>Either I missed it or you did not mention the specific market. In either case, sometimes if marketing $ is limited, you can try a different route. For example, let's say you have a package that manages document images. You could offer your package (in a bare bones format) as a freebie with equipment that a major distributer of imaging equipment sells or leases. Then offer 'add-ins' at a price or a subscription rate. Sometimes they already have an in-house package they offer but they will sometimes be willing to provide more options to their customers as it increases their customer statisfaction also. Who are your potential customers? What types of seminars and professional functions do they attend? Do they have an industry newsletter? Should you be presenting your product at the industry trade-show, seminar, or in their newsletter? Perhaps you could convince someone on the newsletter staff to 'rate your program?'

Yes, you make very good sense, Tracy. By example, I'm a stamp/coin collector (aka "philatelist"/"numismatist"), and I'm on the board of a "philatelic computing" quarterly newsletter which reviews stamp/coin "Inventory" apps (most often they're Inventory apps). Personally, I make my own apps for these, which can get fancy with images, and many details of condition, price paid, current value, scanning ability built in, etc. - but most hobbyists don't have the skills to do a good app, and are willing to pay for one.

The way things normally work is that the creators of these apps (could be me, for example) do this: first thing, send a few free licenses/copies to the newsletter staff for trial usage and the promise of an objective write-up article, usually about 2 pages long, plus some images, in the next edition. We may even charge a bit for this at the newsletter, but not much, just nominal printing/distribution costs. The more serious money comes from (if all goes well) the full-page ads we hope to get later on from the product creators. <s>

Then, part of the deal is that at the end of each "review" article, we post contact info where to download/send for a copy. Everyone in my "private" business-world offers free trial versions, usually missing a feature, or with a "max records" = 30 or such (many ways to do trials/demos, as we know).

This generally works very well. It gives the new entrepeneurs a door to enter the business, and we do write-ups of new editions of older products too. No one will get too rich doing these apps for stamp/coin collectors, or even larger ones for dealers - but you can make enough to support your hobby fairly well, if your product is good and becomes popular. Besides, most of us that create the products like the work anyway.

Usually you know in advance there's already competition, so you can't expect to instantly dominate the market, many collectors already have invested so much time in their current Inventory apps they won't likely budge to a new product right away - but a good product will get a chunk of newbie business, and continue to grow. Also, older products do fade out, and then you want to be in position to get the business, and make migrating easy.

Lastly, as pointed out, depending on product and business area, you can offer your product as "freeware/shareware" first (with "donations" perhaps) - that's worked well for me, both as buyer and seller, to get started.