| 1.
Keep the same download link
name for one product - Don't change the name
of the download link for your product each time you update
the version. Why? Because when other sites make your link
available to the public, (which is a great favor to you to
get you exposure), they most likely won't update the link
each time your release a new version. Example: don't name
your game "anothersimgameV1.zip" Because when you
have a version 1.1, then change the name of your file, it
screws everyone up including you (you would have to change
all the links on your website too) Make sure you keep older
versions of your product for yourself, however, just in case
you need it
2. Forget using .sit files
- Newer Macs no longer have an application to unstuff those
files. If a person with a newer Mac downloaded your .sit file,
and realized it needs to be unstuffed, if they don't have
an application to do that, most likely, they might just trash
it (instead of finding Stuffit Deluxe to download). Use .zip
files or .dmg, which works on new Macs as well as older Macs.
3. Find GOOD mentors
- As in all other industries, one of the best ways to learn
essentials is from a mentor. Who are the successful independent
developers? Which ones are veterans in the industry? Which
games or software do you love, and who made them? That's a
good starting point to find mentors. That said, some successful
veteran developers don't have time to mentor or simply don't
want to help newbies. You have to figure out which ones are
receptive and also, you have to make sure you find the ones
that are giving good advice. Some veterans, because they are
evil, will mess with newbies - they don't want any more competition
and/or they don't want others to know their secrets. Wouldn't
the world be great if these veterans would simply say, "I
don't want tell you how I did this or that." - instead
of lie? Yes, newbie! Some veterans will point blank LIE to
you! When you do find some GOOD mentors, just shoot over quick
emails to them and get a little bit of knowledge at a time,
whilst not bugging them
4. Affiliate your products
- When you release your game or software, do affiliate them.
Why? You'll sell more, that's why. This is a serious duh-ism.
Other people can put your product on their site, which might
have a high-quality, targeted audience and might just sell
like crazy, and it might be more than you'd ever be able to
sell on your own. Don't be a greedy, stingy ass on their commission
because they are working hard to sell your product, afterall.
And you make more money with affiliates. I recommend at least
a 40% commission to your affiliate. (It'll make them work
harder to get you sales!) If possible, create "special
builds" for them. Lastly, make sure your affiliation
system works. Many systems do not work at all and so an affiliate
of yours might be sending you lots of sales but aren't getting
any commissions. When they find out that the system doesn't
work, they will oust your product from their site. That means
your sales will go down, down, and down. Which ones work?
Plimus,
RegNow,
Reflexive
and BMT
(There are LOTS of others and they simply don't work.) Stick
with ONE payment system because when you have multiples systems,
your affiliation doesn't work very well or at all. By the
way, affiliates do not like that and will rid your product
from their site in no time.
The other side to this is that if you do affiliate your games,
they could be found on nearly any game site and you will sort
of lack "ownership" of them. You will officially
be the developer, but if people can find your game on another
site, you will not be recognized. You may or may not even
care about this; this is only to inform you of the consequences.
I personally feel you should affiliate because that will just
increase your sales.
5. Beware of the Big Game/Software
Portals - If, for example, you finally finish
your your game, it's all beta-tested and squeaky clean, then
a huge game site says they'd like to feature it, there are
good points to this and bad points to this opportunity. The
good part is that you can honestly say, "I made it!"
and maybe millions of people will download your game, play
it and buy it. That is awesome and you should congratulate
yourself and have a party or something. However, be aware
of the consequences of giving your game to a Big Site. Why?
Many of the game sites offer a monthly pass that costs about
$5. This gives the gamer an opportunity to play one full version
game for the month. If that is your game, you made a sale!
But wait. They only paid $5. And the Big Site takes 70% of
the sale and you, the guy who sweat blood and tears to make
the game, get 30%. Now, if my math is correct, 30% of $5 is
a buck fifty (less after some fees!). That's not that much
but you're saying, "But if they sell like 10 thousand
of those, that's like $10,000! You would be right. So, please
I hope you do sell a minimum of 10,000 games on that Big Site.
The best case scenario for this situation is if you have a
super viral kind of extremely popular game. Those are far
and few between. Also to note: they may or may not feature
your game on their site, and your game might disappear into
the jungle that is their huge site. Less exposure will be
lead to less sales. No exposure leads to...no sales. Finally,
the most horrendous part of this mix is that when you DO make
a sale with Big Real Site, you will not get the benefit of
the customer's information. If you can't have that, how can
you build your client base?
Note: Many devs recommend that you ask for an advance, in
addition to commissions on each sale. If you don't get an
advance, they will use your game as filler content to have
a new game to present on their site, and you won't make much
from it, in most cases, as it will just quickly get buried.
If you do receive an advance, that probably means that the
publisher will push your game harder to recoop his investment
and that he believes your game will sell a lot - so your sales
could be excellent in this case. It's common practice that
games that selll, receive an advance from the Big Site. If
you don't get an advance...you can probably guess what will
happen to your game.
6. If you do go with a big game
site, do negotiate a smart deal -This happens
much too much and even some of the veterans have admitted
that they blindly went into the deal and sign the dotted line
because they were so happy the Real Portal game site wanted
their game! Don't just accept their terms. They are made to
really screw you over. The good thing is that you can negotiate!
For all the negatives I wrote in #5 above, try to get rid
of them in your contract. Example: If you want access to the
clients, get that in your contract. You will be more respected
with your own reasonable terms even though the Big Site will
be disappointed they couldn't walk all over you like they
do with most newbies. If the Big Site doesn't agree with your
terms, walk away unless you are desperate. Definitely negotiate
or find someone that can do it for you. Do it or get screwed.
Another note: if they do agree to your terms double check
to see that they are complying with your terms. If not, seek
legal counsel.
7. Create Intelligent Partnerships
- Why do everything on your own when you can use the power
of many to sell your product? For example, if you have a racing
game, get in touch with racing portals that have access to
a huge, targeted audience, a public that cant wait to play
your game. Offer a commission to the portal for each game
sold. Again, I think I need to remind you not to be stingy.
What you gain here will be more exposure, more sales, and
a new business opportunity and relationship.
8. If your game doesn't sell,
move on. Yup. Just let it go. You will be
so horribly tempted to try to work on it further, to make
it better. Afterall, you already spent a good part of your
recent life on it. Forget about it. Though, learn from the
experience. Rarely, does this extra effort work. If you do
this, rather, you may end up regretting it and wasting even
more time. Try not to get discouraged and move forward to
work on your next project.
9. Monitor your product, notice
the trends and try out different approaches
- You may get waves of sales. Where are they coming from?
Did someone feature your game on their site? Which site? Did
it help your sales when it was featured on Apple? If so, maybe
you can update your game regularly (with real improvements)
so you can try to stay on the front page there. Another example:
Perhaps you did put your game on a Real Big Site, and your
total commission was $12 yet you could swear it was on the
front page for a while. Do you think you actually made more
than $12 in commissions? Make your own conclusions here, but
maybe that wasn't such a good idea, afterall.
10. Look at your business as
a whole - You may think that your passion
and talent to make games or software is enough to have a successful
business. The product that you develop is great and you have
no reason to doubt its success. If you think that, I have
one thing to say to you: don't be naive. Please look at your
business as a whole. Yes, work to make the best product ever,
but think about how you're going to sell it. How will people
find it? Magically? Is getting "digged" enough?
Will you have to market your product? Buy ads somewhere? You
must figure these things out. Also, what does your website
look like? Is it easy to navigate and find download demos?
Is it easy to BUY your product? You know, some people will
want to just buy your game without trying it. Will it be easy
for them to do that? What is your long-term goals to keep
your games visible? Are your prices why people aren't buying?
Can you put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers
and find what can be improved? Are you building your client
base? Do you have a newsletter?
11. Unless your games are FREE,
don't try to target the query, "Free Games"
or "Free game downloads," or anything that implies
that your games are free. You will be wasting your time trying
to do this. Why? People looking for free games want free games!
You might argue that it'll send you traffic. You could be
right but it's the WRONG traffic that is using your valuable
band-width. You need targeted, high-quality traffic.
12. Grow. Always questions things.
Adjust to the industry and changing technologies. - Always
be questioning your product and why or why not it's working.
How are you going to build on your client base? Which advertising
strategies work? Will you be able to survive on the sales
of previous games while you're developing a new one? Which
strategies used to work but don't anymore? A bit of a sidebar
here: some of the advice you might receive from veteran developers
may no longer be valid due to changing tastes, technologies,
industry, whatever. Ask identical questions to different developers
and see how each of them answers. Constantly, seek new ways
to grow!
|
