Creating successful indie software is about much more then just coding an app. If you want to create something successful (and useful) you will have a much better chance if you learn a few things about marketing and buiness. Here's the sources that have most influenced the way that I think about the non programming aspects of creating great software:
Paul Graham - The Power of the Marginal http://www.paulgraham.com/marginal.html
"Small things can be perfect; big ones always have something wrong with them."
Clue Train Manifesto http://www.cluetrain.com/
This is what first convinced me that marketting and buisness stuff in general wasn't neccessary bad and slimmy. It's also the inspiration for building user-powered softare.
Bunch of marketting books...
To my brain (and this means that I'm missing quite a bit I'm pretty sure) most marketting books boild down to "be different" and describe that difference as clearly as possible to the potential cusomer. This is a really important lesson and I think it's important to get it drilled into your head so I recommend reading as many marketting books as you can take. They are quick reads, but in the end I think they are well worth it, you'll be building better more useful applications as a result.
http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Cow-Seth-Godin/dp/...=pdbbssr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196356386&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketi... http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-M...=pdsimbimg1 http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Geoffrey-M...=pdsimbimg2
E-Myth-Revisited http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Bu...
This books taught me that while I hate most franchises the "franchise" idea of standardized processes and ways of doing things is very useful.
Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace http://www.amazon.com/Style-Ten-Lessons-Clarity...
The truth is, as most of you can probably tell from my writing, I've never made it much past the first few chapters of this book. But even that has helped me a lot with my writing and thinking. I think that it is very useful to clearly position and describe my products before I start major work on them.
Copyright © 2008 Jesse Grosjean. All rights reserved.
Joe Wiz - December 26, 2007 1:12 AM
Hey Jesse - It's funny that you recommend the book on style that you did. I took Joseph William's course at the University of Chicago as an undergrad (the course was called Little Red Schoolhouse), and it really turned my writing around. I came into the class knowing I could write, but I left knowing how my writing would be read. It taught me what readers expect when they're looking for 'clarity'. We didn't have a textbook much less this textbook, but I'd pick this one up in a minute since it looks like a distilled version of what we learned in class. Great recommendation for anyone who has to write and can't afford to turn away readers, I'd say.
p.s. This is a really innovative project you have going. Will follow with interest.
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jesse - December 27, 2007 1:11 PM
Small world, wow. I found out about the book as a reference from Patterns of Software: Tales from the Software Community. Another book that I really liked, but probably more of interested to pure CS people.
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