Apple Killed the Publisher, Now What?

From Beaver BarCamp

Where and When

Room 2087, 2:30 - 3:20 PM

Abstract

App distribution and discovery is broken. I have a fix. Something I call a validated collective approach to publishing, marketing and mobile app success. (You might think of it as an open source approach, with social proof and some strong industry players guiding it.)

THE biggest challenge in mobile apps is generating awareness. Or, as I like to refer to it, rising above the noise. How does an individual or small studio stand out in a crowd of nearly half a million apps?

Traditional app publishers were the quality filters to restrict crap apps (the Simon Cowell equivalent for apps). But Apple, and Google and RIM, killed that service with the open app store. Everyone can submit apps and the big boys take 30%, end of story. It sounded fantastic to all the wannabe and mediocre coders out there with ideas of fart apps, zombie themes and bouncing body parts.

For the really great app titles out there on App World and elsewhere, mass discovery is the only roadblock to success. With the publishers dead, what are the options to get the word out en masse?

The solution to publishing apps successfully is so much simpler than it seems. A publisher uses its installed base of fans plus massive marketing expenditure to sell a new product. As a small developer, both of these options are cost prohibitive or just simply not available. But what I've found through networking and trial and error is that each small studio has a devoted and solid following. And aside from a very few extreme overlap points, there is plenty of room to work together and share.

If developers would stop hiding and hoarding, and embrace the "open source" mentality and work together, then they can all benefit together from greater exposure. Everyone promotes and markets everyone's apps (via some easy-to-use technology and nearly-free social and viral media) and each of their devoted following, or tribes, get exposed to new, great apps and become fans of those. Together, not separately, we will overcome the noise, confusion and lack of major funding that has historically been required to be successful. People buy what they trust, and we need to start sharing trust.

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My social proof: My app/game company, Thumb Arcade, has Twitter and FB software developer fans (who re-post our stuff) in the UK, Canada, USA, Mexico, Korea and beyond. They have helped us grow our following to the point where our aSecret app for BlackBerry has achieved over 200K downloads. Our "My Underwear" app just reached a half million pairs of underwear eaten (by monsters). We are two people and a contract developer pool. Others can do this too...and better.

The site for this movement was initially thrown out to the public as a launch page at http://whoneedschillingo.com. It created quite a stir online and in the press. I officially launched the site at http://selfpubd.com, and we now have almost 400 developer companies represented!

Links to unsolicited press about SelfPubd (aka Who Needs Chillingo?)

http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Spilt+Milk+Studios+news/news.asp?c=30056

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/PG.Biz/Who+Needs+Chillingo/news.asp?c=29903

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/PG.Biz/Selfpubd/news.asp?c=31883 Bao da Blackberry PlayBook da thật nhiều màu Bao da Blackberry PlayBook Da rắn blackberry playbook bao da blackberry playbook dán mà hình blackberry playbook

blackberryplaybook blackberry playbook 16gb blackberry playbook 32gb blackberry playbook 64gb

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