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████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
NEWSLETTER UPDATE
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
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! <W>...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!
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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.
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