Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?

I know its a bit trendy, but I am making a living off of iPhone apps. I don't have any smash hits but have been maintaining a fairly consistent income since I published my first app last December. Right now I am trying to ramp up the number of apps I have and my goal is to match my previous salary at a "hot, young internet startup" in the valley (which is in the throws of death, i think)

This was my first experience selling software, I was always a research oriented, backend sort of guy... usually a few abstractions away from the actual product. So I had to think about a lot of new things, but it was really fun. I wasn't used to thinking about where buttons should go or how the UI flow for creating a new game. And I certainly wasn't used to responding to user feedback. The first version of my first game was pretty buggy and people complained and there was my name next to it in the app store. Not something I was used to. But now I most of the emails I get tell me how much they like the program and as much as I like to say I hate people, it feels pretty good.

So maybe that's inspiring.

Or maybe the fact that its noon and I'm typing this from bed with my dogs asleep next to me will inspire you. Although, the freedom to work on my own terms is a blessing and a curse. This has been covered before on HN, but I would say if you have the self discipline, then its more of a blessing.

I have mixed feelings about writing apps because it can be a crapshoot. I don't think you can go into it expecting to write a huge hit, but I also think its one of the best places for an independent software developer. Apple takes care of a lot of the non-development details for you and you can get your app in front of a lot of eyes very quickly.

PS: I will probably go back to work at another startup someday. As much as fun as I'm having, I do miss working with a good team of folks on something that requires EVERYONE's effort. But for now, I am very happy doing what I'm doing.

@16software: I took a look at your site. A couple of things are broken and you should fix them to improve your sales.

From your home page, the link to "our products" doesn't work, it stays on the same page. So I'll never know what products you have!

Your CSS template needs a refresh. The single-column layout looks like it's from the 90s. Just add some kind of right column, a few frames with light-colored backgrounds, and it will look much better.

About piracy: forget about it, it's not as big a problem as you think. First, those who use pirated software would most likely not have paid for it in the first place. But more important, people on pirate software they want. And if you found a niche that people want, then you'll get plenty of legitimate customers.

Last (you are bringing up so many interesting points, I have to stop somewhere): marketing is very important. I sort of covered that point on my blog (http://blog.fairsoftware.net/2009/03/11/the-great-startup-id...), but I'll probably repost something more specific.

Just because you wrote an interesting program doesn't mean that anyone will ever know or use it. How disappointing is that? Marketing is not about fluffy balloons and pink super bowl ads. It's about being smart and figuring out where your customers are and how to reach them. You can do a lot of marketing on a null budget, if you spend some time. A good rule of thumb for a programmer is to dedicate one hour a day on marketing activities.

I very much enjoyed the answers to this very question on Digg (oops sorry I mean Reddit):

http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8f4dk/any_progr...

My interpretation of what he said is that they were complaining about his programs and the reviews were next to his name.

This is very useful info-- a weekend or so ago I made an app in this area. With a little marketing I think there are some industries where you could get more sales.

You might actually look into making this into a web service where you store the images on your site with timelines, etc, to help the users sort through it. You may make more with a monthly free for the backend piece than you make on the front-end, but it does require more sysadmin work.

Thanks for sharing.