                                       Shareware
                         Ĵ    o        Professionals
                       ĳ        
                                 

                              The Association of
                            Shareware Professionals
                                 545 Grover Rd
                              Muskegon, MI 49442

        TIP  You can also try to simultaneously distribute 
       both commercially and via shareware. Kevin King, the brilliant 
       owner at DISK-COUNT DATA shareware distributors, is one of the 
       most amazingly creative people I have bumped into. He developed 
       a little commercial retail package and distributes it to small 
       stores with shareware packed inside. It is easy to understand: 
       
       Obtain standard 7 x 9 inch poly plastic bags. You can use the 
       expensive ones with ziplock seals from your grocery store or 
       just look in the yellow pages under BAGS and order 1000 count 
       non-ziplock types. Next design some nice artwork via a desktop 
       publishing program and professionally print it onto stiff 
       colored card stock exactly 7 x 5 inches in size. A printer can 
       put two of these labels on a single standard sheet of card 
       stock. Fold the newly made card label across the top of the bag, 
       staple it shut and punch a hole in it for hanging on a rack. 
       
       Cheap, effective retail packaging. I have extended the concept 
       with PC-LEARN so that users return the yellow label for their 
       bonus disk which tells me they got it from a retail location. 
       Good locations for this kind of humble retail package are 
       college bookstores, retirement homes, libraries, small stop and 
       shop convenience stores and many stores with magazine racks. It 
       has worked for me. Be sure to contact Kevin King at DISK-COUNT 
       DATA for one of his amazing little DISK-BASED shareware 
       catalogs. 

       Next let's examine superb author feedback and shareware 
       distribution the way the pros do it: at PC-SIG and Public Brand 
       (addresses in the main database.) 

       At PC-SIG you will first be sent an application form which must 
       be scrupulously filled out and returned. The review process 
       takes from one to three months. A reviewer will eventually check 
       out your shareware and send you a second response as the process 
       moves along. 

       The front of the PC-SIG form is a combined submission and update 
       form. At the top right is a submission tracking number for 
       packages under evaluation but not yet accepted into the library. 
       Also on the front are spaces for the following: program title, 
       version number, update or new submission checkboxes, author 
       name, address, city, state, zip, day tel, evening tel, 
       checkboxes to acknowledge that you are the author and submitting 
       it as shareware or public domain, signature and date. 

       On the reverse of the form are spaces to assist the reviewer. It 
       is highly suggested that this information be submitted in ASCII 
       on disk. The information on the back of the form is as follows: 
       program title, detailed description, who is intended user, (if 
       this is update,) what are improvements over old version, unique 
       features/why is your program better, program's capacity or 
       limitations such as record capacity, special system requirements 
       such as memory/drives/monitor, how to start program, 
       registration fee, materials or services which come with 
       registration, list of files and one line description (ASCII file 
       preferred). 

       Many packages don't make it at PC-SIG because of poor quality 
       and software bugs. The second advisory letter will acknowledge 
       that PC-SIG is reviewing your program in greater detail. 
 
       Finally if all goes well, the final acceptance letter arrives 
       noting the formal PC-SIG catalog number. A nice shareware 
       author's newsletter is also sent from time to time to keep you 
       abreast of catalog deadlines and deadlines for their CD-ROM disk 
       of library offerings. When you submit an update, the special 
       submission form always accompanies your disk. 

       Nice, effective and very professional. The newsletters give you 
       an inside track on the shareware industry and you have a chance 
       to change or edit the description of your program if the 
       reviewer places your program in the main catalog. PC-SIG is one 
       of the few distributors which can actually track and tell you 
       how many of your packages have been shipped. They decline to 
       give you customer names and addresses which makes sense when you 
       consider the logistics, but this is a REAL PLUS which few 
       smaller distributors can provide! 

       Public Brand is similar yet different. Step one is a submission 
       and acknowledgement form similar to the PC-SIG method. Step two 
       involves posting on their BBS system for review by many others 
       as well as their own reviewers. Step three, of course is an 
       acknowledgement letter. They do an equally nice job and in some 
       ways their catalog with ratings, registration prices and new 
       releases of previously commercial products like X Tree and 
       (previously Brown Bag Software's VP-Info) SR-Info Relational 
       Database places them among the best. 

       Many other fine shareware distributors exist on the scene, but 
       these two place a premium on author feedback, acknowledgment 
       letters, and logistic support systems which redefine the word 
       distributor. If nothing else, information about these two 
       companies will prepare you for what lies ahead and give you a 
       yardstick by which to gauge other distributors. As a minimum 
       even the smaller distributors should at least send an 
       inexpensive postcard to authors to acknowledge submission of 
       disks - many don't however! 

       Many smart shareware distributors are now paying for or swapping 
       mailing lists of customers. Moral: keep a tight database of 
       customers who register your product and resell it or swap for 
       more names with a shareware distributor. Remember you can make 
       money selling information and information ABOUT information. 
              
        

                         SHAREWARE MARKETING STEP FOUR 
                   CASHFLOW AND REGISTRATION CONSIDERATIONS 

        

       You will never forget the day. The day you open the mailbox and 
       your FIRST registration check arrives! My first check came from 
       Orlando, Florida several years ago. Orlando is a long way from 
       Seattle where I live. You design something and toss it out on an 
       electronic wind called the shareware distribution network and it 
       finds someone who will pay you for your package. Over the space 
       of about three years, many little envelopes arrived. 
       
       Let's back up a few steps. How much should you charge for your 
       package? A good place to do some research is catalogs from 
       Public Brand Software and PC-SIG which are listed in the main 
       database of this package. These catalogs list the registration 
       fees for many shareware packages and will give you some ideas 
       about what you should charge. In general, graphics packages, 
       games and small utilities are in the $5 to $20 range. Larger 
       applications packages like databases, accounting systems or word 
       processors typically are priced at about 30% to 50% of their 
       commercial counterparts. Specialized vertical market software 
       (e.g., a billing system for a dental office) are priced higher 
       in the $50 to $300 range due to the smaller market and frequent 
       need for higher and more sophisticated customer support. PC-
       LEARN, my package, is priced at only $25.00. My interest is 
       volume and a more than attractive price. 

       What goodies or "carrots" should you offer to induce 
       registrations? Traditionally a printed manual, telephone support 
       and a free update are commonly needed by users. Update notices 
       should be mailed out giving the chance for customers to upgrade. 
       Upgrades are usually priced at about 15% to 25% of the original 
       package price. Other goodies might be a bonus disk which is the 
       method my package PC-LEARN uses. What's in the bonus disk? Why a 
       BONUS, of course! 
       
       Another registration benefit is a version of the program without 
       the annoying beg messages and requests for random keypresses on 
       startup and exit. 
       
       Site licenses for larger software installations, universities 
       and businesses should be mentioned even if no price is given. 
       Other goodies to be considered are newsletters, source code, an 
       expanded version, customization, site license, commission (for 
       passing copies to additional users who themselves register) or 
       utilities which augment or configure the main package to include 
       additional menus, colors or features. 

       Registration cash flow is serious business. As a minimum 
       PROMPTNESS is essential. Train yourself to provide same day or 
       next day response to all arriving registration checks. Even if 
       your package promises no support or update, send out a 
       registration number and thank you letter as a minimum. 

       Going on vacation? Hire a friend to cover your registration 
       system. 

       Visa and Mastercard are good possibilities if you want to 
       aggressively enter the profitable phone order business and is a 
       good thing to mention in your documentation. Your bank can 
       provide information about setup procedures which are fairly 
       simple. A fee is charged to you for each transaction. You will 
       probably be asked for trade references and account status 
       information so be prepared to provide some financial background 
       information. 
       
       If a customer sends you a check for the older registration price 
       you might want to honor it making it a condition in a polite 
       letter than you will give him/her the newer higher priced 
       version at the old price if they will tell you where they got 
       the old program so you can update it. If a price increase is 
       necessary due to increased support or programming, obviously 
       attempt to announce it via a mailing to major distributors, 
       computer clubs and BBS systems. 

       Telephone support is a Pandora's Box. It seems to be a 
       bottomless pit of time with little recognizable income 
       potential. 
       
       But just remember that Wordperfect (tm) has become a major word 
       processor for, among many reasons, the unlimited excellence of 
       its support. The toll free Wordperfect telephone number even 
       appears on the help screens of the program itself! One 
       reasonable way to provide support is to note in your 
       documentation that support is available only evenings or 
       weekends or at certain times of the day. 

       Next an amazingly powerful customer support idea from Bob 
       Wallace of Quicksoft and PC-Write fame: 

       The PC Write offices of Bob Wallace use PC-Browse (one of their 
       products) to pop up over ANY application they happen to be 
       running to quickly scan for a registration number via a 
       hypertext link. If the number is there they are talking to a 
       registered user. Yet they don't have to dedicate one computer to 
       a registration database when everyone in the office can pop it 
       up over any screen. Clever, don't you think? Take a second look 
       at PC-Browse with this idea in mind and DON'T FORGET to register 
       PC Browse if you use it. 

       On the subject of unregistered users, it is best to answer a few 
       questions and politely suggest that other calls are on the line 
       and mention that the caller may register for full support. The 
       general logic is not to fret over unregistered users. The goal 
       is statistics: try to get your package into the hands of 10,000 
       or even 100,000 users where a 5% registration rate still equals 
       quite a few folks. Don't worry about "registration cheaters." 
       Life is too short. I prefer to consider those folks as on an 
       "extended evaluation period" with the possibility of some day 
       registering . . . 
       
        

                         SHAREWARE MARKETING STEP FIVE 
                   COMMERCIAL AND SEMI-COMMERCIAL MARKETING 

        

       So that is the system, right? Hardly. The next step which the 
       largest and most successful shareware authors have followed is 
       both commercial and "semi-commercial" marketing. This means 
       stepping outside the shareware distribution network into the 
       real world of commercial advertising and marketing. 

       Consider PC-File from Buttonware. A classic product with superb 
       features and ease of use. A shareware product which has also 
       made its way into commercial distribution channels like the 
       Egghead Software Stores. Another is Procomm which now has a 
       commercial version. If you follow the drift, the next target is 
       to push yourself and your product a little harder. 

       Can you convince a local retailer to carry your product on his 
       or her magazine rack? Will a local software or magazine company 
       accept 50 free copies of your product (in attractive packaging) 
       for a test market run in their outlets? With PC-LEARN, my 
       product, I place small ads in local and community papers and 
       allow editors of those local papers to serialize the package in 
       print as a computer column with questions, answers and of course 
       sections of PC-LEARN. I require that the editor run a display ad 
       featuring PC-LEARN next to each reprinted section of the article 
       in each issue of the paper. 

       The traditional channels of shareware distribution can only take 
       you so far. Buttonware knows this and so do most of the major 
       players on the shareware scene. By carefully, inexpensively and 
       cleverly finding or bartering for commercial advertising space 
       you ramp up your project just as the major players do. The point 
       is this: to play for serious registration money you must be 
       prepared to put in as much (if not more) time on marketing than 
       on programming. 

        

                         SHAREWARE MARKETING STEP SIX 
                          CURVEBALLS AND "SNAREWARE" 

        

       Into every life a little rain must fall. 

       If you choose to actively and aggressively market your shareware 
       through established distributors, be aware of "interesting 
       offers." Most shareware distributors are reputable and fully 
       understand that authors are their lifeblood. However a few 
       distributors like to put a spin on things and will call you with 
       various "pitches." 

       Examples: one shareware distributor has an interest in offering 
       registered versions of your program in addition to shareware 
       versions. Nothing wrong with that, but be aware that the 
       distributor may want a DEEP discount for volume packages of the 
       registered version which cuts into your profit, depending on 
       your interest. The distributor may propose that deep discount 
       registered versions be offered by you to him as a requirement to 
       listing your program in that distributor's catalog. 

       Other distributors may call asking for exclusive rights which 
       locks your package to them as a sole distributor. Still others 
       may call or write asking you to help pay for advertising or 
       mailing of their catalogs as a condition before they will accept 
       your program. I personally feel there is nothing wrong with 
       purchasing advertising in a distributor's catalog or mailing if 
       the opportunity presents itself, but making this a requirement 
       prior to listing your program is an arm twist of a different 
       sort. Still another distributor who we shall leave unnamed 
       proposes that gold stickers (costing $1.00 each in minimum rolls 
       of 100) be required to be placed on your disk and exclusively 
       available from that one distributor - before other distributors 
       can further pass around your software. The gold stickers arrive 
       with a serious legal contract which other distributors must 
       sign. 

       Human ingenuity can put a mischievous spin on a simple idea 
       (shareware - try it before you buy it.) Basically, be prepared 
       for interesting calls and proposals if you get involved with 
       distributors. For some reason a few distributors seem to feel 
       that they can obtain money both downstream (from the customer) 
       as well as upstream (from the author). Keep your antennae up. By 
       the way, some of these "interesting proposals" have come to me 
       from ASP affiliated distributors which is a curious twist on 
       ethical standards, to say the least . . . 

       Don't allow shareware to turn into SNAREWARE! 

       Finally, I would like to leave you with a personal "core 
       philosophy" concerning successful shareware development. 

       1) Find a niche that isn't filled or filled poorly at the moment 
       2) Look at many vendor catalogs first to see what/who your 
       competition is 3) Realize it will take one year and maybe two to 
       achieve market recognition - EXTREME PATIENCE 4) Distribute your 
       disk(s) to at least 500 vendors, 500 computer clubs, 500 BBS 
       systems, 50 magazine writers 5) distribute to the major foreign 
       vendors 6) Start your next package 4 months after you have 
       started your previous package - regardless of whether your 
       previous package is completed 7) Be totally straight arrow with 
       customers: cash checks after shipping goods, be prepared to 
       return long distance calls, have an outside support service 
       (e.g., AGC or other company) do your support and order 
       fullfillment if necessary due to volume 8) Have at least $3,000 
       to finance your modest startup 9) get outside programming help 
       if your program interface is lacking, you documentation is poor 
       or your customers suggest a change beyond your capability 10) 
       Use the $hareware Marketing $ystem 11) Don't give up EVER 12) 
       Frame a xerox of first registration check to give life reality 
       13) Spend 50% of your time marketing and 50% programming 14) 
       realize that you are probably doing this because you are 
       addicted to computers and are rationalizing (at the early stage 
       of the game) the possible financial income 15) Have as a modest 
       goal two good packages a year for life 16) Beta test the dickens 
       out of your package then PAY someone to really beta test it 17) 
       When you ship your package to vendors and BBS systems include a 
       piece of paper that makes SENSE to them (who, what, where, when, 
       why, phone number). 18) LISTEN to what others say about your 
       package and don't be defensive - it is just code. Criticism is a 
       form of flattery turned inside out. 
       
        

                         SHAREWARE MARKETING - A POSTSCRIPT

        
       
       An afterthought from a different perspective. In 1990 Tim Campbell, 
       a Canadian shareware author, provided additional thoughts on 
       shareware development which dovetail with this tutorial and provide 
       fresh insights.

                    PINNACLE SOFTWARE'S COMMENTARY (c) 1990
                        (A shareware software diatribe)
                      from Pinnacle Software of Montreal
                      WRITER, T. CAMPBELL (514) 345-9578
              MAILING ADDRESS: PO BOX 386, MONT ROYAL, QC H3P 3C6
 
       SHAREWARE MARKETING BACKGROUND -- WHO THE HECK I AM 

       From my standard corporate blurb (for magazine people and 
       others): 

       Pinnacle Software is a computer consulting company based in 
       Montreal, Canada.  It was founded in November of 1985 by Timothy 
       Campbell.  In January of 1986, Mr. Campbell started work on the 
       Pyroto Mountain BBS program, Pinnacle's first shareware 
       offering.  Since that time, Mr. Campbell has written numerous 
       shareware programs is generally considered to be the most 
       prolific shareware author in Canada. 

       Prior to setting up Pinnacle Software, Mr. Campbell founded 
       Canada's first coast-to-coast consumer telecomputing service, 
       which many called "The CompuServe of the North".  Mr. Campbell 
       is a self-taught programmer and has been coding since 1971. 

       So much for the official line.  In informal terms, I write 
       shareware -- a lot of it.  I'm not a big shareware superstar.  I 
       pay the rent with my registration money -- sometimes.  Much of 
       the money I get goes back into building up my potential for 
       registrations.  As time goes on, I plow more and more of it in, 
       finding that the "free advertising" of shareware is merely a 
       pretty myth. 

       A WORD OF WARNING 

       As my last remark may have indicated, I'm quite cynical about 
       shareware. Even though it brings in nice, crinkly, spendable 
       money, I am distressed by the amount of misinformation and 
       disinformation you can find out there. 

       So when I write about shareware, I tend to push in the opposite 
       direction. Call me a curmudgeon. It's a dirty job, but 
       somebody's gotta do it. So even if, in the following text, 
       I seem very "down" on shareware, bear in mind that I've been 
       doing it for 5 years, and though I keep threatening to give it 
       up and get a real job, I keep at it. 

       Shareware is my chosen mode of expression, and brings in a good 
       chunk of my revenue. 

       SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION POINTS -- MY PERSONAL RATING METHOD 

       Let's start by saying that the variable quality of our outlets 
       goes 'way beyond the "ABC" rating system of the Shareware 
       Marketing System project (hereinafter referred to as SMS), 
       though I gather that the subjective nature of rating makes the 
       "ABC" system one of the few that's feasible. 

       I rate the shareware houses in my head, but to make it clear how 
       I think about them, I suppose I could organize my ratings 
       according to this system: 

       X X X
         
         
          ACCURACY  (A) SUPER (B) AVERAGE  (C) POOR   (?) UNKNOWN
        
         ATTITUDE  (A) KEEN  (B) AVERAGE  (C) CRASS  (?) UNKNOWN
       
        SIZE  (A) BIG   (B) AVERAGE  (C) SMALL  (?) UNKNOWN

       PC-SIG I'd give a rating of AAC.  They're big, they push 
       shareware hard, but I've run into numerous problems dealing with 
       them (which means I have to watch them every time I send in a 
       disk). 

       Little T&Z Software (have you heard of them?), get CAC.  They're 
       as keen as all get-out, sending frequent letters to authors -- 
       even a Christmas card! Their one-sheet catalog, crammed full of 
       teensey lettering, however, is just too compact to provide 
       people with an accurate view of the products.  This is somewhat 
       different from making actual mistakes; they just don't give 
       people a chance to judge what a product does, so the potential 
       buyer can't accurately make a decision on what to get.  (I 
       haven't heard from T&Z for a while, so I assume they've pulled 
       up stakes.) 

       Shareware Express, which SMS gives a big warm "A" rating, gets a 
       ?D? rating from me.  Yes, "D" for "Beyond Crass".  I've sent 
       them many a disk, and my last one even included a cover letter 
       asking them why they never acknowledge receipt of my disks.  I 
       really dislike shareware houses that don't realize that the 
       authors are their primary resource. 

       The Software Labs I give a rating of AAA+.  Not that I haven't 
       had the odd difficulty there.  For example, they latched onto my 
       software and never got in contact with me -- I had to track THEM 
       down.  But I knew it would be worth it, because they were doing 
       SOMETHING right.  I got a significant majority of my 
       registrations from them (of the regs that came from shareware 
       houses -- more on this later). 

       SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION POINTS -- MY PERSONAL LIST 

       Before SMS, I had to work hard to find out where to send my 
       disks.  Now that I've got the SMS database, I'll be able to mail 
       to my heart's content --until the posties get sick of seeing me 
       at the post office. 

       So my list is rather short in comparison to the SMS list.  
       Nevertheless, I think there's a message hidden in my data that 
       says something about the attitude of the people to whom we 
       authors send our diskettes: 

                   Column 1: Used to keep track of the latest
                             product that I have sent these people.
                             Prevents sending duplicate disks.

                   Column 2: the month in which I mailed the software
            
                   Column 3: the month they acknowleged!
               
                   Column 4:"-" means they've acknowledged at least 
                             once before

        LATEST   OUT  ACK   CURRENT MONTH IS:  DECEMBER
       
        FREE31   SEP    - Gemini Marketing Inc., 5 Montgomery Crescent, 
                          Roxboro, Quebec H8Y 1H3, 684-3522, 
                          Barry Dufresne
        FREE31   SEP      Gemini Marketing Inc., P.O. Box 640, 200 1st 
                          St., Duvall, WA, USA 98019-0640
        FREE31   SEP    - Micro-Mart Computer Center, 792 Hamilton 
                          Street, Somerset NJ, USA 08873
        FREE31   SEP    - PC-SIG, 1030D East Duane Avenue, 
                          Sunnyvale, California, USA 94086 
                          (408) 730-9291
       
                 (list shortened for this article to provide
                 examples. Tim's full list available from SMS. ed.)

       Notice a pattern?  Most of these people just plain grab the disk 
       and don't even say thanks.  Don't even drop me a line. (Tim's 
       full list shows lack of acknowledgement, ed.) 

       Well, before SMS, I tried each one a few times, then dropped 
       'em.  No point sending disks into a black hole.  That's the way 
       I figured it. 

       Actually, this list is a bit shorter than my "real" list, which 
       includes individuals (mostly registrees).  I'm pushing a new 
       concept of using my registrees to spread my software, and I'll 
       talk about that later.  I've also mailed to a lot of BBS's, 
       lately, but I haven't kept track of that, since I don't EXPECT a 
       BBS operator to behave, uh, professionally.  (That came out 
       wrong ... I mean, if I send him an unsolicited disk, there's no 
       expectation for him to acknowledge it.  But a shareware house, 
       by golly, lives or dies on the basis of shareware submissions, 
       no?) 

       DISK VENDORS -- A FEW LAST GRIPES 

       The good ones are REALLY good.  Public (Software) Library and 
       Public Brand Software get good marks, though the latter has, on 
       two occasions, made HOWLING mistakes in rating my products (not 
       matters of opinion, but glaring factual errors that caused them 
       to reject the submission -- a concrete example is given later). 

       Boo-boos I can deal with, however.  The industry is still new. 

       PC-SIG has weirded me out a little.  They used to send me "Free 
       Disk" slips (they no longer do this).  I got fed up of getting 
       all these slips, without having a catalog from which to pick a 
       disk (!), so finally I took a huge stack of slips, mailed it to 
       them, with a letter reading, "These are wallpaper, as far as I'm 
       concerned; they're useless to me.  How about sending me a 
       catalog?"  They sent me their shareware encyclopedia, which I 
       considered a commendable response. 

       I realize that these disk vendors are busy busy busy.  But I 
       maintain that my ultimate source of my gripes is always the 
       same:  lack of useful feedback. 

       FEEDBACK, OH LOVELY FEEDBACK -- GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE BIG 
       WIDE WORLD 

       As a struggling (though productive) shareware author, I get lots 
       of feedback from my registrees.  Most of it, though, is along 
       the lines of "Great program!", which is heart-warming and 
       certainly most welcome, but not very helpful in increasing my 
       ability to get even more registrations. 

       If I lived in California, I'm sure that I'd be more "plugged in" 
       to what's happening. Alas, many of us shareware authors aren't 
       plugged in. 

       Part of my problem is that I live in Canada.  I was in touch 
       with somebody over at Gemini Marketing in Washington, and he 
       concurred when I suggested that maybe Americans have a 
       resistance to registering with a Canadian company.  There's an 
       imagined hassle with currency (though I take American money and 
       my documentation says so), but there's also another factor.  The 
       guy at Gemini encapsulated the problem when he innocently said 
       (to my astonishment), "Oh, if I had to send money to a foreign 
       country, I wouldn't mind sending it to Canada". 

       The term "foreign" is not one that Canadians apply to the U.S.A.  
       The U.S.A. is that big, interesting place to the South, which 
       you have to go through customs to get to.  But it isn't really 
       "foreign" to us. 

       In order to deal with this problem, however, I have obtained a 
       mailing address in the U.S.  This is a recent development, 
       though, so I don't know how well it will do. 

       I should point out that I had a long, helpful discussion with a 
       shareware author in Vermont (who writes a football-pool program) 
       and he cited his isolation as a major source of irritation.  If 
       your area isn't hooked up to something like PC-Pursuit, and you 
       can't afford CompuServe, it's a drag. Authors like us, we look 
       towards the shareware houses to keep us informed and we even 
       look to them for a bit of motivation... 

       Quite seriously, whenever I get a shareware catalog in return 
       for one of my submissions, I feel like I'm getting "a letter 
       from home".  Things are opening up, as shareware becomes more 
       "mainstream", but I still feel a quiet thrill when I find a 
       catalog in my post office box. I'm quite sure that many 
       shareware authors feel this way. 

       THE QUEST FOR SOME FACTS 

       PC-SIG, with its "Shareware" magazine, goes a long way in the 
       motivation department.  Alas, in terms of "informing" us, it's 
       not so good.  They have to paint a rosey picture of shareware 
       (and hey, that's their job), so they tend to portray things as 
       just peachy-keen and everybody's gettin' rich, like. 

       The A.S.P. in particular is of no use to me.  CompuServe access 
       is very expensive here in Montreal.  And basically, all ASP says 
       is, "Send in your $50 and you can join us on CompuServe".  
       There's no newsletter, as far as I know.  As such, it'd be $50 
       down the drain UNLESS their service is so stunningly 
       indispensible that ... but then, in chatting with other authors, 
       I've gotten mixed reviews... 

       Good information is very hard to come by -- which is what makes 
       SMS so marvelous.  It may not answer ALL my questions (or even 
       most of them), but at least it presents, in an unadorned manner, 
       plain facts that I need to know, such as who to mail my 
       diskettes to. 

       Obtaining facts about shareware, it seems to me, is about half 
       the art of playing the game.  It seems that some people (Jim 
       Button, for example) somehow acquired the facts early in life.  
       Dummies like me take a long time to figure these things out, I 
       guess. 

       Actually, perhaps it isn't ideal to take people like Jim Button 
       or Bob Wallace as examples, because their products stand head 
       and shoulders above most shareware, simply by virtue of their 
       scope.  Let's fact it:  there's shareware and there's SHAREWARE!  
       Something awesome like "As-Easy-As" doesn't dribble out of the 
       computer of a casual weekend hacker.  Some of these creations 
       are flat-out no-nonsense commercial-level gems! 

       But, then, does this mean that you have to make something BIG to 
       make it big? I don't think so.  There are a few smallish 
       programs that (supposedly) have made the author some big bucks. 
       Supposedly.  Is this true? 

       HIDDEN EFFORT -- WHAT YOUR SHAREWARE HOUSE WON'T TELL YOU 

       Alas, I don't know.  I hear stories, but how many can be 
       believed?  And when you DO hear of a "small" product making it 
       big, you usually dig a little deeper and find that while the 
       actual product might not be a whopper like, say, Qube-Calc, the 
       author nevertheless bent over backward to market the heck out of 
       his wares.  Take Apogee Software, with their "Kroz" games. I 
       wrote a similar game once, a few years ago, named "Drifting".  
       (It was a guy in a space-ship that was without power, see...)  
       Anyway, after a few weeks of diddling with it, I trashed it, 
       figuring, "Nobody registers games ... why am I wasting my time 
       with this?" 

       I hear that the Kroz games are doing exceptionally well.  But as 
       you can see if you download, say, Kingdom of Kroz, the author 
       markets, markets, markets.  He mentions, for example, that he 
       poured about $2000 into marketing that game. 

       The average shareware author isn't prepared to do that.  That 
       sounds too much like "serious" marketing! 

       I think that -- if he doesn't give up -- every shareware author 
       finds out, sooner or later, that shareware is a heck of a lot of 
       hard work.  I've formatted so many disks for mail-out that I can 
       guide a diskette into the slot without looking, while munching 
       on a sandwich and watching TV and chatting on the phone.  Sure, 
       some mayonnaise gets on the diskette, but at least it formats 
       quickly with Sydex's super FORMATQM program.  (Yes, yes, I 
       registered it.) 

       I once suggested that somebody could make some money by offering 
       to be a mail-out service.  You mail him a master diskette, and 
       he mails a copy to everybody on his list.  He charges about 3 
       bucks per disk.  Expensive, maybe, but most shareware authors 
       would rather program than format disks. 

       It sounds like a good idea, but don't look at me; I want to 
       program, not format disks.  I'm a shareware author. 

       Which is ... hmmm ... why I spent all last night formatting 
       disks. (Sigh) 

       Now you know why this article is occasionally a bit incoherent.  
       I actually write better than this.  Honest I do. 

       SHAREWARE FOR FUN AND/OR PROFIT 

       I have a very bad personality trait:  I write the shareware 
       programs that I enjoy writing.  I don't do market surveys.  
       Ideas pop into my head, and I suddenly declare myself an artist.  
       That is to say, I create my creation for it's own sake, and 
       subsequently find out why the word "starving" so often appears 
       before the word "artist". 

       Which is not to say that I'm utterly beyond help.  I do 
       occasionally recognize the need to buy actual food with actual 
       money, so on occasion, I actually create things that are 
       practical.  My Area Code Hunter program, for example, was 
       created deliberately to be practical.  And just look at all my 
       other practical products ... like, uh, well ... umm. 

       A few little utilities 'n' things, which (as we know) are not 
       the dollar-makers in shareware. 

       It seems to me that when we talk about shareware, we could 
       express its potential for profit in two ways:  cash and 
       satisfaction.  These two aren't actually separate:  I get more 
       of a thrill from a $45 cheque in my mail-box than I ever got 
       from the weekly $600 cheque I received when I was earning a 
       salary. 

       In our society, we tend to express value in terms of dollars, 
       since that's a darn convenient way to talk about things.  But 
       there are plenty of people like me (if I may judge from the 
       shareware I see) who program for, well, the ART of it all. 

       But sometimes I wonder if these people are frustrated, hearing 
       about how much money they "should" be making.  It would be a 
       shame for their satisfaction to be overwhelmed by a misplaced 
       expectation, when their original motivation was simply to create 
       something for its own sake. 

       That is why I do not appreciate the shareware hype that suggests 
       that any hacker can make big bucks just-like-that; it's not 
       entirely necessary. 

       All this reminds me a bit of the early days of rock 'n' roll.  
       Back then, it was just a guy with his guitar ... just a guy with 
       his guitar ... and don't ya know he's gonna go far ... yeah, 
       'cuz he plays a mean guitar.  A mean guitar.  Oh yeaaaah. 

       Now it's a guy with his computer.  He CAN go far, but he should 
       remember how many broken guitar strings and hearts littered the 
       pathway to today's rock 'n' roll.  Once a musician stops playing 
       music for it's own sake ... it changes.  I don't think I have to 
       explain what I mean to anybody who has experienced 60's rock, or 
       compared it with 90's rock. 

       NOT SHAREWARE! 

       Getting back to the subject of disinformation, I find that it's 
       easy to be led into believing that the big success stories just 
       uploaded their files here 'n' there and then the money started 
       pouring in. 

       Let's look at the classic "success" companies: 

       NAME OF COMPANY    MY COMMENT

       AM Software        ?
       Brown Bag          ?
       Buttonware         M.B.T.R.O.M.S.A. (See note)
       Datastorm          Not really shareware any more
       Expressware        M.B.T.R.O.M.S.A.
       FormalSoft         ?
       Hooper Inc         ?
       Magee Enterprises  M.B.T.R.O.M.S.A.
       Mustang            M.B.T.R.O.M.S.A.
       PKWare             M.B.T.R.O.M.S.A.
       Quicksoft          M.B.T.R.O.M.S.A.
       Sydex              Looks like shareware to me
       Trius              ?

       KEY       EXPLANATION
       --------  -----------
       ?            I don't know enough about these people to 
                    comment intelligently
       MBTROMSA     Marketing Beyond the Realm Of Most Shareware 
                    Authors

       I am not quibbling about the success of the MBTROMSA people, nor 
       am I playing sour grapes.  Hey, these are cagey people who made 
       a success of themselves, and more power to them! 

       What I quibble about is the blithe use of the word "shareware" 
       in application to these people.  Shareware (as generally 
       presented to the innocent) tends to evoke images of self-
       propagating software.  No, not viruses, but, well ... it's an 
       image of people ... SHARING! 

       I believe that you'll find that all of the companies mentioned 
       above (not the least of which is Datastorm!) know that Shareware 
       isn't really about sharing at all. 

       AN ACTUAL INTERVIEW WITH AN BUDDING (INNOCENT) AUTHOR 

       Somebody just signed on to my bulletin board, saying he's 
       releasing a shareware product for his ST computer.  It turns out 
       it's ... a biorhythm plotter.  I asked him what he expected from 
       shareware, and here is a transcript for your edification: 

       ME:  What are you expecting from shareware?  What do you think 
       it is? 

       HIM:  From what I've been led to understand, basically it's 
       released to the public domain [sic] and the author asks for 
       something in return, giving the promise of updates.  In my case 
       I'm not promising updates, because the program is basically 
       already as polished as it can be, so I'm basically releasing it 
       and depending on people's good will. 

       ME:  Where are you uploading it?  How will you distribute it? 

       HIM:  I have a friend who will upload it to Genie. 

       ME:  Anywhere else? 

       HIM:  No, just Genie. 

       ME:  How much money do you expect to make? 

       HIM:  I'm asking for $2 for the registration. I don't expect to 
       make lots of money.  It's just a little ego trip to see my 
       software spread around the world. 

       What can I say?  Clearly this is an author who is in need of 
       solid infor-mation.  He later told me that he wants to make 
       something BIG (a "cover" of a commercial game), but wants to see 
       what this does, first. 

       In the absence of solid information, it seems that he's going to 
       be disappointed, and we might lose a good author.  (Hey, we all 
       wrote biorhythm programs at one time, didn't we?) 

       IF NOTHING ELSE HERE IS SIGNIFICANT, AT LEAST HERE'S SOMETHING 
       STARTLING 

       I track my major products with serial numbers.  This enables me 
       to find out PRECISELY what happens when I send a product out the 
       door.  And the stunning fact is: 

       PEOPLE DO *NOT* SHARE SHAREWARE TO ANY GREAT EXTENT   

       Most of my registrations are "first-tier".  The person accesses 
       a board that I've uploaded to, likes my product, and pays for 
       it.  He doesn't give it to a friend. 

       Hence the need for decent marketing.  It took me a long time to 
       realize what my distribution figures were screaming at me:  the 
       shareware world is NOT a magical conduit for most of us. 

       True, PKZIP gets around.  Overnight, it'll spread across North 
       America. But it's the exception.  I'm sure that anti-viral 
       software also manages to reproduce wildly across the continent. 

       Here in Montreal, I VERY rarely see even the mighty PC-File, 
       except on boards that are on some kind of ASP mailing list (or 
       something like that -- I wasn't too clear on how the board in 
       question got its updates, except that it was a formal 
       agreement). 

       There IS a solution to all this, I think, and it involves making 
       reality more like the lovely myth.  And that would involve 
       getting sysops of BBS's to really push upload/download ratios, 
       encouraging people to go out and FIND things to upload. 

       Is that practical, though?  I don't know about your area, but 
       most of the boards here in Montreal are free.  Upload/download 
       ratios are an effective way to keep users from becoming software 
       sponges.  But in many areas of North America, the big systems 
       are pay systems.  And they can't really go for upload/download 
       ratios ... can they? 

       I don't run a big board, so I couldn't say.  The last big system 
       I ran was in 1985, on a minicomputer.  That was before multi-
       line micro-based BBS's were around. 

       When I first got into shareware, I naively thought that I'd 
       upload my baby to CompuServe and it'd be spread around the 
       entire continent within a few frenetic weeks.  I figured that 
       eager people would want to upload it to their favourite boards, 
       just to "share" the experience with others. 

       That was a very egocentric way of looking at things.  As a 
       computer junkie, *I* would behave that way.  At least, 5 years 
       ago I would have, when there wasn't a glut of shareware. 

       But it didn't happen.  Back then, I didn't know what was going 
       "wrong".  Now I know how little sharing goes on, and I have the 
       data to prove it. 

       Now, you might think that perhaps my products just aren't 
       shareable.  There's some truth to that!  My BBS products would 
       only interest sysops, for example. 

       Yet, that pinnacle of achievement, the super-duper LIST command 
       by Vern Buerg, is UNKNOWN to any business client I've ever had!  
       They all use DOS TYPE, for cripes sake!  How can this be? 

       If it was simply a case of quality and value, the LIST command 
       should have swept the world within a few weeks.  Personally, I 
       hammer it into every computer I come into contact with, along 
       with a few other "Must-Have" utilities. 

       Try this out:  walk into any company that has, say, 10 PC's.  
       Ask them what version of PKZIP they have.  You'll be met with a 
       dumfounded stare, probably. 

       Maybe it's different in California; I don't know.  But where I 
       am, shareware is a big blank.  Most people have never even heard 
       of it.  I can only conclude that the "gospel" isn't being 
       shared. 

       SO ... SMALL NUMBERS YIELD SMALL SALES -- HARDLY A REVELATION 

       Getting back to CompuServe ... I was delighted to see that my 
       Area Code program was downloaded 100 times in only a few days.  
       But I was only excited because it was a RELATIVE success.  My 
       BBS programs don't get that kind of traffic -- which is 
       understandable, as CompuServe isn't over-run with people 
       frantically looking for some way to become a sysop. 

       A month later, the initial surge wore off, and I had maybe 120 
       downloads. 

       Some really popular downloads achieve a few hundred downloads in 
       a month. Percentage-wise, considering the active population of 
       CompuServe, that's impressive.  But ... just a couple of hundred 
       downloads?  Chicken-feed, really.  A commercially successful 
       program ships tens of thousands of copies in that time.  A few 
       hundred is nothing. 

       So CompuServe isn't THE answer. 

       I realize that most veteran shareware authors know this.  All 
       the successful shareware companies must know this.  Heck, after 
       a while, even *I* figured it out.  But I have the sneaking 
       suspicion that a LOT of new shareware authors DON'T know.  They 
       still think shareware is mostly about sharing. 

       WHERE DO BIG NUMBERS COME FROM? 

       Alas, the disk vendors are very careful about not releasing 
       their distribution numbers, even to the authors.  I suppose they 
       don't want the information to leak out to their competitors.  
       It's a shame, because it would help us a lot. 

       For example, in one issue of Shareware magazine, my Sapphire BBS 
       product was listed as PC-SIG's #1 telecommunications package (in 
       terms of number of units ordered).  Does that mean that they 
       moved 1000 of them?  If that was the case, the resulting number 
       of registrations was certainly below par, which in turn would 
       mean that somewhere along the line, I've made a SERIOUS mistake.  
       It would benefit me to know the figures so I could assess the 
       value of my work to the end-user.  I'd like to know the facts! 

       Also possible, though, is that it was simply a slow month for 
       them.  They only shipped, say, 20 of ANY telecommunications 
       package, and Sapphire happened to ship 21 units.  In which case, 
       my product is reaping an awesome percentage of registrations.  
       If that's the case, I'd like to know THAT, too.  It means I'm 
       doing something RIGHT! 

       Maybe they worry that we authors would let the numbers leak out, 
       but that's unlikely to be a problem, for two reasons. 

       First of all, even if the numbers for a particular product were 
       SMALL, it isn't a way to judge the entire disk vendor company.  
       Perhaps that particular shareware product was, by fluke, badly 
       described in the catalog, or there was a feature article in the 
       catalog for a competing product. Whatever.  You can't derive 
       much information from a single data-point. 

       But maybe they worry that their competition would amass figures 
       by canvassing dozens of authors, building up a database? 

       Not likely to work.  In my experience with shareware authors, 
       they're just as tight-lipped about distribution figures as any 
       disk vendor ever was.  I've heard some unconvincing claims of 
       "tremendous success", and some ominous admissions of "doing 
       okay, I guess".  But actual figures?  Never.  Nor do I give out 
       actual figures. 

       Quite frankly, I haven't a clue just how many disks ANY 
       shareware vendor ships.  I hear that PC-SIG ships lots and lots 
       and lots.  That's about as accurate as it gets.  What *I* want 
       to know is:  how many of *MY* products do they ship? 

       I hear that some shareware houses will release that kind of 
       information if you provide them with a mailing list of your 
       registrees.  I hesitate to do that, because I never warned my 
       registrees that I'd be trading their names like baseball cards. 

       I suppose my position, in this big "information vacuum", is a 
       somewhat ... hmmm ... libertarian stance.  I figure it this way:  
       if the disk vendors can help the shareware author make decisions 
       more intelligently, it can only improve things... 

       The author will write more marketable software.  The disk 
       vendors will receive better product information, which in turn 
       will help them represent an improved product in a more accurate 
       way.  More people will be pleased with their products and order 
       more disks.  Everybody will win, and we can all go frolic in the 
       fields of clover and fragrant spring flowers! 

       Maybe that's a little too "Ayn Rand".  Benefits seldom build up 
       so smoothly. The harsh reality is that diskettes get lost in the 
       mail, and disk vendors can find all their mailing envelopes 
       damaged by a broken water-pipe.  My rosey picture of an alliance 
       between disk vendor and author is only an ideal. 

       But having said that, I think it wouldn't hurt if we all shared 
       the ideal. 

       WHO OWES WHAT TO WHOM AND WHY? 

       I do not believe that in the long run it helps to have all those 
       shareware authors groping in the dark. 

       Once again, this reflects my attitude that a shareware houses' 
       PRIMARY resource is the author.  I admit that I'm somewhat 
       biased in this regard! 

       A friend of mine once stated the problem in a cynical (or 
       refreshingly honest) way:  "If you don't write the stuff, 
       somebody else will.  Nobody ASKED you to write it!" 

       He's right, of course.  There are probably lots of budding 
       authors who would take my place.  Naturally, their (wince) 
       drivel won't be as good as my (blush) deathless masterworks, but 
       hey. 

       The point is, we've got a case where it behooves both parties 
       (authors and vendors) to understand how they work together and 
       how they need each other. I believe that we've got a long way to 
       go before that understanding has brought us to a condition of 
       synergy. 

       To be fair, I'm sure that if I ran a shareware house, I'd have a 
       very dim view of 95% of shareware authors.  I've seen a lot of 
       shareware that is just plain awful. 

       So I try to put myself in the shoes of the disk vendor, and I 
       understand that he has a LOT of garbage to sort through, and 
       that quite frankly, many authors haven't even done enough 
       groundwork to DESERVE the red carpet treat-ment. 

       At this point in my commentary, I've got to say, "Dang it!  My 
       software is GOOD!  They should be NICE to me!" 

       While I acknowledge that the actual value of my software (or any 
       software) is open to debate, I nevertheless maintain that my 
       software is both presentable and saleable.  A good portion of my 
       stuff is mere ballast, but in any shareware pack I send to a 
       vendor, a reasonable portion of my wares is good enough that I 
       expect them to say, "Hey, this guy isn't a slug ... let's treat 
       him like a real author!" 

       I've had enough positive feedback from INDIVIDUALS at the disk 
       vendors to know that I deserve a fair shake.  The words 
       "Commercial quality" have been used to describe some of my 
       stuff.  (Mind you, I've seen some "commercial" products -- that 
       will remain nameless -- which do well financially, yet are 
       horrendous when compared to good shareware). 

       So how do you explain the crassness of some disk vendors?  I 
       usually tell myself that they're busy, and having trouble 
       keeping up with growth.  I'm sure that this is true.  But it 
       hardly absolves them of all blame. 

       DEAR SIRE, WE REGRET TO INFROM YOU THAT YOUR SUB MISSION HAS 
       BEEN REJEECTED 

       Here are a few stories to illustrate the frustrations an author 
       can have: 

       STORY #1 

       I sent a disk labelled "Grab-Bag" to PC-SIG, along with a cover 
       letter explaining that the various ZIP files contained all my 
       shareware.  (At that time, I could still squeeze it onto one 
       disk)  It was rejected lock, stock and barrel.  Explanation:  
       "No room for documentation on disk." 

       Can you wrap your mind around that one?  The guy who reviewed 
       the disk thought the product was named "Grab-bag", and that it 
       did something or other, but it was too big.  God knows what he 
       concluded it was FOR, as none of the programs were in any way 
       related to each other. 

       I phoned the President of PC-SIG and he said he'd look into it.  
       Six months later, I came to realize that he'd done nothing, and 
       that none of my products were in their catalog. 

       STORY #2 

       Last week, Gemini Marketing in Washington called to ask me to 
       resubmit my shareware pack.  It seems that somewhere along the 
       line, the papers that accompanied the disks became separated 
       from the cover letter, as were the individual disks, or 
       something like that.  Plus, the master disk wasn't any good, 
       see, and we don't know what we did with your disks.  Or 
       something. Please resubmit. 

       STORY #3 

       Public Brand Software rejected one of my programs.  Here's the 
       letter I sent to them: 
       
                                  April 2, 1990 

       Public Brand Software 
       3750 Kentucky Avenue Indianapolis, 
       Indiana USA 46241 
       ATTN:  Software Reviews 

       Dear Software Librarian: 

       I have enclosed your review of my Sapphire Bulletin Board 
       software.  I am moved to write to complain about the assessment. 

       My previous contact with your company has impressed me greatly.  
       I've come to expect careless reviews from some disk vendors, but 
       I had hoped that I would be spared the same painful experience 
       when dealing with your company. 

       My feeling is that Sapphire was reviewed quickly.  I cite three 
       items in particular: 

       1.   Your reviewer failed to mention the "Zero-Maintenance" 
       aspect of the product, which is its main "selling point" and in 
       fact is mentioned right on the diskette label!  Unlike some 
       BBS's that require constant or even occasional attention, 
       Sapphire can be set up and then virtually forgotten. (The sysop 
       may wish to retain the task of validating users, but this is 
       optional.) 

       2.   Your reviewer said that Sapphire is useful where "E-Mail" 
       is of paramount importance.  Well, I try to look at my own 
       product fairly, and I must say that my product's approach to 
       private messaging is not what would be called "E-Mail".  This is 
       admittedly a failing of the product, so I could hardly take 
       credit for excelling in this area. 

       3.   The most irritating aspect of the review was that I was 
       refused entry into the catalog because the product was "A 
       limited version".  This is simply not true.  The product is 
       fully functional; registration does nothing but remove the 
       opening screen.  Moreover, there is no time limit. The user 
       could "test-drive" the product for years (though that would run 
       contrary to my shareware terms). 

       Please have this product reviewed again. 

       Should you require any additional information, please feel free 
       to call me. 

       Sincerely, Timothy Campbell President 

       I enclosed another copy of the disk.  They never answered or 
       acknowledged receipt of my letter.  As far as I know, my product 
       is not listed in their catalog. 

       I should point out that in general I find PBS to be very 
       supportive of shareware authors.  But they really dropped the 
       ball on this one. 

       STORY #4 

       I really appreciate the feedback that PBS gives shareware 
       authors.  They acknowledge receipt of your disk, and then they 
       send you a copy of the review.  They're very organized -- and I 
       appreciate that! 

       I realize that it's BECAUSE they're so organized that any errors 
       come to the forefront.  Whatever the case, they dropped the ball 
       again when they reviewed my Free Speech BBS product.  Here was 
       the letter that I sent: 

                              November 1, 1990 

       Public Brand Software 
       3750 Kentucky Avenue 
       Indianapolis, Indiana USA 46241 
       ATTN:  President          <-- Note the change in emphasis 

       Dear Sir, 

       On April 2nd of this year, I wrote to protest the exclusion of 
       my "Sapphire" bulletin board product, which your reviewer had 
       written off as "a limited [i.e. crippled] version".  This was 
       and is utterly false.  Yet, since I wrote you the letter (6 
       months ago), I haven't heard a word from you on the matter. 

       Now I receive a letter telling me that two people have reviewed 
       my Free Speech software.  The first reviewer found that it was 
       fine, but the second found that it failed on an "Error 100".  
       Looking up the error in my Turbo Pascal manual, we came up with 
       several possible explanations, all of which point to an 
       installation error. 

       In any case, we have carefully test-installed the enclosed 
       version and we assure you that it works as advertised.  If your 
       reviewer ("A/S") has the same problem again, we would appreciate 
       knowing how his system is configured.  (A full disk drive would 
       also cause that run-time error, for example.  And if he failed 
       to follow the instructions in the manual about inserting 
       FILES=20 in CONFIG.SYS, this too could cause the problem.) 

       I would like to have both products reviewed again. 

       Should you require any additional information, please feel free 
       to call me. 

       Sincerely, 

       Timothy Campbell President 

       You might say that this problem is my fault, insofar as ANY 
       installation problem is MY problem.  If the reviewer had a 
       problem, anybody could have the problem.  My program should have 
       been designed to expect a departure from the installation 
       procedure. 

       On the other hand, I have never received a call complaining 
       about a problem with Free Speech installation, except for one 
       guy, whose modem behaved in a bizarre manner.  (He replaced the 
       modem and things were fine after that.) Based on my experiences 
       with other reviewers, I wonder how carefully the guy paid 
       attention to the installation procedure OR IF HE'D EVEN BEEN 
       GIVEN THE ORIGINAL ZIP FILE. 

       Anyway, the point is moot, because as you might expect (by now), 
       I never received a letter in response to this letter.  I hope 
       that by now they're carrying my Free Speech product in their 
       catalog.  But I have no way of knowing, short of sending them 
       money to become a member. 

       OVERVIEW OF THE STORIES 

       As Pat Paulsen says, "Picky, picky, picky!"  I suppose I should 
       expect a certain amount of grief, considering how young the 
       shareware market is. But as I said, I'm optimistic enough to 
       keep hacking away at shareware, but not blind to its failings. 

       I have lots of stories like these.  I remember at least two 
       other cases where my products were rejected after only a cursory 
       examination that led the reviewer to the wrong conclusion. 

       Again, my complaints aren't really valid if my products are 
       trash.  A good reviewer can make a decent assessment of the 
       product just on the basis of the READ.ME file.  (If it's got 
       typos, quality is not likely to be forthcoming.) 

       Most of my work is a lot more carefully written than this long 
       missive. I'm doing "stream of consciousness" here and I only 
       intend to proof-read for typos.  Actually, I spend an inordinate 
       amount of time honing my READ.ME's. In fact, my HELPME product 
       is kind-of a huge READ.ME.  I put a lot of loving care into my 
       packaging. 

       Am I the only shareware author who is occasionally frustrated by 
       the disk vendors?  I can't believe that that's the case.  I hope 
       that SMS becomes a force to be reckoned with and -- like the 
       Michelin Guide -- encourages the vendors to slave for that extra 
       "star". 

       IDEAS THAT DON'T WORK -- DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME, KIDS! 

       "In order to succeed, you've got to learn to fail".  Somebody 
       MUST have said that.  In any case, it certainly applies to MY 
       career in shareware. 

       Nowadays, shareware brings me about half my net income.  Dollar-
       wise, it brings in more than that, but about a third is plowed 
       back into promotion. 

       METHOD #1 -- HOPE FOR THE BEST 

       But from the time I released my first product (Pyroto) until I 
       received my first registration ... it took SIX MONTHS! 

       In my wide-eyed innocence, I simply spread it around a few 
       places, expecting it to magically reproduce.  I certainly 
       learned the error of my ways.  Now, when I release a new 
       product, I send out a few hundred copies at least.  It's the 
       only way. 

       Interestingly, I've found that BBS's and telecomputing systems 
       produce far better results than Shareware houses.  This may be 
       only my experience. Some authors, I know, bank on the disk 
       vendors. 

       But thanks to my shareware tracking (using serial numbers), I 
       can't help but have more faith in modem power than mail power. 

       I've always felt that if somebody sends in money for a disk, he 
       feels that he's paid for it already.  It doesn't matter if the 
       shareware house states otherwise (and come to think of it, a lot 
       of them don't spend much time explaining what shareware is). 

       METHOD #2 -- SHAREWARE SHOTGUN 

       Perhaps I'm "down" on shareware houses because of a bad 
       experience I had once.  I bought an issue of Computer Shopper 
       and sent a shareware pack to every single person or company 
       listed in the shareware classifieds. 

       I mailed out over a hundred packages.  Only three bothered 
       acknowledging receipt of the disks! 

       I suppose that lots of people figure they'll make easy bucks by 
       running a shareware house, but quickly realize that it's NOT so 
       easy.  By the time they decide to change their career, however, 
       they've received hundreds of disks from hopeful authors.  I'll 
       bet those ads in Computer Shopper pay for themselves, just in 
       free disks! 

       METHOD #3 -- BIG-BUSINESS SHOTGUN 

       Once again armed with Computer Shopper, I wrote down the names 
       and addresses of the 100 biggest hardware vendors, and sent 
       along my Area Code reference program, suggesting that they 
       include it with every computer they send out.  I figured maybe 
       they already included a disk or two of useful things, so tucking 
       in another program would be a snap.  It was worth a shot. But no 
       such luck. 

       Of the companies who bother to reply ... neither was interested.  
       So ... scratch $100 worth of postage, $25 worth of envelopes, 
       $40 worth of diskettes, and the price of the gallon of cola I 
       needed to wash the taste of envelope glue out of my mouth. 

       This method failed, I think, because I was asking them to do 
       something they weren't doing in the first place.  Perhaps if I'd 
       offered to MAKE the disks for them...  It's something to think 
       about. 

       METHOD #4 -- HERE 'N' THERE REVISITED 

       Eventually, by the sheer weight of programs I was sending out, I 
       started getting a so-so number of registrations.  But not enough 
       to make me dance with joy (and it wouldn't take much to make me 
       dance, you know). 

       I realized that I wasn't going about this in a BIG way.  True, I 
       was hitting the really big shareware houses, and getting my 
       programs on CompuServe.  Occasionally, I'd send a pack to some 
       other telecomputing service. 

       But that was no way to make a buck.  Y'gotta work harder than 
       that. 

       METHOD #5 -- DOLLARWARE 

       For the past few months, I've sent out hundreds of disks that 
       promise people that, if I get a registration for the product, 
       they get half the registration price.  Each product is clearly 
       stamped with their name, and they can test-install the product 
       and verify that their name does indeed show up on the 
       registration form. 

       This method of distribution doesn't work, either.  Maybe it's 
       because they only stand to make 5 to 10 bucks per registration.  
       Whatever.  I don't know why it doesn't work. 

       All I know is that I've sent out HUNDREDS of disks like this, 
       and my results strongly suggest that most of them get thrown in 
       a drawer, where they gather dust.  They're neither uploaded nor 
       shared. 

       It is very time-consuming to make individually-stamped disks, 
       but I'll keep trying the DOLLARWARE concept for a while longer.  
       I've added a few embellishments.  Maybe I can polish up the 
       concept a bit and make it work. It sure sounds like a fabulous 
       deal to ME!  Hey, all you do is upload a file (no big effort) 
       and it can bring in some money.  What more can you ask out of 
       life? 

       METHOD #6 -- ATTACK! 

       Over the holiday season, I am going to use the SMS database to 
       prepare a mailing which I expect will cost me around $500. 

       Five hundred bucks?  I've come a long way from the days when I 
       thought I could simply upload my program to CompuServe and let 
       it spread by itself. 

       Shareware may be many things, but a zero-dollar-startup business 
       it ain't. 

       I realize that $500 isn't much by big business standards, but 
       the average person isn't too keen about spending that kind of 
       money. 

       Moreover, I start to think to myself:  is this going to work?  
       Will THIS $500 investment make a difference?  Wouldn't it be 
       better to go all out and buy an ad in a computer magazine? 

       SOME FINAL MUSINGS 

       In other words, isn't it time to abandon shareware? There.  I 
       said it. 

       Well, I'll give it one more go.  Or knowing me, I won't give up 
       even if this $500 thing doesn't work.  I expect it will pay for 
       itself, of course. I fully expect to make a small profit.  But 
       that's not the point, is it? 

       The point is that my marketing costs are no longer anywhere NEAR 
       the "zero" I'd expected when I got into shareware.  My costs are 
       maybe one order of magnitude less than small-scale commercial 
       marketing. 

       Moreover, if I went commercial, I wouldn't do it alone.  I know 
       people who would be interested in helping me market some of my 
       stuff. 

       I don't use shareware because of the money aspect, I suppose.  
       It's a question of creating something that is mine, all mine.  
       If it does well, that's MY thing that's doing well.  And that, 
       to me, is worth a lot. 

       Back to the drawing board. . . 

       Tim Campbell

       

