@3 MARKETING YOUR PRODUCT @2 PART TWO STEVE BYE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @1 Last issue I covered submitting your product to commercial software houses. If you didn't get issue one then send £2.25 for a back issue. This issue though we come down the ladder a step. I am now going to tell you how best to go about getting your masterpiece released as Licenceware. Point of interest. What is the correct spelling of the word Licenceware? I investigated this when I first started F1. I looked at all the reviews and adverts concerning Licenceware, some used Licenseware but the majority seemed to use it with a C, I am still not sure. So if you are submitting your product to a Licenceware outfit then spell it their way! Also I will refer to Licenceware as LW from now on. Before I start this article proper, I would like to point out that the following information is just MY way of doing it. This isn't necessarily the best or only way to do it but most of it is common sense. If you would like to add your comments/ideas/experiences to this series then write in. Enough waffle, let's get down to it. @3 WHAT EXACTLY IS LICENCEWARE? ----------------------------@1 Your product is distributed through various channels, mainly PD libraries. You, the author, receive a royalty for each copy sold. The whole set-up is based on trust and is open to abuse. But as a rule these abusers do not last long. The beauty of Licenceware is that the author does not have to worry about packaging, promoting, advertising and selling of the product and so can get on with coding his/her next production. Being realistic very few people (if any) make a living from Licenceware alone (certainly not from 1 or 2 releases) but it's a good place to start and earn some beer money until you get to commercial class. I suppose you could say there are two sorts of LW, there is the F1/CLR approach where the company gets sub-distributors (PD libraries) to sell the products on their behalf and there are the lone PD libraries that just sell it themselves. This was really how Licenceware came about, the aim of the PDL was to get exclusive distribution of good titles and in effect locking out opposing libraries, they also charged more of course to pay the author a royalty. As far as I can work out CLR was formed by the big PDL's to centralise all these titles so the big libraries didn't have to worry about the paper work and paying the royalties direct because there was so much good stuff knocking about. CLR limit their distributors to about 24 libraries and if you want your library in you go on the waiting list. @3 QUALITY: --------@1 Obviously the quality of your product is still VERY important. Let us presume that you tried the commercial software houses and failed! You can go back to the drawing board and try to fix what you think was wrong with your product and re-submit it or try for LW. Now just because LW sells for a lot less than commercial products does not always mean the quality of the products are on a quality to price ratio, far from it! F1's products sell at roughly 1/9th of a full price game, this does not mean the quality of our products are 1/9th of that of commercial products. In fact F1 currently have quite a few programs that we believe could make it as commercial products. The main point I am trying to get across here is, don't get sloppy just because it's LW, it will show. Now it's obvious LW outfits don't expect professional graphics/music etc. but they do expect your program to be a cut above it's nearest PD equivalent. This is the way I judge most of the submissions I am sent. In most cases I know whether a program is going to be good even before it's loaded!!! Sounds unlikely? but it's true, 90% of a reviewers decisions on a product (maybe subconsciously) are made before the program gets fully under way. It all boils down to two major factors: @3 PRESENTATION AND POLISH: ------------------------@1 If you put a LOT of effort into these two factors you can transform rubbish into something almost worthwhile or something good into something BRILLIANT. Why do you think companies spend small fortunes on packaging products? if it didn't make any difference they wouldn't waste their time and money. Presentation makes a VERY big difference and can influence the reviewers decision immeasurably. First impressions count!! @3 GRAPHICS/MUSIC SOUND FX: ------------------------@1 I covered this last issue and the same applies. @3 PLAYABILITY/EASE OF USE: ------------------------@1 If your product is a game then playability is also another VITAL factor. As stated in part one, the main things to remember are to make it easy to get into, have a nice learning curve. e.g.: don't make level four easier than level 2 for example. Don't make it hard work, to play instead make it enjoyable to play. I have played games where I think to myself, Why am I playing this? this is hard work! And of course above everything don't let it get boring. If your product is a utility them make the menus easy to use and descriptive, include on line help if possible and include a detailed doc file on disk with a tutorial if applicable. Also make sure all your routines are fully error trapped. Test your util out on a non computer user. I bet they will find a way to crash it. @3 ORIGINALITY: ------------@1 The same applies to LW as it does commercial, which I covered last issue. In a nutshell, If you are going to do yet another Tetris then it had better be VERY, VERY good and have a few new twists. By doing a clone of another game you are immediately putting your product under pressure to compete against the original. Anyway what's the point of re-inventing the wheel unless you have some new snazzy spokes to put in it? @3 THE SUBMISSION: ---------------@1 Okay, so you believe your product is a lot better than PD, but not quite good enough for commercial release (send it to me now!) There are a few ways you can approach LW outfits and they are as follows: *Phone or write asking for information of how the scheme works and what their contract entails. *Send a demo version in and ask for info and whether they would be interested in the full version. *Or just send the full version in. At this point, a message to about 12 programmers who have contacted me in the past. These guys were worried that if they sent in their game and we did not accept it that we would still sell it without them knowing. Others were worried that we would steal their ground-breaking ideas. Well as a programmer I understand these chaps point of view, but some wanted me to accept programs before I had even seen them (no chance) Some people were just so worried they will probably never show their stunning product to anyone! Well you have to trust someone, somewhere along the line if you want to sell your program. F1 (or any LW for that matter) wouldn't last long if word got around that we stole peoples products or ideas, and believe me, in the programming community the word spreads like wildfire. Anyway, I digress. Okay so you have this great product ready for LW. The following steps are similar to submitting a commercial game so excuse me if I am repeating myself in places. 1) Write on the label CLEARLY (don't scribble) the following info: TITLE, MACHINE, MACHINE REQUIREMENTS, MACHINES TESTED ON YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER 2) The covering note should be just that, A NOTE. Don't write an essay most reviewers are busy and don't have the time. However a brief but informative description of the game is a good idea. It is important to slap a few cheats in the game if possible so the reviewer can take a look at all of the game. Don't forget to tell them what the cheats are and how to use them. 3) Now make a copy of your game on a NEW branded disk then load and run the game start to end. What's the point of risking sending in a faulty copy? Then do a virus check on the disk and bung it in a new jiffy bag. 4) Type out your letter and check for spelling mistakes < (important) Then save a copy of it to use later on other LW houses. Print it out and pop in the jiffy with your disk and seal it up. @3 THE WAITING -----------@1 This is the worst bit, where you are waiting in anticipation of an answer. And to an impatient git such as myself it's bloody torture. Here at F1 we try to deal with all the post on the same day, if at all humanly possible. Many a time I have worked through the night to get replies to everyone out in the first post. Of course sometimes I have to give priority to customers orders etc. but as a general rule you will get a reply from F1 within a few days. On the Amiga scene everything seems to take weeks or months to happen. F1 are crusading against this laxity as it's not fair to customers and programmers alike. I suppose when F1 gets bigger and more popular we too will be slower, but my idea of slow is a 4-5 day turn-around. I must tell you here that our main rival (no names) are notoriously slow at replying, I know, I waited 4 months for a reply, and many programmers have told me how miffed (putting it politely) they were at having to wait months for a reply from them. While I am blowing my own trumpet I may as well say that F1 was formed with the intention of treating programmers and their work with respect and above all being friendly and efficient. If we reject your product, we tell you why in a personal letter, not a mailshot form saying NOT GOOD ENOUGH or similar. Sorry about that, I got carried away there, back to the job in hand >>>> @3 THE BIG DAY: ------------@1 Okay, let's say your game is accepted. You will be sent a contract. Obviously you must read this very carefully and make sure you understand what it entails, ask someone if you are not sure. Send it back as soon as possible so the LW outfit can start selling it for you. Royalty payments vary, but £1 for a one disk program seems about the norm. F1 pay royalties every quarter, some pay monthly. * * FOOT NOTE * * See Steve Rennocks letter on the letters page. CONTACTS: ========= F1 Licenceware, 31, Wellington Road, Exeter, Devon. EX2-9DU CLR Submission, C/o 17 Bit Software, 1st Floor Offices, 2/8 Market St, Wakefield, West Yorks. WF1-1DH 17 Bit will pass on your disk to CLR or you can offer it to 17 bit themselves. Seasoft Computing, The Business Centre, First Floor, 80, Woodlands Ave, Rustington, West Sussex, BN16-3EY Amos PD 17 Wick Farm Road, St Lawrence Bay, Southminster, Essex. CM0-7PF Your Choice PD (Pete Topping) 39, Lampton Rd, Chorlton, Manchester. M21-OZJ @3 Please note: Amoszine or F1 cannot vouch for any of the above companies It is simply a list. NEXT ISSUE: ===========@1 I will cover releasing your product as shareware and the complex subject of dealing with the magazines. How to get your product reviewed and how to get on a cover disk. Like we did with Touch 'N Go (and others to come) @3 ISSUE 4 =======@1 I'll go into selling your product by yourself, how to get the best advertising deals from the mags and some warnings on the tricks they play on you and the response you can expect from the outlay. I am looking forward to revealing some little known (or spoken about) gems in this issue. The series may continue from here if I can think of anything else. Let know if you have any experiences or ideas on this subject. @2 KEEP CODING.....Steve Bye.