Hi! I''m just curious about people who has started shareware companies. I''m thinking of starting one myself! How much do you guys sell a typical month? What kind of products? Is it worth it? How big is the shareware market? regards!

You can better complete your education and find a full time job.
Get a possible relation with a nice girl And in the evening and in the weekends you develop a prototype shareware game. Most succesfull shareware games are original and addictive. Like casino, card, puzzles, board games. You need to market and promote it very well. There are about 50 game shareware companies around the world, registered at the ASP. Most profitable are the original and addictive card and puzzle games.
You need to pay very much attention on the game design first.
Play the succesfull shareware games you like and investigate them carefull in detail. Try to make a specification list about why the game is original and addictive. An then develop a prototype. And from time to time check if the design is well or not well implemented. And solve upcoming problems etc.

Well.. my education is complete.... and i have a relation with a nice girl, and i have developed games for a living as an employee, and i have now worked a year outside the gaming industy. I know how to make games and I also have to connections to get great graphics, sound, music etc.

So.....

I need to know if you can make a living writing shareware games!

regards!

Thanks,

Yes it''s very possible.

But Casino, card, puzzle, board.
what kind of games do you like:


Steve Pavlina is a shareware developer who do this for living.
Dave de moderator the same situation.
Also the developer of goodsol.com do this for living, writing card games.
And many more...

I already said that there are about 50 shareware game companies registered from every where in the world. The most shareware companies are doing utilities, databases for business etc.

But you need to have a good design and addictive game to fill up the needs of the niche, of online game buyers.

Don''t we all need a good design and an addictive gameplay ;-)

I''m out to get information on how big this market of online buyers really is. Anyone knows of any public surweys etc?

I need to sell about 4000 copies a year to be able to live from it....


Do you think this is feasible?

There are a number of ( a few ) shareware game companies that have exceeded 1 million in revenue. It is possible to be successful as a shareware game company.

contact steve pavlina of dexterity.com also read his articles on his site.

ASP Member Testimonials

Edwin Siebesma, Vice President WinZip Computing, Inc.

WinZip Computing has been an ASP member for more than a decade. The ASP is a valuable source of information and a great place to meet friends and colleagues in the shareware industry.


Dirk Paessler, Paessler GmbH, Fuerth, Germany

I just want to send out a THANK YOU to all members and officials of the ASP! Why? Because I was able to quit my day-to-day job in August and can go for my own shareware business 100% now. I would not have gotten so far, if I hadn''t subscribed to the ASP 18 months ago. The information I got from this forum, via ASPects and some ASP members made a big difference in my products which can now supply my life. This shareware thing actually works! For this I just want to say thank you!


Brad Marcum, ProVariant Software, Westerville, OH, USA

I joined the ASP in early 2000, right after I started my software business. To be quite honest, I don''t know where I''d be without the advice and guidance I''ve received from the people in the ASP. After only a year, my business was profitable and my sales have steadily increased every month since. I''m now running my business on a full-time basis and it''s my sole source of income. So what else can I say about the ASP? It''s more than just an organization of software developers and vendors. It''s a community of people just like me, who are passionate about what they do and are passionate about helping others be successful as well. The people in our organization are friendly, genuine, and knowledgeable, and we welcome new members with open arms. Joining the ASP was the best business decision I''ve ever made. Plain and simple.


Loren Brewer, Shareware Solutions, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA

The Association of Shareware Professionals is simply awesome. I have been a shareware developer for about three years, but have only been a member of the ASP for about two months so far. I must admit that during these first two months I have acquired more useful information than I have since I started developing shareware! In fact, I regret not joining the ASP years ago, as I feel that I have missed out on so much. The amount of current, quality information available to members on a constant basis (via the Members Only website and newsgroups) has exceeded my wildest expectations. I''m already looking forward to renewing my membership for next year.


Aldo Ghigliano, President, Visual Vision, Pietra Ligure, Italy

When I joined the ASP in 1999 I was just starting my software business, with just one (still-not-finished) product. I find the membership useful even now that Visual Vision is an established company. There is something you can learn everyday. And maybe something you can teach!


Shiraz Ahmed, ITAZ, Mumbai, India

For us the ASP newsgroups by themselves are reason enough to be an ASP member. The ASP newsgroups are an amazing source of information for anyone using the "try before you buy" method of marketing their software products. One can find discussions about current trends, marketing techniques, technical issues... virtually every topic associated with the shareware industry. So many things that we have learnt through the newsgroups have contributed to our success in this business.


Al Harberg, President, DP Directory, Inc., Glastonbury, CT, USA

I look forward to reading ASPects, the ASP''s newsletter. Its 12 or 16 pages contain feature-length articles that are written by members with hands-on experience, and not by outsiders who pretend to know what shareware marketing is all about. Every month, I find money-making and money-saving ideas that I wouldn''t have learned anywhere else.


Thomas Warfield, Goodsol Development, Inc., Springfield, IL, USA

If you are in the shareware industry and are serious about what you do, you need to be a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals. The ASP connects you with hundreds of other people and companies doing the same thing you do. From articles in ASPects, the monthly magazine, and from posts in the ASP member newsgroups, you will learn what works and what doesn''t work in shareware. ASP members share information about how to develop and market shareware that is available nowhere else. After you have joined the Association of Shareware Professionals and seen what it can do for your business, you''ll wonder why you waited so long.


Dave Collins, SharewarePromotions Ltd., Turku, Finland

Joining the ASP was one of the single most rewarding business decisions that I have ever made. I work with developers from all over the world, and joining the ASP was a crucial factor in the success of my company. The people, knowledge and first-hand experience all add up to a truly unbeatable combination. If you work in the shareware industry, and haven''t yet joined, then you''re missing out on a daily basis. It''s that simple.
Ed Guy, Guy Software, West Vancouver, BC, Canada

Before I became involved in shareware as a marketing method I''d had about thirty years of programming and systems experience, but it was all with big companies and government agencies. What I lacked was a knowledge of marketing techniques which could be applied at an affordable cost. ASP membership filled that void for me. I found ASP members to be very willing to share their expertise with each other in the areas of marketing and business as well as coding techniques when somebody hits a particularly knotty problem.


Sharon Housley, NotePage, Inc., Boston, MA, USA

The ASP has given me the opportunity to network with other developers and develop a number of partnerships that have allowed us to expand into a number of niche markets.


Do you need anything else

I'm just a big fat troll who can't spell references, even though I try to use that word alot..

Edited by - NUrgle on March 11, 2002 7:47:46 AM

Never ever work with Xing Interactive as an indie but go trough the self publishing model and publish otherwise with Dexterity software! Dexterity got very good referentions.

Xing Interactive will go down soon or later.