This Little Program Went to Market - Press Kit
This Little Program Went to Market - Press Kit
Sell Sheet
This Little Program Went to Market
Retail: $48
Paperback: 546 pages
Publisher: Godtland Software Corporation
Publication Date: May 31, 2010
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615345832
ISBN-13: 9780615345833
Product Dimensions: 9.25 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
Description:
Create a Web site and launch an Internet marketing and sales process. Make your computer programs "market ready" and distribute them. This Little Program Went to Market provides detailed instructions for all the steps and tools required to take an idea for a computer program through the entire process of creation, deployment, distribution, sales and marketing. In fact, this book has useful information for selling just about anything on the World Wide Web. Plus, practically all of the tools and services required for these processes are available for free!
Press Release
Annette Godtland
e-mail: annette@godtlandsoftware.com
(please download the press release or for more contact information)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
This Little Program Went to Market
ROCHESTER, MN - May 31, 2010 - Are you interested in selling your own products on the Internet? This Little Program Went to Market, by Annette Godtland, can help you launch an Internet sales and and marketing process. Do you have an idea for a computer program that you would like to sell, or have you written a convenient utility that you think others would buy? Transform your personal program into a market-ready package. Handle the entire creation-to-sales process in a professional manner, at little or no cost to you, using the tools and services demonstrated in this book. Follow step-by-step instructions, complete with code listings and screen shots, for each of these activities.
Sell and market your products on the Internet - Have you ever dreamed of having your own Web site? Create a complete Web site that meets Web page compliance standards. Optimize your Web site for search engines. Create download links, buy-now buttons, and a shopping cart. Accept credit card payments through PayPal. Monitor visitor activity. Increase downloads and sales per visitor using marketing strategies.
Make a computer program market-ready - A program may work great on your computer, but may not be ready to be sold. Define an easily repeatable, one-step build process with automatic backup. Provide integrated, searchable help documentation. Draw your own icons or create them from a photo. Create a trial version of your program and market it as shareware. Learn strategies to help protect your program from piracy. Create an install wizard that requires acceptance of your license agreement, creates file associations, avoids Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7 access control errors, and verifies minimum system requirements.
About the Book - This Little Program Went to Market: Create, Deploy, Distribute, Sell, and Market Software and More on the Internet at Little or No Cost to You, ISBN: 978-0-615-34583-3, was published May 31, 2010 by Godtland Software Corporation.
About the Author - Annette Godtland has used many of the tools and techniques described in this book for selling her own software at www.godtlandsoftware.com.
###
Questions and Answers
Why did you write this book?
When I first started writing my own programs to sell on the Internet five years ago, I wondered how to make custom installation packages, help documents, and trial versions for my programs. I didn't know how to spread the word about my programs and collect payment. Could I accept credit cards? I had no idea how to do any of these things and I couldn't find any books to teach me. So I started researching. Though it took a long time, I was able to find answers to all of my questions. And surprisingly enough, most of the process can be done for free. So I compiled the tips, tools, and techniques into this book in the hopes that it can help others sell their own products on the Internet.
What training and experience do you have?
I got my Bachelor of Science degree at North Dakota State University, majoring in Computer Science, Math, and Math Education. I worked as a computer programmer at IBM for 20 years, then at Kingland Systems Corporation for 5 years. I now consider myself a hobby programmer and sell my own programs on my Web site, www.godtlandsoftware.com.
What does "Create, Deploy, Distribute, Sell, and Market" in the book's subtitle mean?
Create - Simplify and automate the write, build, and backup processes of creating your own software.
Deploy - Ready your program for productive use: add interactive help, custom icons, a trial version, and an installation wizard. Take steps to protect your program against piracy.
Distribute - Choose a Web host service to meet your needs. Create an informative website for downloading your program. Ensure that your Web site works with most Web browsers.
Sell - Accept payment by check or by credit card. Use buy-now buttons or a shopping cart. Validate online order data. Survey customers. Manage your program's trial version unlock keys. Manage multiple e-mail accounts.
Market - How much should you charge for your product? How many downloads can you expect per visitor? How many sales can you expect per visitor? Let the world know about your product through search engine registration and optimization, and other marketing techniques. Monitor what customers are doing on your website and how many times your program is downloaded. Use these numbers to make better marketing decisions.
What does "Little or No Cost to You" in the book's subtitle mean?
The tools used in this book are all freeware and open source programs. Some tools ask for an optional donation, but none comes with an obligation or expectation that you buy anything. Though free, these tools generate high quality results. However, you may have to pay for Web service, and pay a transaction fee if you want to accept credit cards.
Is the book only for computer programmers?
I tried to tailor the book to non-programmers who are trying to sell any kind of product as well as to computer programmers. However, a small amount of programming is required for creating Web pages. The book provides detailed, step-by-step instructions, and code listings that may be downloaded from my Web site. The reader should be able to use the provided code listings where needed, even if he has no programming experience.
What computer programming language does this book use for the program?
The sample program in the book uses Java, but most of the programming tips and techniques may be applied to any programming language. For example, the book describes where to install program data to avoid Windows Vista and Windows 7 access control errors. These Microsoft guidelines should be followed regardless what programming language is used. The book provides code listings for how to create a limited function or limited time trial version of a program. The provided code is explained in detail to allow the reader to write similar code in other programming languages. The book also shows how to create an install wizard. This step uses a tool that is designed to create an install wizard for any program written in any programming language.
Why do you have pigs on the cover?
The title of this book is a play on the words of the nursery rhyme, This Little Piggy Went to Market. I discovered that with a few words changed, that nursery rhyme fit the spirit of the sale of my first computer program very well. The pigs tie my book to the original nursery rhyme, but also to my Tale of Two Programs, in which one program goes to market and the other stays home. Here is my modified version of that nursery rhyme.
This Little Program Went To Market
(or "A Tale of Two Programs")
This little program went to market.
(The first little program ventured out to the Internet.)
This little program stayed home.
(The second little program was for home use only.)
This little program was all beefed up.
(The first little program had a high ranking Web page, a trial version, an installation wizard, and much more. It could even be purchased by credit card.)
This little program had none.
(The second little program needed none of these. It never wanted to leave home anyway.)
This little program cried "Whee! Whee! Whee!" all the way home!
(Actually, that is me, crying in excitement, every time I get an e-mail notice that I just sold another copy of that first little program!)
Images
The image of the front cover and the image of A Tale of Two Programs may be downloaded from here.
Front Cover | |
 |
2242 x 2771 pixels, 300 dpi 1200 x 1484 pixels, 200 dpi 518 x 640 pixels, 96 dpi 100 x 124 pixels, 96 dpi |
A Tale of Two Programs | |
 |
602 x 2400 pixels, 300 dpi 300 x 1200 pixels, 200 dpi 150 x 600 pixels, 96 dpi 100 x 400 pixels, 96 dpi 50 x 200 pixels, 96 dpi |