Self publishing or mobile app development?

[DBXI]

I only really have time for one other project and just wanted to get some thoughts on these two business models. Current main business is ecommerce and I'm still going hard with that business. I've always had a desire to get into self publishing (KDP, etc) and mobile app development (kids education games).

Any thoughts on these two separate business models and how they compare if you were just starting out in either? The way things are setup for me right now I really only have time to do one of these "the right way" with proper funding, man power etc.

I feel like the app dev side will be more money up front with higher potential for bust or boom. I would outsource the majority of the dev work. Whereas with KDP with a little bit of time invested with writing there's not a ton of risk involved there, but not sure how much earning potential is really there.

I believe I have identified needs in both market places just having a hard time picking one as I'll be committed to one or the other for quite awhile. With both models they violate some degree of control. KDP with Amazon, although you could use your own site to sell the ebook directly. With apps it violates control as well with relying on the app stores Apple, Google, Amazon.

Looking for thoughts on how you go about evaluating potential business models and income streams.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I have identified needs in both market places

I'd go with the one with the strongest need.

I'd also play a preference toward apps as it offers more monetization options and has higher barriers.

 

[MTF]

As for self-publishing, is it fiction or non-fiction?

 

[DBXI]

I'd go with the one with the strongest need.

I'd also play a preference toward apps as it offers more monetization options and has higher barriers.

I just yelled in my house "Wow MJ DeMarco just replied in my thread!". And everyone near me knows that's a big deal because ya know THE BOOK man! I know you've heard it a million times but thanks for providing your vision for people looking for another way in life. Your book and this forum has literally changed my life and many people around me.

Thanks for the insights on these two paths.

 

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[DBXI]

As for self-publishing, is it fiction or non-fiction?

I was going to start with non-fiction to get started to get a good understanding of the overall setup and figured I could hammer out a decent how to type of guide. I've done a lot of technical documentation with brand new tech and the guides out there are pretty lacking. I've had access to a lot of betas with software from big companies so it gives me a bit of an advantage there. Obviously I couldn't release anything until the products go public.

After a non-fiction book or two I was going to try a fiction book because selfish reasons I guess. I've had multiple stories stored on my HD that have just been sitting there for years. I have a few that have probably 20k+ as rough drafts / notes etc. No idea how they would do but I've always wanted to try it.

 

[beatgoezon]

I'd agree with MJ's point, you should go with something you think you can fill the need in with, but I think equally as important, something you can keep drilling at even if you don't get instant results.

Apps have unmet needs due to over saturation of low quality re-skins flooding the App Store(espicially with Google Play's Store), and that's blamed on the reduced Entry Barrier in the app world- picking up an app template, throwing on new graphics, and uploading to the App Store.

What you should do is try to get to the next step, which is create something unique and something that actually fills the needs of users.

I'll give you just one example, there are rumors about VR apps/games as 2017's demand. I'm going to make a prediction that this year, some of the most downloaded apps/games(which will also create the most fresh app millionaires in the app business) will be VR/AR games. I might be wrong, but it's just a prediction.

I say this a lot here but I'd say go with the industry that you think you can rough it out in without discouragement, and if you do choose to go into the app business, do what majority of app developers don't do; that's create a unique game or app. Do not buy templates, re-skin crappy concepts, and saturate the market.

Best of luck

 

[eTox]

I'll pitch in. I've dabbled into ecom this year and I have finally realized after half a year that it's not simple. Nothing is simple, but all the gurus and shitsters make it look like fun ease.

In reality, dropshipping is shit. Custom merch is even shittier. The only way to go is to solve a need and create a brand, but that requires loads of money. I've put down around 5K to learn ecom and I've learned it the hard way that there is only one way to make money and that is buy solving problems, providing value and doing the hard shit.

But in order to do that correctly it requires much more time and effort for me personally than creating mobile games. I've just ran the numbers and it turns out that one can actually make mobile games a fastlane based on humble results that I got this year from just waiting.

To be honest, it's simple to create really shitty apps now. But if you want to make any money from games/apps it's going to take a shit load of time and effort but in the end you are going to have a fully functioning and sustainable business.

IMHO as much as I don't like that Apple/Google has the final say (in terms of control) there is just no other option. So I would just play by their rules. After all App Annie forecasted that the app economy could double in size to 101 billion by 2020. I just think there is some money to be made there...

 

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[MTF]

I don't have experience with mobile apps but I do have experience with self-publishing.

I was going to start with non-fiction to get started to get a good understanding of the overall setup and figured I could hammer out a decent how to type of guide. I've done a lot of technical documentation with brand new tech and the guides out there are pretty lacking. I've had access to a lot of betas with software from big companies so it gives me a bit of an advantage there. Obviously I couldn't release anything until the products go public.

IMO Amazon is NOT a good place for highly technical books. If you want to build a self-publishing business publishing non-fiction, it has to be a big, big niche. If it's a small, defined niche, it's better to create a premium product and sell it for a much higher price on your own site than on Amazon with the typical <$5 price UNLESS you want to use this book as social proof that you're an expert. Still, it wouldn't generate much in direct revenue - you'd still have to monetize primarily through your own site and more expensive products.

Please also keep in mind that most non-fiction authors who do well have at least a few books in their catalogs and release a new title at least 1-2 times a year. Only the biggest names can succeed with just one or two books.

One advantage of non-fiction is that it gives a bit more control than fiction because it's much easier to sell a non-fiction ebook on your site than fiction (but still challenging when compared to Amazon). Moreover, non-fiction in certain genres is also very profitable in different formats like paperback and audiobook (which is not the case in most fiction genres, especially paperbacks that can be quite lucrative in non-fiction but don't really sell in fiction).

After a non-fiction book or two I was going to try a fiction book because selfish reasons I guess. I've had multiple stories stored on my HD that have just been sitting there for years. I have a few that have probably 20k+ as rough drafts / notes etc. No idea how they would do but I've always wanted to try it.

Publishing fiction doesn't really work like that on Amazon unless you're lucky enough to have written stories in the popular genres/genres with demand. The biggest independent fiction authors follow specific trends and put out one book after another in series (most standalones don't work well).

Lastly, you need to be aware that one can't simply build a self-publishing business. It's more of a career because you have to constantly release new books (I'd say at the very least 2-3 titles a year as the competition is super strong). Then again, non-fiction also requires you to constantly release new books, so in general self-publishing isn't a "set it and forget it" type of a business.

If you're looking to build a business that can become a saleable brand, mobile apps are a better idea.

 

[loop101]

I'd go with the one with the strongest need.

I'd also play a preference toward apps as it offers more monetization options and has higher barriers.

It surprises me that you lean towards apps, since Apple or Google have ultimate control over your products.

I know some apps transcend the medium, for example Candy Crush started as an HTML game on Facebook, then was ported to Android and iOS. I assume it's available on almost every computing platform by now, so they are not really at the mercy of either Apple or Google.

Or do you prefer apps as a way to earn extra money, as a stepping stone to future products that you have more control over?

I ask because I was working on some cpu-intensive apps that had to be native, but stopped because I didn't want to be at someone else's mercy.

Update:

Never mind, I found the answer here: GOLD - Is This Fastlane? (Uh, no, it isn't.)