Want to get your book or writing in the App Store? At the Publishing App Expo today, readers received a dose of app publishing reality.
A standalone book app could cost $15,000 to $20,000 depending on how prepared you are to publish your content. Magazine apps can cost up to $200,000 to build an ongoing system for publishing content.
Most people in our audience can’t afford that kind of solution, so MagAppZine founder Paul Canetti and Signus Labs co-founder Arseny Lebedev shared a long list of app budget tips for authors, journalists and publishers.
App Building Budgeting Tips
1. Have the plan first. Have your book design ideas and don’t change it. Once you change it, it adds lag time on art and programming–it will cost you more. (Canetti)
2. Budget 10 percent for analytics–it’s a great way to find out how people are reading your book or writing. (Lebedev)
3. Understand what an app is. An app is a piece of software, more like a piece of computer software rather than a website. (Canetti)
4. Don’t go for the cheapest guy, don’t go to the most famous app designer. (Lebedev)
5. Put revisions in your contract–they can get expensive. (Lebedev)
6. Publish under your name so you, rather than your developer, get the revenue. (Canetti)
7. Find out who made the apps that you love. Hire them, if possible. (Canetti)
8. Go to developer meetups, conferences or sites to find someone to work on your project. (Lebedev)
9. Explore apps by a developers before you hire them. Make sure it makes sense to you as a reader.(Lebedev)
10. Plan to work with the same developer for updates to your app. It will save you money in the long-run. (Canetti)
11. Don’t forget to include marketing and advertising in your budget. Don’t let the app get lost in the app store. (Canetti)