лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл NEWSLETTER UPDATE лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл Do you have a press release, an idea, a disk, a shareware catalog or a need for a program which relates to the shareware software industry? Shareware authors and vendors would like your information! Send press releases, product announcements and shareware for possible inclusion within this package. Submit text in ASCII on disk so it can be imported directly into this package. Please note that older material from previous SMS newsletters, containing valuable marketing information, has been moved to the SMS archives. Consult the GOODIES section of SMS for information on ordering this archived material (SMS catalog number SMS-202.) -------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter: Winter 1992 Edition -------------------------------------------------------------- "Progress always involves risk; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first." - Frederick Wilcox The Global Shareware Market is poised for a surge of activity. But not without changes. The alignment of market forces which will spell long range success for shareware is remarkable: PC clones are commodity items which now sell in large retail stores, shareware disk vendors have developed new styles of marketing such as rackware and vertical market specialties and programmers have better software tools then ever. From my vantage point, we have finally hit critical marketing channel density which will make all the difference in the years ahead: sufficient numbers of outlets and computer users for our product. That's the good news. Now the bad... Out in mainstream America, shareware is NOT a familiar concept no matter how much our industry prides itself on the wealth of opportunities to popularize and sell shareware. We are still small players in the grand scheme of things. From my discussions with vendors and authors I would suspect that shareware is more commonly used on a PER CAPITA basis in Germany and England than in the U.S. where shareware as a marketing method was invented. So what is next for our industry? As I stare down the barrel of 1993 I think we might start approaching the per capita consumption and market recognition which shareware deserves in about three or four years. Why so long? The reasons are legion... 1) We still lack a unifying standard on file conventions and structure for shareware packages which authors and vendors need to agree on. One author might use a README file for documentation while the next puts all documentation inside a self extracting screen. We need standards badly. Customers tell me shareware is a crazy quilt of files and documentation. Primitive attempts like the FILE_ID.DIZ standard are a tiny step in the right direction. An earlier standard which Paul Scanlon and I proposed, the SIF file, died a stillborn death. It fascinates me that every year the Summer Shareware Seminar comes and goes and this CRUCIAL item remains overlooked. If a standard was proposed and disk vendors and large BBS systems refused to accept a file from an author without the necessary "structure" we could see standards and profits finally blossom. 2) The best packages have yet to be written which will DEFINE our industry. Example: It took Lotus 123 to "make" the PC a hit. In a sense the PC was born as a mass market device at that moment. The 123 defined the PC and made it a success. We have quite a few shareware packages out there, but we have not hit OUR defining package which will make shareware a runaway hit. 3) Politics. Now we have the ASP, STAR, ASAD and OSWAD as trade organizations to support authors and vendors. All of these groups were formed with the idea of "organizing and promoting" the shareware industry. However politics seems to be the order of the day. The ASP promotes structure and a sharing of crucial marketing information which authors and vendors have needed. But growing pains are still evident. STAR is the new association on the block and offers a less structured point of view. The same with OSWAD and ASAD. Programmers and vendors tend to be strong willed and outspoken at times. This leads to politics as well as diversity - which can be both good and bad. The point is this. We are NOT working together. The Summer Shareware Seminar conference held in Indianapolis each year is probably where the sticky issues will be solved. Eventually. 4) Whither bundling? What I mean here is why can't the shareware industry get more VAR's and computer sellers to bundle shareware with new computers like Microsoft does with DOS and Windows? I have had great success with my PC-Learn in this mass market (bundled on hard drives), but why not an industry package put together by shareware professionals for VAR's? Cheap, effective solutions for the masses. If it could be integrated into a single "bundle" and updated every year we might have something with greater circulation than the current hard drive bundle in the VAR channel which is mainly DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1. 5) Speaking of bundling, why aren't we yet in retail stores like Egghead? Dvorak has a shareware collection on the shelf of Egghead. Shareware in a true retail setting is coming but oh, so slowly. 6) CD-ROM is a natural for the shareware industry since we have so much to offer the public. But what is missing is REALLY cheap CD-ROM drives. If we could team up with a marketer like DAK Industries or other LARGE vendors to offer CD-ROM players for under $100 when bundled with five or six great shareware CD-ROMS then we might just have something which would become as standard with every computer purchase as DOS and a disk drive. Think of it - every computer sold automatically comes with the option off a $100 purchase for a CD-ROM player and a stack of shareware. 7) Positioning. Authors and vendors still have not learned to cultivate an identity or POSITION in the marketplace. Specialize in something: Windows programs, vertical market software for architects, games, pets, education. Pick a niche for your disk vending operation or programming business. Too many vendors and authors thrash about carrying everything in the hope that shareware success is just around the corner. Wrong. Changing gears... Will the change on the national political front do anything for shareware? Probably. Consider this. In 1992 an estimated 30.4 million Americans worked from their homes according of Link Resources of New York. That's a lot of people who probably are using or could use a computer for business - potential shareware customers to you and me. President-elect Clinton and Vice President-elect Gore communicate by email frequently and Vice President-elect Gore owns three computers. I wonder how much shareware is running on those computers? Better question: how much REGISTERED shareware is running on those computers? Back to the present... I will be a guest visitor on the nationally syndicated radio program The Home Office Show on Sunday January 3, 1993. The show is broadcast by hosts Paul and Sarah Edwards every Sunday from 10:00PM to 11:00PM Eastern Standard time by the Business Radio Network in many American communities. I will be a guest visitor between approximately 10:30PM and 10:50PM EST. Topics to be discussed are the state of shareware in the US and operating a shareware business as a profitable venture. A list of affiliated radio stations follows. Albuquerque KMBA AM 1050 Amarillo, TX KGNC AM 710 Atlanta, GA WPBE AM 1050 Birmingham, AL WCEO AM 1260 Charlotte, NC WSTP AM 149O Corpus Christi, TX KEYS AM 1440 Dallas-Ft. Worth KUII AM 1190 Erie, PA WPSE AM 1450 Ft. Myers/Naples, FL WDCQ AM 1200 Grand Rapids (Live and TD) WGRD AM 1410 Kansas City KBEA AM 1480 Portland, OR KBNP AM 141O Raleigh-Durham WCHL AM 1360 Sacramento/Stockton KST AM 950 St. Cloud, MN KNSI AM 1450 St. Louis, MO WILY AM 1210 Salt Lake KMGR AM 1230 Santa Barbara/Santa Maria KSMA AM 1240 Seattle (TD) KEZX AM 1150 Tampa/St. Petersburg WTMY AM 1280 Traverse City, MI WMKT AM 1270 Tulsa KTRT AM 1270 Utica, NY WRUN AM 1150 Washington, D.C. WPGC AM 1580 West Palm Beach WSBR AM 740 Wilmington, DE WDEL AM 1410 While on the subject of small business and working at home, note that Paul and Sarah Edwards are also the SYSOPS of the Working from Home forum on CompuServe and have developed a number of unique proposals for new legislation to assist this class of worker. A detailed list is available in the file POLICY.TXT available in Library 17 of CompuServe forum GO WORK. Some of the interesting ideas include Small Business Administration "microloans" for home-based workers, tax deductable long term disability insurance, allowance for one half of social security payments to accrue in a private retirement account, education to move the US education system away from a paycheck mentality to self-employment mentality. Worth a read - download the file and give it a glance! Note! On disk B of this issue of SMS you will find SDNKIT.EXE which is a self-extracting file containing necessary information on using the SDN network of BBS systems to rapidly upload your shareware to MANY fine Bulletin Boards! Give this file a close read. Next, news regarding the annual Summer Shareware Seminar which ALL authors and vendors should attend! Date: 05-Jan-93 19:54 PST From: Bob Ostrander(PBS/SCoop) [72241,455] The 1993 Summer Shareware Seminar in Indianapolis is a confirmed go for June 18th through the 20th. Friday and Saturday will be full days and it will conclude with more sessions on Sunday morning. Last year 390 people attended; this year there might be 500. There will be two full tracks of forums on Friday and Saturday. This, an exhibit area, and receptions on Thurs and Fri evenings will keep everybody busy. There are planned sessions for new and experienced authors, disk distributors, BBSs, and user groups. The emphasis will be on learning how to make the business of shareware more profitable for everybody. The panel discussion format with audience participation will be retained. Scheduled for Saturday evening is a gala dinner where the second annual Shareware Industry Awards will be presented (organized by a committee of authors). This will honor the best and most innovative shareware products over the last 10 years. The site of the `93 SSS will again be the Adam's Mark hotel complex in Indianapolis, Indiana. More complete details of who, what, etc. will be mailed out in early April. All previous attendees; ASP and PBS authors; ASP and $M$ vendors and BBSs; and APCUG User Groups will be automatically sent a flier. If you want to make sure you are included, please call PBS at 317-856- 4144. Bob Ostrander will be glad to give more information. Feel free to call him at 317-856-6052 (voice) 10a-8p eastern time. Email contact through CompuServe/ZiffNet 72241,455 or the PBS-BBS at 317-856-2087. Suggestions and session volunteers are, of course, welcome. A tentative schedule follows. Thursday, June 17 1:00p-5:00p Golf outing by prior appointment 1:00p-4:00p Open house at PBS (2 miles from hotel). A shuttle bus will run from hotel lobby to PBS. 2:00p SIA Selection panel meets 7:00p-?? SSSASPirilla get-together - Fortune Square Ballroom (ASP Sponsorship) Friday, June 18 9:30a-5:00p Seminar sessions. Newcomer's track (aimed at new authors). Selling by retail track (aimed at distributors and experienced authors). 12:00n-10:00p Display tables open (sort of a mini "vendor" area - think of it as "Sharedex"). 7:00p-?? Hosted reception - (PBS Sponsorship) Saturday, June 19 9:30a-5:00p Seminar sessions. Selling by shareware track (aimed at all authors). Special sessions track (various). 12:00n-7:00p Display tables open 7:00p-?? SIA Awards Banquet Sunday, June 20 9:30a-12:30p Special sessions (including Lance Rose's always-popular legalese discussion) 1:00p-3:00p ASP Luncheon and meeting. An addition this year will be an organized Exhibit area during Friday and Saturday. One or two day rentals will be reasonably priced and aimed at the "little guys" who want to sell stuff as well as just for authors, disk vendors, etc to show off their wares. (End of Press Release regarding Summer Shareware Seminar) Catherine Gile and Garnet Brown of the German PEARL AGENCY have recently moved to Seattle, Washington. Representing one of the larger shareware vendors in Germany and also DOS Trend Magazine, they will be serving as author liasons for the European/German market. Garnet and Catherine will be living in Seattle and operating PEARL'S American office for at least a year. Their primary goal is to seek out shareware products, software, hardware and unique technology items for export or representation into the booming German/European market. They also solicit press and news release items for DOS Trends Magazine (150,000 circulation!) PEARL also offers translation services and registration collections. This is a commitment by Pearl to DIRECTLY access the American technology development community. I urge you to send products, news, shareware to them. I might add on a personal level, I receive a GROWING volume of registrations from Germany. I have met personally with Garnet and Catherine - nice folks! Contact: Catherine Gile & Garnet Brown, 3946 - SW Ida, Seattle, WA 98136 tel: 206/938-0336. CIS: 71043,674. One my British SMS customers informs me that in addition to author and vendor associations in the U.S. a new association is forming in Britain. Details are contained in a Compuserve message to me which follows: Date: 22-Nov-92 13:52 PST From: Mike Thurman [100021,3440] Subj: sms... UK-ASV Jim, The replies from our mailing are just starting to come back. This is great! Vendors' letters keep turning up every morning... Anyway, the purpose of this message is to tell you something you might know already, but I thought I'd tell you in case you didn't. There's a new British shareware association which has recently started up (5th August, actually, but I've only just heard about it.) They're called UK Association of Shareware Vendors, or UK-ASV for short. Their aims (so they say in their letter to me) are these: 1) to increase the proportion of Shareware adverts in magazines, as against commercial ones, 2) to set up a magazine called "UK-ASV NEWS" at #19.95/year, to include a discount card. 3) A master disk catalogue of all programs sold by their members. 4) "Get a better deal from publishers of registered programs." 5) Act as UK agents for USA authors. 6) Discourage piracy. 7) Encourage shareware. I know that SMS Shareware, D&E S/ware Services, & Databak are members, there are probably others. If authors send them their programs they'll send it to all their members, the downside is that they want 10% of all registrations from copies sold by members (they rely on authors' honesty.) Their address is: UK-ASV, c/o 19 Carshalton Rd., Camberley, Surrey GU15 4AQ, tel: 0276 681864. You might want to include information about them in the next edition of SMS. (End of message) Next, an article about mail order laws and practices which all shareware authors should review. Written by attorney and SMS reader Charles Kramer who lives in New York. (Start of article by Mr. Kramer) THE "MAIL ORDER MERCHANDISE" RULE WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW IF YOU IF YOU SELL BY MAIL ORDER Copr. 1993 Charles B. Kramer, Esq. For all of the variety of ways shareware is distributed, shareware catalog vendors and authors often use the mail to receive orders and payment for shareware. Sometimes -- because the ordered shareware has been withdrawn from distribution, or an order backlog occurred, or the mail order gremlins are at work again -- the order can't be shipped on time. What are you supposed to do when there is a delay? THE RULE The main rule that defines your obligations in the event of a mail order delay is the Federal Trade Commission's "Mail Order Merchandise" rule, sometimes just called "The Rule". The Rule applies to most people that solicit orders through the mails, and regulates what happens when they cannot ship the orders on time. __Who the Rule Applies To__ The Rule covers situations in which a customer uses the mail to finalize a sale. This includes when a customer mails a check or credit card number with an order form from a shareware vendor's catalog, or shareware disk's "ORDER.FRM". The Rule also applies to orders made by telephone when the customer mails in payment. The Rule doesn't apply, however, to orders by telephone when the customer gives a credit card number during the call, since the customer hasn't used the mail to finalize the sale. This exception isn't very logical, and the Federal Trade Commission has considered changing it. The application of the Rule has a peculiar twist for some shareware registration payments. In many cases, a shareware customer is only paying for to register the right to use a program he already has. While many shareware authors promise to send something tangible in return for the registration payment - - printed documentation, or a version of the program without nag screens, or additional episodes of a game, for instance -- authors don't *have* to. When author don't promise to send anything tangible, nothing has been ordered by mail, and the Rule doesn't apply. __Time You Must Ship__ The Rule requires you to ship when your catalog, order form or other "solicitation" says you will. If don't state a time, you must ship within 30 days. If you do state a time (with a statement like "please allow 6 weeks for shipment"), the time must be "clearly and conspicuously stated". When a customer pays by check, the count-down to your shipping deadline begins when you receive his properly completed order. You can wait until his check clears as long as you don't delay shipment past the deadline. When a customer pays by a credit card account, the count-down starts when you charge his account (although the Federal Trade Commission has considered changing this to the time you receive the pertinent credit information). __Late Shipment__ If your shipment is going to be delayed, you must notify the customer. The notice must be sent when you first become aware of the delay, and before the shipping deadline. What the notice says depends on the length of the delay. If the delay will be 30 days or less, your notice must inform the customer of the revised shipping date, and that he has the right to cancel his order and receive a prompt refund. The notice must also inform the customer that if he doesn't cancel the order, you will assume he has accepted the revised shipping date. As the Rule puts it, "unless the seller receives, prior to shipment and prior to the expiration of the definite revised shipping date, a response from the buyer rejecting the delay and canceling the order, the buyer will be deemed to have consented to a delayed shipment on or before the definite revised shipping date." If the delay will be *more* than 30 days, or if it will last an indefinite time, the notice must inform your customer of a revised shipping date, or if necessary, stating that the delay will last indefinitely. The notice must also inform the customer that you will automatically cancel his order and provide a refund unless within the 30 days following the original shipping date: [*] you ship his order before he cancels it; or [*] you receive his consent to the revised shipping date. What happens when you've set a revised shipping date, and discover you won't be able to meet that one either? You must notify the customer again, giving him the option to cancel his order for a prompt refund, or to consent to yet another date. The notice must also inform the customer that you will automatically cancel his order and provide a refund unless before the revised shipping date you receive his consent in writing to the new shipping date. Whenever a delay may last indefinitely, you can ask a customer to accept it. Whenever a customer accepts an indefinite delay, however, you must also inform him that will he have a continuing right to cancel his order and obtain a prompt refund by notifying you before you make the shipment. You should furnish your mail order buyers with adequate means to notify you of their intentions to cancel their orders, and to consent to revised shipping dates. The best way to do this is to send notices by first class mail, and to provide your customers with a postage prepaid envelope or postage card. OTHER RULES The Rule doesn't apply to C.O.D. orders, or to a few other types of mail order sales. Other rules control mail orders paid by credit card, and how and when refunds should be paid. In addition, several states (such as New York and Wisconsin) have mail order merchandise rules that supplement the Federal Trade Commission one. While record keeping isn't required by the Rule, it's a good idea. The Federal Trade Commission recommends that you keep records for three to five years that demonstrate that you sent out the notices required by the Rule, and answered customer complaints regarding delays in shipment and the like. MORE INFORMATION You can obtain a copy of the Mail Order Merchandise rule and other useful information from the Direct Marketing Association, Inc., the largest trade association for the direct marketing field. You can contact the DMA at 11 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036-8096 (telephone 212/768-7277). CHARLES B. KRAMER is a member of the New York and Illinois Bars and has lived and practiced law in New York City since 1982. His practice includes corporate, copyright, and trademark law, including for clients in the software development and online information businesses. He can be reached at CompuServe 72600,2026, and Internet 72600.2026@compuserve.com. (End of article by Mr. Kramer) Rackware is a growing channel for shareware but new developments are afoot. Some authors now require royalty payments for rackware and some vendors now pay royalties. Consider the following press release from Dave Snyder.... (Start of press release from Dave Snyder) Date: 27-Dec-92 20:47 PST From: David Snyder [70363,15] Subj: Rack Vending For immediate release For more information contact Dave Snyder (616) 245-8376 CIS 70363,15 Twenty-four shareware authors, representing over 115 different shareware products, announced that they now require "rack vendors" and CD-ROM compilers to pay royalties for shareware sold in a retail setting or on a CD-ROM. Although many of these authors have already informed vendors of their actions, the authors also will be sending a joint letter to known shareware vendors reminding them of authors' distribution terms. "Sending a joint letter is simply a matter of exercising economies of scale," according to Dave Snyder of MVP Software. "Authors all have their own individual distribution policies, and some may have requirements in addition to paying royalties. The letter is really a reminder that all vendors must pay attention to authors' distribution licenses included with their shareware." Snyder emphasized that although the authors are requiring royalties on shareware sold on CD-ROMs and in retail locations, most authors do not require royalties from catalog sales or downloads from BBSs or online services. "Many authors feel that they receive few registrations from shareware sold on CD-ROM collections or sold in retail locations," Snyder said. "Therefore it is necessary to receive a modest royalty to compensate the author's time and investment in creating the product." Shareware is the term commonly used to refer a method of buying software in which the user is allowed a trial period to evaluate the software before making a purchase decision. If the user wishes to continue using the software, he registers it by sending the purchase price to the author or publisher. In exchange the user normally receives the latest version of the product, a printed manual, technical support, upgrade notices, and in many cases, an upgraded product or extra utilities. Following is the text of the letter being sent to vendors and the list of the participating authors and their products. Dear Shareware Vendor, The shareware authors listed below want to express their appreciation for the services provided by shareware vendors. You promote and distribute our products, you help us reach markets we would not otherwise reach, you educate shareware users, and in general you do a terrific job. We also appreciate the traditional goodwill between shareware vendors and authors, and in this spirit we are sending this letter to you. Recently an issue has become important to many shareware authors, and we wish to tell you about this issue and remind you of the distribution policies adopted by some authors for their products. The authors whose names appear on this letter are by no means the only authors with an interest in the issue. In recent years shareware rack vending (SRV) and CD-ROMs have become popular methods for vendors to sell shareware disks. We authors certainly applaud efforts to expand shareware awareness and usage. However, SRV and CD-ROMs have caused a number of problems for some authors. For one thing, they may conflict with retail sales on which authors receive royalties. In addition, some authors report getting irate calls from users who did not understand that the shareware disk they bought from a store requires separate payment to the author. But the biggest problem is that many authors report very few registrations from SRV and CD-ROMs. Dave Snyder of MVP Software reports that he receives fewer than 1 registration for every 2,000 SRV disks sold. Mike Prestwich of Imagisoft reports that Fat Cat Software shipped 12,000 SRV copies of Chinese Checkers, and to date Mike has received only one registration that can be traced to this distribution. Other authors can trace no or very few registrations to CD-ROM distribution. These dismal statistics are bad for all of us. When authors don't make money from shareware they abandon it, leaving unsupported software behind. Or they simply stop developing new shareware. As a result of this some authors have adopted policies regarding SRV and CD-ROMs. The authors participating in this mailing are among them. Each author has his/her own policies, arrived at individually after considering his/her business plans and needs. IF YOU PLAN TO SELL SHAREWARE PRODUCTS IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT OR ON A CD-ROM, OR IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SELLING SHAREWARE PRODUCTS IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT OR ON A CD-ROM, FROM ANY OF THESE AUTHORS, THIS LETTER IS A REMINDER THAT YOU MUST RECEIVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR(S) WHOSE PRODUCTS YOU WISH TO CARRY. THIS INCLUDES SHAREWARE SOLD INDIVIDUALLY OR IN PACKAGES CONTAINING MULTIPLE SHAREWARE PROGRAMS. These authors require that shareware rack vendors and CD-ROM compilers pay royalties for every disk sold. These royalties are individually negotiated, but without a written royalty distribution agreement signed by the author, rack vendors may be violating US copyright laws which permit not more than $100,000 in statutory damages per work, or actual damages plus additional profits of the infringer, and in either case may also include attorney's fees. Individual authors may have additional distribution requirements. It is very important that you follow these requirements, so contacting authors individually whose works you wish to sell is critical. IF YOU WISH TO SELL ANY OF THESE AUTHORS' PRODUCTS IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT OR ON A CD-ROM, YOU MUST SECURE WRITTEN PERMISSION TO DO SO BEFORE YOU PROCEED. IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY DISTRIBUTING ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT OR ON A CD-ROM, AND YOU DO NOT HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR, PLEASE STOP IMMEDIATELY AND CONTACT THE AUTHOR IN QUESTION. Most authors intend that these requirements apply only to their shareware sold in a retail environment or on a CD-ROM. In most cases, catalog vendors, sysops and online services are unaffected by these policies. However, each author sets his/her own distribution policy, so all vendors are encouraged routinely to pay careful attention to the license agreements of the shareware products they distribute. The authors whose names appear below are not the only authors with distribution restrictions, and in the interest of a strong, healthy shareware industry, the requirements of all shareware authors must be respected. You may be interested to know that some leading rack vendors are already planning to pay royalties to authors. These include Jim Green of Shareware Testing Labs, Mike Comish of Software Revolution, Bill Shor of Pik A Program, UAV Corporation, Mike Caines of Forest Park Software, Bill Barclay of Tallon Software, and Greg Wilson of Galactic Software. We authors appreciate these vendors' efforts to make shareware work for everyone. Once again, we authors appreciate your contribution to the shareware industry. We hope that your shareware business is a success. We recognize the necessity for a strong vendor presence in the shareware world, and we know you recognize the necessity for authors to receive reasonable compensation for their work. Participating authors: Gary Alston, Alston Software Labs: Collect!, Hangman Jr, FuzzGen, WCS. Michael Buchanan, Blue Cannon Software: Calendarwise. Casey T. Butler, Viable Software Alternatives: World Empire, World Empire II for Windows, Heavy Water Jogger. Karen Crowther: Talking ABC's. Bill Dedes, Alive Software: Magic Crayon, Animal Quest, VGA Jigsaw, VGA Concentration, VGA Sharks, PC Jigsaw, Crazy Shuffle, Alive Sharks. Gary Elfring: DOWNLOAD, DISPFONT, MAPSYM, ESF's LaserJet Fonts & Utilities, ESF'S DeskJet Fonts & Utilities, ESF's European LaserJet Fonts, ESF's DeskJet European Fonts, Super Fonts I, Top Fonts Sampler, PC Write Fonts & Utilities, ESF's Scalable LaserJet III Fonts, TSR Download. Steve Estvanik, Cascoly Software: ATC, Green, EcoMaster, Towers, Chronos, Bible Timeline, Super VGA Puzzle, Basic Training, AntiC, Quilt, Palette Pleezer. Barry Fetter, Micro Computer Resources - Division of MCR Agency, Inc.: Wisdom of the Ages, Men on Women/Women on Men, Lowdown on Doctors, Lawyers and Politicians. Diana Gruber, Ted Gruber Software: Scramble, Las Vegas EGA Casino, MicroBucks II, Klondike, Keno, Poker Galore. Ted Gruber, Ted Gruber Software: Fastgraph/Light. Steve Hudgik, Homecraft Software: The Organize your Collection series, Organize your Business, The HomeCraft Small Business Journal, Play and Learn. Scott Jibben, Jibben Software: Archive Sizer, LHA Chunker, and Zip Chunker. Everett Kaser: Snarf, Solitile, Sherlock, and Hero's Heart. Bob Lancaster, MicroLink Games: MLYaht, MLLoyd, MLOtra, MLShut, MLPush, MLCrux. Hung Le, Polysoft: Windowbook. Bill Mann, Desert Frog Software: Desert Frog Screen Scenes, ShowLogo. Mike Mezaros, Checkbox Software. Steve Moraff, Moraffware: Moraff's Blast, Moraff's Revenge, Moraff's Entrap, Moraff's Stones, Moraff's Pinball, all other Moraffware products. Mike Prestwich, Imagisoft: Chinese Checkers, Redhook's Revenge. Joey Robichaux: Brandon's Big Lunchbox, Christmas Organizer, PhotoPack, Fogfind, Hotnet. Dave Snyder, MVP Software: Robomaze II, Robomaze III, Sand Storm, Corncob 3D, Hoosier City, Rapid Response, MVP Paint. John Wagner: Improces. Rosemary West: Bible Challenge, Book of Changes, By the Numbers, Crystal Ball, Citizen, Creativity Package, Fortune Teller, Curses!, Hard at Work, LoveDOS, Maillist, Mayan Calendar, Geomancy, Richard Webster's Aura Reading, Richard Webster's Numerology, Your ESP Test, Workbase, Nag, IQ Challenge, Wynter Stone's Guide, Wynter Stone's I Ching, Personal Tarot, Recap, Poetry Generator, Cliche Finder, Soothsayer aka Oracle. Jeff Woods, deltaComm Dev.: Telix. ** David Snyder/Rack Vending ** (End of press release from Dave Snyder) Next, a technical marketing tip. Are you using BBS file descriptions? Shareware authors normally put two specialized files on every program they ship to the shareware community. The DESC.SDI and FILE_ID.DIZ files are essential components of every shareware package. Both files contain a specially formatted ASCII text description of your package which many BBS systems will automatically post to your description which appears on the BBS regardless of what the sender transmitted as the description. YOUR description in YOUR words will appear on the board. Both of these files need to be formatted NO GREATER than about 40 characters wide and contain a maximum of about 8 to 10 lines formatted FLUSH LEFT. An example of my PC-Learn FILE_ID.DIZ contents: PC-Learn Beginners Computer Tutorial Ver 5.6 The ultimate beginners computer tutorial. Study DOS, history of computers, batch files, virus prevention, how to buy a PC, telephone support numbers to call, software selection, how to use shareware, video standards, computer glossary of terms, word processing, tricks and tips. Features color or monochrome popdown menus, help screens, search features, tutorial printing, more. By Jim Hood. Remember: 1) Formatting is FLUSH left, NOT the seven space indented left margin you currently see. 2) The BBS software will automatically search inside your ZIPPED package and find the file 3) Construct the descriptions so that various boards can use ONE line, TWO line or more lines. Some boards may truncate your description. 4) Include version number, author name and a DETAILED description which is SHORT. 5) Both FILE_ID.DIZ and DESC.SDI contain the same information. Ask any SYSOP on your local boards for more detail if necessary. You will be surprised how much you will increase your registrations by adding these two simple files. Here's another curious marketing tip. I recently received a letter from a potential SMS customer asking how to obtain SMS in pure ASCII text. One might shrug this off and send the customer a letter and explain that most of the files are already text, but here is the curve ball which a little research turned up: The person making the request is blind and apparently uses a custom speech board and PC to scan ASCII text files which are then converted to HUMAN SPEECH. This is becoming more common within the community of the blind. The point is that there is a segment of the population which has this sophisticated capability and obviously uses or at least investigates shareware. Better ASCII documentation and (hold your breath) a NEW STANDARD file on all disks (sort of like a FILE_ID.DIZ but for the blind) would be a godsend. This file would be an ASCII guide to the disk but would be configured for speech synthesis for this segment of the market! Blind people are already scanning our ASCII files and converting them to words they can hear. A little extra effort might yield something profitable for all concerned. New packages: For authors using Jeff Napier's classic WRITERS DREAM authoring shell, note that Jeff is beta testing version 4.0 which now includes PCX file support, data encryption and more. Many vendors and authors use this SIMPLE system to quickly build shareware catalogs and tutorials. Reach Jeff at CIS: 71022,175 Voice: 503/846-7884, Another Company, POB 298 Applegate, OR 97530 Consult the GOODIES section of this disk for a sample copy of version 3.0. If you own or manage a disk vending operation, get this evaluation package for free. Although this one is NOT shareware, it is worth a look and the 4 disk set is yours for the asking. THE PERFECT SOFTWARE SYSTEM for shareware dealers and distributors keeps a complete customer profile, prospect list, order entry system with invoices printable to plain paper or pre-printed form #9059 from NEBS. Prints mailing labels and shipping labels, packing lists with bin locations. Supports quantity pricing, dealer pricing, tax exempt status. Tracks where customer saw your ad and from which catalog ordered. Print sale reports to check how much revenue each ad or catalog produced - determine which ads to renew and which to drop! Inventory can be divided into unlimited categories and inventory is automatically adjusted as orders are posted. If an item is discontinued, hit F10 to see listing of alternate items so you do not have to lose a sale! Tracks receivables, prints late notices and statements. Reports include sales tracking, low stock items, financial aging reports, credit card reports, order status, customer history. Obtain free NON-SHAREWARE evaluation set from Automated System, 386 Main Street, POB 192, Little Falls, NJ 07424-0192 201/812-1428. Cool CD-ROM to boost your marketing into high gear. THE AMERICAN BUSINESS PHONE BOOK. A complete directory of ALL U.S. businesses as of June 1992. Search by business name, partial name, phone, Zip. Contact: IPSE DIXIT Software, 3333 N. 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013 800/786-IPSE. Vendors: A growing disk vendor to consider for shareware submissions is MICROTECH USA headed by Bill Ferro. This vendor is rapidly expanding into rack sales and counter sales at many Seattle computer stores in a BIG way. Mr. Ferro promotes DOS, Windows and vertical market shareware. In my conversations with him I think this is a vendor to consider for disk updates. Mail to POB 59403, Renton, WA 98058. Voice tel: 206/575-9322. The Comtel Group (1090 Rock Rd Court, East Dundee, IL 60118) has an interesting spin on shareware. They have produced a colorful brochure on "income opportunities for the 90's" and prepared a calendar of "invitation only" seminars in major American cities. Topic of the seminar involves three money-making business for entrepreneurs: 1) Rack sales of Disney toys 2) An automated public FAX and phone terminal 3) Rack sales of shareware. I suppose a small businessman could become involved in any one or all three ventures. I have seen one of the Comtel racks already at a local Seattle computer store so it would appear that the venture is already underway. It's interesting to see a pre- packaged shareware rack operation offered during seminars along with Disney toys, but I guess someone had to think up a different angle! Their toll free number (to attend a seminar) is 800/524-0077. JCS Marketing (POB 1216, Lakeville, MN 55044 612/469-1161) provided some interesting news on their disk vending operation recently which speaks volumes about the politics of shareware marketing. It seems many authors had been solicited by ASP affiliated JCS to send shareware update disks for a forthcoming CD-ROM. The intention at that time was to also provide authors with a copy of the CD-ROM for $6.00 (shipping and handling) and promote the product in PC Magazine. The politically odd wrinkle is that recently PC Magazine discontinued ALL classified listings for shareware! JCS will advertise the CD-ROM in Windows Magazine in January and February 1993 as well as PC Computing Magazine. One can only speculate at the reason for PC Magazine discontinuing shareware classified ads (perhaps at the behest of commercial software manufacturers). Curious when you consider that PC Magazine is owned by Ziff-Davis who also owns Public Brand Software, one of the larger shareware operations. Ziff also acts to provide the Public Brand shareware library on CompuServe's Ziffnet and also acts as the gateway for shareware offerings on Prodigy. Apparently Ziff does not favor shareware in one publication but loves it in other forums. Not an entirely consistent behavior, possibly; but at least it is probably consistent with profits and the bottom line. Sigh... Note that Freebooter Software (POB 19624, Portland, OR 97219) no longer accepts shareware submissions. It's not that business is bad, just that owner Darrell Fichtl is having better success with the many fine shareware packages which he has authored. Most of his packages specialize in gambling and lotto gaming, but his Software Jukebox package is also doing well. Be sure to delete Freebooter from your mailing list for disk submissions. Long standing ASP disk vendor Praireware (POB 265, 316 Washington Blvd, Great Falls, MT 59403) has changed ownership and management to the hands of Gregg Brown, a longtime associate and partner of former owner, Mr. Richardson. Adams Copyware (6067 E. Oktibbeha St, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520) is urgently requesting shareware updates for their 1993 catalog. In addition Adams Copyware is also offering customers one free program upon proof of registration of any shareware package obtained from the company. Nice touch and send them a disk! The Software Labs (100 Corporate Point, Suite 195, Culver City, CA 90231) has just added my PC-Learn shareware disk to a clever "New User Start-Up Kit" which is now hitting the stands in their Winter/Christmas flyer. I wish more vendors offered a true "beginners kit" which is pretty easy to assemble from off-the- shelf shareware. Here's what TSL has included in their kit: PC- Learn, PC Primer, What's in that Box, Turbo Menu, List, Viraway, PKZIP. In addition the kit includes the book "DOS for Dummies written by Dan Gookin. Disk vendor Howard's Computer Programs (POB 1, Ortonville, MI 48462) is seeking recent addresses of computer owners (such as lists of shareware customers/registrants) from shareware authors. Owner Fred Howard will swap additional addresses of computer owners or pay for your addresses. Suppliers, services, publications and conventions: When I need CHEAP floppies for large vendor mailings I always contact Ann Deaver Enterprises. Ann specializes in USED/RECYCLED floppies which are actually better than the usual 23 cent specials since these are bulk lot HIGH QUALITY diskettes containing discontinued software with the labels still attached. Slap your new label over the old label, pay as low as 15 to 16 cents for a 360K floppy and you are in business. Other media formats at similar low prices. 408/274-5795. Katherine McDougle (POB 740, Palermo, CA 95968 916/533-5325) is a proofreader for a large weekly publication in her community and offers editorial/documentation preparation skills to shareware authors. Would be willing to barter and/or exchange her skills for shareware disks for her BBS and pending shareware disk vending operation. Cash payment also accepted. An item from Reseller Management, November 1992: Ever heard of the National Association for the Self-Employed or NASE for short? Although its 68 page color catalog offers services such a discount magazine subscriptions, lobbying services in Washington D.C. and other seemingly worthwhile goods and services for the self-employed, be aware that NASE is really a disguise for an insurance multi-level system! Ads running in major US newspapers tout HUGE incomes for local "managers and sales agents" who sign up new members. The really big bucks in this cleverly disguised system are the sales agents who sign up individual entrepreneurs for hospital and medical insurance benefits with the parent corporation. It's all a matter of clever positioning and a bit of a pyramid game to me... Author Diana Gruber mentions that a COOL studio of software artists has been recently placed in operation by Les Pardue who you can reach at 801/226-3282. The idea is to offer one-stop gorgeous artwork services needed for software games. Nice idea. Don't miss a hot convention for software programmers. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT '93 will be held February 23-25 in Santa Clara, California. Programming tools and vendors you need. Info? Write Software Development, Conferences and Shows, POB 7797, San Francisco, CA 94120-7797. 415/905-2741. Join US Department of Commerce trade delegation to London February 8-10, 1993. Find and meet trade representatives, distributors, licensees, joint venture partners. The U.S. holds a 90% share of U.K. software market - currently estimated at $1.5 billion per year! Write U.S. Dept of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Room H2012, Washington, D.C. 20277-3027. 202/482-1793. Contact: Joan Hall. The Dept of Commerce will attempt to: locate and screen business partners and contacts for you, launch campaign in the U.K for your products, schedule one-on-one appointments, brief you on market requirements and laws. Cost: $1750. Learn how to use incentives to rev up sales and marketing. FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Incentive Magazine. Write: Incentive, c/o Venture Communications Inc., 60 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10160-0981. THE ONLY MAILING LIST CATALOG YOU NEED. A list of mailing list sources! Over 10,000 compiled subscriber, association membership and mail order buyer lists arranged in over 100 key direct mail categories plus SIC section. FREE catalog. American List Counsel Inc, List Sales Dept, 88 Orchard Rd (CN 5219), Princeton, NJ 08543. FREE sample issue of WINDOWS/DOS DEVELOPMENT Magazine. Ultimate programmers source. Sample issue at no charge. Write: Windows/DOS Developers Journal, 1601 W. 23rd St, Suite 200, Lawrence, KS 66046-2270. Not free but worth knowing about. OBJECT MAGAZINE. Using object tools for application development. 1 year subscription $29.00. Write Object Magazine, Subscribers Services Dept OBJ, POB 3000, Denville, NJ 07834. FREE sample issue: THE C USERS JOURNAL. For C and C++ users. Debugging, tutorials, source code, tricks, etc. The C Users Journal, 1601 West 23rd St, Ste 200, Lawrence, KS 66046-2700. Want to try a promotion of your product in high volume card decks? Contact Marketing Bulletin Board, 117 W. Micheltorena, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805/687-3137. Features 8 mailings per year, 120,000 revolving circulation. THE PERSONAL COMPUTER POCKET REFERENCE. Neat programmers book which slips in a pocket. Hardware release dates, keyboard scan codes, plotter paper sizes, hard drive configs, address and IO maps, interrupt lists, PC memory maps, more. $19.95. Write: ABBEON CAL INC., 123-882H Gray Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93101- 1895. 100% moneyback guarantee. Agents to handle shareware registrations and support in foreign countries include the following. AUSTRALIA: Budgetware, POB 496, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia. BRITAIN: PDSL, Winscombe House, Beacon Rd, Crowborough, Sussex, England, TN6 1UL. FRANCE: DP Tool Club, 102 Rue des fusilles, 59650 Villeneneuve d'Ascq, France. GERMANY: PD-Service-Lage, Postfach 1743, D-4937 Lage, West Germany. Shareware authors: Machine code guru Paul Scanlon is working on an authoring shell for tutorials which will run under Windows. Allows anyone to prepare text files and then attach a classy Windows menu system. Paul has moved from Palmdale, California to the San Diego vicinity for his new job coding - as you might expect - games for Nintendo and Sega. Paul's new address is 2301 Catalina Circle #114, Oceanside, CA 92056. Phone is (619) 724-2555. A welcome is extended to new SMS Net member Samuel Kaplin (3520 West 32nd Street #214, Minneapolis, MN 55416. Samuel has offered to assist our small but growing network of American authors who mutually upload each others shareware to local board. See the file RAPID.TXT elsewhere in this edition of SMS for further information. Former Expressware marketing directory Charles "Luke" Lukey has left that company to start his own enterprise WINDOWWARE (Box 144, 401 NE Ravenna Blvd, Seattle, WA 98115). Lukey's new product, a windows system called WINDOW MAGIC is just now shipping and should be hitting a vendor near you soon. Of course Lukey is using SMS for the product distribution mailing. Seattle just keeps adding new shareware author operations all the time! Some authors have all the bad luck. There is a confirmed virus infection on recent disk submitted to vendors named GARLIC MAGIC version 1.0. Virus confirmed as variety: STONED. Disk submitted by GARLIC MAGIC author George Knoblauch, POB 818, Castroville, TX 78009. MacAfee Scanvirus ver 9.7 will detect. Unintentional, according to Mr. Knoblauch who received a software disk from his brother which apparently contained the virus. Author Christopher Noyes (28 Douglass St, Ground Floor, Brooklyn NY 11231 718/625-2262 or 718/625-2262) reports that he has obtained good results processing his VISA and Mastercard customer orders through Falsoft Inc. Rather than having to secure a merchant processing account on his own, Noyes notes that Falsoft will process and/or ship diskette orders for a low 3.5% processing fee. Contact Falsoft at Box 385, 9509 US Highway 42, Prospect, KY 40059 502/228-4492. Louis Puccio (90 Church Street, BOX 2517, NY, NY 10008) proves you DON'T have to know ANY programming to produce a wildly popular shareware package! The Software Labs, one of the largest disk vendors, notes on page 51 of their recent winter promotional flyer that Puccio's FANTASTIC FREEBIES (also known as COMPUFREEBIES) is their "ALL TIME BEST SELLING DISK." Quite a compliment when you consider that the disk is just a simple ASCII text file which explains how to contact over 450 different companies for over 800 free disks, videos and other products. Louis authors other clever "infodisks" such as VIDEOLIST, MAGAZINE LIST, NY HOTLIST, PHONELIST, SUMMONS GUIDE and THE ONLINE GUIDE. Information on a disk or "disktop publishing" is where Louis is headed and more authors should consider this relatively untapped niche instead of the already filled niches for applications and utilities. Pay attention, because that will be THE NEXT BIG GROWTH MARKET IN SHAREWARE. Just to illustrate the untapped market which Louis has developed for "infodisks" and printed reports, here are descriptions of his packages. COMPUFREEBIES (Registered version) A listing of hundreds (over 800!) free items you can quickly receive from 450 companies, most with toll-free numbers. Everything is free and yours to keep with no obligation. Organized into 42 different computer categories including actual software. Yes, many companies do give away free, working software to the public as a promotion. One company gives away $150.00 worth of clip art (computer images to be put into your documents)! Free copy of Adobe Type Manager for Windows - $100.00+ program. No 'catches.' However, you must know the proper instructions as detailed in 'CompuFreebies.' Many of the free items are demo disks and working models of popular software programs. Largest source of free computer-related items in the U.S. There are also many free and helpful booklets, CD Roms, CD holders, game demo disks, posters (including posters from game companies), computer magazines, vinyl organizers, free membership BBS's, and lots more. Shows exactly how to receive free tickets to large computer expos, trade shows and company seminars. All neatly organized with complete company addresses and phone numbers. Alphabetical listing of each company and their free items also included. Yet another listing with only company name and addresses to be used as a mailing list. Also a 'surprise' section with some photo-image files (see an actual photo on your screen!) and fun shareware programs. VIDEOLIST. Contains names and phone nos., most toll free, of companies offering free mainly computer-related videos. Also some travel and tour guide videos. 140 videos total! (VHS Only). Videos describe products and companies. Call companies directly from listing. Everything totally free. Videos are used for promotion and advertising. One company sends, with their video, a $10.00 credit to be used when visiting any doctor! NOTE: CompuFreebies full version lists approx. 20 videos. (Price - $3.25, includes domestic postage. Add 50 cents for overseas airmail) Paper. MAGAZINE LIST. A guide to obtaining free sample issues of magazines and free subscriptions. Total of 165 magazines! Yes, FREE subscriptions - even for magazines normally sold in stores. Free subscriptions help increase revenue from advertisers and are encouraged. All toll-free phone numbers and descriptions. Contact directly. All completely legal. Four categories: Computers, Business, General Interest and Health. Many first-rate, well-known magazines including the largest available. Includes all computer magazines with 'PC' in title. Windows, Macintosh, Networks, more. Many investment/financial newsletters. Same publications available on newsstands for $2.50 to $7.00 (more for investment newsletters.) Absol utely no cost to you. Under NO obligation to subscribe. Very easy to request, simple directions. (Price - $4.95, includes postage). Paper. NY HOTELIST. A guide listing 14 of the least expensive and best quality hotels in New York City. All hotels are in safe areas. As a long time NYC resident I know each area and only considered hotels in the safest areas. Lists hotel names, addresses, phone nos., rates. Hotels in NYC are usually expensive - however, rates for these hotels are $65 to $130. One hotel has a view of Central Park. (Price - $3.00, includes postage) Paper. Add 50 cents for overseas airmail. Hotels can be called from any phone in the world. PHONELIST. The service described here (totally legal!) has no 50 - 75 cent surcharge for a calling card. Make telephone calls without using coins and without paying for surcharges from hotels and other places that usually charge extra (alot!) for calls made from their phones. Never worry about change for a call again! Totally legal. Used daily bymany businesses, now available for individuals. Also - how to save 15% on all your international calls - no minimums, no fees, no special hours. (Price $3.00, includes postage) Paper. Add 50 cents for overseasairmail. Can only be used in U.S. However, if travelling here will be useful. ON LINE GUIDE. Describes exactly how to get Compuserve and Prodigy membership kits for free - without paying $30.00 to $49.99 as commonly advertised! Totally legal. These companies do not mind at all (they gain new customers). Shows exactly how to become a member, using your computer and modem, of the 6 major national on-line services - Compuserve, Prodigy, Genie, America On Line, Delphi and BIX. Complete instructions, 800 numbers for customer service, best times to call, complete rates, some inside information, more. All in easy to read 5 page guide. Information not available anywhere else all together in one place. (Price $3.50, includes postage). Paper. SUMMONS GUIDE. Guaranteed to save you money on parking and speeding fines. Using these methods you will void at least one future parking summons that you ordinarily would pay for. Everything legal! Shows exactly what to look for on a parking or speeding ticket to reduce the fine or void it completely. What to write in a letter and suggestions on what to say in court. Valid in all 50 states. (Price $3.25, includes postage). Paper. (End of article about Mr. Puccio) Let's shift gears to SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE... Probably the most frequently asked question I hear is HOW can a shareware author/programmer increase shareware registrations. The answer is simply to offer the right mix of incentives. To that end I reprint an article on that topic kindly supplied by Bob Ostrander. Although the article specifically refers to ASP standards it is a good list of ideas and has been reprinted with the permission of Mr. Ostrander: (Article on incentives supplied by Bob Ostrander begins here) This list of possible registration incentives is published unofficially by the ASP. It is not an "official" list but these specific ideas have been reviewed by the ASP's Author Membership Committee, Author Compliance Committee, and the Board of Directors and are in keeping with the ASP's Policy on No Crippling. Thanks go to Bob Schenot, Paul Munoz-Colman, and Bob Ostrander for this compilation. Any suggestions should be sent to Bob Ostrander at 317-856-6052 (voice) - 72241,455 (CIS) - 317-856- 2086 (fax) -72241,455@compuserve.com (Internet) - 317-856-2087 (PBS-BBS) First, a couple of short explanations. The Policy on No Crippling is ASP's requirement that: 1) Shareware and registered versions must be essential the same (with some exceptions. 2) Programs must be fully documented. (note that the documentation doesn't have to be identical between shareware and registered versions, just that all the features of the shareware version must be explained) 3) Solicitation of non-shareware versions (NSV), other than the registered version, have some restrictions. Please see the Policy of No Crippling statement available on ASP's CompuServe forum, library 4 as REQUIRE.TXT or from the Executive Director on the New Author disk (616-788-5131). Now (finally) for the ideas: Additional Similar Programs Notably used with games and educational software where "more of the same" are often wanted by customers. Ex: Additional similar games 7-card stud as a bonus for a 5-card stud game More "levels" of game in separate editions Alphabet learning system offered to registrants of Number learning system Typing tutor for Dvorak keyboard offered in addition to QWERTY layout Additional flashcards or languages NB: Additional pictures, fonts, icons, etc. are normally only acceptable when the collection offered is of such substantial size will deter distribution by BBS (ie is large enough that the download time will give pause to the customer) Branding the User's name on the product Often psychological, this can be used to help prevent the spread of registered versions. Ex: Sign-on says "non-registered" in shareware version with a facility to put the user's name on the registered version. (See Customization and Watermarks) Bug Notices If a customer is going to rely on a program for financial gain they want to know of any problems ASAP. (See Newsletters and Update Notices) Cheat Codes "Cheat Codes" for games have been specifically approved by the ASP BoD as registration incentives. These are somewhat akin to hint books. Commissions Paying registered users who promote other registrations can build customer loyalty and help spread your product. The downside is that the administration of commissions is unwieldy. Contests Holding a contest for the best ..whatever.. can build good customer relations. The prizes can be as small as an acknowledgement in a future version. Ex: Best game design Best database design Most imaginative use Best add-on, icon, etc. Current Version Obvious but sometimes overlooked. A disk with the current version is normal but not mandatory. Don't forget to ask what disk format the customer needs. Customization Adding user-specific data to the screens, printouts, etc. Also offering to customize to the user's specifications can generate lucrative contract work. Ex: Child's game with a specific welcome-in. (See Branding and Watermarks) Data Conversion Programs (others' formats) Additional programs to convert data to or from competing or complementary programs. Ex: Word Processor addition to convert files from Word Perfect format Graphics programs addition to convert .PCX files to proprietary format Graphics programs addition to convert LaserJet fonts to internal format Payroll addition to convert files to Quicken format Genealogy addition to convert files to Gedcom format NB: Of course if the basic function of the system is to do data conversion this incentive doesn't apply Data Conversion Programs (your old formats) New versions of a program that use a different file format are not usable by people who have built up a database with an older version. Offering a data conversion program to registrants enables these people to continue using your program (and has the side effect of encouraging people to register rather than key in their data all over again). This combined with an old-age warning can be a powerful registration incentive. (See Old-age Warning) Discount Offers Discounts on your other programs, other peoples programs (by arrangement), and some standing offers for ASP members. Ex: Shareware Magazine, CompuServe discounts. Discount on a Thesaurus with a Word Processor. Discounts on Registrations Discounts for certain classes of registrants can be effective. Often psychological. Ex: Discounts for User Group members, Senior Citizens, Students, Teachers, etc. Multiple-unit discounts and site licenses Discounts for on-line registration via your BBS Enhanced Versions Other versions can be offered via advertising a "Non-Shareware Version" in your documentation. See the "NSV" discussion in REQUIRE.TXT. These versions can have more features, less features, or different features. Ex: LAN-capable versions TSR versions Word Processor with spelling checker as NSV Free Goodies On the theory that people will buy two packs of cigarettes to get a free pen, all sorts of freebies can be offered. They don't really have to be related. Some sample pre-printed forms can lead to more sales. Ex: A sky chart with an Astrology program A deck of cards with a Card game Note pads, pens, glasses, anti-glare screens, koala bears, or anything with your logo on it. (See Pre-printed Forms) Guarantees Lifetime warranties and money-back guarantees are good PR and are very rarely used by customers (after all, they've had a chance to try it before they bought it). Hint Books While this is normally associated with games, additional documentation to help the user get the most out of any system is suitable. Ex: Where the rubies are buried in the 3rd level maze How to best design a database with a DBMS Writers' guidebooks with a Word Processor Honesty Reminders that shareware is based on trust can be effective by themselves. Many people do register just because it is the "right thing to do". These can range from "good vibes" reminders through humorous to downright sinister. Ex: "Shareware is based on trust. I trust you to pay for this program if you are using it." "Support your local programmer." "If you don't register this program the bald bat of the Balkans will lay its eggs in your power supply." "Continued use of this program is a violation of 17 United States Code, sections 101 through 810. This carries severe financial penalties including but not limited to fines of up to $50,000 per violation." Icons and the like Any program that has customizable anything can build a real following by offering these items and possibly a program to do the editing. Ex: Custom tiles for a MahJongg game Custom card backs for a Solitaire game Entertaining screens for screen blankers Additional fonts (both on-screen and printed) License for Future Versions Your registration license can be structured so that it only applies to the version customers have or the version you send them. It can also apply until a specific future version (such as the next major X.xx update). Including a license to use future versions is not mandatory but many users expect a perpetual license. (See Updates (Discounted or Free)) Newsletters Regular communication with customers builds brand loyalty and enhances repeat sales and upgrade rates. (See Bug Notices and Update Notices) Non-Essential Features Registered versions can have supplemental features which provide a convenience. Ex: Screen color changing module Built-in text editor in Menu system Old-age Warnings Notices that a program is (for instance) over 2 years old and that a newer, more powerful version is probably available will entice customer contact when they get a program from an untended BBS or when they've been using a program for some time. These must be done in good taste to inform rather than annoy the user or they defeat the purpose. (See (Data Conversion Programs (your old formats)) Passwords If your program has password protection of any kind, the effective use of this passwording can be restricted to the registered version. To do this, you can include a short line (on the data entry screen that asks for the password) that tells the user the valid password (of course with a short note that this little bit of help isn't shown in the registered version). Pre-printed Forms Pre-printed forms can produce nicer looking output (especially on dot matrix printers. Nebs and other business forms have kickback schemes. Both pin-fed and laser forms are suitable. Ex: Invoice forms Rolodex cards Checks (See Free Samples) Printed Manuals Powerful incentive when offering a large, bound manual. The larger the better. Quick Reference Cards Similar to printed manuals, quick reference cards, keyboard overlays, etc. can help customers use your software more effectively. Registration Reminder Screens (elimination of) Shareware versions may have up to 2 RRSs per running. See REQUIRE.TXT for details. It is effective to have RRSs come up at random times, sometimes not appearing at all, other times appearing. Some people don't show RRSs until the program has been used a certain number of times. Related Programs Non-essential accessories and tools that can aid the user. These can be from other programmers via licensing agreements. Shareware distribution versions of other programs can be sent to registrants. Ex: Stand-alone spelling or grammar checkers added to Word Processor Database browsers added to any program (several are available for .DBF file formats for instance) Formatted printers added to programming tools Teacher's Workbook with Educational programs Sample Files Examples, templates, and sample data can aid the learning process. They can also be tied to tutorials. Often this material is best included in the shareware version so the potential customer can better evaluate the product. Ex: Franklin Roosevelt's family tree set up for a Genealogy system (his family tree is extremely interesting by the way) Extra pictures to color for a coloring book Pre-setup databases with a DBMS (See Tutorials) Source Code Source for the product can be offered or sold for an additional price. Subscription Data If the program requires data that needs to be kept up-to-date this is very effective. These can be offered via a pay BBS or through the mail. Ex: Zip code lists Postal/UPS rates Lottery results Baseball card databases Tax tables Support A minimal level of customer support is required by the ASP. This is 3 months of at least support by mail. Support by telephone, BBS, or CompuServe is also a good idea. Unlimited, or lifetime support is no harder to offer since most customer inquiries come in the first few days of use. If you cannot give support yourself, there are companies who can do this for you. Additionally, customer support is a good way to gather information about what your customers (and therefore other potential customers) want. It can give you valuable information for designing the next version. It's also worth noting that having a telephone number in the documentation sometimes gives the user enough confidence in you to register. Some people try to phone the author before registering just to make sure that the author is still around. Even an evening-only phone number is enough. T-Shirts, etc. If you generate a real following people love to show you off. These can be sold or given away. Ex: T-Shirts with your logo Mouse pads with your logo Baseball caps with your logo Tutorials Additional explanatory material can be a good incentive; especially for complicated systems that need to be taught to end users. These might be accompanied by sample databases. Ex: Teachers' workbooks with educational systems DOS tutorials with just about any system (See Sample Files) Unrelated Programs Non-essential accessories and tools that can aid the user. These can be from other programmers via licensing agreements. Shareware distribution versions of other programs can be sent to registrants. Ex: Small utilities, screen blankers, text editors, etc. Obsolete software you happen to have sitting around doing nothing Update Notices Customers like to have the latest version. Often a notice of an update will reach them months before they would see a new shareware version. Many people report excellent response rates! A good source of added revenue. (See Bug Notices and Newsletters) Updates (Discounted or Free) If your license includes use of future versions customers might obtain them from a BBS or disk vendor or might get them directly from you. Promising low-cost updates as a registration incentive can give the customer a good feeling. Some people send free updates of minor versions (bug fixes, etc.) to registrants. If you have BBS support, these updates can be posted there. Watermarks (elimination of) The shareware version shows "unregistered version" on the screen or on printouts. The registered version eliminates this or allows for the user to put a name or message there. Watermarks MUST be unobtrusive. Ex: Author's trademark at the bottom of printouts One-line "printed by unregistered Smudgiekeeper" at the bottom of reports Automatic "taglines" added to communications programs NB: Any watermark that covers or is background to other printed material is not acceptable (Article on incentives supplied by Bob Ostrander ends here) Next, a message in response to the previous list of registration incentives sent by Jim Hood to Bob Ostrander which might provide further ideas... Bob, thanks for disk with incentiv.txt, PBS update info, etc. Here are other oddball incentive ideas you might want to add to the list. Paul Scanlon and I use variations of these with reasonable success. My Laptop tutorial and Paul's Ultimate power tips tutorial offer a unique "instant discount" offer. Since both products are essentially tutorial compilations of tips and ideas the way this works is that if a registrant submits a new tip or idea for the tutorial they get an instant $5.00 discount on registration up front. No tip, no discount. They get the discount instantly whether or not we can use the tip. Thus author gets new fodder for the tutorial and registrant is sometimes motivated to contribute to the final product. Another variation I tried with SMS is the "poverty discount option" whose focus with SMS was to get authors to send a couple of blank disks and postage to get the latest unregistered SMS directly from me. The cost was zero so long as they supplied disks and postage. The incentive here is to get names and possible candidates for followup rather than having them go through a vendor and judge by an old copy of the product. Few shareware products offer a "poverty registration option" which although not full registration is at least closer marketing contact with potential users. Here's another: bonus disks. But the secret is NOT to spell out specifically what the bonus is other than "highly useful program accessories and packages" for the main program. This way you are not tied in to a specific bonus and can change bonus disks as you wish or mix and match bonus disks over time among several products or make one of your other products a bonus disk. This is the PC-Learn registration option. I am not locked in so I can always mix and match what I send out. Moral: if people know EXACTLY what they are getting as a registration bonus it is NEVER as impressive as what they IMAGINE what they will be getting especially if described as "highly useful accessories and tutorials to augment this package." Human nature (curiosity about an "unspecific" bonus) is a powerful registration incentive!!!! The most obvious incentive with SMS is the license itself which is fed by the (negative incentive of) decoy addresses imbedded in SMS. The subject of a user NOT having to worry about the decoys catching him or her using the mailing list is itself a strong registration motivation. Another oddball incentive which is not specifically mentioned, but I think clever, is the use of the LHA telop option which I use with SMS to generate a "contract" which the user responds as yes/no agreeing to some legal sounding terms on screen before the self extract archive unpacks. Silicon Frog batch file package also uses this on screen contract idea as an incentive, but I think the LHA telop option is much more elegant. The telop is simply a file named ! which is packed as the first file in a LHA self extractor and brings up a message and the prompt yes/no. Quite an elegant incentive if you use it cleverly. Few shareware packages use it to full benefit! By the way, I also use the telop to imply a "date of expiration" reminding the user that they should register or at least consider getting the update soon. Hope you find some of these oddball "incentive" ideas worth adding to the list. They work WELL for Paul Scanlon and myself... Jim Hood (End of messages regarding registration incentives) News about the formation of STAR, an association for shareware authors, customers and vendors. You can monitor STAR activity on CompuServe. Just GO UKSHARE and select the appropriate STAR forum area. Date: 23-Nov-92 07:48 PST From: Diana Gruber [72000,1642] Subj: STAR membership brochure STAR is calling you! The time to join STAR has come. STAR is a trade association for the shareware industry, under construction. During the past several months, STAR has made great progress in its formation. We had a meeting at the Summer Shareware Seminar (SSS), we published a newsletter, we nominated interim officers, we got our own forum section on CompuServe, and we printed tee shirts. Now is the time for you to join STAR and get involved in this dynamic new organization. STAR Distribution Network _________________________ Get your programs in the STAR distribution network! Upload to Software Creations, and your program will be downloaded by sysops and users hunting for the latest and greatest in shareware. Software Creations is currently supporting 33 lines, RIME and Fidonet echo mail, and it is growing as fast as STAR! Expect to see more phone lines, more echomail conferences, and more file areas. To reach Software Creations, call: (508) 365-2359 (2400 baud) (508) 368-4137 (US Robotics HST) (508) 368-7423 (Dual Standard, V.32bis, etc.) Jim Hood's $hareware Marketing $ystem _____________________________________ The is a detailed two-part software package for shareware authors who need creative marketing ideas and a RATED mailing list of over 4,000 major shareware distributors, large computer clubs, key magazine editors, recommended BBS systems, and more! Contact Jim Hood for a special 60% discount on SMS for STAR members. Jim Hood $hareware Market $ystem POB 1506 Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 238-0470 STARgazer _________ Volume 1 of the STARgazer online newsletter will be sent to STAR members. This first issue is chock-full of industry gossip, good ideas, historical notes and legal and marketing topics related to shareware. You won't want to miss this! Online Forums _____________ To participate in shareware discussions with other STAR members, join section 11 of the UK Shareware forum on CompuServe (GO UKSHARE), or find a local bulletin board echoing Ilink and join the Shareware Issues Forum. The discussions are often lively and informative, with topics ranging from the ethics of shareware distribution to solid marketing advice. Special limited-time offer __________________________ Join STAR and become a charter member for only $30. This is a limited time offer, as STAR dues will surely go up! Join now and enjoy the benefits of STAR. Name: Address: Phone: CompuServe ID: Membership class prefered: [] developer [] distributor [] user Annual membership dues enclosed: (Make checks payable to STAR) Mail to: Diana Gruber STAR P.O. Box 13408 Las Vegas, NV 89112 (702) 735-1980 (voice) (702) 735-4603 (FAX) Officers of STAR President: Glen Tippets Vice President: Gary Alston Treasurer: Roger Arias Secretary: Diana Gruber Board Members Glenn Tippets, OSCS Corp. Gary Alston, Alston Software Labs Roger Arias, Contact Plus Corp. Scott Miller, Apogee Software Diana Gruber, Ted Gruber Software Charles Kramer, Esq. Executive Director: Joy-Lynd Chamberlain Contributing Editor: Jim Hood Sysop: Dan Linton Accountant: Steve Meyer, S.J. Meyer & Co. (End of STAR article) Shifting from STAR news, we switch to another IMPORTANT question. Who is making money in this business anyway? Public Brand Software was kind in sharing the following updated list of shareware authors who are making a living as shareware businesses. Provided by Bob Ostrander. PBS's "Success" list hits 100. At PBS, we try to keep track of all the people who are successful in the shareware marketplace. Since we first published this list back in 1988 it has grown from 22 to 100. No doubt we've missed many people or companies who should be here and have missed some products published by people on this list. Also please realize that many of the entries here have not been verified (consider them rumor). Please report any inaccuracies to Bob Ostrander at 72241,455 (CIS) or 317-856-6052 (voice). Self-nominations are welcome. $1,000,000+ shareware companies ------------------------------- Apogee Software Productions - Castle Wolfenstein 3D, Commander Keen, Dark Ages, Duke Nukem, Jumplan Lives, etc. Buttonware - PC-Calc+, PC-File, PC-Type III Exis (Canada) - Telix Expressware - Express Calc, Express Check, Express Graph, File Express, Onside Formgen Corp. (Canada) - FormGen, FormFill, etc. Hooper International - Cheque-It-Out, Takin' Care of Business series J.P. Software - 4DOS Magee Enterprises - Automenu, Treeview McAfee Associates - VirusScan and related utilities, LCD, Lace Mustang Software - Brainstorm, Mortplan, QModem, PrtLabel, OLX, Wildcat! PKWare - PKZip and associated programs Quicksoft - PC-Browse, PC-Write and supporting programs, PC- Write Lite SemWare - QEdit Shareware Publishing (UK) - Odyssey and representing many US shareware authors. Trius - AsEasyAs, Draft Choice, Odyssey, Pivot! Other major companies --------------------- Alive Software - Animal Quest, Magic Crayon, Jigsaw, Sharks AM Software - AM-Tax Brown Bag Software - Cash Trac, Goalseeker, Homebase, Mindreader, PC-Outline, PowerMenu Contact Plus Corp - Contact Plus Custom Technologies - Checkmate Ctrlalt Associates - Batutil, Stackey Datastorm - Procomm Elfring Soft Fonts - Elfring Soft fonts, TSR Download, and other HP LaserJet and HP DeskJet tools Epic Megagames - ZZT, Jill of the Jungle, etc. Eschalon Development (Canada) - EDI Install, etc. EZX Corporation - EZ-Copy, EZ-Crypt, EZ-Informa dB, EZ-Forms and related programs, EZ-Spreadsheet, EZXWrite, Menu-EZX, EZ-Labeler Formalsoft - InstaCalc Geoclock (Joseph Ahlgren) - Geoclock Innovative Data Concepts - Swap Utilities, TCXL, Tesseract Korenthal Associates - 4Print, Babble!, Taplex, Tapmark Ron Mills & Associates - CMS Gold Moraffware - Blast, Entrap, Fly, Pinball, Revenge, etc. On-Site Computers - Quikmenu Software Dynamics - Magic Screen Saver Soleau Shareware - Cuber, Doubolo, Goldhunt, Hyper Hangamn, Main Break, Oilcap, Plotz, Tribolo, and many maze games, etc. Sonshine Software - Church Accounting, Church Membership, Purchase Order System Starlite Software - Galaxy Lite Sub Rosa Publishing (Canada) - SR-Info Support Group - TapCIS Sydex - 22Disk, 22Nice, Anadisk, CON>>Format, CopyQM, FormatQM Texasoft - Information Please!, Kwikstat, PC-CAI Wilson WindowWare - Command Post, WinCheck, and others Individuals who are making a living from registration fees ---------------------------------------------------------- George Abbott - ProDev*Base, ProDev*Member, ProDev*Quote Bob Ainsbury - Technojock's Toolboxes Eric Anderson - Icon Tamer, Monitor Saver, Zip Manager Nels Anderson - Cipher, EGA Trek, Mah Jongg, Moustool, Shooting Gallery, SoundPAS Chris Anthistle (Canada) - Payroll Canada, Payroll USA Alan Avery - ElfTree Mike Buchanan - Calendar Wise Vern Buerg - List, ARCE, FV, etc. Orlando Dare - Multimedia 1, ABC-Talk, 123-Talk, Image Pro Gene Davis - Lotto Prophet Steve Extvanik - Fictionary, Ecomaster, Capbuf, Chronos, Quilt, Antic, etc. Darrell Fichtl - Apt Renter, Lotto Buster, MegaPups, Stock Trader David Gray - Hugo's Adventure series Len Gray - Almanac, PB Icon, and other Windows tools Ross Greenberg - Flu_Shot+, Virx Tom Guthery - Animated Alphabet, Shapes, Math, Memory Dave Hamel - Boxer Mark Harris - LQ, Active Life Jim Hass - AHelp, HDM III, HDM IV Mark Herring - .QWK QMail Reader Robert Hime - Letters 'n' Labels Jim Hood - PC-Learn, Shareware Marketing System Steve Hornback - Clipart and games artwork Steve Hudgik - Organize! series Eric Isaacson - A86, D86, Greendot, Zipkey Tom Johnson - Dayo accounting series Robert Jung - ARJ Dick Kelly - BillPower, Multitrack, Neavou, TickleX, RamDesk, ReSearch, etc. Frank LaRosa - Searchlight BBS Woody Leonhard - WOPR and other Word for Windows macros Dennis Lozen - Fastbucks Adrian Mardlin (UK) - Flexibak Plus Paul Mayer - Grab+, WinGrab, ZPay 3 Jerry Medlin - PC-GL, PC-AP, PC-AR, PC-PR Ward Mundy - Badge-O-Magic, dLite, Wampum, Zephyr Jeff Napier - Another Program, Oxy-Acetelyne Tutor, etc. Christopher Noyes - Astro Dan Parsons - Robocomm Norm Patriquin - Patriquin Utilities, Stowaway, etc. Kendall Pierce - Painless Accounting series Keith Phipps - SageWords Rudy Ramsey - InContext Cary Ravitz - PrintGL Bill Rittenhouse - Bridge Pal, Names and Dates, PC-Names Eric Robichaud - Blankit, EZFormat, Programmers' Productivity Pack, Pro-Lite Rob Rosenberger - Lecture, PCFDial, QAnalyst Hans Salvisberg (Switzerland) - BOOT.SYS Orest Skrypuch (Canada) - Recon Dave Snyder - Battle Ground, Facing the Empire, Home Manager II, Robomaze II, Scripture Memory Dan Stasinski - ProWindows Lite, AddMem Sandi and Shane Stump - Back and Forth, File Commando II, Menu Commando II, PC-Sweep Karl Thompson - SolveIt!, AmortizeIt! Nick Thompson (UK) - Representing many US shareware authors Kim Thornton - Micro Register, The Vet Assistant Bill Torbert - CMTS, Home Helper Dan Veaner - Darn!, Super-Maint Neil Wagstaff - Family Ties Rosemary West - Tarot, I Ching, Geomancy, Fortune Teller, etc. (End of author list) Finally, as a close to this Winter newsletter, a self-serving pitch from your editor for a tutorial I recently authored which should be of special interest to computer coders and shareware authors. I get backaches like crazy from computing all day - bet you do to. Ask for the following tutorial at your local disk vendor or send me two bucks for an evaluation disk containing the following program. BACKACHE RELIEF NOW! (c) 1992 Jim Hood For over 7 million backache sufferers and 2 million added each year, this is a thorough and medically conservative tutorial written for the average layman. Topics include: spinal anatomy, backaches and computer operators, chronic backache, arthritis, chiropractic manipulation, the "slipped" disc, aging and back pain, tumors, infectious diseases, posture and backaches, medications, new medical technology, exercises, the orthopedic examination, surgery, pregnancy and backache, little-known therapies, the anthropology of backaches and more! Colorful popdown menus, help screens and high speed search features guide users through a variety of tutorials which can be printed or read on screen. Registered users ($25.00) receive a printed back care study and exercise guide plus two software disks. Finally, for those joining SMS for the first time, the newsletter from the previous SMS edition... -------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter: Fall 1992 Edition -------------------------------------------------------------- The rate of change in the shareware industry is normally ballistic. However even that pace seems slow as I glance at activity in shareware developments which have recently come into focus. One of the most profound changes is a DRAMATIC INCREASE IN BUSINESS CLOSINGS within shareware disk vendor ranks. This is both ominous since we lose marketing channels as well as beneficial since we shed poorly managed disk vendors. Normally the rate of change within the primary SMS mailing list (DATABASE.EXE) is almost predictable. Shareware disk vendors move or leave business at the rate of about 30 to 50 addresses changes or deletions per month. Not surprising when you consider that the SMS mailing list tracks about 4,000 entries. Lately, however, we are OFF THE SCALE. Vendors are now closing or moving at the rate of over 250 per month which is an order of magnitude higher. Clearly the marketing channel is changing. Some authors are not fairing well either. The August 12th edition of our local Seattle Times newspaper carried a story about local shareware author Scott Chaney who is probably going to close up shop and find other employment. This despite the fact that his packages were recently included in a "top shareware selection" edited by PC Magazine's John Dvorak and carried by all Egghead software stores. Scott's other packages were featured in a computer book disk enclosure which sold over HALF A MILLION copies. Still Scott is close to calling it quits for lack of registrations which, according to Scott's figures, have fallen almost 30 percent this year. Apparently another problem is that one of his more popular packages FALSELY triggered virus infection alarms in some virus detection packages. This obviously suggests that all authors beta test their packages in some OBSCURE and hitherto unforseen ways. But back to the point.... Clearly something is happening in the shareware marketing channel that is weeding out weak disk vendors and smaller authors. The superficial conclusion is that our national economic recession is to blame. I'm not sure that this quick superficial conclusion is the right one, though. Frankly, I think we have done much of this to ourselves: dumb marketing, author and vendor associations which sometimes work at cross purposes, poorly capitalized disk vendors, sloppy catalogs, sloppier packages, lack of standards and finally simple greed. The economic recession clearly bears some culpability. But for the most part the bad voodoo is that which we have made ourselves. The upside is that the marketing channel is changing faster than ever. As more than one politician has noted, change is simply opportunity turned inside out. So where is shareware headed as we careen into the 1990's? Into a very competitive arena, to be sure. Commercial software houses are adopting both shareware-like prices and marketing methods. Programs are needed which work harder, smarter and more inexpensively than ever. DOS, OS/2 and Windows slug out a marketing battle in a global arena. New releases of extremely CLEVER SHAREWARE PACKAGES are popping up more frequently. The bad news is that authors and vendors are going to have to work SMARTER to find the right niche and product mix. The good news is that the shareware channel is at MORE THAN CRITICAL MASS for public attention and profit potential for both authors and vendors. That's the silver lining: that we now have sufficient density of channels, groups, customers, and vendors to do the job. It's just that we have to do it more cleverly and with higher quality products. We also need some standards in disk files, author groups, vendor catalogs and registration incentives. Let's move on.... Time for some secret weapons! The following gentlemen are INFLUENTIAL CONTACTS who can position your shareware package for success since they are prominent shareware reviewers for LARGE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS. Send each your disk TODAY! One good review by these nationally-placed editors could land your package in the front row seat of product registrations: Noah Matthews, POB 7037, Long Beach, CA 90807-0037. 310/595- 6870. FAX: 310/426-0110. Noah produces a nationally syndicated newspaper column which is carried by most Knight-Ridder Newspapers as well as the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News. He encourages disk submissions. A good review of your package can FLOOD you with registrations! Preston Gralla, 19 Beech ST, Cambridge, MA 02140 CIS: 76000,15. Preston is the chief shareware reviewer and editor for ALL of the Ziff-Davis computer publications and has also written detailed shareware books for Ziff. Preston also solicits disk submissions and frequently reviews new shareware in many Ziff publications. Ziff-Davis practically owns the computer publication business and for purposes of shareware, Preston is the man to know. More key addresses.... Ever wish as a shareware author that you could send your disks to large computer clubs made up EXCLUSIVELY of BBS sysops? Here are a few addresses I recently scanned via the main SMS list which contain EXACTLY that profile. Ship these computer clubs a disk soon! CAPITOL AREA SYSOPS ASSOC POB 2963, MERRIFIELD, VA 22116 ---------------------- DENVER SYSOP ASSOC POB 20594, DENVER, CO 80220 ---------------------- SE MICHIGAN SYSOPS UG 6648 PAYNE, DEARBORN, MI 48126-1741 ---------------------- SYSOP CORNER 722 E MEMORIAL BLVD, LAKELAND, FL 33801 ---------------------- TEXAS SYSOP ASSOC POB 47494, AUSTIN, TX 77208 ---------------------- UNITED SYSOPS ASSOCIATION POB 28684, SAN JOSE, CA 95159 ---------------------- WWIVNET BBS SYSOPS 401 LYONS #17, SPOKANE, WA 99208 A few words about the main SMS mailing list as well as the companion list of bad and undeliverable addresses. At the request of several authors, I now change the date of revision for entries in BOTH lists (DATABASE.EXE AND DATABAS2.EXE) to help you determine what has changed since the last edition of SMS. To locate new or revised records in EITHER the list of good addresses or list of undeliverable addresses: 1) Sort the mailing list from your PREVIOUS SMS edition on the date revised field. 2) Jump to the top (or bottom) of that sorted list to find the LATEST date of revision and note it on a sheet of paper. 3) Next load and sort the NEWLY UPDATED SMS EDITION mailing list on the date revised field. 4) Using the OLD LIST REVISED DATE from your sheet of paper you can now easily locate all entries which are LATER than that specific date and are thus newly revised. Again, this process works for either the main mailing list or the list of undeliverable addresses. Special thanks to Dave Snyder of MVP Software for suggesting this change. Another highlight of this issue is an updated shareware disk vendor rating survey provided by Dave Beiter of Ritner, KY. Dave's infamous DOLLS index (date of last life sign) and other ratings of disk vendors appears at the end of the letters to the editor section of this edition of SMS (LETTERS.TXT.) Dave, as usual, slices and dices vendors as he sees fit. Also a special thanks to Dave for his recent submission of new vendor addresses and pruning and updating of older addresses. Also recently released is the 1992 shareware industry survey and Small Business Journal from Steve Hudgik and Homecraft. Copies can be obtained from the SMS GOODIES.TXT section as well as from Homecraft directly. EXCEPTIONAL RESOURCE! Information follows: HomeCraft Software (H.C.P. Services, Inc.) P.O. Box 974 Tualatin, OR 97062 (503) 692-3732 (503) 692-0382 (FAX) Program Name: HomeCraft Small Business Journal V1.#1 Version: 1.02 Recommended BBS filename: HSBJ01.ZIP (or HSBJ01.LZH) Release date: June 30, 1992 Registration: $6.00 ($10.00 for two issues) HomeCraft's Small Business Journal is an on-disk magazine with helpful information for small businesses. This is Vol 1, Issue 1 and this issue focus' on the shareware industry. It provides a complete summary of Steve Hudgik's 1992 vendor and author surveys, which includes comments from authors and vendors telling each other how to improve what they do. Also includes a section on vendor comments concerning the ASP. And this issue introduces the Shareware Business Index. Order from Homecraft or evaluation copies by consulting the GOODIES.TXT section of SMS. (next, a paid advertisement, then newsletter continues...) **************** Super Shareware System *************** The Super Shareware System (SSS) is a comprehensive system for shareware authors, enabling them to track customers, prospects, distributors, contacts, products, sales, and expenses. SSS allows you to quickly and easily target mailings to customers, prospects, or distributors using the mailing label or postcard options. SSS creates 24 reports, some of which include: Customer, Distributor, and Contact Listings and Directories, Geographic Summaries for Customers and Distributors, Income over a specified time period with subtotals by day, month, or year, Expenses subtotaled by date or expense category, Balance Sheet, Payments Due, Tickler, and more. Use the Querying capability of SSS with the postcard, label, and report options for further customization. SSS allows you to easily enter customer registrations and to print invoices with accompanying labels. Import data in dBASE, Delimited, or SDF formats. Export data for use with existing software. SSS was designed specifically for shareware authors. It's power and flexibility make it a tool that most shareware authors will not want to be without! Send $5.00 for a trial disk to: PractiComp 6490 Dubois Rd. Delaware, OH 43015-8931 614-548-5043 Compuserve 71043,3706 (end of ad) Attorney Charles Kramer of New York recently submitted an article to SMS which all authors should review. Sometimes life in the fast lane of programming and marketing shareware overlooks intense LEGAL ISSUES which are also evolving in the shareware arena. Keep reading - a considerable amount of SMS news follows Mr. Kramer's article! (Start of Kramer article). _DATASTORM_ and IMPLIED LICENSES: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DISTRIBUTE A PROGRAM AS SHAREWARE - by Charles B. Kramer You may have heard that shareware authors don't lose their copyright in their programs just because they distribute them as shareware. You may have also heard that the only thing VENDOR.DOCs can do is to *give* people permission to do things - - like distribute by rack -- that they wouldn't otherwise have. Using a VENDOR.DOC to *restrict* what people can do -- like saying "no permission is given to distribute by CD-ROM" -- is said to be unnecessary. Authors already have their copyright (so the pitch goes), so they don't need a VENDOR.DOC to restrict anything -- authors can assert their copyright anytime they want, and stop people from doing things they didn't give them permission to do. Besides, a court decision called _DataStorm_ (so the pitch continues) is legal "precedent" for this point of view. Wrong. Authors do not lose their copyright by distributing their programs as shareware, but they can lose a little piece of it -- enough to deprive them of control of their programs some of the times they most want to assert it. And, as precedent, at least, _DataStorm_, the full text of which is below, has NOTHING to do with it. WHEN COPYRIGHT WAS EASY TO LOSE Copyrights used to be easy to lose. You didn't get federal copyright protection until you "published" something you wrote with "notice". If you accidently published without notice, you could lose your copyright. You also automatically lost your copyright at the end of 28 years after you published unless you filed a "renewal application" with the Copyright Office. Making copyrights easy to lose was not an accident. The idea of giving people a copyright is, in the words of the Constitution: "to promote the progress of... useful arts by securing for limited times to authors... the exclusive right to their... writings...." As one court explained it, "The limited scope of... copyright duration required by the Constitution, reflects a balance... creative work is to be encouraged and rewarded, but private motivation must ultimately serve the cause of promoting broad public availability of literature, music, and the other arts.... [T]he ultimate aim is, by this incentive, to stimulate artistic creativity for the general public good." In short, the purpose of copyright is to give authors a *limited* benefit from creating things -- just enough to encourage them to create. The more authors create, and the sooner they lose their copyrights, the better off the public is. But times have changed, mostly to bring our copyright rules into greater harmony with the way copyright works in the rest of the world. While copyrights still last only "limited times", they've become a lot harder to lose. COPYRIGHTS AND FLYPAPER Since 1978, when a change to the Copyright Act became effective, you own a copyright in what you write the moment you write it down or save it to a disk or any other tangible thing. The 1978 change made renewals no longer needed, and made copyright notice less important for keeping a copyright. And since a 1989 change to the Copyright Act, notice barely matters at all. There are reasons to use it, but preserving your copyright is no longer one of them. Instead of being easy to lose, copyrights are now almost impossible to get rid of. To contribute software to the public domain, for instance, an author must abandon his copyright clearly, unequivocally, and decisively. Something like "I OWN ALL THE COPYRIGHT IN THIS SOFTWARE, AND FULLY ABANDON IT TO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN FOREVER", together with your name and year of abandonment, should do it. Ironically, if you require the abandonment statement to be included on copies of the software, you haven't really abandoned your copyright 100%, since your power to require the statement's inclusion derives from your copyright. Similarly, if you do not include (or make available) the program's source code with the copies you put the statement on, you may not have effectively abandoned your copyright-based right to make new versions of the program. Copyright has become a bit like the flypaper in late night movie comedies: if you have one, a little piece sticks to you almost no matter what you do. So, since 1989, at least, shareware authors don't lose their copyright simply by distributing their programs as shareware. But they do lose a little piece of it, because by distributing as shareware they grant "implied licenses". WHAT IS AN IMPLIED LICENSE? When shareware authors distribute their disks with nothing more than an ORDER.FRM and nag screen or end-of-program registration reminder, they implicitly give permission to freely copy and distribute their program in all of the traditional shareware ways: [] Everyone has permission to upload to BBSs. [] BBSs have permission to enable downloading. [] Vendors have permission to sell disk copies. [] Friends, computer user and hobby groups, and everyone else has permission to make copies and give them to someone else. Each of these "permissions" is a copyright license. The licenses are "implied", because although shareware authors don't actually say "I grant these licenses to distribute my program", they grant them by distributing their programs as shareware. "Implied licenses" are real licenses, but their terms are determined by how the parties behave and by what (because of industry custom) they expect, rather than by what they write down. Industry custom, for instance, is what makes it probably OK for a vendor to add an installation routine to shareware they distribute. Common understanding is what makes selling shareware for retail prices under the banner "Cheap software!" arguably not OK. One way to look at implied licenses is from a disk vendor's point of view. Vendors spend time, money and effort in marketing shareware, including by testing shareware, printing catalogs, and buying advertisements. They do so in reliance on the understanding that shareware authors want them to distribute their programs. Or, in legal lingo, they've "detrimentally relied" on the fact that shareware authors have given them an implied license. Detrimental reliance can make an implied license enforceable, just as though the license was paid for. To suggest, as some do, that shareware authors can assert the copyright in their programs anytime they want to is just silly. If that were true, authors could send their programs out as shareware, and immediately sue all disk vendors and BBSs who distribute their programs for copyright infringement. What it is more likely true is that authors can reassert their copyright in a way that will prevent harm to whoever was relying on an implied license -- say by telling a vendor to stop distribution, but only after up-to 60 days to exhaust copies of the program he has in stock. This approach wouldn't prevent distribution by CD-Rom, however, since exhausting copies in stock won't reimburse vendors for their start-up cost of making a master CD-Rom. And what is most likely true is that once a shareware program is sent out without distribution restrictions, copyright can't be reasserted for that version, period. One of the curious things about the "permissions" is that many shareware authors do not know they have granted them. Shareware typically contains some license terms -- a registration fee requirement for users, of course, and often a limit on what shareware disk vendors can charge for the copies they distribute. But shareware typically does not explicitly grant permission to upload to BBSs, or grant BBSs the right to enable distribution, or say anything about rackware or CD-Roms. There are two principal dangers in license by implication: [] There is no clear boundary at which the implication stops. Since terms are implied on the basis of industry "custom" and shared understandings, shareware authors may "implicitly grant" rights they don't want to give up. [] Once a "perpetual" license is implicitly granted, it cannot be retrieved. This could be bad news for a shareware author who wants to stop distribution of his shareware and sell by ordinary retail distribution instead, or who wants to sell his rights to the program to a software publisher for a good price. Shareware authors can, if they want to, try to prevent their permission from being implicitly granted by including with their shareware a statement something like: "ALL OF THE SHAREWARE AUTHOR'S RIGHT, TITLE AND INTEREST IN AND TO THE SOFTWARE NOT EXPRESSLY GRANTED ARE RESERVED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE AUTHOR." The effect of this clause is to say "whoa! you can't 'imply' I've given you any rights! If I don't say you have a right to my shareware, you don't have it". The shareware license should then *explicitly* spell out which of the "permissions" the shareware author wants to give. Shareware authors can limit the permissions they give, or give extra ones, or give some and not others. WHAT DOES _DATASTORM_ HAVE TO DO WITH IT? In a 1989 court decision called _Datastorm v. S-To-Go, Inc._, a company called Datastorm received copyright damages from a company that distributed its Procomm program without permission. The case is often said to be important "precedent" for the proposition that shareware authors can stop vendors from distributing their programs anytime they want to, because that's what the software company in _Datastorm_ was able to do. A decision is "precedent" when it provides guidance in later cases. The degree to which it provides guidance depends in part on whether the decision was made by a court with superior authority on the issue. A more important factor is the degree of similarity between the decision and later ones --the more similarity, the more controlling the earlier decision is as precedent. While _Datastorm_ may have been a nice victory for the software company involved, it is meaningless to the shareware industry as precedent. Here's why: [1] The _Datastorm_ decision contains very few facts. It doesn't consider whether the version of the program involved was being distributed as shareware, or if it contained a VENDOR.DOC, or why the vendor who was distributing it thought he had a right to. It never mentions implied licenses, never mentions detrimental reliance, and never even mentions shareware! [2] To the extent _Datastorm_ contains any facts, it sheds no light whatsoever on the relationship between shareware authors and shareware vendors. The case says that the company being sued was "engaged in the sale of computer software to dealers", and got its master copy of Datastorm's program from "a closely related company." [3] _Datastorm_ is not available from either the usual law reporters or the online Lexis database that contains many cases not reported elsewhere. While this alone doesn't mean that _Datastorm_ has no value as precedent, it suggests that editors who review such things didn't think its facts were developed enough to be worth reporting. In any event, the full text of the decision follows, so you can make your own judgement. Those wanting further information can obtain it, as I did, by request (and payment of a small fee) to the court that decided it. Feel free to email me for more information. - Charles B. Kramer [Atty] CIS: 72600,2026 Internet: charles.kramer@factory.com September 20, 1992 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS LUBBOCK DIVISION DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC., * * Plaintiff, * * V. * CIVIL ACTION * CA-5-8-120W S-TO-GO-INC., * * Defendant. * _FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW_ The above titled and numbered case came on to be tried before the Court with all attorneys and parties present on June 12, 1989. After considering the pleadings, the evidence, argument of counsel, and the briefs of the parties, the Court files this memorandum which shall constitute the Court's findings of fact and conclusions of law. The Plaintiff, Datastorm Technologies, Inc. (Datastorm) was the developer and publisher of a computer program known as "PROCOMM". Plaintiff secured a valid copyright on this computer program which is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office under Certificate of Registration 2-017-398. Plaintiff properly displayed the copyright notice on PROCOMM and its associated documentation. Defendant, S-To-Go, Inc. (STG) is a Texas corporation engaged in the sale of computer software to dealers. STG has admitted that Plaintiff is the owner of a valid copyright on the software in question, and has further admitted that it has violated Plaintiff's copyright by copying and selling this software program without Plaintiff's express permission. However, the evidence does not show that STG's acts in copying and selling the PROCOMM program without Plaintiff's permission was willful, as STG ceased copying and selling the program upon learning of the claim of Plaintiff that STG was violating Plaintiff's copyright. The copies made by STG were made from a master disk it had obtained from another closely related company, Software-To-Go, Inc. STG had manufactured and sold approximately 600 to 800 copies of the PROCOMM program without the express permission of Plaintiff. Each diskette containing the PROCOMM program was sold by STG for an amount ranging from $4.00 to $4.95 each. This court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Sections 1331 and 1338(a) and the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. Sections 101, 210, and 501 et. seq. The Court finds that STG's manufacture and sales of the PROCOMM program without authorization from Plaintiff constitutes an infringement of Plaintiff's PROCOMM copyright. Plaintiff has elected to take statutory damages as provided by 17 U.S.C. 504(c). Because the PROCOMM copyright was registered prior to the occurrence of STG's infringement, Plaintiff's election of statutory damages is proper. The Court has determined that the sum of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) is the proper statutory damages to be awarded to Plaintiff in this case. Further, the Court, after hearing sworn testimony, is of the opinion and finds that Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) is a reasonable attorneys' fees to be awarded, jointly, to the two attorneys for the Plaintiff for the prosecution of this case through the date hereof. The clerk shall furnish a copy hereof to each attorney. Dated June 14th 1989. ______________/S______________ HALBERT O. WOODWARD Senior United States District Judge (End of article submitted by Charles Kramer) Shareware authors should closely note that CompuServe now offers an ONLINE REGISTRATION SERVICE for shareware packages carried by the service. Here's how it works. At the CIS prompt GO SWREG. Select the menu item "Submit Shareware" from the menu. Carefully read the agreement notice which covers warranty, payments and indemnification and type AGREE at the prompt if you wish to continue. Answer routine questions about your address, phone number and routine business information such as ASP membership (ASP status which is not a prerequisite.) Following this a CIS ID will be requested for customer support and information as well as an optional separate ID for contact with CIS management only. Next, CIS will request file information on the shareware package such as title, description, version, file name, size, compression method, keywords, registration fee, forum location, library and support contact info (address, CIS ID, phone number.) When a CIS member "registers" a program electronically through the Shareware Registration Database online, notification is sent to the author's CIS ID which includes the customer name, address, phone number program name, number of program copies and total fee. Payments are then sent to the author on a regular basis and the customer's charge account (VISA, MC) is debited electronically through CompuServe. Stringent performance criteria for customer service and support are implicit within the service. This could be a VERY good option for many authors! Questions regarding the process can be submitted to the CIS product manager at 70006,256. When two friends hold differing views.... Paul Scanlon and I recently exchanged thoughts via CompuServe on an area of concern within the shareware industry: lack of author income and one method of solving the problem. The dialogue opens with Paul's response to a recent news item concerning Seattle shareware author Scott Chaney who may soon be departing from the shareware scene due to disappointing registration income. The following messages have been edited slightly for clarity. From PAUL SCANLON: Scott Chaney, won't be the last Author to say "enough". Until we authors, develop a method of distribution, which can bring in some income to authors, we will lose author after author. You probably think there are more than enough authors waiting in the wings. This may NOT be so, as rumor will get around, that Shareware "stinks", and fewer and fewer new authors will replace the departing ones. This will continue, until, there are only authors, just writing for fun, and we will return to "Public Domain" software only, along with "yuky" software, where there will be low interest. Vendors will start dropping like fly's! Authors can change this NOW, we all should sell our software to VENDORS. Sure, little guys "Mom/Pop type" vendors will have to go. But those left will reap the benefits. They will sell their selections a little higher, and net more profit on each sale. The author can get to work on creating software, and updates, and not be bothered by registration fees. Yes, vendors simply buy unlimited license to distribute registered versions. Imagine, There are only 1000 vendors, and they all must buy your software, say at $20. That's $20,000 For one program! You develop 6 programs, and you are making a living! Of course, there will still be more than 1000 vendors, and not all will want your particular software, some will specialize. This is as it should be. Still, all in all, I do believe that a typical program VENDOR who has to pay $20 for license, will net author well over $10,000. Many programs, will require license of much greater, such as Apogee at $250 (they should come down some), which will bring them in quite a chunk! If the high end product goes for $75, and that product has a high demand, most vendors will buy. This means, more than 1000 vendors will get it, and product could bring in well over $100,000! (One Product!) This puts a developer well on the way to going retail (if they want). Don't forget, the author no longer has to retain a staff of duplicators, or buy as many bulk disks, or have to receive registration requests. The Author can also, net income from support, such as printer manuals. FROM Jim Hood: On shareware licensing, I suspect that getting vendors to pay licensing fee for shareware is simply impractical except with the very biggest authors/products. By the way, Apogee may have already backed down on their proposal. Nope, I just don't think it will fly. How I intend to "motivate vendors" is to create solid high value packages which are unique niche fillers and then give free updates to major folks like PBS, PC-SIG because they get registrations in a DOCUMENTED and proven manner. Meanwhile charge mom and pop vendors a handling fee. Small vendors rarely produce any registrations in actual practice. Charging $2.00 per disk times maybe 5 or 10 packages times 200 to 500 vendors who will pay up a "handling fee" is small but comfortable potatos to at least subsidize the flood of requests for free evaluation disks which probably go into a large black hole. Unfortunately shareware has a long tradition of not paying licensing fees, Apogee may have missed the mark by trying for $250 licensing fee on one game instead of $25 licensing for ALL apogee stuff. Even that may not have flown but would have been REALISTIC. I just honestly don't think the licensing thing will work. Frankly if someone needs to go that route 1) their product has to be outrageous which is maybe 5% of all shareware 2) the vendors have to go for it and maybe only 40 or so of the very biggest ever will. 3) An author might as well go commercial and skip shareware or start shareware and then shift to commercial (like button with pc file.) The real bottom line is that only a few authors are at the right place at right time with right product (luck) to get real dollars. A second tier of authors may make a modest but reasonable income. Other than that it is a pretty hard scrabble living albeit VERY addictive and motivated with lots of HOPE that tomorrow brings dollars for most authors. From PAUL SCANLON: Jim, my thought, on Distribution License Fee, is NOT in terms of 1 or 2 Authors, but in terms of 1000+ Authors banding together, and saying "Take Our Offer, or Quit Shareware". How many vendors would drop distribution of over 1000 Authors programs? Apogee's real problem, was in NOT soliciting other Authors in banding together and all making the same offer! Of course, their asking price was still too HIGH!. My idea will NEVER work on a 1 and 2 Author basis, and probably will simply NEVER come to pass, as Authors will NEVER ever really band together to obtain results. Everyone feels they can do a better job and continue to struggle! What would you do, if 90%+, of all Authors said to you, Jim, we want $10 for each program you continue to distribute ! 1) if you have funds, you'd probably pay 2) if you don't have funds (you probably don't) you'll drop everything, and simply quit Share sales! If I ever get enough money together at one time, I'll send out a flyer regarding this very issue. Personally, I'd rather sell my Shareware to all vendors, than give it away and hope for registrations from and end user (from the goodness of their heart). If I'm not mistaken, most Authors would benefit from this idea, and a few, would loose out. Some Author products would simply get dropped as Vendors decide what sells and what doesn't! Also, Vendors would take a more serious look at programs, and get rid of the crap! (I doubt that even a vendor would pay a license fee for crap!). Gotta go, catch ya later. FROM Jim Hood: On the topic of 1000 authors banding together and asking for licensing fee - this might work if you had industry leading shareware packages as part of the group. Chance of happening: maybe .001% since getting authors together as a group and all marching same direction is similar to herding kitty cats. Nope, I just don't think the idea will fly unless STAR, ASP, OSWAD or ASAD get LOTS of authors together. Plus there are over 20,000 shareware items out there already and low life vendors could continue to carry what is out there (previous to licensing pitch) and keep peddling it for a long time since there is plenty to keep any vendor running for many years on existing stuff other authors have walked away from and could care less about. The other problem is that the big time vendors could form their OWN little group and as a monopoly refuse to carry any shareware which asks for licensing. Further, vendors are reasonably smart and well financed such that they could hire a small handful of starving authors to write shareware for them directly and make sure that since they own the product they lock OUT the licensing. Further, you could get some cute stuff wherein groups of affiliated authors collectively agree NOT to charge licensing fees and then vendors would simply say forget it: we will carry ONLY license-free shareware from that affiliated author group which is enough to fill our catalogs anyway and you "other" little authors can take a hike. The momentum of any industry tends towards status quo with long term changes taking about 12 to 20 years. My guess is you might see a variation of the herd of authors licensing fee concept come to pass further down the road. In the short run, an author can probably make MORE money simply by writing GREAT shareware and marketing it aggressively through existing shareware channels (crummy though that may be.) Basically Apogee had one chance to "maybe" pull off the idea but the price, timing, execution and lack of other authors doing it collectively probably invalidated the concept for about 5 years. The fact that Apogee may also have backed down further seals the coffin and now the vendors know how, when, where and why it might be tried again, if ever. I still say best way to make some (not a lot) of money is fill niche which isn't discovered yet, write world class item, market the heck out of it and live with that fact. The upside is some money comes in, you are in a large global market and finally (although somewhat indirectly) you are paying the price for marketing software on the cheap instead of capitalizing and advertising it in a more commercial manner. After looking at both sides of the argument shareware is still reasonable if you are willing to WORK at it. In fact shareware is getting better for author income because 1) SMS is convenient source of mailing lists and news 2) more groups forming such as STAR, OSWAD, etc 3) CIS is getting cheap on the monthly plan so you can interconnect for critical marketing info and advice 4) TONS of computers sold in higher volume which all need software 5) BBS and vendors now a large market presence for marketing 6) public consciousness raising on shareware. Shareware is a simple marketing concept that does have a lot of problems as far as marketing, but people UNDERSTAND it. Finally, smart authors can tune up effective cripples, bonus disk or whatever that REALLY works if they take the time. Bottom line: it ain't a great system, it ain't even a good system, but it IS a system and little checks pop up from time to time in my mailbox. From PAUL SCANLON: Well! I'd say, you pretty much have hit the NUT and the SHELL! Basically, the reasons you gave in your response, are why Fred Parker failed in his plan of getting a SWAPS program going. It was slated to fail! There is, though, one flaw in your response, and that is, most of that 20,000 shareware items belongs to someone, and those someone's could revoke distribution rights, which would remove all (or virtually all) software from the vendors. If you check, very little GOOD software, is Public Domain, as most GOOD stuff is Shareware! The real pitch, and un- doubtedly the hardest thing to do, is to get enough Authors together to pull off the coup! As to big time vendors having a programming staff to create their own assortment of goodies, that's a lot more expensive than buying a license fee from and author, even a $250 fee! In addition, that means only a few, large vendors would be left. Again, this would result in an increase in software pricing. If only those few large vendors survived, say maybe 50, I'd bet software pricing would increase by 3 or 4 times! This would result in fewer people trying Shareware (or whatever the disk vendor may call it). My guess, is that over the next 5 years, more and more authors will simply drop shareware! This will happen as the recession receeds (it will!). We need to do something NOW if the shareware concept will survive long term!. Paul FROM Jim Hood: Good response to my reasoning. For now I'll leave the final outcome to time and the efforts of some of the new author groups to see if they can pull things off. By the way, here's a new vendor, just came in today and looks to me like a MUST send for your Sebfu package: American Products, Mr. Michael Moore, 1580 Dylan Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23464-6715. tel 804/479-3202. Have a great weekend. (End of message exchange between Paul and Jim) Vendors and authors searching for a good mailing list of registered shareware users might want to contact Cooper Graphics. Noted for their clipart and illustration shareware packages, Cooper is offering a list of 3,173 registered shareware users of their packages on either a one time use basis ($150) or multiple use basis ($350). Cooper Graphics can be reached at 9406 Omar Khayyam Blvd, Louisville, KY 40272-3556. 502/933-3007. Mr. Jim Cooper, President. Vendors and authors who continue to be nervous on the topic of Use Tax collection between various states might do well to consider a subscription to SALES AND USE TAX ALERT. The publication is provided monthly with a free trial issue available. Purchase price is $189 annually. Sample topics include interpretations and implications of the latest court rulings on Use Tax including Quill versus North Dakota, trends on Use Tax collection in your state, use of private collection agencies by states such as South Carolina and Tennesse and consideration of enforcement powers these private agencies may have. Other surprising developments include the practice by Maryland of prohibiting use of resale certificates to avoid sales tax payment on purchase under $500. Many trends and advance inside information presented. Contact The State Taxation Institute POB 81143, Atlanta, GA 30366 800/846-2202. On to news about shareware disk vendors.... MAJOR ITEM. Good Times Video of New York is pushing for large scale shareware marketing clout with the imminent signing of a contract to supply racks of shareware in major Walmart store locations! In connection with their video retailing efforts already in place, WalMart honored the company as "Vendor of the Year." In video distribution, Good Times produces or distributes in excess of 50 million video packages for retail distribution per year and maintains a direct computer link with retailers whom they supply so that inventory and shipping of orders can be managed. In discussions I have had with Good Times Video principal Ron Chamowitz the deal should fly soon and put Good Times Video on the map as one of the LARGEST rack vendors of shareware in the U.S. Christopher Thomson is an alternate contact at Good Times if you cannot reach Ron Chamowitz. Disk submissions from authors are welcome Good Times Video can be reached at 16 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016. 212/779- 4116. FAX: 212/685-2585. Send them a disk. A very GOOD vendor to send a disk to is SEVEN WORLDS CORPORATION. Primarily a religious mail order vendor, they have recently expanded to offer both religious and NON-RELIGIOUS general shareware to a HUGE audience: they used mailings of about 250,000 card decks in August of 1992 to promote their books, tapes and software and do mailings of 75,000 per month beyond August. Send these folks a disk: Seven Worlds Corporation, Ms. Patti Hodge, Computer Dept Mngr, POB 11565, Knoxville, TN 37939 615/584-7350. Looking for a friendly BBS sysop to upload and beta test your shareware? Contact Ed Bailey, BOX 425, Souris, MB, Canada ROK 2C0. Retired, but still active in the BBS community, he has time for fun with computers and can get your shareware onto his BBS and all you have to do it mail it to him. Will give your disk a little beta test run through if you like. His BBS is "Just Another BBS" affiliated with Fidonet: 204/483-2552 for his BBS. Recently accepted for ASP approved status is Select Software. Be sure to send them a disk if you have not already. Stephan A. Campian, Select Software, 1528 43rd St. NW, Canton, OH 44709 216/492-9191. CIS: 71034,3404. Vendor with LARGE marketing muscle seeking shareware submissions for CD-ROM shareware collection. Supports 1,200 resellers in over 60 countries so your shareware will be in WIDE distribution! Product called POWER TOOLS and is focused on the home, education and small business markets. The CD-ROM will be updated every 3 months. Shareware developers and authors can purchase a courtesy copy for ONLY $15!!! Mike Khoylar, Mediatec, One White Water, Irvine, CA 92715. 714/251-8600. Rack shareware vendor seeking disk submissions with MANY rack locations up and running. Primary market is in these states: WA, ID, OR and British Columbia, Canada. Marc Skansi, CEO, P.C. USA Company, POB 378, Burley WA 98322 206/895-1337. I recommend a disk submission to ON TARGET COMPUTING which is a computer newspaper with a LARGE printed catalog of shareware collected in the back pages. Quite a few copies of this newspaper are found at local computer stores in my area. Disk submissions to On Target Computing, Shareware Submissions, care of C&D Publishing, 20518 9th Ave E, Spanaway, WA 98387 206/847-1054. Change of address for a LARGE computer club which maintains shareware library. New address: Nationwide Insurance PC Users, 5075 Waycroft Ct, Hilliard, OH 43026. Send them a disk pronto. Consider a disk submission to a vendor who will also be coming out with a CD-ROM disk of shareware in late 1992. Submissions to: Norbert L. (Bud) Jay, Jr., JCS Marketing, POB 1216, Lakeville, MN 55044 612/469-1161 FAX: 612/469-5898. Recommended! New Vendor: Rabbit-Soft Shareware, POB 1583, Williams, CA 95987. Primary focus educational programs for first time users. Charges $1.00 for programs. Owners James and Nancy Street are disabled and welcome your disk submissions. Another disk vendor of interest suitable for disk submissions. Software USA, POB 471883, Tulsa, OK 74147 918/481-6533 FAX: 918/622-7889. Contact Justin O'Neal. I have listed KWN systems of New Jersey for some time in SMS. Here's a little additional info, courtesy of a recent letter from Ken Nelson of KWN: Custom 10K size install programs are placed on all disks to ease customer use. The install program checks to make sure disk space is available, allows various drive and subdirectory combinations, unarchives, etc. Most KWN business comes from postcard deck advertising. Postcard deck advertising is also accomplished through their sister company MANAGER'S ANSWER CARDS. I have seen other vendors use postcard decks, but KWN seems to make it their specialty! You can send disks to them at 220 Stonehurst Blvd, Freehold, NJ 07728 908/431-4244. Interested in Spanish translations and the Mexican market? I recently received a letter from Vance Venable of VenTek Computers and Software (34395 Dobson Way, Freemont, CA 94555 510/796-5452 FAX 510/796-1876). VenTek is soliciting shareware for possible translation into Spanish for distribution in Mexico by a local business there. I sent the following letter to VenTek and have as yet not received a response. For the most part I would suggest that authors be VERY cautious of the Mexican marketplace and secure all contracts and commitments in writing. Letter to VenTek follows to which I have NOT received a response which is LESS than a good sign of reliability. FROM: Jim Hood 8/13/92 POB 1506, Mercer Island, WA, 98040 TO: Ventek, Vance Venable Received your letter regarding proposed PC-Learn Spanish translation. Possibly interesting. PC-Learn already in Danish, French and soon German. Spanish obviously a candidate as things evolve. PC-Learn VERY popular and registration stream is favorable. With high technology influx into the Maquiladora factories there are LOTS of computers in use in US/Mexican factories - PC-Learn could be useful. However, some questions occur. 1) Your same address in Fremont used to be Assoc Shareware Auth/Dist. Is Ventek replacing that organization? What is connection between the two organizations? 2) What is financial charge, if any for translation? 3) Would Ventek (or your Mexican client) be regarded as EXCLUSIVE vendor for PC- Learn distribution or can other vendors/suppliers also distribute the translation in Mexico? Can US VENDORS distribute the Spanish translation in the US? Is your client actually supplying shareware for the public marketplace or translating the product for commercial, government or business use and NOT doing shareware distribution? 4) What is your experience with registration potential in Mexico/other southern neighbors - general feeling among most authors I chat with is that Mexico/South America (especially Argentina) are worthless as far as ACTUAL registrations which eventually get back to the author. Same goes for Italy. In France, Langway Co. is handling PC-learn translation as a purely commercial product through retail stores. That system is working WELL. My original plan for certain target countries such as France, Germany, Mexico and Netherlands was for COMMERCIAL release of PC-Learn since shareware does NOT produce registrations in those cultures to any degree according to LOTS of research. I release SHAREWARE versions of PC-Learn in English speaking countries since registration DOES work there somewhat. 5) PC-Learn menu systems and installation will also have to be translated. How closely do you coordinate on overall translation of entire product or do you just plan to translate the tutorials only? 6) I don't need to know name or address of the Mexican client/distributor, but is this company or person straight on explaining shareware (try before you buy)? 7) What do you think of this contract modification: if I do not receive a TARGET registration figure in dollars from Mexico within let us say six months to a year, can I remove the translation/distribution rights for PC-Learn from Ventek and your client? As you may be aware, I also produce the large $hareware Marketing $ystem disk set with many authors use for news and a master mailing list. If all works out on your Spanish situation I could give you some excellent coverage in a publication that many in the shareware community read. Could lead to more business on your unique Mexican connection. However if the PC-Learn thing blows up down the road, $hareware Marketing $ystem would probably cover that situation as a "mistaken marketing lesson" involving VenTek and PC-Learn. Sounds like I am doubtful on this whole deal. Actually it could be GREAT with the new trade agreement situation with Mexico and increased exposure of shareware to new markets. Send me a letter or CompuServe me at 72020,2176 and we'll firm up things a little more. Jim Hood End of letter Another disk vendor who is pushing for disk submissions is American Products, 1580 Dylan Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 804/479-3202. Apparently they are preparing for a large marketing push and it would probably be a good idea to either submit your disk or a least a letter of interest. American plans to release a specialized catalog listing top hits in shareware as well as regional top hits for various parts of the country. Also new to the scene is Moonlight Software which is currently completing a large mailing to shareware authors soliciting disk submissions. You can reach Moonlight Software at POB 178426, San Diego, CA 92177, Mr. Mitch Dijak. Their location in San Diego, a portion of the country noted for good shareware registration volume makes sending them a disk a wise idea! Bruce Wible of Wibles Computers and Solutions solicits disk submissions for a LARGE rack distribution operation going into full swing in the Pittsburgh area. Targets will be computer stores, book stores and local colleges. Expansion into the nearby tri state area in the works. Unique "consumer follow up service program" tracks the sale of author disks and after every multiple of ten sales, author is sent names and addresses of the consumers who purchased the software. Wibles Computers and Solutions 4170 William Penn Hwy, Murrysville, PA 15668 412/327- 2068. Major catalog marketing push and solicitation for author disk submissions: L.A. Software, Mr. Albert Madding, General Manager, 525 Ferry St. SE, Suite 103, POB 5725, Salem, OR 97304. 503/362-7581. New shareware products of interest to vendors and authors.... I have added a fascinating selection of new shareware packages to the GOODIES.TXT section of this edition of SMS. Evaluation disks on any of the following packages can be ordered from SMS. A few highlights: Vendors and retailers should find THE SOFTWARE JUKEBOX a brilliant idea! Produced by FreeBooter Software and Darrell Fichtl, this package turns a hard drive equipped pc into a self-service shareware disk dispensing machine! Clever idea. Load up several hundred packages and watch as customers duplicate what they need. The package also prints a customer invoice and tracks orders for marketing/statistical purposes. Why didn't someone think up this BRILLIANT idea before? Authors and vendors should consider setting up small franchise operations in their towns at local video rental stores, computer stores and small convenience stores. SMSEDIT is a new package designed to work with the exclusively with the SMS database mailing list. Modify or add records, search and reposition records. Print mailing labels. Network support. Switch between browse and edit screens with a single keystroke. Switch and select between various index files. Help screens. Multiple indexes and sort orders can be maintained and updated. Even a fairly complete statistics checking section featuring totals and counts of various types of records by rating and address type! Written by Gary Kunkel of Irving, Texas. VERSATIL is a popup collection of programmers utilities which will also save all info from each utility that you access - even between utilities! VERSACAL is a popup appointment calendar with features including printing of calendars three to a page for viewing a full quarter or single enlarged calendar. Prints in portrait or landscape mode. Also keep notes and tie the note to a particular appointment automatically. I need to retrace my steps and again highlight an older package which has been in the SMS GOODIES section for some time: VERSADEX. Author Michael Glaze who wrote that program as well as VERSACAL and VERSATIL reports that he used VERSADEX to mass mail 1,400 of his disks to vendors using the SMS mailing list. He also plans to use his own product to track registration and vendor responses so ALL authors should reconsider a close look at this fine package for managing their own disk mailings! Another EXCEPTIONAL new program is Executive Address Book which is oriented toward the needs and activities of busy professionals and is MUCH MORE then the usual address book program. Address book pages are printed in the handy 3 3/4" x 6 3/4" size format to fit Day-Timer Senior (K) and Day Runner and other organizers. Page space is maximized to keep the address book as thin as possible. Up to nine different sections can be maintained making restaurants, lodgings, business names, 800 reservations numbers, etc. easy to find. As addresses are added or changed only the pages which change are printed. Multiple books are easily maintained. Rotary-file index cards are printed providing a quick, alphabetized desk reference. Pages may be printed on standard paper or on preprinted, perforated 6 ring paper available from Day-Timer in either dot matrix or laser formats. Sometime ago Paul Scanlon and I proposed a shareware industry standardized "README" file system called SIF or shareware information file. At that time we also created a SIF verification software utility. Now along comes a companion utility called ENTERSIF which eases the preparation of a standardized SIF file which is later verified by the SIFVER utility. Produced as a mutual project by both Paul Scanlon and Moonlite Solutions, the package is available by consulting the GOODIES.TXT section of this edition of SMS. What's hot and what's not.... The following industry ratings and awards for a variety of shareware packages may give you clues about popular packages and ideas for future development efforts. The September-October 1992 edition of Shareware Magazine noted the following rankings (in priority of orders) for popular disk orders: Skyglobe, Viruscan, Desktop Paint 256, Graphics Workshop, Ultimate Spanish, Animated Memory, Ultimate Geography, Magic Crayon, Algebrax and Vacation Planner. Meanwhile, the July 1992 edition of PC Shareware Magazine from the United Kingdom offered the following ranking of popular disk orders: Wampum, As Easy As, Beginners Needs, Draft Choice, Skyglobe, Driving Simulators, Page Financial Controller, Family Tree Journal, Commander Keen, Page Cheque Book, Readability Plus, IKmageprint, Intermediate Needs, Jokes 1, PC Draft CAD, McAfees Utilities, Duke Nukem, Cooper .PCX, Advanced Utilities 3 and finally C++ Tutor. The following month, August 1992, PC Shareware Magazine shuffled the deck to offer the following popular disk ranking: Page Financial Controller, As Easy As, Draft Choice, Beginners Needs, PowerMenu Plus, Odyssey, PC Draft CAD, Page CHecque Book, Wampum, Freeway PAYE Master, Skyglobe, Advanced Utilities 3, Galaxy Lite, Imageprint, A86/D86, Commander Keen, Family Tree Journal, Advanced Utilities 1, Easy Project, Label Makers. Disk Vendor Graematter (listed elsewhere in both the SMS mailing list database as well as this edition's letters to the editor) offers the following package rankings: 1st Quarter 1992 2nd Quarter 1992 ---------------------- ---------------------- 1. Moraff's World 1. HyperPAD 2. Monuments of Mars 2a. Moraff's Stones 3. Arctic Adventure 2b. Moraff's World 4. Pharaoh's Tomb 2c. VGA Fish 5. Jacaranda Jim 5. VGA ART 6. VGA Fish 6. Arctic Adventure 7. HyperPAD 7a. Another Lifeless Planet and Me With No Beer 8. Almanac 1992 7b. BOBPMGR (PrintMaster graphics) 9. VGA ART 7c. Dad's Choice 10a. Air Traffic Controller 7d. Gotta Go 10b. Moraff's Entrap 7e. Moraff's Super Blast 10c. PKLite Year-to-date 1992 ----------------------- 1. Moraff's World 2. Arctic Adventure 3a. HyperPAD 3b. Monuments of Mars 3c. VGA Fish 6. Pharaoh's Tomb 7. Moraff's Super Blast 8. VGA ART 9. Jacaranda Jim 10a. Almanac 1992 10b. Moraff's Stones In the HOT column note the following packages received the first annual SHAREWARE INDUSTRY AWARDS for packages deemed best in our industry. Receiving awards were: 4DOS (best utility), As Easy As (best application), Paint Shop Pro (best graphics application), Medlin Accounting (best business and finance package), A86 Assembler (best programming language), Animated Series (best educational), Commander Keen Series (best entertainment), SkyGlobe (best home or hobby), Kwikstat (best math or engineering), Surefire (best new product), Commander Keen Series (best overall), 4DOS (peoples choice award), Bob Wallace (personal service to the industry.) It should be noted that these awards honor the first ten years of shareware. Next, ideas for better shareware marketing.... The Association of Shareware Authors and Distributors has finished its first mailing to prospective members interested in that group. Offering dues of only $35 per year, ASAD plans to offer a variety of author and distributor marketing support services and can be reached at 2425 North Limestone St, Springfield, OH 45503-1109 513/390-1099 FAX: 513/399-2501. Contact Mr. B. Lee Williams, Chief Executive Officer. Benefits to members include an association logo which may be used in advertising member products, printed bylaws, monthly newsletter, access to ASAD distribution channels including ASAD BBS and ASADnet to be available September 1, 1992. Extracting several notes from a recent press release submitted by ASAD the following statements and claims are offered: ASAD was not designed to replace or degrade any existing organizations such as STAR or ASP. Decisions to cripple or not cripple shareware belong exclusively with the author and ASAD has no formal stand on this issue. Goals of ASAD: 1) Promote shareware products as a viable alternative to commercial software. 2) Protect the right of those persons involved in the shareware industry. 3) Educate persons about the shareware concept. 4) Establish reasonable standards for the authoring, distributing and marketing of shareware. Organizational plans call for the following phases: 1) initial bylaws formulated by charter members. 2) membership drive. 3) set up main node or base BBS for ASAD. 4) Establish forum area on CIS. ASAD advertisements in computer magazines are planned. A tollfree hot line for complaints in planned with ASAD providing Ombudsman resolution services. Later in January or February 1993 a full-time secretary should be hired and will be the only person within ASAD receiving a small salary. Coop mailing of member packages to vendors not wishing to use the ASAD BBS are planned. Plans are to keep membership dues low and provide additional finances through tentative arrangements such as BBS charges for non ASAD members, compilation and sales of ASAD mailing lists, subscription newsletters, corporate sponsorship and auctions of hardware on the ASAD BBS. ASAD bylaws dated August 1992, version 1.2 are available by contacted the organization. Membership applications are now available. Have you put together a PUBLICITY KIT? The idea is that as your business grows you may be asked to speak before an association, receive a business award, or need to announce a new product in a local or national newspaper. A publicity kit is simply a pre- packaged kit of background material about your company which can be made available on short notice when publicity opportunities pop up. What are essentials of a good publicity kit? 1) a personal profile on your business background, product, business goals and accomplishments 2) a detailed one page company history including past and future plans for growth and product development 3) Photography - black and white head and shoulders view of yourself, professionally finished. 5 x 7 inch or 8 x 10 inch size. 4) Product or service profile including brochure and technical explanations of products in simple english which newspapers can quote 5) Press releases and copies of previous newspaper articles. Also customer testimonials, product endorsements. If you have no published articles, do a free presentation or seminar and ask for coverage in that group's newsletter which you can obtain. 6) Fun free stuff: pens or other goodies with your logo, disk, newsletter, catalog or discount coupon. When publicity suddenly offers an opportunity, your publicity kit will be ready to go! There may come a time when you need a business credit report on a potential client. You might need to know things like bill payment history, highest credit amount extended, six month average account balance, industry payment comparison, past bankruptcies and liens. For $27.90 you can obtain a fast telephone report via MTC Corporation on most businesses and corporations (no personal credit reports.) For reports billed to credit cards call 800/488-5775. For reports billed to your telephone bill call 900/288-4258. A third option, for frequent credit reports, is to order CreditPro software which allows your pc to retrieve the reports directly. Call 800/488-5775 ext 4 for this option. Free subscription to a fascinating marketing magazine. Send a request on your company letterhead to SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGIES AND NEWS, c/o Hughes Communications, 211 W. State St, POB 197, Rockford, IL 61105. Good source of general public mailing lists popped up the other day. Maybe you have a shareware disk which needs to go out to insurance agents, woodworking customers or other specialists. Contact BEST MAILING LISTS, 38 West 32nd St., MY, NY 10001 800/692-2378 or 212/868-1080 or FAX: 212/947-0136. Free catalog available. Good books for better marketing. Following available from Dartnell Publishing, c/o Marketing Bulletin Board, 117 W. Micheltorena, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805/687-3137 DIRECT MAIL AND MAIL ORDER HANDBOOK. 1583 pages. Massive guide to sources, ideas and mailing lists for the direct mail industry. MAILING LIST STRATEGIES. 224 pages. Choose the most effective lists, how to rent and exchange lists, test mail lists, evaluate direct mail campaigns. HOW TO START AND OPERATE A MAIL ORDER BUSINESS. 560 pages. Over 500 actual campaigns, ideas, strategies and case histories. Reveals blunders and new ideas. SALES MANAGERS HANDBOOK 1066 pages. Learn cost control, budgeting, sales training, direct mail methods. PERFORMANCE DRIVEN SALES MANAGEMENT 262 pages. Marketing tips use by the Fortune 500 companies. NEW TIME MANAGEMENT METHODS 260 pages. Focus on priorities, avoid telephone interruptions, schedule advertising campaigns for maximum profit, and more. DIRECT MARKETING HANDBOOK 704 pages. Every area of direct mail marketing strategy covered by over 60 specialists in the field. HANDBOOK ON SALES PROMOTION 624 pages. Proven techniques for strategy, mail order promotion, timing, rebates and more. Consider a subscription to BUSINESS MARKETING magazine. $40/year. 12 issues. Business to business marketing methods for profit. Recession strategies. New niche market opportunities. Business Marketing, 117 West Micheltorena, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-9978 Another specialized publication which could be useful. TRADESHOW WEEK. c/o R.R. BOWKER, POB 31, New Providence, NJ 07974-9904 800/521-8110. Contains lists and calendars of trade shows, major exhibits. Published weekly. BOTTOM LINE/PERSONAL. BOX 50379, Boulder, CO 80321-0379. Free sample issues of a magazine which provides valuable insider strategies. Special tax deductions, bill paying strategies, special tours, how to cut medical expenses, when to sue for malpractice, how to obtain airline tickets at discount. Two good books: COST CONSCIOUS ADVERTISING. Interesting book with loads of tips for budget driven advertising tricks. Spend less on print and media. Improve image and product advertising delivery. A second pertinent book: HOW TO PARTICIPATE PROFITABLY IN TRADE SHOWS. Decide which trade shows to attend. Plan exhibits. Display product in most dramatic manner. Unique promotional methods. Contact Dartnell Company. 117 W. Micheltorena, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. 805/687-3137. Next, an article on disk-based publications submitted by David Batterson which contains reference material on a trade association involved with that area of shareware. Disk-Based Publications - A Growing Phenomenon By David Batterson Books-on-disk are totally digital publications, they are not printed on paper. This relatively new publishing method is also called electronic publishing, "disktop" publishing, or etext. Electronic publishing means publishing in computer- readable, digital, "disktop" format. Materials are created on computer and saved in digital format on disk for others to read through their PCs. As Ron Albright, president of the Disktop Publishers Association (DPA) explains it, "the term encompasses everything from plain ASCII text (readable on any PC with most word processors or editors) to complex, hypertext publications that rely on machine-specific programs to view and navigate." The benefits of electronic publishing include faster production time, easier revision and updating, cheaper cost, reduced consumption of natural resources, and enhanced presentation and readability. The term includes digital publications not distributed on disk. Such publications are read and downloaded from commercial online services like CompuServe, free ones like the Internet, or on the thousands of BBSs around the world. Electronic publishing covers the whole gamut, including both fiction and non-fiction, magazines and newsletters. An example of non-fiction is "The Virtual Society" by Harvey Wheeler "Fail Safe]. Wheeler's disk-based book recently won First place in its category in the DPA Quill Awards for excellence in electronic publishing. Fiction books include original works by noted authors like Harlan Ellison and Robert Anton Wilson. Their electronic books are published by a company called UserWare [4 Falcon Lane E., Fairport, NY 14450]. Other small publishers are springing up to publish books-on-disk by "unknown" authors. These books range from mediocre to excellent, just like you find with traditional small publishers. There are some fine electronic magazines. One of those is ShareDebate International [P.O. Box 20607, Bloomington, MI 55420]. Another popular one is Electronic Publishing Forum edited by John Galuszka [Serendipity Systems, P. O. Box 140, San Simeon, CA 93452]. Electronic Publishing Forum is a quarterly, on-disk publication that covers the subject of electronic publishing. It contains updated databases of electronic books and publishers, and reviews of new disk-based books and text- viewing software. Electronic Publishing Forum is distributed as freeware. Original materials are copyrighted by their respective authors and/or publishers. Programs--designed for publishing text and/or graphics and facilitating their distribution and viewing--are some times bundled with the publication. These programs range from basic ASCII-text-readers such as LIST or READ.COM to more sophisticated ones that include hypertext capabilities, pull-down menus, mouse support and variable color screens. Examples of the latter are DART and IRIS, both distributed by UserWare. DART won a DPA Quill Award for best electronic publishing software. The DPA was created by computer journalist, medical doctor, BBS sysop and electronic publisher Ron Albright. Dr. Albright was frustrated by the traditional publishing methods. After publishing an on-disk book, he discovered that many others were doing the same, but they had no organization to assist them. The busy doctor found time to start up this association of electronic publishers and authors. The purpose is to promote the benefits of electronic publishing, and to help authors and publishers improve their distribution and marketing methods. Those interested in electronic publishing may contact Dr. Albright at: Disktop Publishing Association, 1160 Huffman Road, Birmingham, AL 35215. His electronic addresses are: CompuServe: 75166,2473, GEnie: RALBRIGHT, MCI Mail: 370-7474 or RALBRIGHT, PRODIGY: DXBD80A, or the DPA BBS: 205-854-1660 (24 hrs.). David Batterson of Portland is a tech writer, computer journalist and author of a disk-based publication titled "PC REVIEWS." He is a member of DPA. (end of article) Are you producing shareware for the religion or church-oriented market? Consider obtaining specialty mailing lists for targeted mailings as well as placing your ads in suitable card decks and other mass mailings. TRI MEDIA publications. 2825 Bledsoe St, Fort Worth, TX 76107 817/332-5913. Note the recent addition of author William Schall of Solon Software to the SMS Net upload service. Further details in the file RAPID.TXT accompanying this edition of SMS. William specializes in shareware games packages with his solitaire games the most recently released. My sources tell me that INC Magazine will be doing a detailed article on shareware marketing and profit potential to be published late this year. When INC Magazine explores shareware as a business, you know our industry is on the financial map! Are you moving into rack sales and trying to track down the source for that clever clamshell-style clear stiff plastic packaging that folds around a disk and then hangs up on a rack or pegboard? Contact Data Envelope, 408/374-9720. Here's a tip. Recently I received an order from SoftDisk Publishing for a registered copy of SMS which they planned to use for mailing the latest COMMANDER KEEN game release to disk vendors. I quickly rolled up my sleeves and recycled this tidbit into a little news release which I sent out to shareware disk vendors, authors and reviewers within the industry. The point is that sometimes a simple customer order or award can be "recycled" into news which will net you more sales. A copy of that press release follows which might also give you ideas how to format and present a "lively" press release for your own products. TO: ---- Editor, Shareware Magazine FROM: -- Jim Hood FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE POB 1506 $hareware Marketing $ystem Mercer Island, WA, 98040 (206) 236-0470 CIS: 72020,2176 Mercer Island, WA - August 27- The secret story BEHIND Commander Keen & Softdisk Publishing's release of the "Lost Keen Episode" involves Jim Hood's $hareware Marketing $ystem... Shareware industry watchers have long awaited the "Lost Episode" of Commander Keen's new game disk now shipping to major shareware disk vendors. However, there is a news story "behind the news" of the exciting Commander Keen game disk release! Softdisk Publishing of Shreveport, LA, which handled shipment and release of the Keen disk, used Jim Hood's popular $hareware Marketing $ystem mailing list on disk to keep the good Commander right on schedule! This is a "behind the scenes" tip in which other shareware authors should take a "KEEN" interest! The $hareware Marketing $ystem is a two disk shareware package available through PC-SIG and other quality shareware disk vendors. The $hareware Marketing $ystem, currently circulating as version 92.19 and scheduled for routine quarterly update with release of the forthcoming Fall 1992 edition on September 20, contains over 4,000 addresses of shareware disk vendors, BBS systems, computer clubs and key shareware reviewers. The package also contains a newsletter on disk which is updated quarterly and contains key marketing information used by shareware authors and disk vendors alike to obtain crucial shareware marketing information and mailing lists of disk vendors. Single issue registration ($49.95) as well as annual subscriptions ($175/four quarterly issues) are available for the package. Editor, Jim Hood, notes that the September release of the SMS package will feature some surprising "insider" news about new shareware marketing methods and trends from the "marketing underground" of the shareware industry. Jim is also the author of the popular PC-Learn package recently reviewed in the "beginners" section of Shareware Magazine and selected as one of four "best computer beginners bets" by former ASP president Paul Mayer. (end of press release) Are you managing a LARGE mailing list and need it professionally purged of duplicates with ADVANCED ALGORITHMS for sound alike and "seem alike" addresses? Contact GDP for a quote: GDP Inc, Greenfield and Partners Company, 3355 N. Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004 708/253-5515 ext 159. In case you missed it department. Shareware is increasing its market presence in mainstream "commercial" software stores. Until the present time a visit to the local Egghead Software store might have given you a glimpse of the "commercial" versions of PC-File or Procomm whose shareware roots are well known. Now Egghead has seen the light as their current catalog offers DVORAK'S TOP 30 ($29.44) which contains 30 of the top shareware packages collected into one attractively package box. Make no mistake, these are not the "commercial" versions of former shareware packages: these are SHAREWARE! Video department. A few editions of SMS prior to this I bemoaned the lack of opportunities present to market shareware via cleverly packaged video demos which might feature screen dumps of specific packages and interviews with programmer/authors. Moving the idea a step further, I received a nice packet of material from TV Software Direct who specializes is exactly this sort of thing. An enclosed video demo tape from TV Software Direct displayed clean advertising spots (suitable for television rebroadcast on cable or local media) with screen dumps and colorful graphics. The price is apparently quite attractive. Contact Irv Brechner, TV Software Direct, POB 5125, Ridgewood, NJ 07451 201/445-7196 FAX: 201/447-3972. You could even prepare full length videos on your program and send along a tape in addition to/instead of the software directly to customers. Something along the lines of "send $5 for evaluation copy of shareware and $7.50 for demo video" might soon be the buzzword among smart authors who can seen an opportunity rushing at them. Late night television cable and notes on shareware brochures "as seen on tv" might become more common. The subject of foreign currency and shipment of shareware to foreign addresses comes up from time to time. My good friend Paul Scanlon recently had a puzzle to solve and you might find the following exchange of information enlightening! From PAUL SCANLON: Jim, do you get much foreign mail? I just got one and have no way to mail back a response. The return address is included, but the post office does NOT recognize a country (the country name must be clearly and boldly written) to mail anything to! I have the envelope that was mailed to me, a registration form, with the unrecognized address, and a check the bank doesn't know where it's from! Got any ideas? Should I just toss the thing in my circular file? (H E L P!) From Jim Hood: Maybe I can help on foreign address. ALL checks have a micro code strip at bottom. Take to your local bank (where your account is) and have them dig the identifying bank code address/country out of the code. If they fiddle around ask to talk to an operations officer. THEY DO have access to this stuff so don't let them stall around. Second, look at the envelope postmark and stamp which may reveal the country. Third, I get registrations from Puerto Rico which they always abbreviate as PR. Fourth, go to your local post office and ask to speak DIRECTLY with the Postmaster. Have him/her assign a gopher secretary to look it up. Also inspect the payment check to see if it is in US Dollars. Sometimes abbreviated on payment checks as USD. Also look at back of check for more clues. Finally, you can call the federal reserve bank (we have one in Seattle) and they will look up the code on the check to reveal the bank. There are still more ways of doing this, but this may get you started.... From PAUL SCANLON. Thanks for the help. Although I've been to both the bank and post office twice already! Neither bank nor post office offered any aid, whatever, as to the source of this darn thing! NO, it's not from PR, I've gotten orders from there, and this is NOT one. My best hunch seems to be either Germany or Holland. The check does NOT appear to be written for US currency, so, guess, my best bet, is to toss it! Thanks any way...Paul From JIM HOOD: If you suspect from Germany or Holland you could send fax of the check to consular office of either country in Los Angeles. Checks from Germany are in Deutsch Marks sometimes abbreviated as DM on the check. The DM imprint will probably be very close to the denomination. Like 45.00 DM, for example. Here's another idea, very simple. Take the envelope, check, forms etc to local library and ask to speak to the HEAD librarian who can probably pull the bits and pieces together and give you a very good guess. I still say your BANK is fiddling around. Ask your bank if they have an INTERNATIONAL division at their head office and then phone them or send them xerox of check. Your bank is best and cheapest source, and they HAVE the answer even though bankers are simply lazy. Try 1) head librarian 2) international division of your bank 3) Send me GOOD QUALITY xerox of front and back of check plus (illegible) address and I will decipher it for you in one day. From: PAUL SCANLON You HIT it! It is German, has Currency field of 30.00 DM as title at top of field! As German Currency this was translated on my request (since they didn't know), to american dollars, from German, and came in at around $20! Well, now to check on how much it will be to send the letter! Thanks, I knew, you knew what I had! ...Paul From JIM HOOD: If the currency is drawn on American bank (typically a foreign customer or bank might also have a domestic account in New York) your bank can look at and simply COUNT the digits in the micro code at bottom of check and tell that it is drawn on AMERICAN bank! However, if a payment is in DM or Deutsch Marks (again the micro code at bottom of the check will suggest that it is a foreign bank and the DM imprint further supports the logic), ask your bank to "send it out on collection" which means they ship it out and it gradually makes its way to Germany (about three/four weeks) and then is eventually electronically credited to your bank. Also ask if your bank "does the collection" or if "a correspondent bank" (big bank with whom they do business since they might be too dinky to do their own German bank collection process) does the collection. Next step is to ship the customer the shareware. Best idea is to hand copy the address onto a larger disk mailer in your best writing and then ALSO tape a xerox of the scrawled address below it. Once it gets to Germany the post office workers there can look at both your best attempt and the ACTUAL CUSTOMER handwriting on the xerox and get it delivered. It seems odd, but this way you have TWO delivery addresses on the face of the envelope and if it does not get through, you did your best. Send software by airmail. Include a green customs declaration sticker. Here's what one clever shareware author in Canada recommended you put on customs declaration which you get from your post office. Probably a "gray" area of the law as to whether you are shipping evaluation copy or retail copy of software, so follow this logic and decide for yourself: on the small green customs declaration sticker which attaches to the disk mailer, write under description "software disk." For value at the bottom enter "0." Finally check the second little checkbox which refers to a "sample of merchandise." This will save your customer some duty and speed up delivery! Ship airmail. Don't bother insuring it. Be sure to put GERMANY clearly at bottom of mailer. By the way, I have a German foreign exchange student visiting us at the house for next two weeks. Small world of coincidence isn't it? In closing, tell your lazy bank to do some work for you. This is all pretty routine stuff and they could have helped you simply by looking at the check and saying "Oh, DM, that's deutschmarks from Germany." Look closely, though, just in case customer maybe sent it in USD (US dollars). In either event have your bank send it out "on collection". Urgent: keep the bank deposit receipt on your desk, write name of clerk who accepted your deposit of the German check (or better, get a bank OFFICER to accept the deposit) and then call bank once a week (after three weeks have passed) and ask "has it cleared and for how much." If you just passively sit there your bank may fiddle around with it (knowing bank efficiencies) so calling after a few weeks go by is SMART. However one fine day a "mysterious" deposit credit will show up on one of your bank statements which means the foreign check finally "cleared" and your account has REAL US dollars at last! лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл Please note that older material from previous SMS newsletters, containing HIGHLY valuable marketing information, has been moved to the SMS archives disks which is available from SMS. Consult the GOODIES section of SMS for information on ordering this archived material if you do not have previous editions of SMS. лллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл