 
#  

# Introduction

Mobile App Growth Hacks – Developer Interviews iOS 8

By Chris Flammer

Copyright SerenityAppSolutions 2014

Published at Smashwords

Welcome to one of the most comprehensive collections of interviews with iOS Developers from around the world.

We interviewed developers while conducting Market Research for Mobile App Growth Hacks. While we were able to gather the data we needed, we also found ourselves caught up in reading their stories and appreciative of the wisdom they had to share. So we decided to include the entire transcript from some of our favorite interviews in a separate book

Each developer was posed 5 questions:

1. How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

2. What do you love most about being an app developer?

3. What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

4. Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

5. Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

We hope that you will be inspired as we have been by the amazing stories within these pages as well as learn from the many wonderful insights they had to share.

*Please note that the opinions and views expressed in these interviews are the opinions of the interviewee and do not reflect the opinions or views of Serenity App Solutions or it's employees.

## About Mobile App Growth Hacks

In today's crowded App Store, creating exposure and marketing their app is the biggest challenge small developers and companies face. The number one reason for failure of an app is improper and ineffective marketing.

So how do you create exposure for your app, and build your brand in today's App Store?

When it comes to marketing a mobile app, many people tend to think of things like writing press releases, running ads, pitching to bloggers, and so on. These things fall into the realm of traditional marketing. Traditional Marketing is expensive, time consuming, and in most cases completely ineffective. Unless your marketing budget reaches into the hundreds of thousands and you have a full time staff implementing your marketing plans, traditional marketing won't take you very far.

And the biggest problem with traditional marketing is that it often neglects one of the most important facts of App Marketing:

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Simply put, the app you've created can offer more engagement, connect more users, and reach more people than any other website or blog out there. You don't need deep pockets or a full time marketing staff to achieve success in the App Store. All you need is creativity, an understanding of who your customers are, and the courage to try new things.

In this book, we teach you everything you need to know to run a successful app business by focusing on the driving force of your business: The product. Learn how to build and grow your company right from the inside, starting with everything you should be doing in your app to drive sales and downloads, and create more awareness for your brand.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Harin Wickremasinghe

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Smart Chef Substitutions

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We are a family business that started when my father lost his engineering job in early 2009 as a result of the economic downturn in Detroit, Michigan. He was 62 at the time and finding work was difficult, so he decided to start reading up on programming (which was not his background) to take a crack at programming apps for the iPhone. My brother and I worked along with him to develop the content, graphics and sound. With a lot of hard work, our first app, Smart Chef Substitutions was published in June of 2009. As you know, it is difficult to make a living in the App Store. However, Apple threw us a bone by featuring Smart Chef on the front page of iTunes and using it in Magazine campaigns. That gave us the boost of confidence we needed to keep going. Later that year, we switched to educational apps. My Mom was, at the time, still teaching at a Montessori school, something she had been doing since 1969. With her expertise in the field, we decided to create a Montessori inspired library of apps. Now that the iPad was out, the possibilities seemed endless. Our first Educational app hit the App Store in November 2009. Since then, schools have picked up our apps and promoted them and today we have a business that supports basic needs of three families. Nobody is getting rich here, yet, but we're content with our work so far. Now that we have a nice library of apps, we are hoping to be featured in some way by Apple again. Unfortunately, we haven't been listed in any of the categories that we clearly belong in. Hopefully that will change in the future...

What do you love most about being an app developer?

We love the fun & challenge of starting with a blank canvas and an idea and working to bring it to fruition. For years we all worked in cubicles for "the man" and now we work for ourselves doing creative things. That's pretty cool! Our genre of apps gives us the satisfaction that we are helping people, too. We often get reports of parents & educators about how children are really learning important concepts from our apps. That is fulfilling. And, on a personal note, we have the freedom to pursue other things that are important to us,as well. I'm living in Costa Rica now, doing volunteer work – I couldn't do that with any other job!

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting lost in the mix of the App Store is a HUGE challenge. We get emails from our website and Facebook site regularly that people never knew we existed. Our products are good, the problem is, nobody knows we're here. Recently, our website's server crashed and our sales plummeted by 60%. That was bad, but also good – it told us where the bulk of our customers are coming from. So, we'll be putting extra efforts into website related stuff to help reclaim market share.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yes. The featured sections are filled with apps made by Apple employee friends and their personal favorites, not necessarily, the best apps in each genre. New & Noteworthy sections often feature repeats, which with so many new apps out there, seems like playing favorites. We have apps in Math, Language, Geography & Science fields that are used by entire school systems, yet, they have never been listed in a Math, Language, Geography or Science grouping in the Education field of the App Store. Something needs to change!

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Yes, there are million dollar apps out there, but most developers who have made one or two apps cannot live off them. So, think bigger –a few dollars a day adds up when you have a nice library of apps, quality apps, that is!

Take a moment and find out more about Harin Wickremasinghe and Smart Chef Substitutions at <http://www.mobilemontessori.org/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Alicia Benetz

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Word Slug

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing for just over a year now. I got started as a graphic designer working with a team of developers on a web–based flash game. It soon became evident that it would be great if I could do the design work and just lay it out in the code. When we decided to switch from flash to apps, I decided to pick up my coding hat and give it a try. With the help of some developers on my team, I began to learn lua and the cross–platform mobile development tool Corona.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love the ability to easily launch the in–progress product on a device. I find it pretty cool that when I need to be away from my computer, I can still be trying out different things with my in–progress app. Another cool bit is that nearly everyone I know has a smartphone, so when people ask about what you do, they can download one of your apps right then and there.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I find it hard to determine what would be a good value. Everyone will tell you that their marketing tool, ad publisher, or magical bean will do the perfect thing to launch your app into the King level stratosphere. What comes as a challenge is weeding through the hype to figure out an accurate assessment of ROI for each of the options. In addition, you may have the coolest app and some great marketing, but if a user types your app name directly into a store and it isn't the top hit (or even in the top 5), you can lose any benefit your marketing brought you because of the vagaries of the app stores.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

As mentioned in the marketing question, if users try to find you, it can be difficult to navigate the multitudes listed in the app stores. When they can type in your app's full exact name and still have a paid or higher–rated or however–it–is–sorted app as the top 5 hits for your app's exact name, it is challenging and frustrating.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

I think good testers who will be honest and not just tell you what they think you'd like to hear is a great idea. I think if you put together a game you enjoy playing, as I am still madly addicted to my game Word Slug after over a year of playing, at least you get something out of it... even if your app never becomes a Candy Crush (is it illegal for me to use their name now? Or is that just in naming my own apps :).

Take a moment and find out more about Alicia and Word Slug at http://wordsluggame.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Deepti Daryanani

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 New Best Friends

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I am a new in this business. I was inspired to create the artistic media company "Maadchick Networks" in early July 2013, and this children's book app, New Best Friends is our first piece of work. Having written the stories, I wanted to reach out to all the children in the world and developing a book app made perfect sense. I did a lot of research and finally zeroed down on hiring technical services in developing the app. Also, I am an actress by profession. (www.deeptidaryanani.com) I have taken up this role in app development to bring these stories to children.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The most fascinating part for me is to see the merger of art with technology. The artistic ideas needs today's technological medium. To discuss how far we can build an app that truly communicates its message is something I am interested in. I understand that an app is like a living document. One can constantly reinvent it to better tell it's story.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

There are so many apps in the market. The challenge is how to make this one app stand out and bring it to the targeted audience's attention. Mine is a children's app and as a conscious developer, I wanted to keep the app non–violent and with features that do not disturb the fragile minds but helps develop their learning skills and overall self growth. So automatically, this makes the app not as dynamic and high end as the gaming apps that are very entertaining from the go. So the challenge is to stand out in a market of highly competitive visually entertaining apps.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Maybe the App Store can provide some interesting ways to help market and advertise a children's book app to parents and educators.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

I don't think I am eligible to give any advice to anyone as I am fairly new in this domain. What I can say is that technology is an excellent medium today to share our message with the world. But more than mere developing what really ignites the process is what is it that you want to say through this app.

Take a moment and find out more about Deepti and her app at http://www.maadchicknetworks.com and also explore her bio and acting career at http://www.deeptidaryanani.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Will Scott

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 ServaBid

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been involved in mobile development since 2012. As for how I got started, prior to mobile apps I was in enterprise systems development, and dabbled in video processing in my free time. I was very interested in video as consumable media, and pondered how video could be leveraged for productivity via mobile. In surveying the mobile ecosystem for video apps, I found that the most adopted applications were for social media and video chat. I decided that I wanted to tackle using mobile video to "get things done in the real world" — this early notion led to ServaBid. ServaBid is an app that lets you take a short video of a home–related job or repair project that you'd like completed. Service professionals view and bid to complete the job right through the app. Video is a powerful medium to convey the scope of the work, and allows service professionals to provide accurate quotes remotely.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

There are many things that I love about being involved in mobile development, but if forced to answer what I love the "most", I'd say facing the challenge of trying to enrich an end–user's life (if only in some small way). When I think about mobile devices and mobile apps, it all really comes back to this. Consider calendar apps that try to help you stay organized, social media apps that aim to keep you connected with friends and family, gaming apps that try to make wasting time as entertaining as possible, etc. With successful apps, the common thread is that they provide some value to the end–user. This was always at the forefront of ServaBid development. For the job poster, the goal was to make getting projects done easy and convenient. Specifically, to make it almost like "magic" – i.e., take a video showing a project you want done, and it will be completed. For the service professionals that complete the jobs, the goal was improvements to efficiency and to reduce costs. In many instances, video would allow for providing accurate estimates remotely, saving the time and expense of a visit.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The ServaBid app is a bit different from many apps when it comes to marketing, as it's effectively a mobile embodiment of a "marketplace". Here users post jobs they want completed, and a second demographic of users (service providers) bid to complete the jobs. This led to the chicken–and–egg problem of which demographic to woo first. We decided to focus on service professionals first, because without them, no work can be completed. Marketing is always an interesting subject, especially when bootstrapping (we're currently self–funded). The goal is to maximize return on any marketing investment, but the tricky thing is, there is usually no good gauge to how successful a marketing campaign will be until you actually try it! I'll be the first to say that this is an iterative process, and I'm far from an expert on the marketing side of things. Having said this, we continue to focus on providing value via the technology and user experience. In taking care of these things, we also hope to ramp up word of mouth referrals — which is the Holy Grail of marketing (it's very effective and FREE!).

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

As for the App Store, it's Apple's ecosystem, and we must work within the confines of it. In terms of a change, it would be nice to see the cut taken for In–App purchase reduced. This would drive competition from Google to also lower its cut, and would help app developers increase revenue across the board. This will likely not happen anytime soon though.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Regarding advice for new developers, I'd suggest starting with an "all inclusive" list of requirements for an initial release of the app. Once this list is generated, marry this with the allotted timeframe for delivery, development resources, testing resources, and funds available to execute on the list. When bootstrapping an app, usually development, test, and funds are very finite resources. Thinking these things through up front will help you prioritize what actually can (and should) be available in the initial release (this is a "delivery" list of requirements). Once the delivery list is defined, the additional items form the basis of a product roadmap, which will allow you to deliver new function as you grow and scale. This approach keeps development and test efforts containable, especially with a smaller team.

Take a moment and find out more about Will Scott and the ServaBid Team at http://www.servabid.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: David Zobrist

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

The Sha Man

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I did paint level paper design for existing games and created simple stories in form of short comics when I was around 12. But back then there were no real option to study in the technical / creative direction like game art or game design. I found my way back into my beloved field when I was 23 years old. I studied 1 year at the Games Academy Berlin and did a 1 year internship at YAGER Development right after. Which was a lucky first step into a big gaming studio that was busy developing Spec Ops The Line for the Xbox with 2k Games as Publisher. I was not part of that huge team at all. Instead I created game concepts and pitch material for many different ideas, in order for them to have a variety of future projects to work on after their game release. I had big backlashes when I got sick and could not work for 6 months, lost my girlfriend and my apartment. But I recovered and started of in a new Company as an Intern again but this time much better paid and with better perspectives for a real position. I worked at Young Internet later re–named to Goodbeans for 3 years. Starting off as an Quality Assurance Intern moving the carrier ladder up to a Quality Manager and finally to a Game Designer. As Game Designer I was responsible for Content, narrative, monetization and feature design. Through my experience as a Quality Assurance I was highly benefited with insights in all departments and was a crossroad for development. The company did major investment mistakes and broke down step by step, shortly before the sheep sank I decided to jump and this time on my own ship. I used the first day of my unemployment to organize my self–employment plans, visiting seminars and consulting an founding expert. Which helped me to create a bad ass business plan, where I used my pitching skills and his traditional/correct way of setting up all required documents to gain a Founding support from the government. Which worked out 3 months later and since beginning of this year I'm financially supported by Berlin until Juni of this Year, where I have to start living of my own profits. I released my first app "The Sha Man" in December 2013 and the second one "Sha Cat" 23. of April 2014. And now I hope to reach as many people as possible with my work to make my dream come true.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The barrier to create digital experiences was never as thin as now, not long ago you had to be able to program in complex languages, this extreme focus on one field made you very valuable in companies but independence as an all rounder was almost impossible to think off. Who would do your Art? When it's about games it was required to have at least one artist and one programmer. Also who would publish your work? There where many open questions and insecurities, today a 12 year old boy can find the tools and create his own app in a week and get it out there on the same market where the game giants fight for the attention of the crowd. I would have loved this possibilities as I was that young, In fact I would have never done something else. I love the possibilities you have as indepent Artist and it will become probably even easier.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Reaching the right people and knowing who I'm developing it for. Since I still think I have to find my own style I can't really now how it will impact on the market. The whole business inflation makes you fight for any kind of attention bad or good, the worst is to be not noticed. I kind of created a protective filter on my own psyche to not take it personal, I anyways would keep on developing success or not. It is what I love doing. There are several known ways how to gain attention for your app which would be: –Get featured by apple –> The golden key to success – They want universal builds and something that highlights their device – I was not featured yet –Get featured / Reviewed by the big boys such as Toucharcade.com or Pocketgamer.co.uk –Press release agencies (some free PrMac) –Youtube – post your gameplay / work in progress / trailers –Contact successful Youtubers to play your game – I see this one as one of the most powerful instruments right now –Google + Post your Game into the right Circles –> Add people get a following –Twitter Follow/Unfollow who doesn't follow you –> get in contact with other indies –Facebook – Does not work for community building at all –> Good as Product page and for your players to ask questions later –Development Blog Its just nice also for yourself to see your work progress step by step – It also does spread your pictures into google searches –Post in Game forums Google Admob – Pay for installs .. Sha Cat is the first game title where I did all of this, it came as a result of seeing the absolute urge after releasing my first title The Sha Man. Specially with priced titles you will need a community else it will just sink into the depths of the Appstore. I'm now always looking around for additional ways to promote my apps.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think there should be a list for new titles not only high ranked, there are a lot of very nice indie titles which get no chance because how you get known if no one see's you. A list for general new titles would be very fluid and alive and less controlled by the big boys which pump hundred of thousands into their iTunes presence/position.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Be sure it is what you love doing and you not just here to make the next flappy bird clone. The App Store has become a lottery business for many people, which is hard breaking to see for people who really love the art of games.

Take a moment and find out more about David Zobrist and The Sha Man at <http://twitter.com/TheShaManGame>

### Developer Name: Mar Ballesteros Lorenzo

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Crazy Flamenco Rumba Dance

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing apps two years ago. A friend of mine told me about apps. I did some sketches and looked for a development company. We finally launched an app for kids as partners. This business model didn't work well for me, and the app was not a great success (it was my first app), but I learned a lot in the process and finally gave the next step: starting developing apps on my own.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

This business gives me freedom. I can manage my time as I wish. I also love to be creative, and take decisions on my own. Of course there is a black side. It I go wrong, I lose money (and is not funny).

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is always to choose the correct app in the correct moment. Marketing starts with the app itself. Once I launch an app, I do my best with keywords and press releases etc, but I always have the feeling that there is something I can't control. Still trying to find out what it is :)

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yes, if I could, I'd do a "remix" between Apple App Store and Google Play. I'd make Apple App Store more open, with more flexibility for developers and Google Play more developer–friendly (I'd love to get some support from real people when needed).

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't spend too much time and money in your first app (I had to learn this the bad way). This is a learning process. If you put all your efforts in your first app, you'll probably get disappointed to see it fail and will have no strength and money to continue with this. You'll probably need some attempts to make a good app and be successful. You will know when you are prepared to take a bigger step. Most of the learning process you'll have to follow begins when you launch your app. If you take a whole year in the development process, you are wasting lots of precious months you could be spending learning from "inside". All is different once you have your first app out there. Of course, there are some exceptions, and it is just my experience. At last, don't hesitate to contact other people that may be ahead from you on this app business. You'll be surprised how much people are willing to help. Remember: always be honest and respect users.

Take a moment and find out more about Mar Ballesteros Lorenzo and Crazy Flamenco Rumba Dance App at <http://www.marballesteros.com/apps/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Jaume Díaz

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 2014 US Holiday Calendar

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We started in November 2011. We were 3 partners, one was a Physician, the other studied Business Administration, and myself a Telecommunications Engineer. We thought it was a nice growing business and we just had graduated from school (except the Business guy) so it was a now–or–never chance to try to start our own company. We bought some books about developing (completely self–learners) and started developing some apps for fun. When we were ready, we created the company. Then the Physician left the project and I had to learn objective–C too!

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Well, what I mostly love is the moment you publish your app and that mystery on what will happen, will it work? And also when you have a bug and you solve it, it's like getting out from a labyrinth having rescued the girl.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The main problem is always, always, spreading the word. We're a very small company and we can't have big expenses on ads like others do so our task is like 10 times harder.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think the App Store is too restrictive. I think it's a great idea that they want to guarantee a certain level of quality for their users, but they're arbitrary sometimes (like 2 apps that do the same – one gets approved, the other doesn't) and I prefer a more market–based economy, like Google does.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't stop developing something because you think it won't be successful. Unless you have actual data about it (which is hard to achieve), in our experience, the apps that worked best for us are the apps that I had lesser faith in. So if you think it would be cool to have that in your phone, do it!!

Take a moment and find out more about Jaume Díaz and Rhappsody Technologies at <http://www.rhappsody.net/en/>

### Developer Name: Nancy Lu

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Piiig Labs: Science Experiments

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been an app developer for over a year now and I got started in early 2013 when I saw that there's a significant gap in content for kids that is both educational and fun. I also did some research on the app store and found that while there were tons of apps related to math and literacy, less than 5% of the best selling apps for kids were related to science. I feel like science was a neglected subject area and many kids were discouraged from pursuing it because of the way it's taught in schools. I was fortunate that I had a investor who had the same vision backing me from the beginning and I was able to quickly ramp up and ship out two apps in the first year. Our main app is called Piiig Labs, which allow you to do mini science project inside your own virtual lab.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love brainstorming game concepts and interaction and seeing my own idea come into reality. I also love working with kids and I find that a lot of times, what makes sense to you as an adult is completely different from how kids perceive it. I do many rounds of testing with kids for each mini game and it's fascinating to see how kids react to them. One of my primary goals for the app, aside from making it educational and entertaining, is to make sure that it is intuitive for kids as young as 3 or 4 years old. That means I can't use written instructions inside the app and only rely on visual cues to guide kids in how to play. This makes app development a lot more challenging of course, but it is a challenge that I love tackling.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

There are millions of apps in the app store and it's virtually impossible to get noticed unless you are relentless in doing marketing. Our app luckily has received many positive reviews and has been featured by the app store in various categories. Still, those things only give you temporary boost in downloads and you still have to keep marketing your apps if you don't want them to fall off the radar. I've tried getting reviewed by app review sites, doing ads and promotions on twitter and Facebook, contacting press in various countries in various languages, reaching out to schools and teachers, etc. At the end of the day, there's no magic formula and you just have to keep trying different avenues. I look at analytics for everything relies on data as much as possible in deciding what is working and what isn't. I don't have a big budget to work with, so the hard part is just not giving up and to keep going.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think Apple does a relatively good job featuring indie apps and my only wish is that they would provide more data analytics on app downloads. Right now it's very hard and most of the time impossible to tell where the downloads are coming from and why they fluctuate a lot on certain days.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

I would suggest new developers to really analyze the market and have a monetization and marketing plan before they start building. This will influence how you build your app and the timing of release, etc. For example, you can't just build an app and make it a lite version as an after thought. You usually end up giving away either too much content or too little. If you plan on having IAPs and you are building a kids app, then you need to be on top of the latest COPPA guidelines. And regardless of whether you are making a game or utility app, you need to think about how to build long–term engagement with your users.

Take a moment and find out more about Nancy Lu and Piiig Labs: Science Experiments at <http://piiig.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: David L Hoyt

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Just 2 Words

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for the past three years, but I've been making puzzles and games for the last 15 years and have managed to become the world's most syndicated daily word game creator. I create the JUMBLE puzzle seen in more than 650 newspapers; two puzzles in USA Today and lots more across many platforms. I gradually transitioned into the app. It was a natural transition from print, online, board games, etc. I partnered with Steve Bullock of Adveractive. He's really the super genius behind the app development in regard to programming. My area of expertise involves in the creation of the puzzles, games, content, etc. Steve and I have had a great partnership and have really enjoyed developing apps.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love that can interact with players so easily. I can be anywhere and pull out a mobile device, introduce myself, and say "Hi. I'm the guy that creates the Jumble in all the newspapers. Can I show you my new app JUST 2 WORDS?", etc. I've interacted with lots and lots of people in this way on planes, in taverns, on the street, etc. Being able to pull out a mobile device with my apps on it is so fun for me. Because of my broader success and name recognition with JUMBLE, USA Today, etc., I find that most people will talk to me, so it's been a blast interacting with players via the personal interaction with the apps.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Without a doubt, it's marketing the app. Making people aware of our apps is the key. I've been fortunate enough to get on TV and have articles written about me and my apps, but it's still very difficult to get people to pay attention to a particular app. We have no problems making very high quality apps, but like everybody, we struggle to get people aware of them.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

This is a tough question because I find that it's amazing that the App Store exists at all. I would say that I wish there was a way to give high–profile, branded apps better positioning over smaller apps (which would benefit me), but I love that now anyone can make an app and get into the App Store. It's puts everyone on equal–footing. I don't get as much of an advantage as I'm used to and I like it that way (for the most part). It makes me have to really deliver. I'm happy with the App Store. I look at it as a "store" and that the real marketing is up to me and my team. It's always nice when you get some great placement from the App Store, but with them dealing with so many apps, it's certainly not something to count on. I think the people running the App Store do an amazing job considering how overwhelming their job is.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The advice I would give to a developer just starting out is to look at everything as part of a larger process of learning. No matter what you think and what your expectations are, you are likely to be wrong at first. There is a big learning curve when it comes to app development. I've seen so many developers have expectations that just didn't make sense because they lacked the knowledge to even know what to expect in the first place. They key is not to give up. Short–term failure is just part of the process of becoming successful over the long–term. The key is to learn throughout the process. Don't let your inherent human nature's desire to always be right cause problems. It can cause you to ignore great advice and to overlook wonderful opportunities to learn valuable information.

Take a moment and find out more about David L Hoyt and Adveractive Inc. at http://www.just–2–words.com/

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Gregg Weiss

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Speech Therapy for Apraxia NACD Home Speech Therapist

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We have been developing iOS app for 4.5 years, since the app store first came out. Our first app was called Boating Weather.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Over the last year, more than half of our business is derived from entrepreneurs who have ideas they want to build. Taking a concept from an idea (with literally no documentation or design) to app store is great.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Just the sheer volume of competition and noise out there. Getting featured on Apple is also a challenge. We have done it before, but in the early days of the app store.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

We all know that search is broken. Thats an obvious improvement. With iOS 7 Apple rolled out a change to ITC where they made it much easier to transfer an app to another owner, similar and as easy as transferring a domain name at Godaddy. Previously if you wanted to sell an app, you had to remove from sale, which meant all the reviews, and rankings were lost, then upload new code under a new dev account. There will be a lot of consolidation going on in the coming months/years.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Make sure you hire the right company. Don't be fooled by offshore prices. It takes $$ to develop an app and market it. Treat it like a business, not a vanity project.

Take a moment and find out more about Gregg Weiss & Blue Whale at http://www.bluewhaleapps.com

### Developer Name: Yves Schmid Dornbierer

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Runic Sorcerer

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been in software development for about 20 years now. I worked mostly for the video game industry and in all kinds of different art fields. I started developing mobile applications when the first iPad was released.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I always enjoyed developing applications and creating new software concepts. For me, the new mobile market did not change a lot the way I work. It's just a new platform.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Well, of course it is very difficult to market an application. Having visibility is incredibly difficult, even for very good apps.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

It's clear that the App Store could be improved a lot. It is incredibly difficult to find something that is not mainstream or picked by Apple. More keywords, more filters, more sub–categories should be added. The search engine really needs to be improved.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

It is very very difficult to make money out of the App Store. Unless you are targeting a niche that you know very well and you plan to market it using another channel that the App Store, you better work with a publisher. Also don't rush you app release. Take the time to find the right time and the right way to market it.

Take a moment and find out more about Yves and Plexus Games at <http://www.plexusgames.com/>

### Developer Name: Enno Bublitz

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 "MYP Personal Project" Manager

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing for just over a year now. I got started as a graphic designer working with a team of developers on a web–based flash game. It soon became evident that it would be great if I could do the design work and just lay it out in the code. When we decided to switch from flash to apps, I decided to pick up my coding hat and give it a try. With the help of some developers on my team, I began to learn lua and the cross–platform mobile development tool Corona.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I love the most about being an apple developer, is to actually be able to find your own apps on the AppStore and being able to download them so easily.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge, that I face while marketing my apps, is to attract the attention of the target audience.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

No. I like the AppStore and the way it offers users a huge amount of applications for every situation of life, from education to medicine to newspapers.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

My advice for any new developers out there, is to think about a few key questions before starting to develop a new application. Questions one might consider: Does my application really make the life of the user easier/ more fun/ etc.? Am I really able to code the uses I want my application to execute? Would there be many people interested in having an application like this?

Take a moment and find out more about Enno and MYP Personal Project Manager at <http://ennobublitz.wix.com/ppmanager>

### Developer Name: Arnaud Thiercelin

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Edouard

(Mac App)

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

14 years, started in high school out of passion.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It's a very creative art. Underrated one but still an art. You create things which literally changes people's life.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Making it so people want to spend money for it or its services. People just think software should be free when it's an incredibly hard task which demands perpetual training, you simply cannot stick to what you learned at school.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

More pricing brackets (higher ones), real demo mode (time limited), video to demonstrate the product and being able to answer comments.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Start with the basics: Learn C, don't take shortcuts. The more you know, the better your app will be. Don't code web apps, they simply suck. People want great interaction with their devices.

Take a moment and find out more about Arnaud and his app company at http://www.flyingpigcorp.com

### Developer Name: Mikyung Kang

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 1 to Call– Everyday, Call your beloved ones

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Our team was organized in March, last year. Each team member has about 4~5 years of experience.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Mobile Apps is a small and mature product. Because of that, developers can make apps fast, and users can immediately provide feedback. So developers recieve immediate gratification for their work.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Just marketing. For example, the App Store market of South Korea is very concentrated on the game category. So a non–entertainment or non–game app's monetization is very hard.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I want to do Editor's pick management. Choice is often exposed to noise does not seem to be a help to download apps.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Anybody can develop mobile apps. But it is difficult to make a well–made product, and it is more difficult to sell well. If you want to only make money with apps development, then you should find another job. But if you have already started, keep it up!

Take a moment and find out more about Mikyung and Provus Lab at http://www.provuslab.com

### Developer Name: Oliver Koehler

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Zip Viewer Pro

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started in 2011 with Apple's development environment. I first played around with Java Script, but realized soon that native apps are more powerful with better access to device features, so I switched over to Objective C.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Having direct access via the app store to a very big audience of possible customers. You can quickly realize if your app needs updating and get feedback immediately.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Being unique and ensure that people will find your app among all the others.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Difficult to answer. Of course everybody wants to be in the top 10. But without having a large marketing budget or strong brand it is nearly impossible. I think the ranking mechanisms are working quite well. With the right product and keywords you will get found by people who look for what you are offering. That what is most important.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Focus on user needs not just on functionality. Think about the potential user community before you start with the development. Do research in the app store and web. Plan releases of your app to shorten development cycles and work with user feedback.

Take a moment and find out more about Oliver and his app company at http://oliverkoehler.de

### Developer Name: Ricardo Lousada

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Girl's Quotes

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing app's since a year ago when I decided to quit a career of almost 20 years in the IT industry. I had an idea for an innovative mobile platform and decided, for the third time, to get back to the entrepreneur life. When I made my decision I was a manager, the years of programing were something I couldn't even remember so I had to study everything from the beginning. From the new paradigms of programing models like the MVC (Model View Controller) to Objective C, the language used to develop iOS Apps. I learned all by myself, from books, ebooks, online courses and tutorials.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The excitement of "creation". To see something "out there" that was made by me. And also the intellectual challenge.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

This is the "holy grail" of the App developer. There is not an exact science to promote / market an App and the biggest challenge is to get noticed in a market where you have 1 Million Apps competing for the same user attention.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Not in the App Store but in the Apple test environment. You need a lot of work to get started. They have been improving it but Apple is a closed eco–system with rigorous control which is good in terms of the market but not easy to start.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Yes, one that I learned from my self..."When in trouble do it like the teenagers...ask Google". One will be amazed by the quantity of technical issues I have overcome with this technique. The developer community is huge and there is for sure at least someone that had the same problem you have. I highly recommend one called stackoverflow. You can post your questions and other developers will try to help you. Is not easy to get an answer if you don't have a reputation but almost 100% of the times I had questions I've found that someone had already the same issue and with a lot of answers and potential solutions.

Take a moment and find out more about Ricardo and his latest app project at http://www.wtb.com.pt

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Kalana Jayatilake

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

My most successful app was a Gameboy color emulator called Earthquake 7. It was so popular it got 3500 purchases in 12 hours of its release. Sadly Apple removed the app from the store but you can still see the links published by blogs.  http://www.idownloadblog.com/2013/09/30/another–gba–emula tor–app–store

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps since I was 15 years old. I started app development in 2009. My uncle bought an iPhone. I loved the interface and loved playing with it. It got me motivated to make apps for this device. I bought my first Macbook and started learning app development through iTunesU.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I love is that I can reach my app to a large audience very quickly.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge for me is the marketing budget. There are so many options out there to market the app but when the budget is low, it is quite challenging.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

For me, I hope Apple would remove the guideline that prohibits emulators from being sold in the App Store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

My advice for them is to make the UI as creative as possible.

Take a moment and find out more about Kalana and her app company at http://askpiapps.weebly.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Elia Fornari and Edoardo Centioni (The Ulocal Team)

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Ulocal

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Actually, it is me and my business partner Edoardo Centioni, as you can see on our website (www.ulocal.it), that together had this idea and brought Ulocal to life. We are not actually developers and hope this doesn't ruin your expectations. We've been friends for along time and last year during our college exchange year in the Netherlands, we found that it was really hard for a stranger to get real and custom information about the new place we were living in, to travel and be aware of what his surroundings. It was hard to connect to the locals, those who really know the place, because there was no real network and on the other end, every little bit of information that we could find online was either not true or modeled by the advertisers. We've found that it was more convenient to go out and ask directly to the locals what was the place to be in that night, or the restaurant to go to. This is when we got the idea of building a network where travelers could find locals of the place they were visiting and ask them through instant messaging or by call personalized info about the city. Who knows a city better than a local? The best way to create this link was to create a mobile application where connecting to locals was easy and totally free. Hence we created "Ulocal".

What do you love most about being an app developer?

We managed the whole process from the primary idea about all the functions that Ulocal should provide, its CSS, and down to its marketing. This management is what we love: having great ideas and transform them into real products and services that could bring real benefits to the users.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Spreading the word is probably the biggest challenge. Once this is done, we're confident a very useful service (like we believe Ulocal is) will be appreciated by many. At the beginning however, it is a "jungle" in the app stores, which is a very competitive market, so it is pretty hard to come out strong right away if you don't have a large advertising budget.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There are two main things we would change. The first one is more concrete and feasible, enabling developers without a company to share an application ownership in the app store. As of now the App Store does not allow you to write the names of the developers, who, just like us, may not be part of a company. We had to choose a name to attach the app to, but the process was managed by the two of us. Now we are forced to get a company and a DUNS number in the United States in order to place our company name there. This is really inconvenient for a sector that lives for flexibility. Second, we would like the apps to be equally visible by all. We think it's fair to see the most popular apps first in the ranking, but at least both Apple and Google should give more space to the new entrants. New apps are visible for a few days in the app store and then they lose their rank just because there is an underlying system that reallocates the established apps on top. You can see that this loop is unstoppable and it will never speed up the rate of innovation. Here we are talking about a fast moving IT layer, and there shoudn't be a wall slowing it down. Hence we think that the solution can be found in a new system where new apps or not known apps can compete with their similar app in their category, for a more meritocratic system.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

If you are building an app try to take your time for the development at first, get everything into place, no mistakes, hours and hours of testing. Then when you have your invention place it in the stores and make it become an innovation by marketing it. Every single day after launch should be allocated to marketing, as it is the game changer factor of any app that has become popular.

Take a moment and find out more about Elia, Edoardo and the Ulocal Team at http://www.ulocal.it

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Joachim Mertens

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Hover Disc– The Multiplayer Challenge

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started to develop games for the Amiga in 1993. After the Amiga died, I took a long break until 2009. Then I decided to continue game developing. But I was not sure, which platform I should use. iOS or Nintendo DS? I choose iOS and I think that was the right decision.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I really love the creative work, especially for games. You have the gameplay, graphics, sound and music. You work together with musicians and graphic artists. And after a few months you have a product, that only existed in your mind before. That's great! And when you get Facebook 'Likes' and positive App Store ratings, then you know that you have created something, that many other people also like.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Coverage is definitely the biggest problem. Every day there are hundreds of new apps in the App Store. How can you assure the users that your game is the best? Thats the point.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There should be a section for indie games. So many people have great ideas but not the money for the best graphic and sound artists. But to have the best graphic is not always the most important thing. But the App Store visitors seem to look after that at first.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Try to release a free version of your app with limited functions. So people can evaluate your app for free and when they like it, they can buy the full or Pro version. This should be possible via IAP, so you have only one version of the App in the App Store and hopefully in the charts.

Take a moment and find out more about Joachim's apps at <http://joachimmertens.jimdo.com/games>

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### Developer Name: Dmitry Polyankovskiy

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

AirForShare

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started to develop iOS apps in early 2010 with my US partners. I've been in this industry for more than 10 years (as C++ developer).

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Well, I think personally I like the whole process. From starting with an idea you had in your head until you reach the moment when you start getting emails from your users. Some of them start with "you made an amazing app!" and you're feeling really happy at that moment. And of course there is a long–long interesting space between those two points.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I think the biggest challenge is to get noticed..Even if you make a great app – it will not happen automatically or/and fast (well, at least from my experience). Eventually yes, after your app is live for a while you may get attention from some well–known media resources. Like LifeHacker.com wrote about AirForShare (our app/service for sharing data) after two years I think.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The App Store seems to be a place where everyone may have success. Yes, it's really hard to get to top charts but I feel that it depends only on what and how you do it. And this is fine with me. What I would probably change from technical point of view – is adding Trials (similar to Windows Phone store) and be able to respond to user reviews because sometimes they do not speak the truth (users just don't see some feature they need but it is there :)

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

First of all – don't be afraid, if you have an idea go ahead. The sooner you start the better. There are tons of advice everywhere on how to do and not to do things. Don't listen to all of them, get some advice (just to be in a right direction) and follow your feelings. It also helps a lot if you get in touch with your friends (or even your mom), it's even better if they are not technical people at all. Sometimes this will help you much more on things like where to place a button than reading 10 books. Another advice I try to follow – don't overkill yourself, don't try to implement 'All in one' app, this will hold your release for ages, and make the app complicated. Think about implementing a limited set of features, keep the app simple and release it. Feedback from your users will help you on where to go next.

Take a moment and find out more about Dmitry and the app companies he has co–founded at http://www.birdscorp.com and http://smartapplab.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Kyle McIntyre

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

42 each

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for almost 2 years now. I am a restaurant owner and needed a tool to help make the inventory process faster and easier, and so I decided to teach myself how to build iOS app's in order to do this. I first started by creating the Shop By Store app (a shopping list app, created to get my wife to stop using paper shopping lists. The app sorts shopping lists to make the purchasing & organizing process much easier). Being that this was a much simpler app to create, it helped teach me the basics of iOS programming so when I moved on to 42 each I already had the basics down.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The thing I love most about being a developer is being able to create programs to make my life easier, and in turn hopefully help others make their lives easier by using the apps I have created. I find the challenge involved in creating the apps very rewarding and enjoyable – a fun hobby!

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge in trying to market my apps is finding the time to do so as well as the fact that marketing isn't really my strong suit. The app store is so huge with so many options, it really takes a lot of time and effort to get your name out there and convince people to give your app a chance. Seeing that this is really a hobby and I'm only one person I just don't have the resources to market my apps.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'm not sure how the App Store could be improved as I'm not sure how exactly it decides how to rank apps. There are so many apps available, it really comes down to hoping that my app catches people's eye and they give it a try and hopefully enjoy it enough to purchase it.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Any developers starting off, I would give the advice of not giving up when you hit a wall. Keep looking for the answer as it's out there somewhere. There are so many answers available on the internet, finding them sometimes can be tough but you just need to keep looking at your problem in different ways until you figure it out so you can move on to the next.

Take a moment and find out more about Kyle and his app company http://simplydreya.ca

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: James Kyriakou with Neon Room

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Foto Mark It

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We have been developing apps for a short 2 years, It started with a common interest between two friends who wanted to do something constructive with their spare time.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Creating your idea into something that millions of users have access to download.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Gaining users while working with a minimal budget.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Less junky apps and apps that crash all the time should be removed.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Be clear when constructing your workflow, this will help every aspect moving forward, from the simplicity of the app and the whole Users Experience. Before you release Test! Test! Test! Test again! Watch your Testers use the app and take notes on where users may get stuck using your app... Watch! Test! and Test some more, Insure its the best it can be for your release.

Take a moment and find out more about James and the Neon Room Team at http://www.neonroom.com.au

### Developer Name: Andrew Davis

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 InstaWho– A directory for Instagram

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing iOS app since 2010. I have always dabbled with coding since the age of 14 when my Dad bought a copy of Adobe Flash (Macromedia Flash back in those days) home one day. I would screw around making little games. Some of those games I would sell to online publishers for a small amount of money. That was my first commercial experience selling software. Sometime in 2010 I made the switch from PC to Mac. Around that time I also bought an iPhone. Once I used the iPhone I knew I wanted to make apps that worked on it. This was my first opportunity to build something on a mobile device! I would follow online tutorials and through much trial and error would hack together something very basic. Of course, when you practice something for long enough (3+ years) you tend to pick up a lot of information.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I enjoy the creative freedom of working on my own project(s). Often times when working for clients you are restricted in many aspects. When you develop your own apps, you are limited by your imagination. I can build apps based on any subject or area that interests me. I could build a game, a weather app, photography app... I also really like the fact that the startup requirements are so minimal. If you have a mac, you can start making your own apps today. All the tools you need are free. I'm location independent too, so as long as I have my laptop I can work from anywhere in the world. Even from a beach in Thailand (not that I've done that yet!).

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

When I saw my app sales were declining I made the decision to make most of them free. My apps were a labor of love and side projects. I created them because I wanted to, so I had no expectation of them being commercially successful. Right now I'm exploring an exciting new app that I intend to build a business out of. None of my previous apps had a business plan, or much of a plan at all for that matter. I've learnt that you need to work very hard on all aspects of a project, because many external factors are responsible for the success of an app, not just the product itself.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The App Store is far from perfect. I find the "Near Me" functionality useless as a way to find new apps. App Store search is another big area that I feel Apple haven't quite got right. More effort needs to be placed on the discoverability of apps that aren't currently feature on the homepage or sitting in the top 20. That's a big challenge.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Try and learn as many disciplines as you can. Having some design knowledge has definitely helped me when working with designers, it makes communicating ideas much easier (designers as well could learn a lot if they attempted some coding). I'm focusing on the business and marketing side of my app now, which has opened my eyes in many ways. So I suppose my advice is to be curious, and absorb as much information as you can. You never know when it might be useful.

Take a moment and find out more about Andrew and InstaWho at http://www.instawho.com/ and be sure to keep an eye on his latest app project at http://www.petpoc.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Byron Foster

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 42s RPN Calculator

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I really just do it as a hobby, but I started about 5 years ago, shortly after Apple opened up iOS to developers.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The mobile platform is really the future in many ways. The device has transformed into a mobile computer with GPS and cameras and all types of connectivity. The possibilities are enormous.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

mm, what's the count now on iTunes.. 400,000+ apps and counting...

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would love to see a try before you buy period on non free apps. So, for a paid app, you could use it full featured for a period of time, then decide if you want to pay. For games this probably wouldn't work so well since people would just play the game until they were forced to pay. But for utility apps such as mine I think it would attract more customers to give it a shot.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Well, it would depend on their reasons. If they are going to try and make money or a living... that's a very difficult road. Flappy Bird is a winning lottery ticket, it's extremely unlikely. Otherwise, it's a fun platform to play around with, and a great way to learn.

Take a moment and find out more about Byron and his app at http://free42iphone.appspot.com

### Developer Name: Sasmito Adibowo

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Skuttlebutt for Yammer (Mac App)

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Since 1997. The very first app that I sold was Diary for Windows, published in Jakarta via a local shareware publisher.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The independence and creative outlet. Working for someone else means that you need to do what your employer wants you to do, which may not always align with your creative spirit.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting the word out. I've tried Adwords and other advertising outlets, but it was never clear whether they improved sales.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Having free time–limited trials and upgrade pricing would be nice. Also the ability to converse with our customers (like replying review comments).

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Like any other entrepreneurial ventures, selling apps is a difficult path full of hardships and plenty of opportunities to fail. Don't bet the farm and make sure that you can stay for the long haul.

Take a moment and find out more about Sasmito and his company Basil Salad Software at <http://basilsalad.com/about>

### Developer Name: R.L.M Software

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 17BII+ Financial Calculator

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps since 2007. My primary drive was to merge electronic devices into one. When the first iPhone appears, it became possible to develop usable calculators into the iPhone with the same look and functionality of real ones. The first idea was to implement an HP–12C type calculator for my personal need, after, with the AppStore, it becomes an additional income source.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The fact that an app designed and implemented by me, for my needs, is appreciated and paid by others around the world.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I haven't been so active in marketing my apps. I found it difficult and expensive (lack of expertise in the subject) to get notice (large amount of apps in AppStore).

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'll suggest and editorial committee for app reviews and ratings. Also the keyword search could be improved.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The development is a continuous process. Don't think that you will release an app and get seated waiting for profit. You must always be hook to upgrades and re–editions for Apple's new devices and iOS versions. So, think App development as a long term commitment with your customers.

Take a moment and find out more R.L.M. Software at <http://www.rlmtools.com/iPhone/17BII/Detail.html>

### Developer Name: Tigran Nikoghosyan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Camera Hoax

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We have been in the app development business a long time already .We started with Facebook apps, but unfortunately the timing was the worst as the start of our development and the fall of FB app market coincided. Now for more than a year we are in the app store market with a small team trying to get on top.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

As for what I personally love about being an app developer – I would say the urge and satisfaction of trying to keep the market's quality alive by building unique apps. In today's market you cannot compete with big companies by making apps that are not unique or are copycat clones of already successful apps. You might get some money under the shadow of the other games from big companies because of your similarities but our philosophy is to work on quality and uniqueness instead of small money and running behind big names. That's what makes you love your work and the time you spend on it.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge would be making to the top 100 and getting noticed without spending huge amount of money on ads and promotions.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I am sure I am not alone on this to say that App Store needs to support the growing small companies otherwise the big ones will always win the visibility race, even if the original idea is not their own . Not to mention the approval time for each app and update :)

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

First and most important advice is to make decent apps. Before starting the development process – make sure you have the complete vision from start to end, understand your market and look at it from your audience's point of view. It is going to be tough out there. Also, any developer who has done his/her research knows that the first couple of weeks are essential for the app's visibility and rating on the market, and we often come to the point that the new and killer app that you thought was going to destroy the market is getting lost after a week or so. My advice is to never give up on an app and keep promoting ... There are various ways to promote your app without spending your retirement fund and life savings. Just keep promoting; it will eventually start to go UP. Even if you lost the app in the abyss don't give up, some companies became millionaires on their 60th app some of them got lucky from the first shot. Do your best.

Take a moment and find out more about Tigran and his app company at <http://raizapp.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Santiago Berreta

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Bomb Survivor

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've started developing my game for iPhone and iPad in June 2012. I do it as a hobby, and this is my first game. I got started just to see if I could manage to get a game on the AppStore, as I had a MacBook and an iPod Touch, I started doing it as a joke, and then I saw it might be a good game. I enjoyed it very much, and look forward to getting it in the hands of as many players as possible.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love creating new things, and entertaining people. I love to see my sons and nephews play my game and have a good time.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Marketing is harder than ever, and it will be harder in the days to come. Getting your game or app on the big scene is a hard endeavor, and it costs a lot of money also. So maybe the biggest challenge is to get the most famous websites, podcasts, or magazines to feature your game or even mention it.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Maybe there should be some more "help" for indie developers. I'm not talking about my game, but there are a lot of games that go unnoticed because they don't come from a big studio, or have a big sponsor, and I believe they deserve more attention, and people would know them and enjoy them.

Take a moment and find out more about Santiago and Bomb Survivor at http://bombsurvivor.com

### Developer Name: Fernanda with Selo Prologo

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Pocket Hints

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps since 2012.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I am, as well, an editor of books. What I like in apps is that it is a product that never sells out. Another thing that I really like is the sensory factor... we can have as sounds, movements...

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

It is a new media, so I took time to discover how to meet the marketing companies for it.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think it is ok.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Build simple apps

Take a moment and find out more about Fernanda and Selo Prologo Editorial at http://www.prologoseloeditorial.com.br

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Rudolf Melik

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 gDecide Social Decision Making

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We started working on gDecide iOS app in June of 2012. gDecide Social Decision Making is our first app.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The small screen, intermittent internet connection and the extremely short user attention span pose tremendous design and execution challenges. Making a collaboration app that does anything more than 3 basic functions has been tough but very rewarding once you see the end product.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

What we have observed is a very crowded app market where often very basic apps with almost no real utility can flood a category using similar keywords and descriptions. It's very hard to quickly tell really great complete apps from elementary ones someone put together in a few weeks.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There is a lot that works with the current AppStore. The only concern I have is that, not surprisingly, money drives the attention. It is increasingly difficult for a small independent developer to get any sort attention; they are shut out. If I would change anything it would be for Apple to much more actively encourage innovation in its ecosystem by highlighting new apps that do not have big marketing dollars behind them but have a lot potential or are very different. They already do some of this ... but for the sake of encouraging and rewarding innovation I think they can and should do much more.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

That the app will most likely not be a source of revenue. Expect a ton of very smart very good competition very quickly ... but if the app is part of a bigger strategy and it not the only thing you count on to make a living then by all means try to shoot for the stars.

Take a moment and find out more about Rudolf and gDecide at <http://content.gdecide.com/en/about/about/> . He was also a founding member of Tenrox (www.tenrox.com) which he sold and successfully exited in 2012.

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Mahmud Ahsan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Arabic Dictionary +

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started in 2010, when i was a full time PHP based web developer doing a regular job. During 2006–2008 when I was a Bachelor student in Computer Science, I used to develop J2ME based mobile phone applications (http://ftechdb.com) so I've some fascination in mobile phone apps for long ago. In 2010, I thought to learn Objective C and develop some iPhone apps. So this is how I started.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It's actually my passion to develop apps for mobile phone. The good thing in mobile apps development is you can invest in a small budget or a small team for it or even you can work alone.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Now a days, its really hard work and take money to market apps. The biggest challenge for me was to identify the right marketing way. Because there are so many advertising companies, PR companies, blogggers, review sites. But all are not effective.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

No nothing special.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

My advice to newcomer is that, if you have a interest in something like Android, Windows or iOS app development, don't listen to others about profit, money etc. Try to be master on one platform, learn and develop apps. There is always some room that you can improve in existing apps or you can innovate something new. Sooner or later you'll see success.

Take a moment and find out more about Mahmud and his apps at http://mahmud.thinkdiff.net

### Developer Name: Todd Bernhard

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 AutoRingtone Pro Talking Caller ID Ringtones

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps since Apple created the App Store, about six years ago! I got started because I wanted certain apps to exist, and they didn't so I had to make them!

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The App Store makes it possible to reach literally millions of users in a way that wasn't possible before, when retail stores were the primary form of distribution.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The challenges are both gaining exposure and finding the sweet spot of pricing. So many free and $0.99 apps crowd the marketplace and make it harder for quality apps to stand out, and justify what should be a reasonable price.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would like to see iTunes separated from the App Store, as it is on the Mac or on an iOS device. When searching for apps, you shouldn't have to have results mixed in with music, movies, and more. I would also like the ability to do an advanced search, with price ranges, categories and name.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Pay as much attention to marketing as you do to coding. Listen to your customers and adapt your apps as needed.

Take a moment and find out more about Todd and his app company at http://www.notiesoftware.com

### Developer Name: Richard Rabassa

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Letterarium

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started teaching myself the app development tools, such as xcode, last summer (2013). I'm a stay at home dad of three toddlers, but before kids I was a creative director and developer. I started back in the Macromedia Director CD–Rom days. As for App development, I started with various tutorials online and just forced myself to finish projects. My goal was to create games that my kids would love to play as well as to teach them.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love sitting with my kids and playing a game together.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The sheer number of apps in the Apple App Store is very intimidating. Getting your app noticed takes as much time (if not more) to market. All this was very discouraging at first, but then I realized I should try to make apps that just want to make and enjoy making. As each app gets better, and my (very) small following of users grows, I know I will sell more.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yes. Better judgment/discretion on the apps that get approved. The store seems like it's flooded with (I hate to say junk) less than stellar examples of what apps should be and can be. It makes it very hard for good apps to shine.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Once you've learned the mechanics of developing an app meaning the coding, debugging, etc. focus on the quality and originality of you app. We don't need yet another Flappy Birds – we need apps that make people stop, interact and smile.

Take a moment and find out more about Richard and his apps at http://motionshiftstudios.com

### Developer Name: Enrico Cortesano

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

VadoVia

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

It has been about three years now. I got started because my wife and I are avid travelers and I am a photographer and she likes to write so originally we were going to put together a book of travel photos and travel notes. This idea evolved into an app for the iPad. Over the next couple of years of development it became much more than just a travel journal app but rather a tool with high functionality for travelers.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I like the creative aspect of app development, using my imagination to come up with something that I would want to use but can't find on the market.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting the app known to all the travelers out there. Having it show up in a prominent position in the search results in the app store.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Nothing I can think of right now.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

It will cost you three or four times as much as you think it will and will take a lot longer than you think it will if you don't have experience or don't know how to do the development yourself.

Take a moment and find out more about Enrico and Elissa's story at <http://www.vadovia.com/WebPages/AboutUs.aspx>

### Developer Name: Oleksii Sydoryn

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

MindUp Fun Photo Editor

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

This is our first app, I decided to start development at the end of year 2013. I reached out to app developers, who are good at iOS programming. We began from a little idea which my girlfriend gave me during a Friday night dinner. The idea to put minds into thought bubbles is not new, but practically nobody before did it in an interactive manner. Similiar to the way we tried to do in ver.1.0. and the way we will do when we introduce client–server technology where users will be able change jokes and write there own. Mindup will automatically select the best and offer it to thousands of our users through the internet immediately.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The best thing is to see how your idea in words is turning to an app which you can try and have fun.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The huge amount of daily introduced new apps. Your app is always lost there.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

More comfortable ITunes connect interface with better statistics. This is a common wish, I guess.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Focus on the things which were not done before. Add your own ideas into your app...all in all this is your masterpiece.

Take a moment and find out more about Oleksii and MindUp at http://mindup–app.com

### Developer Name: Tsigosys

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

E&Q Notes

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I am developing apps for approx. three years and I started programming software about 25 years ago. I have read a lot of books and tutorials to learn languages like objective c and c+ that is used for iPhone apps.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I really love about being an app developer is that I can act out my creativity.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The huge amount of all the new apps introduced daily. This makes it so your app is always lost out there.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The most annoying thing is that I have to permanently update my apps according to the requirements of new hardware and software updates.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Every developer who is creating code with enthusiasm is paid with satisfaction over the development period, like a painter who is looking at his picture.

Take a moment and find out more about Tsigosys at

http://www.tsigosys.de

### Developer Name: Imad Khoury

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Letterorites

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started iOS app development back in 2010. My first app was SheetRack Lite (a lite sheet–music reader), an idea I always wanted to do. At that time, the first generation iPad was announced for release, so it was the right opportunity and time to get started, as this idea needed a big–screen device. I got started on Objective C and Xcode by reading and viewing tutorials on Youtube and Stackoverflow, and creating simple apps. It took me about 2 months to master the development for iOS (I had prior knowledge of C as well as other programming languages).

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I'm an entrepreneur and software developer, and so I like creating useful and entertaining apps. The feeling of reward of seeing your app used by lots of people around the world, and making an impact somewhere and somehow in their lives is like no other. Like for any artist, your creations make you proud and happy —and even more when they can be of use to you as well.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I categorize them in two: Timing and Content. The right timing for every step in marketing is critical to the overall success of marketing for the app and it is not easy to achieve this because there are so many elements to take into account. First you need to set your release date on a time that can get you most visibility. For example, unless it is theme–related, you'd better not release your app on a Superbowl final, or when there is too much competition in the field of your app. You'd also want to coincide your app release on a day that is best visible by Apple staff, usually on Thursday. Once you select the release date, you'd want to make all other marketing steps revolve in a timely manner around this date: social buzz and review requests before this date, press release and ads and more social buzz after this date, and each in the right sequence. You'd want to prepare a launch page for a couple weeks or more before the app release date to start generating buzz, and meanwhile contact many reviewers so that they can first respond and then write reviews on time for the release, you'd also want to build up the buzz progressively before the release (by revealing more and more info or screenshots for e.g.) all while monitoring analytics to see the buzz responses, etc. And when your app is out and there is a bug... it can be a big bummer. As for Content, it is challenging to find the right catch phrases, text and media for all the weapons in your marketing arsenal (app website, app description, ads, press release etc.). This is true for any product marketing. And it still has to be coherent, simple and make sense on the big–picture level. The challenge is multiplied as every media has a slightly different tone and audience (app description is supervised by Apple, has to be more objective, but at the same time catchy, press release should be very objective and formal, ads should be very catchy and are less formal, social feeds have a more honest and friendly tone etc.).

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Recently the App Store is nice and ok. The submission to it though is still a little cumbersome.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The learning curve is a little steep at the beginning for getting started on Objective C / Xcode, but once this is done, the rest is a fun ride –nowadays there are tons of examples, answers, tutorials and videos on the Web, and so it makes the development process quite a breeze. My advice is, if you have a good app idea —this is becoming harder to find nowadays, but is still feasible, especially with this new app–cloning trend — then do not hesitate to take it to the end. It is going to be fun and rewarding at all stages of the process. Also, although it is not always a must, do not underestimate marketing, and plan for it well if you are going to do it — more often than not it can make or break your success.

Take a moment and find out more about Imad and Letterorites at http://www.letterorites.com http://simplydreya.ca

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Benoit Pozzoli

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

iBaby

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

About a year and a half ago. It all started when I read Chad Mureta's book "App Empire" and then I enrolled in "The App Code" program from Amish Shah. First I made a few app mockups from ideas I had, then I built my first iPhone app "MX" with the App Code builder. Then I decided to take to the next level and hired a developer to build a new app called "iBaby".

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Create new stuff that people from all over the world can find on the app store and use on a daily basis. It's pretty exciting even if it's not financially rewarding for me so far.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Get a lot of downloads... Rank high in the App Store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Read books on the topic and get the proper knowledge of this business before getting started.

Take a moment and find out more about Benoit and iBaby at http://www.ibaby–theapp.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Stefano Galizia

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Vintape –vintage cassette music player

**TvforYou app** – the first app in Italy that allows you to watch television directly on your device. Downloaded by more than 50,000 people.

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

My academic training has led me to go in depth into the computer world and to stay updated on the progress that it makes daily. Of this world, in particular, I've followed the applications since their advent–. It's a continuous stimulation both fun and professional.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Before you release an app there are several stages, one more important than the other. Among those I love more there is certainly that of the idea and of creation. The more immersive and exciting thing is to see an idea that grows, make it materialize gradually through dialogue with the people with whom you work, all appointed to the writing of a platform on which it takes shape graphically, through codes, the applications.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is the bet that you have played until you decided to make the app. I speak, of course, to see if the idea is liked or not. There is always time to carry out market surveys. Many times it's the instinct that it helps you at design time. When the app is on the Store you know if you have experience as baggage brought as value added in terms of the appeal of the app. The biggest satisfaction is to see your app climb the leader board of the Apple Store. A great joy.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would like to receive the approval by Apple of the application released as soon as possible so to not disrupt and delay the communication campaign that we anticipate before rollout. In my experience I waited until one week before the final approval of an app. For young companies and developers, this time you could translate into a significant economic loss. One last thing that I propose for the Apple Store is the ability for developers to respond to user reviews that, many times, do not correspond to reality.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The advice I would give is to stay up to date on the world of app and, in general, on that technology and mobile. Technological progress takes unexpected roads daily: curiosity, study and deepening are the best for this page to grow an idea and make it as attractive as possible.

Take a moment and find out more about Stefano and TVforYou at http://www.begsrl.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Sarah Parker

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We started in 2012 just experimenting with apps and little programs. The hype around the app store and the worldwide reach was very appealing without costly distributing and publisher deals so we thought we would give it a go.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

As an indie studio we aren't answerable to anybody so we can experiment and in some instance deliver free content without having to worry about ROI and deadlines. We run it as a lifestyle business and this works for us.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

We aren't alone with this but just getting noticed. As we have launched a couple of apps now which have got a little bit of attention its slightly easier as we have a relationship of contact with someone who provided coverage. Without that you really have to create a buzz about your game to stand out from the crowd and that is difficult.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Difficult to say as there is so much good about it having created this opportunity for us. I think if possible the ability for clone app (see recent spate of flappy bird clones cashing in) to be rejected. There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from another app but adding your own spin and content to it and make it your own.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Give it a try, get as many apps under your belt, get your bad ones out the way and build your skills and following up.

Take a moment and find out more about Sarah and 1800 by Parachuting Frog at http://www.parachutingfrog.com

### Developer Name: Prince Ge

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

InstaQuote

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

About 3 months I started to make this app. To produce this app we had to pay attention to users behaviors in the Instagram app. We found most users couldn't make a great looking picture with a shape mask, but there are lots of people who want to do it that way. So we decided to make an app to teach or guide the user to make beautiful looking picture with a shape mask via great designed template. The simple way to make a picture in just 4 steps: 1. Select a template to start a project. 2. Fill your photo to template.(all of pre–defaulted settings has been applied, such background color, filter, caption etc) 3. Adjust settings of background colors or texts(Optional). 4. Save to photo album or share to Instagram or other social networking. But we don't want to kill the creativity of advanced user, so beside the templates, advanced users can choose between 200+ shapes.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Take thoughts and turn them into app products and enjoy the life with codes.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

We can't spread our products to more interested users, and most of the marketing services are very expensive for us.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Apple needs to do some changes about the rank mechanism to help great apps have more opportunities to reach user.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Be patient in order to make great products, then you will be on the way to success!

Take a moment and find out more about G–Power studios and InstaQuote at <http://www.gpowers.net/>

### Developer Name: Jonathan S Santos

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Chicken Aim

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started on 2010, because I found the opportunity to do what I love, which is programming games. I learned through official manuals and community involvement. I really felt challenged and motivated by this new experience, so I kept going until today, where my biggest dream is to achieve a complete financial autonomy.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The chance of giving life to the ideas I have. It's a pleasure to imagine and create parallel universes that touch, inspire and entertain other people who are around the world.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Perform an effective strategy to distinguish the app among thousands of others with a small budget. Moreover, understanding what are the best channels to promote and review it– The reality is it can be in an online limbo, an effort wasted. So, you have to look for blogs that can assess your app and application directories for promotion (for example, 'free app today'). It is a powerful dynamic, if understood and used properly.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

For sure. I would like to see more specialized people working in democratizing promotional space on apps stores. Today, this space is dominated by major companies, undermining the chance of new and talented creations and work teams. Rarely do we know an indie developer reaching this kind of exposure, so hopefully, maybe one day this can change.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Developing with developer communities, seeking other developers advice, and avoid creating existing tools. For me, thinking outside the box is going far away from trends, demonstrating new ways and concepts for common things of our lives.

Take a moment and find out more about Jonathan and Chicken Aim at <http://alphamob.com.br/chickenaim/>

### Developer Name: Kalai Kandasamy

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Best Gin Rummy

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps on iOS platform since 2008. Inspired by the iPhone & iPad releases and my background on computer graphics, systems programming and design, I started exploring iOS games development around the time that the first version of iPhone & iPad got released. I released my first game around 2009. My most successful game is "Best Gin Rummy", which was released around 2012.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

App development on the iOS platform seems a great gratification for me. My background on computer graphics, systems programming and design gave me a great advantage as an app developer. Since apps are focusing on a specific problem or a specific game, it is easy to visualize, develop and deliver to the customers. Kudos to Apple for the tools, SDKs and outstanding documentations. Thanks to great collections of web sites and blogs focusing on helping fellow app developers. It's been a great feeling that being part of a great community.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Developers who are exploring app development should start with a simple marketing plan. In my experience, most of the apps fail due to no or a fuzzy marketing plan. As engineers, we always think marketing is something that happens magically. Without a good marketing plan, I wouldn't recommend the app to be released in the market. You don't need to be a marketing guru to come up with a marketing plan. Start with a simple plan, before that; understand your customers, their demography, age group, etc. Now explore the media they usually hang out on, so that you know how to reach them. For me it took 6 months to perfect my marketing plan.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Apple is doing great job on hosting our apps and providing seamless way to monetize our apps. But one improvement I suggest is to shorten the time it takes to approve our apps! In my opinion it should be a day or two!

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Try to a solve a specific problem at a time and provide the best solution possible. Develop a marketing plan before start coding, trust me it will influence your design. Always use the cutting edge technologies available at that time. Optimize your app for a hand–held device, memory and performance optimizations are mandatory. Be customer centric, listen to your customers, solving customer's problem should be your number one priority. Response to their feedback, you will have a loyal customer base.

Take a moment and find out more about Kalai and Best Gin Rummy at Kalai Kandasamy

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### Developer Name: Andrei Maximov

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Proto–Tap

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I fell in love with "creating" at the age of 4 when I first experienced Lego's. Fast–forward 11 years and in the summer of 2012 I decided to have a go at making my own game. I had never coded before but I made my way through the hurdles by learning Java, and then Lua to develop my first game with Corona SDK. 2 years later I'm still developing, now with Gideros Studio and four titles on the App Store and Google Play.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Just like with Lego's, making apps, and in my case games, allows me the flexibility to guide my own vision to reality the way I see it. It's an extremely gratifying and creative experience for the mind after working on schoolwork that must be done in a specific, guided way.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Because I'm a high school student it's pretty easy to hype up my game for the first day or two and get a load of people to download my new release, it's very hard to keep that hype alive for a prolonged time. That is definitely something I'm going to be working on improving for my future games.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think that the App Store (Apple's not Google's) is very good for Indie developers because of how they feature new releases for each app and game category, thus allowing small devs a chance for their app to shine and potentially go viral. Although Google has a "Top New" charts, it is very difficult to have your app featured anywhere on Google Play. Hopefully Google will update their store sometime soon to grant Indie devs a small spotlight.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Absolutely! Forget about the money. As I said previously, making an awesome game is key so focus on that. Polish up those programming and artistic skills to make an amazing game and only then focus on monetization. I also find that for unknown Indie devs like myself, since most games honestly don't end up on the top charts, free games with adverts or in–app purchases make far more money than paid games.

Take a moment and find out more about Andrei Maximov and Proto–Tap at <http://intoitgames.com/about.php>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Gonzalo Mora Gasque

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

InsightMedi

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We started our project a year ago, because it is a big project with lots of features in the app. I started after I saw the need for an app to share medical content through images and photos in a professional environment.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It gives us the opportunity to enter a new world of entrepreneurs and people interested in mobile technology and sharing knowledge.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Marketing and promotion of the app is our great challenge in an environment where more and more great apps are published every day. It is not really well established how Apps reach the "Whats hot" level in the App Stores.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Classification of Medical Apps is not really well as Medicine is very big and there is now sub–classification so it is difficult for doctors and healthcare professionals to find the apps for their specialties. We will try to do that, also, in our InsightMedi App.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Planning before developing code is a must so you can go smoother with the project. And also take your time to choose your developers very well (now they are in our team).

Take a moment and find out more about Gonzalo Mora Gasque and InsightMedi at <http://www.insightmedi.com/>

### Developer Name: Gusztáv Hoffer

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Miles – The Classic Mileage Log

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

15yrs Webdesign experience (JScript, PHP), definitely helped getting started with C.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Being self–employment, having flexibility.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is getting people's attention to it. App Store got too crowded.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would say that I would like it if there was a Category "just updated," it would help to get in the focus of some eyes. Currently App Store visibility is driven purely on success (best ratings, highest grossing, most downloads).

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

If you want to charge through the app store, price your app high. Forget about 99 cents. Everything under 5 just plays in the hands of apple (The strategy by Apple I suppose is: Cheap apps make up for the very expensive device). Decent apps can sell at a premium (the customer already chose the most expensive device, they VALUE quality), and you've got room for occasional discounts. Refill (refillapp.at) goes for 10, Miles is 40 (milesapp.at), and Miles HD costs 60 Euros (yes, a different app, forget universal). Higher prices signal quality, the overhead for support is lower, every sale boosts your ranking in grossing category, people tend to give higher ratings and you make definitely more money (I know, all those apps started way cheaper). And there are a lot of other benefits. Downsides as well, but the upsides outweigh. Especially and currently in an environment, where everybody does a sellout. Think different.

Take a moment and find out more about Gusztáv Hoffer and Miles – The Classic Mileage Log. at <http://www.milesapp.at/Miles/fahrtenbuch.html>

### Developer Name: 8 Moons Media Team

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 99 Stamps

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Our team consists of people who have been working in different IT areas for a long time to generate different products for customers. We were engaged in various projects, but 99 Stamps brought us together and as a result of the development this application appeared.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The whole app creation process inspires! When thoughts and ideas out of the head materialize. It's like a magic – getting you never know how you come to the finished product. A special treat when our offspring evokes positive emotions in users, so we make the world better :)

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Without great material resources but having only faith in our work and own energy, we never stop working and overcome all obstacles. Big players with money regulate modern Apple Store. Therefore simple indies, as we are, are constantly looking for new promotion opportunities

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

By virtue of the fact that Appstore is ruled by big names and big money, it's rather hard to move top for simple developers. Though there are some good changes in this direction such as starting Indie Game Showcase. Also we would like the Appstore had the opportunity to establish a bilateral dialogue with our users.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Believe in yourself and never give up, create with love and never be discouraged if something goes wrong. As the Japanese say – Long way to Fuji starts with the first step!

Take a moment and find out more about the 8 Moons Media Team. at  99 Stamps

### Developer Name: Rafael Mazuz

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 BattleSuit Runner Fitness

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started my company in November 2012. We released each of the 4 versions of the app throughout 2013. It took longer than most apps due to the complexity of the software, writing, sound, voice acting, editing, etc. that most apps don't have. It's definitely an innovative app and we wanted to make it work well and engaging. Also, my lead programmer and I both have full–time jobs, so we had limited time to invest in this project.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I love most about being an app developer is that it is such an accessible. If you can fill a customer need, you can develop and deploy the app without needing to open a store or man a phone line, etc. There is also a lot of creative vision involved, in addition to technical hurdles. I especially enjoy being able to have a global team working on different parts of the project. For my app I've used music, sound, and voice professionals from LA, New York, and Europe. For graphics, I've utilized US and Philippines–based graphic artists. And for development, I utilize US–based, India–based, and China–based programmers. It's like being the head of a global project even though it's a part–time job.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge I face when trying to market my apps is getting enough exposure to climb the App Store and Google Play rankings. It's really a frustrating system because you need to get discovered to get discovered...Almost every person who rates my app gives it 5 stars. But if I don't pay for marketing, almost nobody sees my app. If I spend $1000 in marketing, I'll be lucky to get $200 in additional downloads. Once the campaign is over, within 1–2 days, the downloads drop down to what they were to begin with.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'd like for The App Store to do a better job of exposing users to new apps before they get a gazillion downloads. If I spend $50k–100k on marketing, I can boost it to the top of The App Store...but why does it need to be that way? If almost everyone who uses my app gives it a 5–star rating, and it's innovative, and 25% are upgrading to the full version, shouldn't Apple (and Google) want to assist others in finding it? Zombies, Run! has been on the top–5 for Health & Fitness for forever. But my app is similar, more interactive, gets better ratings, and costs 25% of Zombies, Run! But once they reach the top 10 they're usually pretty safe there (at least until they've made a few hundred thousand or million).

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Advice to developers just starting out: There's a fine line between early promotion of your app and reducing the chances of others copying your idea. Also, you want to have some time to improve/tweak your app after it comes out (based on feedback), but also there is something about the algorithm that makes it easier to climb rankings when the app is new. Once it's a few weeks old, it takes exponentially more downloads to boost the rankings.

Take a moment and find out more about Rafael Mazuz & the BattleSuit Runner Fitness app. at http://www.battlesuitrunner.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Thomas Geley

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Voice Morphing

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing apps in mid–2009. I was already developing websites and got into the apps when one of my friends asked me if I could create a small utility app for him. So this wasn't really planned but I found it very fun. I created this app for my friend (small medical utility) and put it on the appstore. The app (which was very shitty) got quite successful actually, way more than I expected it to be. Building the first app, I fell in love with ObjectiveC and had lot of fun creating the next, and with this passion came the money. The iPhone's / Smartphone market wasn't as huge as it is today and the number of developers was pretty low too. Really small amount of apps released every day, every app I released "for fun" was "a hit", ranked in the charts, making money. So I guess we can say that fun drove me here and money made me stay.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Freedom, creativity and conducting projects. Freedom because as an indie developer I was able to do whatever I wanted. Want to wake up at 11am and work til 2 am ? Free to do it. Creativity because I have tons of ideas every day, some are good, some aren't, but being a developer give you the power to transform these ideas into a product. Here at Naxx Technologies, we have what I call a "prototype laboratory" where we create dozen of apps every year, most of them are never released because they doesn't have any "monetization" reality. We (and I have to say principally, I) develop them just to be able to say "I did it". Some people find it useless to develop a product you are never going to release but developing these products gives you experience and the satisfaction to accomplish something you might think impossible at first. Conducting projects because, we have to stay in the real world and make money from our work : It is very exciting to lead a project from the idea to the final product and make it land on an user device's and it is always a joy to see one of your idea successful. But to be totally honest, this kind of satisfaction is harder and harder to get with the app stores.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Visibility. There are thousands of app released every day now. To get noticed you have to spend huge amount of money in blog post / advertising and other visibility products. Back in 2010, when we released an app, it was "free" of charge, we knew the app store users will see and download our app if it was looking good enough. Today, we don't even consider releasing an app without at least 10k€ marketing budget. We made the experiment in 2013 of releasing without marketing budget for 5 apps, 5 failures. These apps were drawn into the jungle of the app store and never made a $. Flappy bird or 2048 apps are exceptions among hundreds of thousand failures.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

So many things... First of all: the apps that are not working anymore should be pulled out. This is not really a problem on the US store, but if you take a look at the FR/UK/ES/IT/DE stores you'll see that in most Top 100 of a category, there are about 33% of the apps that are not updated for the last 2 years. 25% are not even working on latest OS...this is ridiculous. People buying are disappointed, charts are trusted by outdated apps and new good apps can't enter the top. And If I should point another problem: the rank algorithm should be changed, today the older your app is, the best are its chance to be well/durably ranked – and the nationality of the developer shouldn't be accounted for in the algorithm.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

"When you heard the app store is the new 'eldorado' for easy money: it was already too late. Come prepared, the millionaire flappy bird hit is a lie, you have better chance to win the lottery. But, there are ways to make money from an app : 1) you have an awesome, unique idea, and you are ready to harass hundred of self centered bloggers. 2) You have a good idea and a good amount of money to promote it. 3) You have a very bad idea and an awesome amount of money to promote it. Do not focus on the appstore only, your product has better chances to succeed if you use all the supports. Work on your screenshots/icon. Before you have a name: people will not buy your app because of what it does, they will because of how it looks on their springboard".

Take a moment and find out more about Thomas Geley & Naxx Technologies at http://www.naxx–technologies.com/

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Thomas Busse

Most Successful App(s) to Date

 iMemento

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started 2009 with "iMemento" the predecessor of "iMemento Deluxe". At that time I had started to code for Mac OS and found Objective–C a very interesting programming language. Then with the App Store it became very easy to publish own SW and I started my first project for the iPhone. Until 2013 I didn't even own an iPhone. I did all development on iPad and iPod. One interesting detail is that I worked for Nokia from 1995 until 2008. I also did some app programming for Nokia phones on Symbian and Java. But the development environment was quite cumbersome and C/C++ and Java were also not that interesting programming languages. The iOS development environment was very different in that respect. Now it was very easy to develop for phones and it became also very easy to publish. But the main point that kept me on that platform was the programming language. That really made a difference. Once you have programmed in Objective–C you never want to change again...

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It's not about developing apps. It's about developing apps with objective–c. I have no interest at all to develop for e.g. Android because because than i would have to change to Java (or C++).

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

It's almost impossible to reach the customers anymore. There are too many apps in the app store. For each type of app the user can choose between at least 5 different apps. When I started in 2009 the situation was a little different and it was easier to come up with a new app.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There should be a possibility to discuss with the users. In some cases the users have problems with an app. Unfortunately they often do not contact me for help but instead write a bad review. In those cases it is impossible to help and you are left with a bad review. For "iMemento" this was especially difficult because it required the user to have a local WLAN network that is also connected to his PC. I also have a Lite version in the store so that the user can try before buying, but still: users do not read the app description, buy the app, it does not work in their local network (I had cases were users didn't even had a local network) and users write a bad review instead of contacting me. And the worst of it: you cannot do anything about it. If there would be at least the possibility to comment on reviews ...

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Unless you have a very outstanding idea, don't do it. Or, do it only for fun. Don't think to get rich :–) And maybe another interesting point I found: Don't offer an app for free. At least charge a little bit e.g. 99ct. The problem with free apps is that the people nowadays expect to get everything for free, but they expect the same quality as if they would have paid for it. The result is that you get more bad reviews for free apps than for paid ones. The people that pay for apps seem to value your work more.

Take a moment and find out more about Thomas Busse & iMemento at <http://imemento.bplaced.net/tp/home/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Mikhail Stepanskiy

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 SON of the SUN and WIZARD LIZARD

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Kidappers was founded in Spring '13. So we are 1 year old company. We started from one little comet from the illustration of Vitaliy Bugara. That comet inspired us for the concept of our storybook app SON of the SUN and WIZARD LIZARD. Then we raised our first investment and the work has began to swing.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It's a great chance to create something eternal. I mean that our apps will live as long as the App Store. And also it was my dream to become a manufacturer, not only a service provider. But the biggest thing is the possibility to be heard all around the world.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Well, the biggest challenge is targeting the audience. That's not a piece of cake. We now how to make cool product, but we still in the beginning of the way how to sell it well. For now we are looking for some mentors with the experience in kids mobile market.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think App Store must give more chances for indie developers or small companies like Kidappers. Maybe some new categories will help.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Make only the things you believe in. And make the things that can make this world a little better.

Take a moment and find out more about Mikhail Stepanskiy & CKidappers Ltd at <http://kidappers.com/>

### Developer Name: Joshua Hallaran

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 16–Bit Game Quiz SNES Edition

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I began developing video games commercially in 2011, however I wouldn't join the app market until mid 2013. While I've always been interested in app development, my inadequate programming skills prevented me from making my own. Thankfully, I discovered a program called GameSalad. This provides developers with the tools to create almost any kind of 2D game and then distribute it on numerous platforms, such as iOS and Android, with no programming required. This allowed me to enter the market – first on the Google Play Store, and then on Apple's App Store – and I am currently finishing up development on my fourth app.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

As an independent app developer, I love having the freedom to be creative and make the apps that I want to make (within reason, of course). The mobile platform allows you to experiment with new ideas, and really lends itself to rapid prototyping. Coming from the perspective of game development, there's still a lot of uncharted territory to explore – for example, with touch–based interaction and control schemes – so I find that very interesting.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting noticed. In my opinion, this is by far the hardest part of being an app developer. With so many apps on offer, and so few ways to promote unknown developers, your work can easily get lost on the app store. And to make matters more difficult, the majority of websites, which promote apps, ask you for money. I've seen some pretty hefty quotes and, as an independent app developer, you're probably not going to have much to spend on marketing. And this does make it very difficult to get web coverage. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of being seen. While most websites will ask you for money, some will promote your app for free. As time–consuming as it is, I do believe it's worth contacting any and every website that's relevant to your app and might be able to promote it (be it through a blog post, a review, or social media pages like Twitter and Facebook). Make sure that your message is concise (i.e. get to the point quickly, and tell the reader why your app is worth their time), and personal (for example, mention the website you're writing to by name). Don't simply copy and send the same message to every website – it's usually pretty obvious, and with the amount of emails most websites receive, you'll just be ignored. I think it's also a good idea to post about your app on relevant forums. While this usually won't get you huge exposure, it doesn't take much effort and can generate some extra downloads. But I believe that the most important thing is app store optimization. I highly recommend reading the numerous articles about this topic on sensortower.com as they do a far better job explaining it than I ever could. But simply put, seemingly small things like keywords and screenshot presentation can make a huge impact on your visibility, and so are definitely worth optimizing.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yes, although I should start off by saying that the app store isn't as bad as it could be. One of the hardest things when you're starting out understands how the app store works. Why do all of these seemingly random things happen? Apple doesn't do a very good job explaining the store to developers, and if you go online to see what other developers say, you'll often find a lot of conflicting reports. A lot of the confusion comes down to the "Apple–confidential" algorithms for app placement. Sometimes it can do very confusing things to your apps. For example, an app of mine once plummeted from the top 5 apps under a specific keyword to rank 32, making it near invisible. And it has continued to drop below rank 50. When I asked why this had happened, I was simply told that the "confidential" algorithms were working fine. The representative I spoke to, was genuinely trying to help, but he couldn't tell me much, and so I was left in the dark as to why this happened. Despite the 'confidentiality' of these algorithms, we still see the continued success of scams like early 2014's 'Red Bouncing Ball'. They seem to penalize genuine developers while allowing certain individuals to take advantage of the app store. So in my opinion, these algorithms are inadequate and need to change. It's also worth mentioning that I've seen first–hand some hypocrisy on the part of Apple; where something is acceptable in one game, but not in another. Finally, I would like to see more locations on the app store, which promote unknown games – that is, quality titles that simply haven't got the recognition they deserve. The app store is excellent at doing for this for games on the opposite end of the spectrum, but there isn't an equivalent space for less successful titles.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Following your dreams and doing what you really want to is never easy. There are going to be set backs, and sometimes an app that you've put your heart and soul into just won't get noticed. But that's okay. While it is disappointing, you will learn from the experience and can use it to inform the design and marketing of your next project. And the wonderful thing about the app store is that just because your release didn't go well, it doesn't mean the end for your app. You can add new features, re–brand the project, and continue to optimise your keywords, title, description, and screenshots. For example, I am currently working on an update for an app that I released half a year ago. I'm coming at this topic from the perspective of a game designer, so my goal in this job is to create content that people enjoy. If you want to be an app developer, my advice is to persevere in the face of adversity, learn from your mistakes, enjoy your job, and strive to make great, fun content.

Take a moment and find out more about Joshua Hallaran & Critica Games at <http://www.criticalgames.com.au/>

### Developer Name: John Friend

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 abc PocketPhonics

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

For over five and a half years.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The opportunity to apply my marketing, business and software development skills together in one role.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The low price the market is willing to pay. In all markets, the balance between supply and demand determines price. There's a massive oversupply of apps, which is why the price is so low. You will be surprised by how low sales volumes are. If you are charging $2, to make enough money in a day to pay one good developer for a day's work, you probably need to be in the top 25 in your chosen category (or sub–category of games). There might be a 80,000 apps in your category. Over a thousand of them are probably direct competitors to your app in consumers' eyes.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Too few people rate or review apps, and the review system is undoubtedly prone to cheating as seems to be the case with all review systems. I'd therefore like to see a new system for reporting how useful people find apps. This would be based on how much they use them. All apps would have a free trial period after which the user decides whether to buy or not. Apple publishes the percentage that converts for each app, and the percent still using the app after a fortnight, one, three and six months. These facts would give people real evidence to make a decision on in terms of which apps to try. The fact apps would have a free trial would reduce for consumers the risk of making a bad choice, I think this would in time mean people would be prepared to pay more. These facts would be harder to cheat than the current system. This would make it much likely that the best apps would rise to the top. To give them space to do so, I'd greatly reduce the space on the store Apple use for their picks, and replace this with the apps their customers are choosing to continue to use months after buying. I think the customers are the best experts on what apps they find most useful.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The App Store is massively overcrowded. Unless you are doing something that is genuinely different, don't bother. Making a better version of an existing app is not enough, because that's what everybody else is doing. The vast majority of apps never make enough money for people to live off, and perhaps 1 in 1000 make enough that it's better than just getting a job. Ask yourself if other people see you as 1 in 1000 compared to your peers. I also think it's much harder to launch a new apps business now than it was five years ago as the market is vastly more crowded, and expectations much higher. If I was to start from my first apps business now, it would fail.

Take a moment and find out more about John Friend & PocketPhonics and DotToDot numbers & letters at <http://appsinmypocket.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Reggie Ashworth

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Socializer – MultiAccount Posting

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Since 2006 and I got started as an indie developer with a PowerBook G4.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Keeping up with new technology and the freedom to do things that are not possible in a typical 9 to 5 job.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Basically you have to compete with thousands of other great apps and gain the users attention. Both is extremely difficult since the users are overwhelmed with ads, stuff picks, dozens of options to search for an app, reviews on blogs etc. The App Store itself is great but for an indie developer with a niche app it is nearly impossible to reach a bigger audience without investing much time and money. You have to do App Store SEO and Website SEO, Social Media marketing etc.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would like to have a better search mechanism where you can do advanced searches. Furthermore I would like to have a better insight into Apples ranking mechanism. Right now it is more hope compared with best practices from marketing. In the end it seems to be like "murphy's law" Last but not least I would love to have an option to answer on reviews either fake ones or real constructive criticism.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Build a community of users and then show them via Newsletter what you got. Furthermore keep them interested in your work, your plans and show them betas. If they like the idea and the early version they will give valuable feedback and may buy the app after the release. The first 1–3 days are most important to get listed as "new and noteworthy" within the App Store. And please ask kindly for an review but not inside the app or a popup right from the start. Last but not least: be creative and entertain people, with the descriptions, the updates, social media, the website and with newsletters (don't spam them).

Take a moment and find out more about Reggie Ashworth at <http://www.reggieashworth.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: James Beauchamp

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Will Crafter

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

WillCrafter is our first app.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Offering an alternative service to DIY wills (at a greatly reduced price, compared with say Legal Zoom)

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The Apple App store.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

A better search engine (something similar to what Amazon has)

Take a moment and find out more about James Beauchamp & BGCJ Productions Inc at <http://www.willcrafter.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Thomas M. Tveten

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Guess This Sound

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have developed apps for about two years. I started to develop an HTML5 app when I worked at Cisco as a summer internship in 2012, and another HTML5 app when I worked at a Norwegian company called Visma as a summer internship in 2013. After the summer 2013, I started to develop some basic stuff on my own, until I started developing Guess This Sound in December.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The things I love the most is that I can decide my own work hours, promoting something I have created myself and see the effect of it. The learning curve is also exponential, at least at the beginning, which is very cool except of course the days when you really hit the wall. I would say that the one thing I love the most is that you can see other people actually love what you have created.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenges when it comes to market is to gain a user base fast with a very strict budget. This is my first app which I really try to promote, and by starting on scratch with 0 user on the like page on Facebook, few followers on Twitter, and a limited budget it is really hard to spread the word especially in Norway which is not that large and people tend to be very skeptical to new things.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The developing guide to App Store is chaos, it is an inception of documents and it is very hard to get started there. I recommend searching for other tutorials. App Store also has a review process on approximately 1 week, this is of course good for the users because they carefully review the apps, but for developers this is sometimes very annoying. Especially when you develop an app all alone, one need to be very carefully when submitting the app, since bugs cannot be fixed before a week after.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

When developing an app, make it user friendly. It is very easy to get blind on your own design and functionalities, thinking that it is much easier to use than it really is. Create an tutorial to be sure all the users understand it. The other thing as I mentioned above is to be very carefully when submitting the app. Users hate bugs, and they will delete your app and/or give it bad rating if it does not meet their expectations. One thing to remember is that users tend to rate the app 1 star or 5 star. From the first day the app gets published on App Store, start the marketing aggressively, the longer it is on App Store with few downloads, the harder it is to get the users attention. Therefore, if the app has many bugs or it is not user friendly, it could actually be very destructive for your app in the future.

Take a moment and find out more about Thomas M. Tveten at <http://www.guessthissoundapp.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Antonio Ferraioli

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Scala 40

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing apps about four years ago.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I like to work as indie developer, without needing to work anymore as consultant for IT companies. I like to create my products and have a direct feedback from users without intermediate companies.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The main problem for me was to find a marketing niche.My first products were decent, but not very useful and there did not exist an interested market. After a couple of years, I found a niche—a card game quite popular in Italy. There existed just one app for it, but not a good one. So I arrived to build something decidedly better, and it was a good success.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would like to be able to directly reply to customers posting reviews, sometimes I receive interesting suggestions and requests and it would be really helpful to exchange a few words with persons writing reviews.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Work a lot on your idea, share it with someone (never work alone), do not be discouraged when you encounter troubles, and learn something new everyday.

Take a moment and find out more about Antonio Ferraioli at <http://www.onmadesoft.com/scala40/index_en.html>

### Developer Name: William Kwan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Heroes vs. Mechs Tower Defense

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

2 years. Taught myself to program grade 12 when I heard Android apps were easy way to make money. Oh how wrong I was.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I can see my code.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Yeah....I don't really market my apps. Gotta work on that.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think everybody would like a better search algorithm. You misspell the name of an app slightly and then it doesn't even show up in the search results.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Start small, and learn by doing your own projects, not just blindly following online tutorials or books.

Take a moment and find out more about William Kwan at  http://replayism.com/heroes–vs–mechs–tower–defense/

### Developer Name: Koji Murata

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Typolayer

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing my apps since May of 2010. My mother bought me an iPhone 3GS. Since that was the first iPhone I've ever used, I was looking for things that iPhone could do more on Apple website. As I scrolled down on the iPhone page, I saw a button link "Apple Developer". That is was the first time I found out that developers outside of Apple make iPhone apps. I didn't know that anyone can make apps for iPhone. I got so interested and start watching youtube videos on how to make apps.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Being an app developer, I love seeing people enjoying my apps. My target is to develop apps that make users enjoy and somehow improve their lifestyle.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is of course to get users to know that my apps exist. It is also challenging to keeps my app downloads from stagnating over a period of time.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The app store currently is in good state, but I hope they can feature and give chance for young developers to shine out even once.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

New developers must have a solid goal, mission or target. Just like mine "I want to develop apps that are enjoyable to users and somehow improve their lifestyle". This way developers are motivated to build apps even at bad times. Money follows later. Goals such as "I want to be rich" are not realistic, and may not last very long. Developer must find their own way to love about making apps. I also advise new app developers to develop many small apps and submit them on the app store. I found that mass production of apps is one of the best yet easiest way to market your apps. Since apps you make are an asset, it is a sellable product that makes you passive income. When you mass–produce your apps, add a logo that lets user recognize it. That way in the future, you can cross promote your own apps or even make your own app store section. And at last, I also advise new developers not sit too long in front of your computer, but to go out walk in the morning, participate in voluntary work, cooking food, doing different things, that way you will get new great ideas for your apps.

Take a moment and find out more about Koji Murata & APP KOJI at <http://www.appkoji.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Francesco Mattioli

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Avoid – Sensory Overload

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

NuOxygen is a video games publisher that operates in the mobile market and on other platforms as well. (PC/MAC) We started has a game development studio called Magic Dream Games in 2008 when we created our first PC game , Ikaro Racing, Our studio has developed several titles for iOS and then we decided in 2011 to found NuOxygen in order to separate the marketing activity from the development activity. In this way we started to become publishers of our own games and we published games from other studios as well.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Mostly the fact that your destiny is in your hands and that you are the complete owner of the product. Being a developer and trying to create a business out of this is a very hard task since surviving means creating a product for the market and finding a publisher to market it. In case you want to self publish your game you have to create a publishing branch that does this complex activity. Remember that publishing is not just putting a game/app on the store.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

There are some basic factors that are all connected. Marketing an iOS or mobile game in general is not the final stage but it must be hardly connected to the product. Many times, developers finish a product and ask us to promote it. Going to market for mobile games means developing a product with an eye on market, for the implementation, gameplay side, and the monetization system and measuring the game arpu. What you want to have, are at least these important elements. Once you have the right product, then, marketing is just about using the right marketing channels, tools and relations. That's when investing in promotion and user engagement has sense.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

We have to work with this world has it is. No prayers. Yes, sure there would be many things. One of these can be creating a specific Showcase for high quality products that are priced higher , a fixed number of entries for a specific amount of time. The iOS market has created a big revolution and an opportunity for all professional and non–professional developers with a lot of low quality products and a great difficulty in searching high quality products.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Define your targets. If you want to create a business out of it you have to find a good publisher that will lead you through all the aspects of game development that will be needed to reach the market and monetize the game. Investing on game promotion is matter of the game itself. So look for the publishers that care about your product. It's not true that the bigger they are, the better they do, or that they will accept your product at decent conditions.

Take a moment and find out more about Francesco Mattioli & NuOxygen at <http://www.nuoxygen.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Sebastian Coronado

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Ainigma

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

The first time I started to learn how to develop on the IOS platform was back on 2009 as a hobby. Then, in 2011 I made my first app with my friends. The app was a weather app and it was free. It was a good experience because it helped me to understand better how the App Store works. When you make your first app you need to read a lot of Apple documentation. The videos from Paul Hegarty, a Stanford teacher, helped a lot. My first App was called "How hot celebrities", the main idea was to animate the celebrities depending on the outside temperature. After the IOS developer license expired "How hot celebrities" was removed from App Store. Recently, I started to develop games back on December, 2013. I want to try it at least for 1–2 years more and check how it works out.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The thing I love most is making games that thrill people and make them sink into the game. I want them to forget everything else and have a good time. The App store gives you the tools to make a game available for all the world, it is amazing. When I develop Apps I like to think "Would I play this game in real life?". If the answer is no, I know I need to change something. As a developer I love to get good reviews it makes me very happy. I am not a big company like Blizzard, Rovio, etc... and a single good review is very important to me.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

It is hard to be seen by community in a huge market like the App Store, with thousands of apps. I don't have enough resources to market myself as big companies do. However, the most important thing starts from the development and I think that people is going to notice you eventually, if you make great games. Marketing is about finding the company values and express them to the community. My values are to make games to inspire and help people when they are having fun, for example when people solve puzzles they have fun and they use their brains. The biggest challenge is to express your values and make people understand them. When someone thinks about your brand as an idea for greatness is because you succeeded. For example, when you think about Apple you don't think about bytes and hardware. The first thing it comes to my head when I say Apple is a beautiful machine that helps us to work better.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would love to see better feedback from Apple's editorial team on how to improve the game. As a developer nowadays you only have apple documentations and user feedback, if developers could get feedback from current apple's editorial team, they will make better games and get better chance to be featured on the store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

If you are starting from scratch check out Raywenderlich's tutorials and Paul Hegarty tutorial videos named "Ipad and iphone application development". ! Start by simple things and based on that start developing what you feel it is right. After your idea is polished and ready show it to people and improve it.

Take a moment and find out more about Sebastian Coronado & Ainigma at <http://www.piogames.net/piogames/Ainigma.html>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Gas Nervino

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

R€D – Real Euro Detector

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

The R€D took me 3 months to be ready for the App Store and 1 month more to fix some minor bugs.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I like to create something useful for me and for my users. And I really love that a lot of people are saving money and time just using my free apps.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

One of the biggest challenges is to meet the Apple Stores quality standards and to pass the review process. Later, if you have a good product, the first 3 or 4 review can make the difference.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There are a lot of things to change in App Store. Maybe the most important it's the developers need to answer the user review.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Actually I improved a lot my income changing the developing language to a higher level one. Now I'm able to write once and deploy for iPhone/iPad, Android, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle and soon for Windows Mobile.

Take a moment and find out more about Gas Nervino & Gas Nervino Software at http://real–euro–detector.appita.it/indexEN.html

### Developer Name: Jumpei Goto

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

SAMURAiCam

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been programming iOS apps for the past 3 years. One day I heard that there are several success story of iOS apps in Japan, even individual development. this is why I decided to get started to grab at this potential success.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I love most is to be able to put my products out to the world as identifiable trace left of me, it's like a musician.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

My biggest challenge is to brush up my planning ability for apps to be known to the entire world.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think Apple's app store has harmful apps lesser than GooglePlay has. That is so nice for customers, even developers.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

I am not successful yet with iOS apps. but why am I developing iOS apps ? That is the reason why I have a dream to be successful someday. Do you have any reason why you want to develop apps?

Take a moment and find out more about Jumpei Goto & J.G.ravity at http://jg–ravity.com/

### Developer Name: Jens Daemgen

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 ProCamera 7

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been working as a professional software developer for multinational brands since 1999. I have been focusing on iOS development since 2008. After holding the first iPhone in my hands I was completely enthusiastic to develop software for that device. ProCamera was a logical consequence as I was sure that the camera of that mobile phone had the potential to change photography. The camera of first iPhone was more or less a prototype when it came to quality. The initial impulse to create ProCamera followed the idea to combine the device motion sensors with the camera. The photo is taken when the device is held steady. That helps to take better photos as it reduces motion blur. The Anti–Shake feature was part of ProCamera since version 1.0 back in 2008.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

First, it is essential to be specific: I love to be an iOS app developer. And all devs on the team love to be iOS developers. One big reason for that is the amazing hardware and the great development environment that Apple has created. The iOS platform incl. the simple distribution via the AppStore is a gift. 2) Secondly, mobile apps were and still are a relatively new market. That means entering new territory. There is still so much innovative potential that hasn't been leveraged. We were and are innovators in our field. There are so many apps, but only a few are really innovative. Bringing new ideas to life and creating something new and useful that accompanies a user (almost) all the time is exciting. This is different from the home computer or laptop. Apps are always with you. And although smartphones and apps have become ubiquitous, we still have no idea how much (more) this is going to change our lives. 3) As we have been focusing on camera app development we at the forefront of an immense evolution in photography. I would speak of a revolution in photography (please see attached chart, I can send it as a PDF if you wish to include that in your book) rather than an evolution. Completely new possibilities and problems arise out of this change. Dedicating on solving these problems and leveraging the potential of these new possibilities is our mission and what we love to do. Creating a product that is the defacto standard for professional photography on the iOS platform is our vision and what fills us with enthusiasm.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

This is new territory. We have learned a lot about how to market an app. But as this market is growing and changing so quickly it is necessary to be flexible. We are naturally striving for sustainability. Sustainability requires structures. Flexibility requires the ability to adjust structures. This can be challenging to combine. One of our company principles is 'organic growth'. I believe that accelerating growth just to make more profit is baloney and just leads to burnt soil in the long term. That philosophy works well for family run businesses and small to medium sized companies in the 'old economy'. A family run restaurant that has been around for 50 years as an example. Living up to this philosophy in a fast moving international market like the mobile app market has been and is a challenge. But after five and half years of ProCamera (without investors or venture capital) I can say that it is possible. A general challenge every developer is facing is awareness for their app. Luckily we've always managed to stay in the top lists of the App Store.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

One big wish would be: trial versions. We have a high–price app that offers high value. It is hard to convince people that it is totally worth spending $5 on ProCamera. The feedback we get is very positive and our users understand the value of the app when they have used it. But before you have used ProCamera you might wonder why 'they' charge $5 when there are cheaper or free apps that look like they offer the same. Trial versions would solve that problem. I believe we would greatly benefit from this as users could experience the quality of ProCamera before they have to decide to spend the money.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Focus on a good idea that truly excites you and stick with it. Make one app that stands out rather than 5 half–baked apps that you hope to sell by cross–selling effects. These times are over. It is true that is was enough to just have an app on the App Store to get sales back in 2008. This is not the case anymore. A good idea but a half–baked app just gives away your idea to some copycats that have understood that "modeling" makes bucks. Today, with countless apps on the store, it is essential that your app rocks. It is essential that the app brings a value and is completely flawless. Three crashes in a row and the user deletes your app. Users are impatient; there are probably hundreds of alternatives to your app. If your app works best out of the hundreds in your category, you can win – if you market the app well. If the app sucks, all marketing is just fire accelerant for a straw fire. It won't last in the top lists if it's not good. In that regard, the app store is unforgiving. Use HockeyApp to make you app rock solid. Adhere to iOS standards and read the human interface guidelines from Apple. Have the best UX/UI designer and don't think, "That feature will be done in a day". Software development takes lots of time and as a developer you always ignore that fact. The core feature might be done in an hour. But to make it perfect and ready to ship you'll need another two weeks. Be aware of that. And after you have a great app, don't forget that your app might vanish in the nirvana of the App Store if the app is not marketed properly.

Take a moment and find out more about Jens Daemgen & Cocologics Team at http://www.procamera–app.com/

### Developer Name: Baglan Dosmagambetov

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Great Coffee App

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

About 3 year ago. When I was preparing to leave my last company, iOS app development was the new exciting field. Fortunately, my friend Alexander Nogai, which whom I've been working with since, shared my enthusiasm.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Ability to make a very personal product and deliver it, more or less, directly to a very wide audience.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Opaqueness. There is not that much reliable information on how app stores work; because of that, when we make a decision, it is hard to correlate it with an outcome, it is hard to know if, say, changes in sales were a result of our actions or of some random factors.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Some customers leave support requests in a form of reviews and we'd love to help them but there's no way to get in touch with them now on the iTunes AppStore. It would be great if there was.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

With so many apps in the app stores, it's unlikely to get attention with a poorly done one and making a great app, usually, takes a lot of time and effort.

Take a moment and find out more about Baglan Dosmagambetov & the Great Coffee App at <http://greatcoffeeapp.com/>

### Developer Name: Jan Essig

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Preschoolers ABC Playground

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing Apps for exactly 3 years now. In April 2011 we bought an iPad 2. At that time there were only very few children's apps that we really liked or would have been happy to give to our children. That was the catalyst that set me to work on my own children's apps. I'm developing Apps in my free time only. In my regular job I'm working for a variety of customers and agencies as an independent illustrator, motion designer and programmer.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love the freedom of making an App exactly the way my kids want it to look like – and of course the way they expect it to work. I love making something that makes them happy and they really want to have ( such as the ABC App "Preschoolers ABC Playground" I made for my daugther, when she asked me to teach her letters). As I do all the design, illustrations and programming myself – I am free to do whatever they and I like. I also love getting in touch with parents and teachers all over the world. Thanks to their great feedback I was able to improve my Apps more and more.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting noticed is the hardest thing. I am no good at marketing at all and I just can't afford the necessary steps. Without having a "huge" marketing budget, some Pro who does marketing for you or connections it is almost impossible to reach your target audience or to get visible on the Store. By now there are so many Apps out there – it became quite hard for a small independent developer to keep an App alive.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Reviews should still be shown after an update. Currently all reviews for an App are gone after an update hits the Store until it / the App gets 5 new reviews. This should be changed! It would also be nice to see reviews from other counties for an App.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Always develop your apps together with your target audience!! For an App for kids: ask children to use it. Listen to them and watch them play. That way you can improve your app a lot. DO NOT add Adverts, Push Notifications etc. to kids apps – this stuff does't belong there. Protect all external Links and buttons so nothing interrupts the kids play.

Take a moment and find out more about Jan Essig & Preschoolers ABC Playground App at <http://www.janessig.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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### Developer Name: Rohan Kapur

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Travelog

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I'm currently 15 years old, I started learning iOS development when I was 12. My desire to develop apps birthed from my passion for Apple, jailbreaking friends devices, etc. I began by browsing through a few Objective–C books, and attempting to write a few practice apps by scouring through forums, piecing bits together.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Writing code is fun and relaxing. However, I develop apps to solve real world problems, eg. Travelog to make the lives of travellers easier. Also, creating beautiful, functional product is a great feeling.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Simply put, nowadays, it isn't easy to get downloads unless you're in a big market like Games. It's hard to market to the correct demographic. And you need to make sure to watch out for the dodgy marketing sites.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

N/A

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Try to start developing apps by practicing a lot, when you're trying to market your apps make sure you have personal connections to people at Apple to get featured. Get a Twitter account and connect with a plethora of other developers who may try out and promote your app. Use recommended, effective marketing sites and write a PR release. Make your App Store description snappy and make your screenshots more than just a screenshot, overlaid on a phone with a description catch line. Make sure the app looks good, and follows iOS 7 UI elements!

Take a moment and find out more about Rohan Kapur & Travelog at <http://www.travelogapp.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Daniel Hjelm

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Loot Hero

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I think I have been developing apps since about 2012. At first I made mostly just Flash games, but I have expanded out to other markets such as iOS and Android since then. I started when I stumbled on a program called MultiMedia Fusion. It was a follow up product from the original game making tools I toyed a bit with when I was little. I started to play around with this new version and that was how I got into making games again.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The freedom :) I have done some "normal" work in the past, but it always felt very unnatural to me. Game development involve extremely hard work also though, it is not all fun. But most of it is very fun!

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge I guess is that I have neither any experience nor interest in marketing at all. I do try to send out some emails and press releases when releasing a game. But even that I often overlook. I know I should be better at this, because it is a major factor, even if you don't like it. With Loot Hero though I had help from my publisher for the game, GameMazing to reach out. That really helped a lot! Especially to just get it off my shoulders without feeling guilty about not doing it.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I don't spend much time in the App Store to be able to say anything of real value about that. I have heard that the quality of the game is not necessary the biggest factor in it becoming popular in the App Store, and that is a problem. The fact that a lower quality game can "buy" itself up the ranks compared to a higher quality game without any marketing budget is not something I like. But I think that is hard/impossible to get around and I guess that is something that is true for every other medium to.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Just the same old saying of "Just make something". It is really the best advice there is when it comes to any creative art. Just sit down and start making something, even if it is crap. Also, try to scope your first projects smaller.. This is the hardest lesson I think.

Take a moment and find out more about Daniel Hjelm & VaragtP Studios at <http://varagtp.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Ngoan Nguyen

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Instacrop+

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Since 2008, when the first iOS SDK was released.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love the fact that with every App that I release, I'm potentially [that much] closer to having a great hit like "Angry/Flappy Bird". This excitement is what drives me to keep working harder.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

–My biggest challenge in marketing would probably be the paid avenues. I'm an indie developer without any type of marketing budget so it is very hard for me to bite the bullet and attempt to go with any paid routes. I try to go through as many free channels as I can, but I haven't really been that successful.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would like for Apple to promote more games from independent publishers. It seems that only the Apps from big–named publishers are ever featured on the front page of the App Store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

To future developers: You're picking an awesome path, but here's a fair warning: If you can't handle a 24 hour coding session, then this gig's not for you!

Take a moment and find out more about Ngoan Nguyen & NSCompany at <http://www.skafia.com/instacrop/>

### Developer Name: Alex Kac

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Pocket Informant

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We've been developing apps since 2000 for mobile devices, and 1997 for the web. I personally got started because of enjoying the hobby work of writing software that I could use myself and wanted to share. It became a popular app from that.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I enjoy tackling new challenges with user interface. I love user interface design.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting reviewed.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Reply to customer reviews. Usually we'd like to point out features that customer doesn't realize do exist or to send them to support.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Own your code. Get help where you can, but own your code. Take a moment and find out more about Alex Kac & Web Information Solutions, Inc. at http://webis.net/products/pocketinformant–pro/

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### Developer Name: Arvind Jha

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Filmi Filmy

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We have been developing apps since 2011. We started by offering app development services to customers (US, Europe) and have started to build/publish our own apps in 2013.We continue to offer app development services to 3rd party customers.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

We focus mostly on content–based apps – news, movies, music/songs, tv listings, books & magazines etc. We think that there is a tsunami of content getting generated each day and the average user is unable to discover relevant and useful content. We want to use apps as our channel to help consumers discover great, relevant and useful content. The ability to bring some value to a large user–base attracts us to app development.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenges are around app discovery and promotions. Many of the apps are FREE or monetized via ads/IAP and it takes a significant user–base to start creating revenue. It also may take a couple of turns/evolutions in business models. To sustain the app and marketing, one needs resources. There are only a handful risk–capital players willing to support an app at an early state. Most VCs want to look at the app one it crosses 100k–250k base. So the app developer/publisher must be ready to support the app till that level is reached. Many indie developers don't have the resources to scale the apps to this level in reasonable time.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The App Store could do newsletters to its users high–lighting not only the top apps but also the long–tail apps – apps that have fewer d/l but strong rating, reviews, daily usage stats so that consumers can get a sense of what's new and what's getting eyeballs.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Like any business, app development is about identifying your target market and their stated/observed need. If you focus on this, you will find a way to make it successful. It may take a couple of rounds of evolution, tweaking to get the model right. Be flexible, as the market will show the way. Also, use the initial launch to validate your assumptions of the use–cases with actual user analytics. Only when everything seems aligned should you commit major budgets to promotions, advertisements, paid reviews etc etc.

Take a moment and find out more about Arvind Jha & Pariksha Labs at <http://www.parikshalabs.com/filmifilmy/>

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### Developer Name: Mickey W. Mantle

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Arthur's Teacher Trouble

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing hardware and software products for over 40 years, at a number of well known companies including Pixar and Broderbund Software. In an abridged version, I began planning to found Wanderful to develop the Wanderful Apps when I first saw Steve Jobs announce the iPad. I thought it was a "game changing" device and thought I knew how to go about developing some successful Apps. So after I "retired" from my last company in May 2011 (Gracenote) I set out to found Wanderful and create these Apps. For the long version see the story on our website: http://www.wanderfulstorybooks.com/page.php?t=books_history.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love developing software and making great software products. With my own company, I get to make all the key decisions and live with the ones that are correct and with the mistakes.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

We make unique, apps that are among the best ever made (not just our opinion). People, who buy them, love them! But our biggest challenge is how to rise about the all "the noise" in the App store. With over 1 million apps it is very difficult to do that unless you have a top ranked App, which ours are not. Marketing is the biggest challenge, though licensing and technology were hard – finding a way to do App marketing is by far the hardest.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The App stores (we are in many App stores – iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Toys 'R' Us, Kurio, and others) are all horrible for someone who wants to merchandise their Apps appropriately. Other than rankings, there is really no way for a buyer to find an app. The keywords are too limiting. b. The new Kids categories are helpful, but the new parental gates required are of a concern to us so we haven't implemented the Kids categories yet in the iTunes iOS store. c. There is no way to do "coupons" (buy one, get a second one ½ off) which is the proven way to merchandise good products. d. The App stores could do so much more if they would listen to their developers more.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The best way to be unique and successful is to find a "Blue Ocean", as Apple did with the iPad and iPhone. Unfortunately, developing Apps is a "Red Ocean" where the water is red from the blood bath caused by competitive price cutting and discounting. With Apps it's even worse, because consumers have been conditioned that FREE is what Apps should be. Only a fraction of tablet or phone users ever buy apps now and have been disappointed many times when they have. This is even worse in the Kids categories where Wanderful's Apps reside. b. There are still great opportunities for App developers, but they need to make sure they are prepared to either have a very unique idea for an App that addresses a broad market or be willing to fight a big up–hill battle to get it recognized. c. There are many exciting ideas for Apps out there...the challenge is finding the right idea and executing effectively.

Take a moment and find out more about Mickey W. Mantle & Wanderful, Inc. at <http://wanderfulstorybooks.com/>

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### Developer Name: Rachael Cox

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Child of the Week

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I developed 'Child of the Week' last year, 2013. Child of the Week was a concept we have been using in the family home for over ten years now. I had told various people about the concept and they always said I should market it, but I had no idea how. It wasn't until the psychologist from The Australian International School in Singapore contacted me to see if they could use the idea for parents who were having difficulty keeping a harmonious home, that I realized I should really be doing something about it. I had a chat to a friend of mine who is an entrepreneur and asked him how he would go about developing this idea. He simply said, "Ooh, that's easy, just make an app". So I did! Making the app was fabulous fun. After a period of research I found a team of developers from the Gold Coast in Queensland. They came up to Singapore to do what they call a "Deep Dive Workshop". This was an eight hour process with white boards and more electronic devices than I've ever seen. We spent the entire eight hours finalizing exactly what I wanted – then we went for it! Being a Graphic Designer it was imperative I design the App. I came up with the initial look and feel of the app and then the designers at the App company worked within my guidelines. I have to say I love it! I am also in the process of developing a new app and so the whole look has to match as they will eventually tie in together. They were very patient –as designers are typically pedantic – and I was certainly no exception. They were fabulous to work with and always available: I would Skype them almost daily, and sometimes twice a day! I managed to develop an app from Singapore using an Australian company and the tyranny of distance didn't matter at all. Thank goodness for Skype and the Internet! The entire process took about six months.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love the creativity of developing an app, particularly learning a new skill in a channel that is revolutionizing our world. I love that it is current and it is incredibly satisfying to say I have developed an app that is now available on the app store, and helping people in the home. People are always surprised when I tell them. Their first response is, 'How on earth do you do that??' I love a challenge and seeing a project through from beginning to end. Developing an app is such a fun and exciting task to undertake. I can't wait to get moving on number two!

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

–Money! – How to reach the right people. – Time. I had no idea marketing would play such a big part and eat into your finances so much. I had to learn a great deal in a short time. I didn't even have facebook when I started developing the app. Using social media was completely new and foreign to me and in terms of marketing, an essential tool. Also, the market is flooded with apps so making yours get noticed isn't easy. I googled the best ways to market an app, and an article came up, '52 Ways to promote your App' by Scott Lorenz and I just started from the beginning. Online press release through prMac was one suggestion. Through them you can send a press release to stations across the US. NewsWatch in America contacted me as a direct result of the press release and chose my 'Child of the Week' app to review. As a result the review has appeared on the History and Bio Channel in the US, which airs to over 100 million people. There's a great deal to do when marketing an app. I guess it depends on what kind of app you have developed but getting people interested is a great deal harder than it looks. I will definitely factor in the cost of marketing and PR while I am developing my next app.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

No. I think it works really well.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

–Make sure you have an excellent relationship with the company building your app. –Read all the fine print and understand everything before you sign any documentation. Go through it with a fine toothcomb and if you don't understand, ask questions. Always ask questions. Don't be afraid. Don't worry about sounding stupid, it is essential you are across how everything works. Have a clear plan of your marketing strategy and factor in the cost of marketing and PR.

Take a moment and find out more about Rachael Cox & iApps at <http://www.iapps.net.au/>

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### Developer Name: Freddy Gonzalez

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Funny Beards

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Since, the app sensation started with the opening of the App Store at 2008, I was always fascinated by the way apps were able to handle difficult tasks from our day to day and become it simple. With a pretty good knowledge on development due to my passion, engineer, 4 years ago came to my mind a new way of solving some traffic problems on cities around the world, after some research and realize that this was already solved by some other developers, I get so involved and passionate about apps that I started developing some other apps myself with different purposes, after a while I founded my own app development company and the rest today is history.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

There are many things that I particularly enjoy of being an app developer, but I can say by sure that the one that I love the most it's the freedom to make possible whatever comes to my mind, the sky is the limit when it comes to app development to me and my coworkers, this is definitely one of the best parts of being an app developer.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I could say that the biggest challenge is to find new ways to impress users making them every time more and more attached with our projects, our last app "Funny Beards" for iOS succeeded in doing this and we have received awesome comments from the users & media to point this out. On the way I see it there is no better marketing approach than having an app that catch users attention by itself.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Definitely, I would love to see some more support to developers just starting out, from my point of view the App Store should give some extra support to start up companies and indie developers as they do not have an easy one.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Work with passion, love what you do and do not give up, let the money goes second making your priority always to deliver a product users will love, this is what defines success.

Take a moment and find out more about Freddy Gonzalez & Innovative Apps Corp at <http://lander.funnybeards.com/>

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### Developer Name: Stephen Darlington

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Yummy

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

When Apple announced the App Store I already had both an iPhone and a Mac. I played around with the beta developer kit, partially building out a couple of ideas. I only completed and sold my first app when the App Store launched without something that I needed. It was approved and went on sale at the end of August 2008.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love seeing the sales reports coming in and seeing that I have downloads from all over the world, and all from a tiny business in my home office.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Apple provides no analytics about where people come from when they purchase (or don't) an app, which makes it very difficult to know which methods of promotion are effective.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Search needs to be improved. For example, my app www.cut does not appear in the list at all when you search for it by name (but "Crash Zombie!F" and "Jungle King" do!). I appreciate that many of these apps will have more downloads and may rank higher, but you'd expect an exact name search to have it listed somewhere!

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't underestimate the amount of marketing effort that is required to successfully launch an app. Simply being in the App Store isn't enough any more. There's a lot more to it than just the development.

Take a moment and find out more about Stephen Darlington & Wandle Software Limited at http://www.wandlesoftware.com

### Developer Name: Alan Oppenheimer

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Art Authority for iPad

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Almost 20 years if you count Macintosh apps. I worked at Apple before that and started my own company to do Macintosh Internet related things. If you mean apps for phones, we shipped an iphone app the first day it was possible, in 2008. It was a natural follow–on to our Macintosh work.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

That difference we can make with a successful app. Also that we're making something cool that we can use ourselves.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

There are 1 million apps out there. It's hard to get noticed.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

They do a great job, but they can always do better. For instance you have a very limited number of keywords that people can search on. They should allow a lot more.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The odds of a successful app at this point are very very low. If you want to make money, develop apps for somebody else. For instance, a large company that just wants an app for promotional purposes. Even with a good idea, it's just so hard to get noticed that your app is too unlikely to be successful.

Take a moment and find out more about Alan Oppenheimer & Open Door Networks, Inc. at <http://www.artauthority.net/>

### Developer Name: April Gendill

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Missile Commander

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I began writing programs back in about 1984 on an Apple ][e in AppleSoft BASIC. I was 14. Over the years I've used Pascal and C primarily but for the web have used Java, Javascript, PHP etc... I began writing Macintosh applications in 2002. Long before the AppStore or the iPhone. At inception I was bought an iPhone developer membership by a friend as a gift. My first couple of programs were terrible. Over the last few years I've switched my attention entirely to iOS. Missile Commander, my current primary project, was the first Mac app I've seriously worked on in years even though it's primarily for iOS. I did release an Appstore ready version of NotePad, which had to be, renamed Classic NotePad for Mac, but that was a minor set of changes to pass Apple's review process.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It isn't so much about the finished project for me. I really enjoy creating a program. A finished project, to me, is instantly boring, mostly because it no longer needs me. It's just a thing out in the world. An unfinished project is exciting, it has bugs and problems to be solved. It has potential. Once it's released though, whatever it does, whatever it becomes it does so without me. So I suppose you could say it's a kind of Zen attitude about it. You know, the journey is more important than the destination. Now don't get me wrong, I, like any developer would love to write the next "Angry Birds" but that still wouldn't change the fact that the coding itself is the exciting part.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

This is a big question. Mostly the expense. Back when I started writing Mac software I was in a small group. We all began to recognize each other's email addresses and signature names in the mailing lists. Today, the iOS market is like the Windows market had always been. It's flooded. You're buried in obscurity before you ever start the project. Back when I started there was so little software that review sites and blogs had nothing to talk about so they were thrilled to review software with little more than a request. And I did a fair turn of business. Today, you have to pay for reviews. And of course only the readers think those reviews are "honest." I mean these places sell them for between $50 and $400 dollars each. If you have to pay that much and you get a bad review, well that news spreads fast and no one will buy your review product. Notice though how many 3+ star reviews you see on these sites. Usually 4 stars or better. You are paying for a fair to good review. The same is true with buying iTunes ratings. Look at any of the big developers and you see blocks of 20 –50 4 and 5 star reviews with phrases like "Love it" or "Best game ever" these are generally fake. Then you get small groups of real reviews, usually 1 and 2 star reviews. Let's face it, real people usually only go on the net to review something if they hate it. So the hardest part of marketing is trying to get your App's name out there economically. You just can't at $2 or $3 per copy of the app. You have to resort to "freemium" which is far far worse for the user. This is why I refuse to create "Freemium" games, I find them dishonest. Not shareware, where you try before you buy, but Freemium where no matter how much you spend, you simply never actually get the game.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'd like to see it actually start tracking down "review service" users and stopping people from buying iTunes review packages. As well as rolling back to the time when the first thing you see when you go to it, is the newest apps released that day. As it is, indie developers just do not have a ghost of a chance any longer.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Save a few thousand dollars for buying reviews from blogs and review sites. I hate to advise that, but it's the truth. Don't waste money on banner ads. People have ad removing extensions for their browsers, or they resent banner ads. Either way, spending that money on copies at Kinko's to put up fliers around town would have a better shot at yielding results. Polish the app. Make it exactly as you envision it. If something seems a pixel off to you, it will seem ten pixels off to the user. Missile Commander may seem rough around the edges, but it is in fact what I wanted. I wanted it to seem "retro" (A nice way of saying old) and rough. I didn't want it to look exactly like other missile defense games, but I did want it to seem old fashioned. You know, a little dusty. And I wanted it to be extremely difficult. Find someone with no tact to test your app. someone with a bad attitude and no sense of diplomacy. The beating you will take will improve all of your apps in the future. I happen to have just such a friend myself. Even though I'm currently working on a game, I would strongly caution against trying to write the next "Angry Birds." Look, lets be honest. No one does that. Not even the guys that did it. Well at least not the first 30 times. I was once advised that a good utility is the real ticket to long–term performance. It's true. If you write a good, useful app it will have a lower daily performance, but it will have a longer and more consistent performance. Ultimately, do you want a lot of money in a single burst, or a lot more at steady but lower rate over a longer period of time? Seriously, unless you're already pretty wealthy, you're not going to make WoW or something like that. If you're an indie like me, your best hope is that your game catches the attention of some reviewer who loves it and has a really large audience. Social media and tags. Every release, every new little tid bit of information, twitter, Tumblr and facebook it with lots of tags. Yes, ultimately it's a very small audience, but again, all you need is one or two people with a large audience to take notice. Create a demo video and post it on YouTube. If it's a game make it exciting. A demo video is a way for users and reviewers to see your product in the light YOU want shed on it. Use the available features of the device you are working with. Driving game? Use CoreMotion (on iOS). Achievements? Use GameCenter. Allow users to challenge each other directly via WiFi and Bluetooth as well as via GameCenter. Use twitter and facebook to let users post progress. Submit your app to every review site you can. Even though they virtually never review for free, once in a blue moon they do and also remember, there is no such thing as bad press. Even a bad review can generate sales, I know this personally. "Promo–code" giveaways are just that, giveaways. I've given hundreds of codes away. People take them and do not review your app in iTunes or your particular store. If they by some chance do, it's virtually always a bad review, because as I said, people normally only review things they hate. Keep your codes for reviewers, friends etc.

Take a moment and find out more about April Gendill & FOR neXtSoft at <http://www.fornextsoft.com/dcfns/index.htm>

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### Developer Name: Parcus Ewan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

VerseScramble

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I read some articles in 2010 and tried to get a group of software developers to start a company and begin creating Apps but was brushed aside as some of them did not have the time or just did not see the possibilities. I still was not sure what to do or how to get started so I did not do anything. In 2013 a friend sent me an article written by Chad Murretta and I again went back to looking into the possibilities of creating Apps. Crowned Apps LLC was started in March 2013 by my wife and I.To date we have created 7 apps and working on 5 more.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Seeing an idea come to life and then seeing the reaction on peoples faces who use the app or play the game.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting Downloads.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would love to see the ability to change keywords without re–uploading binarys brought back.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Do not spend a lot of money on the standard marketing. It doesn't work.

Take a moment and find out more about Parcus Ewan & Crowned Apps LLC at <http://www.crownedapps.net/>

### Developer Name: Cocoy Suguitan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Atomic Frogs

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I had planned on making iPhone games in 2008 but my hectic day job got in the way. My hours eased up when I moved to another company in 2009. I partnered with a friend and started work on our first game Chicken Farm. Later we realized that it was too difficult to code in Objective–C so we shelved the idea and stayed dormant for more than a year. In 2011 we got hyped–up reading indie success stories that rekindled our passion. We launched our first game Simplexity, a tile based puzzle about a year later and never looked back since.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love generating ideas, I have it down to a science. I'm passionate about identifying core mechanics that work and synthesizing them into something new. I also love the idea of being an indie developer working on personal projects because it gives me a greater sense of pride and achievement.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Marketing the app is in itself the biggest challenge. I find it more frustrating than developing apps because the outcome is not guaranteed nor consistent. I have tried sending press releases, emailing blogs and review sites, and posting on forums. I tried a tweet service and the results were dismal. All of these were either time consuming or comes at a cost, like throwing a line in ocean in the hopes of hooking something in. At the very least, traditional marketing creates a web presence for my games, but I don't think they help much in getting more downloads.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I haven't really thought of that. The Appstore's algorithm is constantly changing in favor of big players in the industry, indie developers like us have no fighting chance at discovery. Perhaps there should be a separate category to view just indie games, but I guess that won't happen.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Firstly, create your games and apps out of passion. If your primary objective is to make lots of money then you will most likely fail. The Appstore is like an ever growing lottery, not everyone will hit the jackpot. Hang in there and always be passionate at creating something good that delights people.

Take a moment and find out more about Cocoy Suguitan & Atomic Frogs™ at http://atomicfrogs.com

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### Developer Name: Neal Nellans

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Epic Mech Wars

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started my career in game development in 1998 as and artist on the original medal of honor games and started my own company in 2008, called Tiny Utopia.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The ability to choose my own projects and set my own schedule. I also enjoy building promotional websites and developing promotional videos for the apps.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Discoverability. Most users on most platforms are being funneled only to top ad spenders.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Improve Discoverability between apps and users in different ways. Amazon does this quite well from a product standpoint, Google is improving.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Develop many apps rapidly. See what gains the most traction and get behind your winners.

Take a moment and find out more about Neal Nellans & Tiny Utopia Games at www.tinyutopia.com

### Developer Name: Nick Herbert

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

KidzPocket

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Left my job at a telco as digital manager and started an apps biz for 12 months. I had no dev skills so I had to find local dev partners at a decent rate per hour. I developed kidzpocket for $2500 but it had bugs and I stopped the process due to frustration with the long dev cycles. Now I've joined a digital agency.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

N/A

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Managing poor reviews! – need a clean product to be successful.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

N/A

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Manage your client expectations and deliver clean code that works.

Take a moment and find out more about Nick Herbert & Kidz Pocket at http://www.kidzpocket.co.za

### Developer Name: Paul Hannan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

SurfOClock

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps for about a year and got started as a side project.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love bringing an idea to life.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting the reach. Most of my downloads have come from word of mouth. I have found paid advertising does not give me ROI therefore I am reluctant to use it.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

To many restrictions.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Whatever time you estimate it to take, double it. It's a long drawn out process but stick with it until it is live.

Take a moment and find out more about Paul Hannan & SufrOclock at <http://www.surfoclock.com.au/>

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### Developer Name: Peter Tucker

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Litho

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been programming apps for the past 5 years or so, and started at a small Children's Software Company in Florida. One day I decided to go off and start my own Company and have been creating my own apps ever since.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I love most is probably the creative process. I have an art background, so having the freedom to whip up a mockup design in photoshop then quickly code it into an app is a wonderful experience.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I think our biggest challenge has been working with customers. As a developer, you need to put the time in, whether it be working with beta users or reading customer reviews. From interviewing our customers it's fascinating to see how user's aesthetics vary and what they have in common. Finding a nice medium in our filters, that fulfills 99% of our needs, is the toughest buy most rewarding part of customer interaction.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There are a few changes I'd love to see. Promo Codes for in–app items on Itunes would be excellent. Litho implements a system where users are able to Preview our Pro Filters before they buy via in–app purchase. It would be great to give a promo codes for online contests via our social networks. Also it would be great on Android if you could switch from having a Free Listed app to Paid. Again, it would be a fantastic promotional tool to give your paid Android app away for something like a Holiday promotion.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

When you're starting out Bootstrap, Boostrap, Bootstrap! Don't know how to use Photoshop or how to code? Learn! Do the research. Buy a book. Join a community. Ask questions. No matter how silly you think a question may be, ask it! There are usually always resources around to accomplish your goal. But Most of all, like any sort of work, love what you do. Your passion will come through in your product if you love doing it.

Take a moment and find out more about Peter Tucker & Litho Inc at <http://www.lithoapp.com/mobile/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Christian Selig

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Syllable Speed Reader

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for about a year now. I got started simply due to being a big fan of the iOS platform and wanting to build some things for it. I've always liked computers and creating things, so it seemed perfect. Then I got started reading books and watching videos casually for a few years until my second year of university when I got serious about it and started developing Syllable.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love being able to create. Being able to build things that not only scratch my own itches (which is the root of most of my projects) but also are able to positively affect the lives of others with what I create is a really beautiful concept to me. Nothing makes me giddier than the idea of people using things I build! The freedom of being my own boss is nice too though.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting it out there. Being a fresh, independent developer is a really hard place to be from a marketing perspective. Figuring out what to do, while also having people trust some new guy or even give him/her the time of day isn't an easy task. It gets better or at least easier to process as time goes on.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'm not a fan of how the search results are displayed now (only one at a time being visible) and that seems like a common complaint.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Focus on creating great things. And you definitely have to market, at least a bit. Just publishing it to the App Store and letting it sit there is a sure–fire way to get it completely unnoticed, unfortunately. Focus on creating a great product that people will enjoy using and you already have a terrific foundation.

Take a moment and find out more about Christian Selig & his Apps at <http://syllableapp.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Victor Broido

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 FileApp

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

FileApp was first launched in 2009 (under the name FileAid, originally, we had to change it for a trademark issue but that was a good move we found out later).

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Our creative efforts are being useful to hundred thousands of users everyday.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I should probably say standing out from the crowd, but that's actually a challenge only derived from the toughest part: making users realize how useful the app can be for them.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Less junk. Seriously a big share of the apps out there are a shameless sub–par excuse for software or just meant to push other apps. Apple should really assess the purpose of the apps it lets in.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Build a simple app that makes something well. It's a matter of execution and delivery, not exclusivity or innovation.

Take a moment and find out more about Victor Broido & DigiDNA SARL at <http://www.digidna.net/fileapp>

### Developer Name: Sridhar Mani

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Zipper

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing apps in 2008. I started my career initially with Symbian, Windows 6, Blackberry devices but then iPhone attracted me more than any other device that time. I was working as developer initially for some of the small IT companies and helping them to come out mobile products. Then I have decided to start my own app development and deliver something useful to the consumers.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It really feels great when you develop something useful for yourself and used by many users around the world. It is like a social networking where I am directly connected through my idea and creativity.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

If you are an individual developer like me, it is really tough when it comes to marketing without spending money from our own pocket. It does not matter whether you have really a great product or game, it is simply tough to market the app. But then sometime it works out when you spam social networking sites and attract consumers.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There are so many unwanted apps sitting there in App Store and not allowing useful apps to be revealed in search results. Companies like Google, Apple should take strong chance against the app quality and reduce the total count of the apps.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

It is really exciting to be a mobile developer, but then if you are opting out that mobile development alone is going to be your career, probably you are on wrong platform. As an individual developer it takes a longer time even to earn little amount.

Take a moment and find out more about Sridhar Mani & Spider Talk at <http://www.spidertalk.co.in/zipper.php>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Kyle Richey

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Strides

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started making apps in 2011 because I love using them and I wanted to bring my ideas to reality.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The ability to tap into a massive community of early adopters that always want more from their devices.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Analytics. I can't wait for the day when app analytics catches up to Web analytics!

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Did I mention analytics yet? :) Having simple data like how many people see my app, go to its page, and how they found it (searches, category, etc) would be so valuable. I would also love it if Apple allowed developers to include a video demo of their app, and split–testing things like icon, screenshots and description would help everyone.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't build an app, build a business. Focus on adding value long–term and don't rely 100% on making $0.70 per customer.

Take a moment and find out more about Kyle Richey & Pure Signal at <http://www.stridesapp.com/>

### Developer Name: Rohit Kulkarni

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Politics Challenge

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps for 4 years. Being very passionate about playing games, I decided to be a game developer during my academics only. Then I took my every step towards perfection in game development. Initially, I started my career in app development by joining a mobile application development company. After 3 years, I started developing apps in my own. After working on many apps based on client's ideas, Politics Challenge is my first whole and sole game.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The most amazing thing about being an app developer is the experience when you see your ideas implemented and the satisfaction when you surprise users with your creative ideas.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge was to reach out genuine audience for whom app was developed.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Sometimes, it takes more time than expected for reviewing an app which needs to be reduced.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Never give up. Unless you start, you will never learn the things you need to. Never let your idea dissolve in your mind itself. Put it on paper, design it and then try to implement it.

Take a moment and find out more about Rohit Kulkarni at <http://politicschallenge.blogspot.com/>

### Developer Name: John Roberts

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

AddTo NYC

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing iOS apps in 2009 and added Android apps in 2010. Actually I was working for Qualcomm and they closed their Portland, Oregon office in 2009. The iPhone was hot and a couple of friends of mine wanted to try making iPhone apps so we got started on that together.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It's hot, it's where the action is in the technology industry. You have the ability to hold the result of your work in the palm of your hand. It's a nice introduction to other people about the line of work you're in to whip out your smartphone and show them something, or invite them to grab an app of yours for their own smartphone.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Visibility in the app store is BY FAR the largest hurdle to get over. The app stores have tried to reduce the effect of gaming the system, for instance adding version updates used to get you back into a new or recent category and it no longer does. Still it is well known among developers that there are paid reviewers, so you can pay to get positive reviews of your app and downloads of your app. However I wouldn't make too much of this, it's the normal business problem of how do you get the word out.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Apple's is by far the worst. First getting your app reviewed to be in the store takes a very random amount of time from one to two weeks. Even updating an existing app may take up to two weeks to get reviewed by Apple. Second Apple may reject your app for completely capricious reasons. I've had travel apps rejected because Apple decided "they didn't want city apps anymore". That's not a technical reason; it's just a random reviewer discarding something for the hell of it. You can appeal, but the appeals always side with the reviewer. The other app stores (Google Play, Amazon, Barnes and Noble) are more automated and more developer–friendly. They also are much faster at reviewing apps (Amazon and B&N) to get into their stores, always within 48 hours. Google Play is fully automated and no human intervenes in censoring your app. I think my last Google app was up and visible within an hour. So there is enormous risk in producing an app for Apple. However Apple has such a large market share, especially of the American market where people buy more apps, that you just can't ignore iOS. It's just frustrating to deal with them because of their random process for accepting and rejecting apps.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

You're competing against one million other apps. Why will yours grab someone else's attention? The best strategy for making money off the app store is the freemium model of producing a free app with in–app purchase for extra features.

Take a moment and find out more about John Roberts & Mindwarm Incorporated at <http://addtotravel.com/>

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### Developer Name: Jennifer Looper

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Roomalyzr

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I got started as an apps developer after having been a long–time web developer. I remember getting an iPhone 4 as a gift and decided I wanted to develop for it about four years ago. I got books on objective–c and built my first app, Practice Buddy, as a native app to help incentivize kids to practice their musical instruments. Practice Buddy and Practice Buddy Pro live on the apps store after having been rewritten several times – I have a special affinity for this, my original app!

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I really love the fact that I can ship software under my own brand name and take responsibility for the development cycle from start to finish, including being responsible for all creative decisions. It's a very different feeling from a "day job" where you are often a cog in a larger wheel.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

It's a big challenge to find the time to being all my ideas to fruition, and to maintain the apps that I produce. You have to find a balance between the number of apps you produce and your ability to be responsible for customer service, which often means rewriting and refactoring a codebase based on customer feedback or changes to devices or OS.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'd love for there to be a way to respond directly to customer comments as you can on Google Play. This would probably cut down on the number of frivolous reviews and ratings.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

It's important to realize that at this point, the app store is essentially a lottery, you may strike it rich but it's most likely you will not. Ideally you can at least break even. On a more positive note, however, your apps development may lead to other types of work including landing a job in a company that will let you continue your apps development for them. This is my current situation, in fact.

Take a moment and find out more about Jennifer Looper & Ladeez First Media at <http://roomalyzr.com/>

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### Developer Name: Iris Vilsmaier

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

myIDkeeper

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We started about 14 months from now, because we were missing the kind of functionality we developed now ;) We started reading books, and blogs and anything helpful.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The possibility it brings to change the world. Maybe. A bit.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Our biggest challenge is the problem to start a network with everybody saying 'This is a great idea, but there's no point in using it,if not all my friends use it already.'

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I don't like the possibility to give 1–star ratings without any text. It leaves you with nothing but wonder, what you did wrong. And we provided our app for iOS 6.0 but the App Store doesn't allow downloading it anymore with less than iOS 7.0.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

It gets easier with every update ;)

Take a moment and find out more about Iris Vilsmaier & Christian Vilsmaier at <http://myidkeeper.com/en/ios/>

### Developer Name: Toni Vlaic

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Splash Dash

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

For a little more than two years I have been developing apps. I started with it because I was seeing mobile as the future platform and believed desktop computers and laptops will be used less and less by average users but instead most users will only use smartphones and tablets for all their needs. The apps industry is one of the fastest growing industries and I believed I must be in it and I thought it wouldn't be that hard to be successful or at least I would make enough money to cover my expenses.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love that you can compete with all the big companies out there and that the whole world is your market, the entry requirements are not high and with a successful app you could earn a lot of money.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The competition is huge, extremely huge, I never considered that as much before I started or let's better say I ignored it. The prices for user acquisition and any types of ads are extremely high and there are big companies who spend a lot of money to promote their apps, which is extremely hard to compete with. It is very hard to get your app noticed and start making some money from it. If you have a free app with in–app purchases and you get a lot of downloads it doesn't mean those users will start paying for your in–app purchases, most just won't.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I can't believe the App Store doesn't have real–time statistics of downloads and sales, I would love to be able to see statistics in real–time. The time spent waiting for reviews is too long. I am aware that they receive a lot of app submissions but waiting to get the review started, till it is reviewed, processing for the app store...available for sale...it just takes too long.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

My main advice is that everybody should ask himself: How will you promote your app once it is done? If you think once your app is done that it will just somehow work out it won't, unless you have a really great app that gets featured in the App Store or picked up by the press or goes viral – it won't happen! The chances for this to happen are very little; you are competing with over a million apps currently in the app store and if you just would need to compete with the apps submitted today it would be a challenge! Most of the usual "promotional tips" just don't work, you pay $2,000 for a press release to reach out to thousands of journalists and nothing happens, you pay $10,000 to an app marketing company and nothing happens, you post to your 50 friends on Facebook or Twitter and you think it will go viral but it won't. I am trying everything possible myself and still searching for a way to make it work and hope somehow to get free press. My other advice is to take more time critically looking at your app, it's functions, looks and menus, often there is a vague idea of how the app should function which is not enough because if you didn't define everything before you start developing you will lose a lot of time and money, fixing stuff you didn't think of and going back to changing some elements. Last but not least you should ask yourself why should anybody use your app or play your game, what makes it better, would you use it?

Take a moment and find out more about Toni Vlaic & Splash Dash at <http://www.splashdashgame.com/>

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### Developer Name: Chris LaCombe

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Animate Me – Talking Photos

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started the design of my first app (the one you're enquired about), Animate Me – Talking Photos, about a year ago. Getting into the App world was the answer a question that was always nagging at me day and night: "What business can I start that's fun, interesting, and has the potential to support a flexible lifestyle?". To me, the answer was within the mobile app space, so I spend my days and nights researching, and brainstorming ideas until the idea of "Animate Me" came to me. Once the idea was clear, my motivation to break free from the corporate world drove me to work day and night to make it become a reality.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love the freedom to be creative and 100% responsible for the endproduct's success or failure.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge with marketing apps these days is that every marketing company wants their hands in your pocket, and it's a very challenging, time consuming task to identify which company, campaign, platform, service, etc, will return a positive return on investment. There's a saying that when there's a gold rush, it's not the ones panning for gold that make the money, it's the companies providing all the services to the people panning for gold.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The App Store needs more quality control measures to help reduce things like app spamming (re–skins with just graphic changes and no added value), fake/purchased reviews, and developers that buy their way to the top charts (paying for tens or hundreds of thousands of downloads to reach top charts)

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Anyone thinking about getting into the app business should treat it as a BUSINESS if they want to make a living at it, otherwise it's just a hobby. Any business takes time to grow and develop – don't make any assumptions. Try to network with as many other developers as possible that have already gone through the process – The insight, tips and other gems of information they share with you are worth their weight in gold and can save you tons of time, money and headache. Search out developer forums online, podcasts, and social media channels/groups and join in on the discussions.

Take a moment and find out more about Chris LaCombe & Apptation Inc. at <http://www.animatemeapp.com/>

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### Developer Name: Julio Ceres Ibay

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Calls to Make

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

The idea to come app with a mobile app started October last year (2013). Having read through some success stories of apps developers,(of course, the failures as well of many) over the internet, I started to think of an app that i can come up with. Knowing that most ideas are likely in the App Store at this stage, i thought it will really be hard to think of a unique one. So, I just started to think of something that I myself could use everyday. I just had a recent lapse of calling someone to greet for a special occasion, and that's how Calls to make got started. Having seen some of the existing Reminder apps, or To–do apps, I always find myself hung up with so many settings to do within the app. I simply want to set a schedule to call someone at a particular date and time, and get reminded to do so when the schedule comes, that simple. So that's how i designed the app, to be simple and straightforward, with minimal features and very basic details for a call reminder item. I don't have any programming skills so i had to outsource this project. So, 99.9 percent is on me, if it doesn't work, i will have no one else to put the blame on.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I would love the idea of coming up with an app the many users will find worthy of their attention and at the same time, find it useful in their everyday grind. So that's the challenge right now, sometimes you love it, sometime you don't My app, Calls To Make, is a pretty easy to use, nothing fancy, with the purpose of reminding users who to call or send Emails or SMS when they want or need to. At the moment I only take pride of having an app in the Apps Store, but i will surely love it more if it will be able to generate extra income for me. More often than not, this is one of the main reasons why we have so many apps, with so many developers trying to explore the opportunities in the mobile app industry. I don't see myself any different to many in terms of aspirations. Surely many are doing it right and reaping the benefits, while the rest are still in the process of achieving that.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge for me is to really know where to start. There are so many channels where we can look into, but being a newbie in this industry certainly challenges your will here and there. I had to and I am still in the process of learning, all the ways to get my app exposure. This in and of itself is a challenge, in terms of deciding which is best for your app marketing, as you really have to invest time and money for this endeavor. If you have a little bit of both, then it will be an uphill climb most of the way.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Let me put it this way, I'm no expert, so i won't say i like the Apps Store to be like this and that. But logical thinking tells me...Apple is a very successful organization, with full of smart and intelligent people. I would say the Apps Store is in good hands. They will certainly make sure that their Store will achieve its desired goals; one for sure is to be Successful. A big factor to its success, is the success of developers who contributes to their Store. So i think it follows that they serve the best interest of the developers, because, they (the developers) actually define the level of success their Store will have. Hence, at this stage, in terms of my level of exposure and familiarity with the Apps Store, on what they do and have there, i think they have everything covered.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Geez, i have so many and wouldn't know where to start (Yes, I made so many mistakes already!) Just let me mention a couple. Which do you prefer, Do's or Dont's? I will give you something from the latter. Don't rush into things. Rushing tends to make you say, 'yes, this will do' rather than saying 'yes, this is the best we can have"! (on features, functions, design, UI, etc.). These can cost you, in terms of time and money, or adversely affect your end product, in the immediate future, and in the long term! Do it right the first time, and rushing into things will not help you to achieve this. Think about it, you may not get a chance, like many, an opportunity to make it right, the second time. There might not be a second time. In all stages of development, try to get comments and feedback. The earlier stages or earliest stage, the better. Putting off comments and feedback until a later stage, say, when you have the beta version already, it might be too much to ask for (from your outsourced developer to make major changes at no charge), or work (if you do the programming yourself) to address valid comments and suggestions you will get.

Take a moment and find out more about Julio Ceres Ibay & Calls to Make App at <http://www.callstomake.com/>

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### Developer Name: Nicolas Koenig, Hugo Lingeman, and Douwe Maan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 B&B Calendar

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We are a team of three (Nicolas Koenig, Hugo Lingeman, and Douwe Maan) and Nicolas first started with app development with the start of the App Store. Initially he developed Thermometer for iPhone, Weather Station Pro (iPad), Clocks (Mac) and a few more with the help of Douwe. Hugo has a background in B&B marketing and together we developed the B&B Calendar as part of our services offered to bed and breakfasts. We learned that developing new apps for entirely different markets became more and more difficult with the enormous growth in apps and that the 'niche' marketing towards B&B's was working very well. The Calendar app as part of a complete marketing offer was a whole lot easier to market than entirely new apps in different categories. That's why since two years we are focussing entirely on the bed and breakfast market with Stinngo.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

We love making beautiful things.... either for mobile or on the web. We love the challenge of creating easy to use applications and the challenge on mobile devices is the biggest one: space is limited so you have to make tough decisions on what to include in the app and what to leave out. Moreover, usability requirements on mobile devices are even tougher than in web applications.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

We learned the hard way; the first apps did well because there was a limited number of apps on the App Store. But of the couple of apps we did later on, most failed miserably. Our take out is that you have to approach every new app as if it was a completely new business, with everything to be started over again: branding, marketing, PR. And of course with the vast number of apps on the App Store this has become harder and harder.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Currently reviews are published per country. We would like to see all reviews (regardless of country) as an option as well.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Create a 'mock up' and test it with friends and colleagues, take their suggestions and criticism to heart. Improve and change your app to be able to launch the best possible product. Approach your project as if you are starting an entirely new business: branding / PR / marketing / legal aspects (naming of your app for instance). Success does not come by itself.

Take a moment and find out more about Nicolas Koenig, Hugo Lingeman, and Douwe Maan at http://www.stinngo.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Patrick Larsson

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Happi Reads

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Happi Papi was founded in Jan 2011. We released our first app, Happi Reads, in March of the same year. We transitioned from making DVD Boardgames into apps.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The most rewarding part of being an app developer is to have the opportunity to create things that other people enjoy.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is that apps sell for a dollar or two but the public's expectations for originality, quality and content are still at the same level as for computer or console games. On top of that, the App Store is a much more crowded space than the console market for example. How do you reach someone in your target audience with money to spare when a sale brings in $0.70?

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Discoverability of high quality apps need to become better for small studios to be able to continue. Being able to more freely set prices, create bundles etc might also help.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Making it in the app world is starting to look more and more like playing the lottery if you do not have a lot of contacts and connections. Your first thought before coming on board should not be wether you have a great app idea and the skills to realize it or not. Instead you should be asking yourself if you know enough people in the right places (people at Apple and Google, old media journalists, bloggers, marketeers, VC's etc) and have or quickly can amass a big enough social media following (10K+ friends and followers). If the answers to these questions are not at least in the maybe column, don't do it!

Take a moment and find out more about Patrick Larsson & Happi Papi at <http://happipapi.com/>

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### Developer Name: Ian Sharp

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Dicom Converter

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps about two and a half years now. I got started after graduation.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love being able to create exactly what I envision and to know that my work is helping people. Since I'm my own boss I set my own timelines. Exposure is great also. Before iTunes you would need to make your own website and ecommerce platform or use a 3rd party one and then hope people would find your website to download your software.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The fact that the App Store is swamped with so much garbage. There's so many people wanting to say "me too" – publishing redundant data which can drown out your authentic creation.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

A synergy with sales. There is a glut of "marketing schemes". I hear that the market for "marketing apps" is bigger than the actual "market for selling apps". So you know something is wrong with this picture. I wouldn't mind paying money to a 3rd party if they could prove they made me a sale for me. Then I could give them a percentage of the sale, because that demonstrates value to me. It sounds fair. On the other hand paying money to a marketer for "the promise of a possible sale" is not an appealing use of my money. The marketer expects to get paid regardless if they deliver sales. That does not sound fair.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Unfortunately, years ago it was a better time to start making apps in the App Store in terms of generating revenue. My advise would be to "fail early" in the sense of getting your "minimal viable product" out as quickly as possible. Which is fairly common practice now. The reason is you could spend years making cool features for your app only to find it flop in the App Store. So it would have been to your advantage to start working on a different product earlier on. Everyone always talks about "the one app" that is a extreme success and then they think "me too". It's like the US gold rush, back in the time of pilgrims. Let me tell you, most of those people didn't find gold. Usually that app that was a success was preceded by dozens of apps by the same developer and for all intensive purposes those apps may have been more difficult to produce and more deserving of success, but you won't hear about them. One of your apps will just stick and you won't really know why. If you're going to make an app please do something new that people need. There is enough bloat on the App Store already. Unfortunately the market is now saturated and software has been devalued in the eyes of consumers. Software is expected to be free and even just charging a dollar anymore will cause a severe down shift in sales. I can't say I understand the mentality of the consumer – to charge a dollar for a soft drink that last a few minutes vs a dollar for an app that could last indefinitely. So many apps are free anymore which makes it understandable. If all soft drinks were free maybe people would stop paying money for those too.

Take a moment and find out more about Ian Sharp & Dicom Converter App at <http://motionreboot.com/>

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### Developer Name: Iñaki Campomanes

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

AWACS Simulator

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started to develop apps four years ago, because a customer wanted something to explore his database from the iPhone. Then I thought I could begin to develop games. I developed games long time ago for 8 and 16 bits computers.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Probably the fact that you can carry your own app wherever you want and interact with your data, business, and other people no matter where you are. Also you can play powerful games we were playing at home not so long ago.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

There is a lot of junk out there. I try to make powerful and interesting apps and games and every day dozens of new crap is out. Also those people who buy good reviews for their app.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The App Store is a mess, nobody can find anything they want to. A more powerful finder should be a point.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Be patient. And be strong. Don´t hesitate to wait until your app is ready, that is, is a good app with interesting features and beautiful. Don't send junk to the App Store, and they know when they're doing that.

Take a moment and find out more about Iñaki Campomanes at <http://awacstacsim.com/>

### Developer Name: Dan Corkill

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

HorseMinder

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started nearly a year ago. I'm not a typical iOS developer. I'm an academic Senior Research Scientist in Computer Science (multi–agent systems and causal knowledge discovery), now working at 50% time in advance of retirement. I founded an headed an AI software and research company from 1989–2002, so I've been on the commercial side of things, too.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Envisioning interesting/useful apps that aren't already present in the App Store and then crafting quality implementations. iOS devices are in interesting ecosystem.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Crowded App Store with vastly different quality. Volume of Freemium games overshadowing other potential uses/users of mobile devices.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Trial period before purchase. Better app searching and "genus like" recommending. Less reliance on current release ratings in favor of more serious impartial reviews, revised if needed with new releases. Apple already reviews apps for acceptance; they at least share some of that effort in reviewer's comments on the app.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Become a skilled designer and implementer. Don't get discouraged, but don't count on hitting the App lottery.

Take a moment and find out more about Dan Corkill & Midnight Oil Enterprises LLC at http://mn–oil.com/

### Developer Name: Nathan Liao

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Snippefy

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I began developing Snippefy in April of 2013. I got started when I couldn't find an app that would allow me to extract highlights from the books on my Kindle.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love that Snippefy provides so much value to my user base. I get daily emails from happy users who just love the app, and the fact that it is saving them hours of work. They also tell me how Snippefy has changed the way they read books! It's very gratifying.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Our challenge is keeping marketing costs down. We were able to identify where our target audience "hangs out" online, but with limited capital it is not viable to run huge marketing campaigns to obtain a large influx of users in a short period of time. It may take us a bit longer than anticipated to see Snippefy blow up in the Kindle market, but we will continue optimizing our marketing efforts until it does.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

It would help if the app updates were processed within a few days instead of a week. We had instances were an update was urgent but couldn't do much about it but wait for it to be approved.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Although I'm fairly new in the app world, I've learned many lessons that I hope will help others that are starting out. Things take longer than expected and this is true in the development phase as well as in marketing. I've seen developers give up completely after one month of releasing their apps. Don't give up. Keep hustling each day. If you treat your app like a project, that's all it'll be. If you treat it as a company, that's what it'll become. It all comes down to the mindset.

Take a moment and find out more about Nathan Liao & Snippefy at <http://snippefy.com/>

### Developer Name: Nebojsa Gutesa

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Geography Quiz Game

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We've been developing apps since 2011. Prior to that we were in web development. And then we decided to pursue our boy dreams, to listen to our geek side, and start making games. And we are happy that we made that transition.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What we love most about being an app developer, and what we're most excited about, is knowing that the product of your imagination and hard work is played by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. The fact that you helped thousands of people to have fun (or solve a problem, depending on your app) is sometimes more rewarding than money that comes from those apps.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Since we are looking beyond traditional marketing wisdom in app industry, it's challenging to find new media, blogs or advertising opportunities. We are always looking for the best marketing strategies that work in other online business, and trying to figure out how to implement those strategies in our app business. It's a big challenge for us, but eventually it pays.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

If they could review your app faster and, in case they reject your app, explain better why they rejected it that would be great.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

List the current trends. Then list your passion. Then list your skills. And then start brainstorming your app ideas. Always go for quality, and always put your users first.

Take a moment and find out more about Nebojsa Gutesa & Webelinx Mobile Development at <http://www.webelinx.com/>

### Developer Name: Nick Walter

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Later

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing for 2.5 years. The first smartphone I owned was an iPhone 4 and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life. I was blown away by all the useful apps that were available. I wanted to make my own!

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Building. Thinking of something in my head and then seeing it come to life. Also, when your apps are well received, that is a thrill.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I feel like outside of App Store SEO, there isn't much that can be done. This is frustrating to me.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would love to know what keywords lead to my app's downloads.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Join a programming group.

Take a moment and find out more about Nick Walter <http://later.bz/>

### Developer Name: Vasiliy Ivanov

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 VPN Unlimited

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

My experience as an app developer started over 10 years ago. It's funny, but I started as a gamer and my hobby grew into a profession. I have realized huge opportunities the digital era can offer. Throughout my career, I have tried a number of different activities including: desktop app development, database engineering projects and web design. I made a decision that I want to develop products on my own and offer them to my family, friends, colleagues and millions of users worldwide. As soon as I have focused on my goal, I started my first company.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

In my consideration, the process of app development is alluring. When you see how your team starts to grow and how we can accomplish more goals, come up with new app development solutions and substantially enhance app's quality by adding new features and setting new standards of our products and services... that is extremely exciting. As soon as a new product is launched, we start routines to attract as many customers as we can. When I see the sales excelling the primary profit goals, it inspires me. I seek new goals to offer my customers new apps and services with more options, enhanced features and affordable prices. Setting new goals and standards helps me to accelerate my growth. Every time a new idea taking a real–time shape and we release a new product, it is truly inspiring. I love examining dashboards. The numbers don't lie, telling the truth about product's usability and relevancy. I call statistic dashboards my personal tool. To use a metaphor, it's like being a pilot of your own jet plane. The numbers show me what can be improved, and what our strengths are. It's like being a coach for myself by saying "Never settle for less than your best" and act right away.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I believe that all technological challenges are solved, yet, you should prove your customers that they need your app. In conditions of severe competition, the winner is the one who makes an interface with one button less, a usecase with fewer steps and offers a user an app scenario that he craves. The successor is the one who refuses to impose his own ideas on others, instead he follows the users.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I see the moment I started to work with the App Store as life–changing. The App Store meant the new market audience and financial opportunities. It took us 2 weeks to develop the first product for the App Store, and we have tripled the initial investment. We were inspired with the results: we completed the ongoing projects and switched to working with App Store. With time, we adapted to the rules and we are grateful for app requirements and guidelines. When we first got started, we didn't know how to work with users. We developed our own system how to stay in touch with them. I personally consider the App Store to be a great support. The App Store experts select high quality products, setting new standards for app developers. It offers access to a vast audience with high users' traffic.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

To use a metaphor, majority of app developers act as shark–suckers. They take an existing app and update it year after year, using the same business–model. This road will not take you nowhere. You lack growth and progress. You have to offer users brand new innovative apps. Choose one goal and work towards it. Stay persistent and you will stand out from the crowd. Offer the market innovative products that users will respond to. If your app fails, change it. Work hard and you will get rewarded.

Take a moment and find out more about Vasiliy Ivanov & Simplex Solutions Inc at <http://www.vpnunlimitedapp.com/?ref=appstore>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Pedro Núñez Calzado

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Undo 4

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started a few months ago, so still I have very little experience. I am an architect and musician in training, not a programmer or graphic artist, but the world of programming has always drawn a lot of attention to me, I am also passionate about technology. Actually when I started my sole intention was to learn programming as a hobby. At the beginning it was difficult because there are not many resources for developers in Spanish and to learn Objective C as your first object–oriented language is a challenge. Currently my skills are still very basic although I have published my first app.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Actually, I think I still do not consider myself an app developer, but if someday I were to professionalize my hobby, I think, I would probably be able to unleash my creativity, because that's something that makes me feel great. The fact that today, I am able to do all the development by myself, makes my apps a very strong expression of my personality. From another point of view, I think if I could live off this without excessive economic tensions, the work done to develop an autonomous way would give me a lot of freedom provided sufficient financial conditions are met. I believe that freedom is the primary goal of most "indie" developers.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

At present, the App Store is crowded beyond belief. The visibility has become more important for an application in the market. The quality, utility or design have lost their value in favor of marketing, so unless you have good luck and Apple will somehow make you stand out, you need a tremendous amount of sales to be visible in the App Store. The consequence is that it is very difficult for the application you have designed to compete in downloads / visibility with other applications devoted significantly with their economic resources to marketing and even some practices that aren't very honest, such as payment for installation.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Many things! I think the App Store is now known under the "adverse selection" of Akerlof , like any other market. This makes being polarized towards the ends , so that the average quality applications have evaporated from the App Store because it is assumed the risk is too high and the developers that make these applications are virtually out of the market. Right now I think there are only two strategies reasonably likely to cover costs . The first is devoted to AAA development , as it is often called in the industry. This means taking a high economic risk and include in your budget an allowance for marketing at the same height or higher than the cost of development itself . The other option is to make a product where the idea is very good, but few resources to devote to the development and marketing to greatly decrease the risk , so that although the probability of success is small , you can get to compensate for the risk assumed.

Currently I support a working philosophy "Lean" where I try to throw in a short time and at low cost an app to test the market and receive feedback from users. Thus, if you find out first market or not , and then have the tools to right the first time with the development through feedback . Time will tell if it is a viable strategy.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The only advice I can give is to try to be very versatile, learn everything you can about marketing, economic psychology, competition ... because right now these skills are much more important in the App Store that necessary for an outstanding application, this seem very daunting. If a developer wants to pursue only thing, the only way is to find partners who are dedicated to advertising imagery, that is what really makes the difference at this time.

Take a moment and find out more about Pedro Núñez Calzado at <http://www.bypencil.com/2/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Dr. Reginald Laigo

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Study Habits

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

This is the first app I developed, which took approximately 8 months from concept to completion.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The thing I love the most about being an Appreneur, especially in the education/productivity categories, is the opportunity to create products that ideally will enhance users' day–to–day lives.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

In one word: consistency. I feel the crux of marketing any product is about spreading the word about your app to potential user on a consistent basis. However, spreading the word about an app must go beyond the traditional means of marketing, such as blogs and reviews site. You really need to attempt to develop an image and brand for your product and company through social media and other campaigns.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

A nice start would be a greater level of transparency regarding how ASO rankings on the Top Charts and search queries work. It would be amazing if Apple explained how editors select their Featured and their App of the Week as well, but I think this is not likely to happen. Lastly, the "Near Me" button seems like wasted space – a "Trending" or "What's Hot" button would be more prevalent for users and developers.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

I say this without being facetious: developers need to treat app development as a business. Too often I hear comments like "I think I could develop an app, it looks easy" or "I have this really great idea for an app that for sure will be a hit!" In general, I think it's tempting to presume that app development is an easy moneymaking venture when you see small companies such as Instagram get purchased for billions of dollars. The reality is there are over 1 million apps in the App Store, and less than 20% of apps generate enough revenue for developers to earn a living. Therefore, developers should take the time to develop their business plans, complete their due diligence, and keep target user in mind as they design and program. And remember to set a budget for marketing!

Take a moment and find out more about Dr. Reginald Laigo & Study Habits at <http://www.studyhabitsapp.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Linda Ng

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Falling Fox

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started making ios games in 2011, together with my husband and a friend. At the time we saw how some indie developers became really successful and decided to try it out ourselves. As gamers ourselves, it was an opportunity that wasn't possible before the iPhone entered the market.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The freedom to express ourselves. Since we are not bounded by any restrictions or requirements, we can get creative and experiment with various styles and development methods.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Definitely budget. As small developers, the most we can afford are marketing solutions ranging from hundreds to a couple of thousand of dollars. We can't compete with big name publishers where their marketing budgets are much, much higher.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Preferably, I do hope Apple brings back the New Release section. Apart from that, perhaps a section catered to indie developers?

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The App Store is a tough market to break in. My only advice would be to not give up. Keep making apps or games, learn from the experience and continue improving them.

Take a moment and find out more about Linda Ng & FlipBox Games at http://www.flipboxgames.com

### Developer Name: Anastasiia Chokhliad from Vixarix

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Football Guru Quiz

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Our path into the world of the App Store started in October 2011. Then it was decided to release an application for Mac, which we would be using ourselves. At that time, our first development was on an indie project. We were passionate about creating the product, the new features of programming, marketing and the application market in general. It was a valuable experience and a very important step in our future growth.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

In app development the most valuable and motivating thing is that we can solve our own problems through releasing new great apps. And so we are helping lots of people who have the same issues as we do. This is very inspiring. We don't create applications that are trending. We create apps that fulfill a need.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Biggest challenge for me was to build strong links with the editors of sites on promotion products, finding the right approach to them and make them interested in our products.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yes, we would like to see quality apps not only through the search button. I mean that really good applications are almost always not in full view of user because the Review Team does not select them. This happens because place in the main page is low compared with all interested persons to be there :) So, we would like that, developers could rely on more fundamental support in issues of marketing from the team the App Store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The most valuable lessons that we have set for ourselves during application development time are: – Try to make applications as quality as possible (less bugs, perfect design, worthy functionality), because the first impression is everything. – Do not lay too much hope for success (always remember that in addition to success stories there are also unsuccessful.) – Constantly search for new sources of inspiration and motivation.

Take a moment and find out more about Anastasiia Chokhliad & VIXARIX LP at <http://vixarix.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Caleb Stultz

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Speedoodle

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I actually am only a college student who had a great idea. My idea (Speedoodle) was formulated entirely on my own incl. drafting, design, fundraising, and more. I fundraised through a website called Sellanapp.com based out of Amsterdam that I found by random happenstance through a Google search. After 30 days, I raised the funds I needed to have Speedoodle developed. An Italian development company PushApp contacted me expressing interest in developing my app. I gladly accepted after seeing the work they had previously done.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

While I personally am not a developer, I've been able to do lots of reading and research to familiarize myself with the concepts of Objective–C, Xcode, and all that goes into creating an iPhone app. I love being able to see my concept turned into reality and experience the joy of observing my users playing with it and having a good time. The way my app works allows each interaction between users (a collaborative drawing) to be posted to our Facebook page so to see how people are using my app in live time is amazing.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge for marketing my app has been trying to do so on a shoestring budget. I raised the funds necessary to have my app developed, but was only allotted a small amount of money for marketing. Less than $750. There are many things that you can do to stretch that money, and I was fortunate to have a promotional trailer produced (incl. script writing and voice acting), a landing page produced (www.speedoodle.com), and hire a writer to handle press release production and submission and posting in various channels of the Internet. My largest investor, Jarkko Huttu of Finland has been incredibly helpful in providing over $250 in marketing services through a website called Fiverr.com. It is a network of freelance workers that offer their services for $5, although there are premium features that can be added for an additional cost. Overall, it has been a challenge not having funds to put towards a large–scale marketing campaign.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

In the App Store, there have been issues with people "gaming" the review system that developers have used to gain an advantage on their competition. I understand that Apple has taken measures to limit and keep this in check, but I would definitely like to see regulation changes specifically making the rating system more fair. Also, I would love for Apple to allow for optional video demos/promotional trailers of apps alongside the screenshots.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Advice I would give: If you don't know how to do something (coding, graphic design, marketing, etc.) there are people who are willing to put forth the funds to make it happen if you can convince them. Be sure that your app has a great story behind it to draw people in. Communicate clearly with those who fund, support, post to Facebook, etc. regarding the progress of your app. Building goodwill between yourself and others is the best way to promote and market your app.

Take a moment and find out more about Caleb Stultz & Speedoodle App at http://speedoodle.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

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### Developer Name: Bijoy Thangaraj

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Rhythm Pad

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for the mobile platform from early 2011. Before that I had experience developing Internet based apps and apps for social networks. The launch of mobile devices like the iPhone opened up a huge potential to build great apps and that got me naturally inclined towards mobile platform.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I am a guy who love to do different tasks a day. Doing just one thing every day gets me bored. Being an app developer, I get to spend a part of my day coding, a part on marketing and to some extent be involved in design. And by being involved in many aspects of app development in a day, I usually end up spending more time working without getting tired.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

With over 1 million apps in the App Store, getting the right visibility for your app without spending much on advertising is the biggest challenge in marketing.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

It would be great if Apple could do something to improve the discoverability of deserving apps. We often find a lot of silly apps (eg. Flappy Bird clones) hovering around in the top charts.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The only advice I would like to give is that before developing your app, do have a proper marketing plan for the app. That will make sure that you will not be disappointed or have to take chances after spending a lot of effort developing your quality app.

Take a moment and find out more about Bijoy Thangaraj & JSplash Apps at <http://www.rhythmpad.com/>

### Developer Name: Harsh Rajat

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 360 Web Browser

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We have been developing apps from late 2010, Me, Robin and Zeeshan are Co–Founders of Digital Poke and we share our friendship from School Days. Coincidently, Robin was interested in Marketing, Zeeshan in Designing and I was fond of Developing, paths which we followed till we graduated and the path which made Digital Poke come to life.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Being an App Developer means a lot to us. In some ways, we see it as expressing our creation to the entire world. Since our core is made up of lifelong friends, we really don't see it as work, Its part work, part fun and largely pranking each other and that is what gives us the highest satisfaction and motivation to carry on.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Marketing an app in 2010 was a simple enough process, make a unique app... pitch it for reviews and each review from big sites would make sure that you land up in the top 20 or so in your category, after that, Its up to our users to make it climb. It has changed a lot now, The entire model has shifted to Freemium for 60–70% of the apps out there making it extremely hard to grab a reviewers attention and even then, you have to keep on going constantly at it to make sure that the marketing clicks. The biggest challenge in my opinion is coming up with something which is unique now and pitching it differently to the reviewers as the competition is really high and getting a couple of big sites no longer plays a great role. Instead each marketing move including reviews, video, social marketing, launching day, keywords, icon and screens play their role in making your app a success. Managing these moves to get the most of every move is extremely challenging.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

We have recently entered into the Android Space and we really love their review process, which is not more than 12 hours to have your app up and running. In Apple, the earliest you could get your app approve is a week, though the average time for us have been 15 days which is a lot to ask for when you are planning your launch. We would love to have a shorter review process.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Aim for innovating apps as they perform better than copycats out there. Also, the pricing model of your app is extremely important. An app with just in–app could do better than paid apps or the same app could perform extremely well with ads so you have to plan that tactfully and not according to the current trends. A great example which we have is that one of our app Rocket Downloader is performing poorly with ads as people only use it when they want to download which means that the impressions we get are far and few, The sales of Rocket has dropped down by 60% since we converted it from a Lite app with inapp for pro to ads as we didn't realize how our users will interact with it so you have to make sure that you know how your apps are going to be used by your users before you go on following the trend as sometimes it could really backfire.

Take a moment and find out more about Harsh Rajat & DIGITAL POKE LABS IT SOLUTIONS LLP at <http://www.digitalpoke.com/360/>

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### Developer Name: Jan Plešek

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Pretty–o–meter

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Developing process took around two weeks. It was not my main job. I was working on this app just in the evening. My inspiration was my friend in the pub when he was keeping a tally for every beer he got in a drawing app. I told him that I can do it better. And this was start of this app development.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love when I can do things in my own way. Probably it is not the best way or the most financially rewarding road, but you have the freedom to do anything the way you have imagined it. I love being part of a dynamical changing modern environment.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is yet to be seen. Marketing and graphic style are even more important than programming.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

As I said, very important are graphic and marketing. Next time I'll put a bigger weight on it.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

It is not about idea at all. It is about good execution and big bunch of luck.

Take a moment and find out more about Jan Plešek & PrettyMeter App at <http://www.prettymeter.com/>

### Developer Name: Christian Schaffner

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 CAS Calc P11

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Power APP was founded in October 2010. The first few apps were quite simple, things like speedometer and such. Over time we raised the bar abit and are present with about 50 apps in the app store. Movie Player is one of them, the original idea was a movie player with a head up display to watch movies while waiting in the car. We realized soon there are much more fun things to do with movies and so we added some real time effects.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It's a fast growing and challenging market, and no matter where you are and what time of it is, there is always something happening. The iPhone is great piece of technology; apps are a possibility to put the device to new uses. We can do things with a smartphone that we have been dreaming of when we were kids :)

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting the audiences attention. No matter how good an app is, without proper marketing you are getting nowhere.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Search results are somewhat unpredictable, and sometimes the communication from Apple towards developers could be better. As example sometimes apps are rejected for a certain reason, and next day you see a new app in the app store that does exactly what your own app was rejected for.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Work as hard as you can, and be aware that creating the app is perhaps 10% of the job.

Take a moment and find out more about Christian Schaffner & Power App GmbH at <http://powerapp.ch/>

### Developer Name: Dobromir Panchev

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Jumpy Horse Show Jumping

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We've been developing apps for 6 years. Jumpy Horse is one of the first iPad games. Our love of horses and art, inspired us to create it. My sister Siyka is a painter and sculptor. She owns a beautiful horse, but she had to go to work all day and could not spend enough time with it. Now they spend hours together every day. She enjoys the horse, and the horse has better life grazing, running and jumping in the lawn instead of staying in the barn whole day. My sister creates the animated characters in the games. Our horse appears in the game as "Hanoverian 1".

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The freedom.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

If I could find a marketing company that could increase our sales with $200 for every $100 spent, I would be a millionaire.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

No. When you make a good product, Apple gives you a chance.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Do not expect easy money unless you are extremely smart or lucky.

Take a moment and find out more about Dobromir Panchev & Internet Reshenia LLC at <http://www.jumpyhorse.com/suport/>

### Developer Name: Olivia Pinux

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

ZzzZzz...

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started back in 2009.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

To create your own product under your own brand. Keeping your dreams afloat that one day you will reach out to massive audiences. See how happy your customers are globally even with a very small team in operation.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Find the right marketing approach using limited funding.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Have a category for new apps. Or make each category has a board that displays corresponding new apps.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Start from small and serving specific demand and grow the business bigger.

Take a moment and find out more about Olivia Pinux at ZzzZzz...

### Developer Name: Andrei Olariu

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Catchr

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We have been developing mobile apps for our clients for several years, and started also developing our own apps about one year ago.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The thrill of coming up with something nobody has made before.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

It is really expensive to make your app visible.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

It would be great if Apple would stop acting like a monopoly, at times acting in an abusive and discretionary manner.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Manage your expectations.

Take a moment and find out more about Andrei Olariu & Nordlogic Software at http://www.nordlogic.com

### Developer Name: Martino Orlandi

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Ipash

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've started developing apps for iOS just over 1 year ago. I'm a professional software engineer and I've been with a number of different languages and environments for almost 15 years now. But in my non–working time I've been enjoying using products and software that I consider reliable, and I came to develop a strong preference toward Apple products. So one day I decided to start looking into developing apps for the products I used the most. It started out as a hobby, in my spare time. After a few weeks of tutorials and testing out some ideas I has, I come up with a working app. I thought it was a good app and I said to myself that I may as well try to put it on the store.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I enjoy my job as a software engineer because I know that what I do solves someone's problem. The AppStore gives you the possibility to reach a large audience of users. Hopefully, if you make a good app, this may help a huge number of people to perform a useful task, or entertain them, depending on what you decide to develop. I think it's a very nice opportunity that usually individual developers don't have.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

That's something that I'm still learning a lot about. I've never had to deal with that side of the software market before developing my own apps. I'm a technician, I solve problems, but it's always been some else's job to sell the product or deal with the customers. I soon realized I needed a website, so I created it myself, trying to get some exposure. The major challenge for an indie developer is the limited budget. There are so many websites and magazines offering to advertise your app, but most of them demand prices that an individual developer cannot afford to pay. If what you are aiming for is just earn enough to make a living, you can't spend 2000$ a month to pay advertisement on a magazine. So you have to try to be visible in other ways. There are blogs and similar that are happy to review your app so that people may notice it. But this requires time and patience. You need to make contact with them, and in same cases develop some form of relationship with reviewers before they would consider your app. They receive thousands of requests every week, and many of them are not worthy, so you need to work hard to convince them your app is different. And of course such an endeavor is useless unless your app is really good.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

It would be nice if you could see the global ratings/reviews of and app rather than only the ones of the country you are registered on.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Focus on develop a good app. Don't rush into putting something on the AppStore. Plan ahead. There are so many things that need to be done before launching an app. Starting from a website to writing a good press release, so that when you are ready to sell, you can get in touch with the media and show them how good your app is. This will make the difference in reaching more potential customers.

Take a moment and find out more about Martino Orlandi at <http://www.treehousetec.com/ipash/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Andy Warstorm

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Braveland

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps about 3 years. But I have been in the game industry for more than 10 years.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I really like player appreciation. When my games make someone happy.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is to make a good game.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There should be more space for good paid games. Because these kind of games are about gameplay. It would be awesome if the AppStore added paid–game section, like with music. When you can try a game out first and then buy it.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't give up. It's all about patience and hard work.

Take a moment and find out more about Andy Warstorm & Tortuga Team at <http://www.tortugateam.com/en/>

### Developer Name: Paul Yan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Padgram

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing iOS apps in March 2009. I was a bit hesitant about purchasing an expensive Mac, but eventually my wife convinced me that this was a good investment. And as it turned out, she was right. :)

What do you love most about being an app developer?

You only need a Mac, a team of 1–3 developers and a designer, then you can develop apps for people around the world through the distribution of Apple Store and Google Play. That's amazing and was impossible when I entered the industry in 2007.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

It's quite crowded. Only apps with unique market positioning and great user experience can win. Of course having a big marketing budget can do a lot of things, but only truly great products win.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I hope there is a way to recommend myself to be featured on the Apple Store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Find a great idea before set off. And polish the app to a level that can catch people's eye on the first sight. There are so many apps out there, you don't need to rush.

Take a moment and find out more about Paul Yan & Pinssible Labs at http://www.padgram.com

### Developer Name: Nelson Lee

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 iSelfie

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

iSelfie app project started at early Sep, 2013. It was submitted to the App Store two days before Xmas closing deadline (Apple staff holiday). However, it was released on Jan 1, 2014. It missed Xmas and New Years eve.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

There are a lot of projects that come to my mind. I chose this project, because I can see there are quite a lot of wireless bluetooth remote controls for iPhone selling online. Some of them are quite expensive (e.g. Muku Shuttr) so I started to make it as an iPhone app, for device–to–device remote control.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

To be an app developer, you want your product to get a million users and be listed in the top ranking. With 1.1 million apps today, it is getting more and more difficult. I am an independent developer. Graphic design and marketing are always my biggest challenges. Writing to every app review site is very time consuming. Only a few of them will write a review for your app. Sending paid PR distribution is almost useless to me, as those websites will put it in a PR section, which nobody reads. Ads can help a little with downloads, but turns out that you paid more than you get.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Recently, Flappy Bird, Threes! and 2048 are 3 very successful games that were made by a small team in a short period of time. No one knows how they can get to the App Store top ranking. (but I suspect Flappy Bird used some tricky paid downloads and reviews).

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Today, an app developer needs all kinds of skill and some luck. With a small team size, try starting a small project that can be finished in a reasonable time frame / budget. Getting experience on selling an app on the App Store is important. Get feedback from strangers, not just from your friends.

Take a moment and find out more about Nelson Lee & the iSelfie App at http://www.wimlog.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: John Stickle

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Melody Pro

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for three years now. I started out when I was around 14 years old, messing around with C code in my bedroom. I ended up getting a job for Apple as a technical advisor, and that is when I fell in love with iOS. I've been programming ever since.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love everything about what I do. Everyday I get to work with amazing technology, and play a role in trying to advance the limits of mobile computing.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Money. The biggest issue that I ran into is gaining the necessary funding to market the app. Most marketing strategies cost quite a bit of money, and being a small startup with a shoestring budget, we have to fight hard.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Not currently. Of course a lot of developers complain about things like crowding, but I see no problem with it.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't give up. This can be an amazing career, but it takes a lot of legwork when you're first starting out. If you truly love developing, you will thrive in this field.

Take a moment and find out more about John Stickle & Nextep Applications at http://www.nextepapplications.com

### Developer Name: Tim Langdon

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Eco News

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We initially created a software program about native Australian plants and when Apple provided the opportunity for us to convert this to an app. for Apple we jumped at the chance to access their global audience and to earn revenue.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The fact that you can come up with an idea and build an app and then release it to a global audience via a very streamlined process is fabulous.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting in front of enough "eyeballs". The Native Plant Guide is a specialized app. that I believe a lot of people would enjoy if they knew about it.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Currently the app store receives 30% of revenue generated from sales which I believe is totally fine. Perhaps there could be an option where the app store receives a further 20% and uses this extra revenue to drive sales for the app. It could be as simple as the developer ticking a box to opt in for the additional marketing / exposure. Both the developer and Apple will benefit from the additional revenue made. Win/Win.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Create something that you are interested in. Following your true passions in life are the most rewarding when success is achieved.

Take a moment and find out more about Tim Langdon & The Native Shop at http://econews.com.au

### Developer Name: Andrey Zarembo

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

St. Val

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

My developer career started 7 years ago from banking software. I've worked for 3 years and got tired from security and C++. Then, I moved to a promotion company and worked with augmented reality applications for BTL promotions. After 2 years, I started on my own as a freelancer. And this year i've created my first project, game.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It helps to fight with chaos. And it's fun :)

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

I have no marketing experience. Nobody knows about my app. And I don't know how to make it famous. Also I've forgotten to upload screenshots for my game at launch.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

It'll be great to add a video preview of an application. Also, review time should be reduced.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Create plans to know every time, what you are doing next and track time spent on project. And check every part of your application promo materials twice before publishing.

Take a moment and find out more about Andrey Zarembo at St. Val

### Developer Name: Lena Bulakowska

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Mathlingz

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We have been developing online apps for over 5 years and we have a one–year experience in mobile apps development. We have been creating a range of popular interactive, high–quality online products that educate and entertain at the same time. In 2013 we launched our first mobile app, called 'Mathlingz'. The development of our new mobile apps is in progress.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What's fun about developing apps is that you actually create something from nothing. You start with a few lines of code. Then, bit by bit, you watch how your code expand and turn into something real and cool – an application. And when other people use your app and appreciate your work, it gives great satisfaction and good motivation to keep on developing. As an app developer, you have constant opportunity to improve your skills and gain practical experience – it's important if you want to follow the dynamic changes in the technology. What is also important is the community support from other developers.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is to be visible for users and to get to the one of App Store rankings (at the beginning it was hard even to find our app, Mathlingz, in the App Store!). Another great challenge for us was to choose the best business model for 'Mathlingz' (free with ads, in–app purchase or paid). We also had to decide whether to make the big app that develops a wide range of math skills or whether to create several smaller one–themed apps.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

In our opinion, the verification process takes too long and it is rather unclear. There are no plain guidelines – you have to wade through the massive documentation that does not seem to have been written with the beginning mobile app developers in mind. The rules for App Store Optimization also seem to be unclear. It's not easy to be visible for users. And there are so many different rankings of the apps, that sometimes it's hard to follow. We think that some kind of tutorial would be very helpful.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Start out with a small, one theme app. A good artwork is very important – most of the users, especially kids, don't like ugly apps (and the first impression really matters!). But don't spend too much money on your first app at the same time. Do some decent research and either make an app that will answer users' needs or create something absolutely innovative and fresh. However, remember that in the mobile app market success often depends on luck.

Take a moment and find out more about Lena Bulakowska & YELLOW DOT SP Z O O SPOLKA KOMANDYTOWA at http://yellowdot.eu

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Mykola Basyuk

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 CarSO Pro

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started in 2003 developing apps for Symbian devices. As for iOS I started developing just a year ago.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

You know, I like that you can do almost everything, things that you dream. It's possible now thanks to developing, yet not always possible in real life.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

There are too many apps. Even if your app is unique, it's hard to get noticed.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Not in the App Store. Though it should allow developers to do more things in theirs apps. There are too many restrictions, so you can't do a lot of things.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Yeah, Make nice and good apps, don't hurry publishing, better check all things. Analyze and grow.

Take a moment and find out more about Mykola Basyuk & at http://bm–studios.com

### Developer Name: Gary George

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 My Wedding Planner

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for approx 3 years, i got started as I'm a web developer and a client required a mobile app.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love making apps as its something which you can literally take an idea and run with it and within a month or 2 it can be the hands of a huge audience.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Trying to market with no budget is where i stumble.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would maybe like to see a way of you being able to respond to reviews directly, now its all quite static and if a rival leaves an awful review you just have to accept it.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

My advice would be jump in headfirst and run with an idea.

Take a moment and find out more about Gary George at <http://myweddingplannerapp.co.uk/appStore>

### Developer Name: Anthony Romano

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Cotton Notes

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing since I was 11, I'm 19 years old now, iOS Apps specifically, I've been developing since 2012. I attended WWDC for work and got hooked on the framework and decided to give it a go.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I've always loved creating things. What I love specifically about iOS is that it lets me create without worrying about the tedium. I don't need to worry about processing credit card payments, distribution, pushing updates, and several other things that just get in the way of creation. I can develop the apps I want and get them into the hands of the people with minimal delay.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge is the cost associated with marketing compared to the revenue generated from apps that don't have a subscription or in–app payment system. If an app only costs $5 flat, marketing costs exceed your revenue per download. This means that you're forced into alternative ways of marketing, which are often times very difficult. The solution to this is a recurring payment system, or a higher priced app, but neither are models that work for the types of apps I would like to make.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Developers should be able to respond to app reviews. Often times, a simple misunderstanding that could be cleared up quickly results in a 1 star review. It's a lose–lose. The developer loses out by having a bad review, and the reviewer loses out by not getting the product that they want, even though they already have it. Also, more visibility into the profile of your users. What OS are they running, what devices, how often, etc.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Pay careful attention to your revenue model, it's going to have a big impact down the line. Do you want a free app with in–app purchases? A monthly subscription? A high priced app with a single payment? These things don't just effect your revenue stream, they often times effect the architecture and implementation of your app itself.

Take a moment and find out more about Anthony Romano at http://cottonnotes.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Dave Tessitore

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 DVD Catalog for the iPhone

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps since 2008, when the iPhone came out. A friend kept on bugging me to develop apps for the iPhone as I was a PC type only guy and refused him many times. Then iFart came out and that developer made over $100k in 2 days during Christmas, so that got me so motivated, I bought a MAC and started developing apps!

What do you love most about being an app developer?

THE FREEDOM to create anything I want as well as having extra money from selling apps.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

EVERY DEVELOPER will say the same thing...ADVERTISING! Unfortunately, that costs money and even if you have the best app in the world, no one will know about it unless you can spread the word around about your app.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

YES! Developers who have proved themselves to Apple should not have to wait 7 days for Apple to re–test our apps. Developers who prove they have a good track record should be allowed to update and submit apps the same day and be available in iTunes the same day as we currently always have to wait 7 days or more for our apps to be approved, even if we wanted to make a simple spelling correction. Apple is very stubborn on this issue and this procedure should be fixed.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Create as many apps as you can but do not copy other developers, always try to make new apps with new ideas, that is the best way to increase your revenue!

Take a moment and find out more about Dave Tessitore at http://www.mydvdcatalog.com

### Developer Name: Rogier Van Vliet

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Badger?

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing about a year ago (April 2013). What triggered me last year (with an iPhone in my hand) was the insight that our daily lives are increasingly being influenced by icons and the red little badges. I developed the idea that you could make a game out of that new lifestyle. While developing that thought I developed a game logic based on the icons/badge grid that we know from iPhones. A game that would not have been possible to play without today's technology. Having the game concept in mind, I started thinking about how to develop this app. I put it aside for a while, as I found it difficult to find a partner/developer and to get started. The development process started flying when I found out about web–based services like freelancer.com, odesk.com and elance.com.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The real fun is allowing yourself to be creative, developing the concept and realizing the product, the app. Sometimes you develop idea's that are currently missing on your device. Making them possible and available is a great thing.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

My biggest challenge is twofold. Figuring out what Payment Concept works best for your product. (Is your product good enough for people to pay for it, and should one pay before download, or do you use InApp–Purchases, or do you make a living through using Advertisement in you app? I tried all these concepts by now, but the jury is still out, as none of my apps skyrocketed.) The other challenge is all about visibility and Advertising Concepts. What is the best way to get noticed. A simple press release (through AppShout) did not really make a difference yet. But I do believe it is an important tool. Using Ads services like Google ads, Apple iAds, Facebook Ads did not yield in downloads at all. 'Buying Facebook Likes' has a function, but I consider it limiting. Best download yields were a result from Apps Of The Day kind of services. AppsFire helped my company the most at this moment. Sort like service named 3 Magic Shots did not convince me. The problem being with these services that your app needs to be Free (for a day). So it might lead to users, it will yield you some visibility, but no (short–term) cash. And for sure you will have to pay for these kind of services, of course. As of this moment I have not yet found the magic bullet, where my advertising investments are paying off, yielding noticeable visibility as well as cash to cover my expenses. I am looking forward to that day to come.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I have no recommendations about that. FYI: For developers I've built an app named AppRevTime.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Write down your requirements (how do you envision your app to work). Set a fixed price when developing the app. Invest in the design/looks of the app. Think as much about marketing as about the development of the app. The marketing budget needed is bigger than you hope for.

Take a moment and find out more about Rogier Van Vliet & van RappTech B.V. at <http://www.rapptech.nl/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Laurent Denoue

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 PopMath Math Plus

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Since Nov 2009 and I started with a simple game for kids called PopMath

What do you love most about being an app developer?

New platform (mobile) gives opportunity to reinvent old things. New community and new wave remind me of my old days as a teen when I first got interested in computers.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Who to contact.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Possibility for people to try the app before buying it. Possibility to reply to comments left by reviewers and force reviewers to use their real identity like in the google play store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Start simple. Do an app that does one thing only. Pick an app that you or your close friends would want.

Take a moment and find out more about Laurent Denoue & AppBlit LLC at <http://www.keeness.net/index.htm>

### Developer Name: Eugene Kaneko

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Tangent

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Scott and I started developing apps as Pixite in October 2009. I was the business guy and Scott was the developer. Scott had been making apps way before then, but I came up with the idea to create a photo viewer that connects to various cloud services. That was how Web Albums, a Picasa Web Albums client and our most financially successful app, was born. Last year, we hired Ben Guerrette (Creative Director) and Richard Chang (iOS Developer) to take on creative photo apps, a departure from photo management apps we have been creating. Both guys were instrumental in taking Pixite to the next level and bringing innovation to the Photo & Video category. We launched three brand new apps within six months. All three were banner featured by Apple. One of them, Tangent, was named one of App Store's Best of 2013.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Everyone uses apps so it's easy to explain that you create them. It's a big change from the blank stares I got when I said I developed high–end test systems for automotive and aerospace applications in my prior career. By making apps, we're doing cutting edge stuff but stuff that a lot of people can use and understand.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Identifying your market and your evangelists is the hardest part. You can make a great app and have it fall flat. It's happened to us many times. From the time you conceive the app, you have to have people who are willing to try it, love it, and spread the word. There has to be enough buzz going when you launch to get your app into the top charts. Otherwise, it's tough to make back the investment that you've put into development.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The App Store has treated us very well. We have a good working relationship with Apple, and are very happy with the support and the system they have given us. There are so many apps out there to get noticed, but if you make an amazing app that get people talking, Apple will be there for you.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

If you have a great app idea, talk about it. Talk to as many people about it as possible. I've run into so many people who want to keep their idea so secret that it never becomes an app. Get a piece of paper, sketch out your idea, write out what it does. Also, don't forget to go to the App Store and check out all your competitors. Are they doing some things right? Are they getting other things wrong? What's the quality of their apps? Is there room for innovation? Ah, you say, I have no competitors. That's a big red flag... maybe there isn't a market. Usually, a vibrant market means many competitors. Also remember, the idea is just a starting point. The implementation makes all the difference. Get the right team together, build a quality product, make people excited, and you'll have a success.

Take a moment and find out more about Eugene Kaneko at <http://tangentapp.com/>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Sacha Nasan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Keep Calm!

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been a developer for 3 years now. In 2011, I was travelling to Thailand when I read in a magazine, that I bought for the long–haul flight, an article about the famous app Angry Birds. The article mentioned that Angry Birds (actually its creator Rovio) made millions of dollars in revenue last year. At that time, I was 14 years old and really wanted to start a business. Since I had never received programming lessons, I started to learn iPhone apps programming by myself – from books but principally from tutorials on the Internet. A year later, in February 2012, one of my apps was made free for a day and actually reached the #1 on the top overall free apps charts in Belgium and France for 2 days which resulted into 83,000 downloads in just 2 days. I continued to develop iOS applications in order to sell them on the App Store. Later on, in May 2013, at the age of 16 years, I came with the idea of Talenty (http://gettalenty.com) and began to develop the app.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

For Talenty, I received messages from talented people, often children and teenagers, thanking me for having created this app. As a teenager, when I receive a mail from another teenager who isn't familiar with the fact that I'm a teenager too, it makes me feel quite happy.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Due to the immense competition available on the App Store, it's very difficult to have your app take off and become viral. There are over a million apps nowadays, and it's very tough to 'show' your app to the world.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yes: the review process. Take a look at Android apps. You will find any kind of app, whether the app has pornographic images in it or not. Now take a look at Apple, and you won't find apps related to pornographic content. That's because Apple manually reviews every submitted app. That's really annoying, because even simple apps (that don't have pornographic content) get rejected. Moreover, the guidelines for apps have become stricter lately. This is also a risk for companies, who spend tens or hundreds of thousand dollars to find out their app won't be accepted by Apple. I don't think the review process should be cancelled, but Apple should be less strict.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Given my limited experience as a result of my age, I don't really have advice to share. For me, believing in my idea and being passionate about it, was the key to motivation.

Take a moment and find out more about Sacha Nasan, CEO & Founder of Talenty at http://gettalenty.com

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### Developer Name: Brooklyn Waters

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Zombeeze

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Zombeeze is Desolate Spectre Studios' first app. It was built in several people's spare time over 12 months. We brought together a team of people who wanted to be involved in game development. Two of us had previously worked in game development studios so we shared our knowledge with the team.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The game itself is the first of a number of planned apps for IOS and Android. We want to specialise in dark fantasy and horror games, things a little strange or offbeat. What we love most about developing games is conveying a story and a mood to our audience.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge we face is simply being seen among the vast number of competing games. When our game first launched I searched for it using the keyword 'zombie' and discovered that zombeeze came up as number 350 of 500 apps. That makes our game almost invisible to search in the app store. We knew we would have to do some strong marketing with a very small budget. We did the following: We created a facebook page and acquired 1.7K likes (http://www.facebook.com/Zombeeze); Informed our audience when release was close; We created a website for the app based on the in–game art style (http://www.zombeeze.com) ; We bought google adwords to drive audience to the website; We released the app, announcing it on the facebook page and website; We created a press kit with screen shots and some good copy; We created a hitlist to send our 100 promo codes; We began distributing press releases with promo codes and the press kit.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Its early days yet with a very small number of sales but we have high hopes that we can continue to grow our audience and reinvest in marketing until we achieve some sort of tipping point where the sales will outstrip our costs to market. At that point we can start aiming to live off our games.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

My advice to newcomers is persist. Keep making games, keep making them better. Before any marketing the game needs to be good. One thing I would do differently is start distributing promo copies before the game is released. The uptake of press releases will be higher if the game is yet to appear.

Take a moment and find out more about Brooklyn Waters & Desolate Spectre Studios at http://www.zombeeze.com

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### Developer Name: Ortwin Gentz

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Where To?

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've a 10 year long history of developing Mac apps. So the launch of the iPhone App Store absolutely fascinated me. I started developing for the iPhone in 2008. Back then we acquired the app "Where To? – GPS points of interest" from the original developer to jump start our App Store presence. Since then, the app has seen countless updates and new features.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Being able to publish apps as an indie developer without having to create a huge distribution channel for printed software boxes as it used to be in pre–App Store days.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

It's hard to setup a sustainable business with apps that are being maintained and updated for a long time. The App Store business model favors one–hit–wonders over apps with a sustainable business model.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'd love to see a better support for sustainable business models including upgrade pricing. Also the current one–way communication system for reviews should be improved by allowing developers to reply to reviews. A larger number of beta testing devices or tying it to the Apple ID instead of the device would be helpful as well.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't rush out your 1.0 version. It's OK to omit non–essential features but it is unforgiving to launch an app that crashes right away or contains horrible bugs. Try to recruit a good number of beta testers and listen to their feedback. Also, invest in a good designer. It's worth it.

Take a moment and find out more about Ortwin Gentz & FutureTap GmbH at http://www.futuretap.com

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### Developer Name: Brandon Sassouni

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Lotto 23

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps for 2 years now, ever since the summer going into Sophomore year of college. My best friend and I were always very entrepreneurial and started our own online business before, but were really in love with tech, and wanted to be involved in the oncoming wave of app success. We are really passionate about creating, and began to spend months just brainstorming our best ideas.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love the possibilities of reaching out to the world, with a simple product that you are able to see through from idea to market. Its a interest / business where I can be as involved as I would like in many aspects, and really see something transform. Ultimately having a store to release the apps on and the "free" price tag we usually place allows me to think big, and hope that one day our app will reach millions of people.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge when trying to market an app, is deciding when it is worth it to spend a large part of your budget. We would always like to reach out to free venues as much as we could, but ultimately to get a lot of publicity and user growth you need to spend money, and deciding how and when is usually the toughest. I believe most app makers are more creators then marketers, but it has been interesting diving into the marketing side of the business as well.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would like to see apple's update process be more automated, it can be really frustrating waiting for a release and planning your marketing strategy and customer feedback, when you are completely out of the loop and the control and dates are in their hands.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

I would advise starting developers to not get so attached to their first ideas, or style. You must be quick to start over again in the beginning as you are learning. That, and also you should think design is just as important as ideation / development. Spend some money on good designs if you have to.

Take a moment and find out more about Brandon Sassouni & Dream Big Studios LLC at <http://www.dreambig.it/>

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### Developer Name: Firas mousa

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Winged dragon

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I enjoy game development, thus I can't remember a specific date, but I do game development as a hobby in my spare time since around 5 years, developing games for fun was my initial motivation as I do have some programming background and because i enjoy watching people playing games where I can watch and analyze the player's experience, so I decided to try doing my own game, but it did not take so long to realize that developing games is not an easy task and it does require a lot of dedication, effort, lots of money and experience in this field, and i do not have most of that, so I decide to put aside all my fears and start building games just for fun, that was my start.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I believe every person has a challenge that he/she would like to fight, and for me I like the app development challenge, I like to see my apps running on my phone and my friends phone, that makes me feel proud and encourages me to keep enhancing and improving my apps. My dream is to see my apps exist on every person's smart phone.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge that any app developer finds is to get the app discovered. Submitting your app into app–store is just like throwing a big stone in the sea, it will quickly drown in the bottom of the appstore, and only good marketing campaign can get you to the surface (get you discovered).

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yes I hope if app stores do care more about the indie developers who really don't have a big budgets like the big players, previously app store was giving the new approved app a small push in the first week (you could see hundreds or thousands of downloads) before they send you to the bottom of the app–store, currently this push is not there and you don't want to depend on your self completely, so I would like it if the app–store would care more about indie developers.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Game/Apps Development is not an easy method to make money if you want to go in this direction, you will need to have a lot of Patience and a lot of love for this field, otherwise I guarantee that you will never continue on this field.

Take a moment and find out more about Firas mousa & FERAS TALEB at http://www.wingedragon.com

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### Developer Name: Anastasios Voulgaris

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Greece: History & Culture

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started professional development in 1998. I have been an iOS app developer since 2012. I've chosen to become an app developer because, lets face it, it is an area with huge opportunities.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Being an app developer its much alike being an architect. You create a product that didn't exist and thousands of people get to use it to solve a problem, entertain themselves, learn something new and much more. What I love the most is the interaction I get from satisfied users of my apps. To get an email from a country you never imagine you can get a customer in, is really very rewarding.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The app store is a place with huge competition. To make your app to stand out you have to make it perfect. And even that is not enough. You have to engage users so much, so they want to share your app on the social media.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think the app store needs a better search algorithm. The keyword based search results are often not relevant.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Make a perfect app from every aspect. Be original in your ideas, be creative in your visuals, be bulletproof in your coding.

Take a moment and find out more about Anastasios Voulgaris & Inverse at  http://inverse.gr/app/greece–history–and–culture

### Developer Name: Joan Johnsson

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 TAMAGO Eggstraordinary

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

PT. DRAGON GAME STUDIO was founded in August 2012, but it wasn't until March 2013 that we released our first game in the App Store. To make a long story short, after we got married in Bali in May 2011 we decided to completely change our lives. We got rid of everything we had in Europe and moved to Bali in October 2011. We were both very interested in games, especially mobile games, and knew that the future was very bright in that specific area. So our love for games and the positive future made us decide to start Bali's first game studio. For the full story, you can check out our developer blog for our upcoming game BaliFied using this link: http://balified.com/the–balified–gamedevelopment–story–part–1/ That game is our little baby and with that our hopes are high of hitting it big in the App Store. We've had so much adversity with it and is more then a year delayed, but we are still working on it, and sooner or later it will be available in the App Store.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The creativity. The playfulness. The fun. The challenge. The freedom. The feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction when something you've been struggling with works out. The feedback from happy customers. These are just a few of the perks of being an app developer, and we can honestly say that this is the best "job" we've ever had!

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

App discovery. These days the App Store is so flooded with games, and everyday 100's of games are released, so it will only get harder. Luckily we had the possibility to do a lot of research while we were waiting for our company to be set up completely. We spent 1000's of hours online doing research. We combed every app/game blog, forum & similar sites with a fine–tooth comb, made lists, memorised and wrote down everything that we thought seemed important to know. And believe it or not, it actually worked. The first year our games had more than 2.2 million downloads. 3/4 of those downloads were on iOS and the rest on Android.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Yeah we are sure there is, but at the moment we have no clear idea how to make it easier for indie App Developers. One thing that comes to mind is that it could be good if Apple looked at Google Play when it comes to search algorithm, meaning that it should take your app description in consideration when people are searching for you app. The 100 keywords + App title isn't nearly enough in our opinion.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Do your research. And do it with passion. Read it, learn it, love it. It's worth spending those long hours on forums, blogs & such. If you want to get any downloads these days, every small trick in the book is worth knowing and trying. And start small. Don't expect to make the next Clash of Clans or Candy Crush as your first game. That's one of the mistakes we made, we immediately started to work on a huge game (BaliFied), which required both advanced backend server programming and complex social setups. Luckily we shifted gears a bit when we ran into a lot of problems, and decided to do a lot of smaller projects on the side. So we started making small games next to working on BaliFied. That worked out really great, and those small games are what are keeping our studio running :) So to developers starting out: Please don't spend too much time on your first project! We wouldn't recommend to spend more then a month or two on it. And quantity is important these days when there is so much apps being released everyday. Try to build up a portfolio. If you have one game getting 50 downloads a day it might not earn you much, but if you have 10, 20, 50 or even 100 games in your portfolio getting the same amount of downloads, you will. So don't make your first games to advanced, look at the games dominating the top charts these days. Flappy Bird, Don't Step the White tiles, 2048 etc. Very simple games that any decent developer can make fast enough. Simple games but people love them. That's the beauty of the App Store, you don't need to have the best game in the world, people like simple games. So first build up a steady income, then focus on making the game of your dreams.

Take a moment and find out more about Joan Johnsson at <http://captainchaosgames.com/eggstraordinary>

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### Developer Name: Cartez Augustus

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Cookie Finders

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing mobile apps for about a year now. I got started because I was sick and tired of web design/development and wanted to do something fun that I had more control over. A few months before getting started I had received my first iPhone and heard about the iTunes U app. I watched hours' worth of videos for a few weeks, decided to get a developer license and go make it a reality.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I love the freedom that comes with app development. If I can imagine it then it can be made into an app, or game in my case as that is my focus right now.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge for me is the lack of funds. I haven't had that hit yet so every app I create, I am using CC0 assets or slowly creating what I need in Photoshop.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would love to see a better independent section instead of it appearing randomly every other month. I would also love to see a section for the major developers as EA, Zynga, King, etc. should not be mixed in with the smaller developers that do not have $100,000 to throw away on advertising.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Year one is hard and year two will probably be just as hard but do not give up. Once you see a glimmer of success, it will all be worth it.

Take a moment and find out more about Cartez Augustus & at http://appdore.com

### Developer Name: Hon Tat Ong

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Starry duo

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

3 years since I started to develop iOS for clients in the Advertising industry then and now I still do that 50% of the time, and the rest of my 50% is towards developing my own apps/games on iOS Apps Store.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Whenever I get a great review or thank you email from users telling me positive things about the game. That's what keep me going, and that's what I love about creating consumer based products.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge I have, is to effectively identify most effective channel to market my app to targeted users group, looking at diversification of channels of app marketing available nowadays.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I think App Store is mostly a product of behaviour of what users and developers demanded over time. But I shall suggest that the Store owner, in my case Apple, should automatically remove Apps that have not being update for a year, or didn't have any install for 3 months to ease out congestion on number of apps available on the store that wasted users time to find apps they wanted. As we can see, a lot of time we see apps that that are 3 years old and didn't being updated for 1 and a half years still appear on search result, and it didn't even able to function well on latest OS.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Be as lean as possible for starting and don't give up, pivot consciously as needed.

Take a moment and find out more about Hon Tat Ong & Mono Interactive Pte. Ltd. at http://www.starrygame.com

### Developer Name: Aaron Bertsch

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Plantific Ocean

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I started developing apps in 2010 for Windows Phone. I just started one day because I really liked the concept and idea of mobile apps.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

There are a couple things. First I like that you can create an application that people can literally use anywhere, people can have your app with them all the time in their pocket. And second, you can reach a really wide audience fairly easy.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

When I started developing iOS apps, I had never coded Objective C in my life, was a bit of a hurdle, but one worth the effort. Also developing for mobile devices, you have to think different that you do developing for desktops.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Not really, it seems a bit congested with a lot of copycat apps, but I think the companies seem to be doing the best they can.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Get some apps out there, learn by doing that and most of all have fun doing it!

Take a moment and find out more about Aaron Bertsch & E–leet Solutions at http://www.plantificocean.com

### Developer Name: Yeoh Yoke Harn

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Repeat For Habit

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for about 3 years now. When I first started, I did it as a hobby.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The one thing I love the most is able to make app that people really want to use.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge has to be how to stand out from the enormous number of apps in the app store. I believe that in order to do that successfully, you need your app with good UI, address user problem and good word of mouth.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I would really hope App Store would promote more good app instead of games.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

You have to trust your instinct and never give up, believe in yourself.

Take a moment and find out more about Yeoh Yoke Harn & Touch Blow Enterprise at http://www.racingstone.com

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### Developer Name: Etienne NGUYEN TAN HON

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Drawing Box

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

One day, in 2008, I held in my hands my daughter's iPod Touch. I was wandering what could people do with this device, except some basic utility functions. The first iPhone was launched a year later, I'm was staring in the Apple App Store, trying to find some amazing apps. Nothing really exciting in fact. With 2 friends (all computer engineers) we decided to create our own apps, just for testing our skill and the mobile apps market. 2 months later we launched 3 small apps based on Windows Phone platform. We were totally disappointed by the bad results. 2009: we launched our first painting app on Android Market (now Google Play). And in 2010, we mainly develop on iOS platform.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Creativity and construction. Developing an app forces you to perform the creativity process in its entirety, from the ideas to the finished product and the marketing work. A mobile app is not only an addition of code lines and images. It's really a living object, interacting with people. It has to be continuously corrected, improved, upgraded and modified to fit to the market needs.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Competing with the biggest software studios. They have more marketing means in terms of budget and people.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Visibility. During these 2 last years, the App Store has often changed its user interface and ranking algorithm. But things are getting worse in terms of apps visibility. It's highly annoying for users to find always the same apps from the same studios on the landing page of the App Store. Once you have bought them, what else can you find? Standardization is dangerous. I think that Apple doesn't want to take any risk by displaying in the App Store home page the well known brands. But what about innovation ? The users can discover new amazing ideas mainly by keyword searches. App reviewers and technology websites could become excellent alternatives to introduce new and trendy app ideas.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

The market of mobile apps is more mature today than only 2 years ago. I sincerely don't believe in the success of any app created in only a week–end. The success equation could be: find a really great idea (for example, by a new approach of old softwares), develop a powerful and innovative app behind a very friendly user interface, and work with the best marketing coach. Then, continuously improve your apps.

Take a moment and find out more about Etienne NGUYEN TAN HON at http://www.drawing–box.com

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### Developer Name: Rajesh Janakiraman

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Easy Spending Expense Tracker

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing Apps since 2008, for J2ME stack and now on iOS.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The fact that we can understand the consumer of the App better, develop great user experiences for them, and quickly fine tune Apps to their taste. This is not possible in any other software development for end users.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Lack of visibility and an uneven chance for developers who cannot afford big marketing budgets.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Rather than just rank apps based on downloads, also provide a place where apps have good functionality and good usability also get noticed. While noting the best new apps, just based on the UI and appearance alone, is not going to help users find more better apps that have good usability.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

First point is to focus on an app category that you know the best. Once you fix the category(s), analyze and compare the market for those type of Apps, read lot of user reviews on existing apps. That will help you figure out, what people are really missing, and if there is another App that you could do which is completely non–existent. Usually, you will find a couple of such ideas/Apps that do not exist, or an app that exists but do not have the best functionality and user experience. Once you figure this out, put all the energy into making that one App a great one in terms of everything, functionality, UI, user experience.

Take a moment and find out more about Rajesh Janakiraman & Tekton Technologies at http://easyspend.tektontek.com

### Developer Name: Steven W. Disbrow

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Zoom Share

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

Since 2009, I think. I've been programming for over 30 years, and it seemed like a fun side activity. Hopefully, someday it will actually pay for itself.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I like the challenges inherent in mobile development. (Like all coders, I like identifying and solving problems.)

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The massive number of apps in any given store makes it nigh impossible to really stand out without a massive marketing push. For a small developer like myself, that's a huge problem. If, however, there were news/web sites that would actually feature quality apps without charging for the privilege that would be a big step in the right direction.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

That's a book all by itself. But, the number one thing I'd like to see changed in the iOS app store would be the ability to respond to and work with customers directly. One bad (and typically, ill–informed) review can destroy months of hard work.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Don't expect to get rich or even make your money back. You'll probably lose money. Just do the best work you can and then be prepared for the worst case scenario when submitting to the store and again when getting customer feedback. The "race to the bottom" on the app store doesn't just mean price. It also includes the customers themselves and their seeming inability to give either thoughtful or reasoned feedback.

Take a moment and find out more about Steven W. Disbrow & EGO Systems, Inc. at <http://www.egosystems.com/products/ios/zoomshare.php>

### Developer Name: Melissa Reston

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

ShoutMe!

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I only started about a year ago. I did not develop the app myself, as I did not have developing skills, but I hired a freelance developer and graphic artist to work on ShoutMe! App. I got interested in mobile applications and found them fascinating; hence, I decided to pursue app development.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I love about app development is the demand on creativity and the opportunity to make something concrete out of an idea. I also liked the challenge of putting my ideas onto prototypes and collaborating with the developer and graphic artist to bring the prototypes to life.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)? – For me, everything was a big challenge because I knew nothing about marketing, more so, marketing a mobile app. I dived into research about marketing and I paid a couple of small app marketing outfits to help market the apps.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

There are hundreds of thousands of app in the App Store. I wish they could look into making a way for new apps to get enough exposure in the App Store.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

I would advise them to research every aspect of app development, especially marketing. However, I would not discourage them to just build something and get it out there. I believe in creating a minimum viable product, release it, then apply improvements. Sometimes the only way to know for certain what you need to do to make your product great, is by finding out straight from the market.

Take a moment and find out more about Melissa Reston at http://www.shoutmeapps.com

### Developer Name: Robert Snopov

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Lucky Locky

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

We started developing iOS applications in the middle of 2013 year. We really appreciate Apple's production, but there were some functions missing in our iPhones. Everything started from the Notepad (coming soon). Default note application allowed writing text and adding new notes, that's it. Another notepads didn't feast for the eyes or didn't approach to the functional. After it idea, technical part and design appeared. Now we are testing almost ready variant. Five months passed. During this time we managed to release Lucky Locky app. In 2–3 weeks people had an opportunity to try the convenience and capabilities of a new notepad.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

We love to create things, things which people love, that are in demand, and pleasure. We are not afraid to do it because we know that we'll create a good product and it'll be competitive.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

This question isn't currently relevant to us. We think that it won't be a problem. Our app has been just a week in the App store. But now we understand that a lot of efforts will be needed to be in the Top of the App Store.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

It would be nice if Apple would spend less time on reviewing applications.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Do your best. The time, when bad–quality apps was on demand, passed.

Take a moment and find out more about Robert Snopov & Apalto team at http://www.apalto.com

### Developer Name: Ricky Ryan

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Hangman Run

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps for about three years now, since 2011. I got started making apps with the UDK (Unreal Development Kit) when they had just announced that developers could publish games onto the Apple AppStore, this really intrigued me and so I started making a 3d IOS game. However, I soon realized that in order for an indie developer like myself, to publish a quality game, I would need to start over and go 2d without the UDK.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I love most about being an app developer is the overall excitement of a new app I made, being released.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge I face when trying to market my app is lack of currency. When it comes to marketing my apps money is a huge factor especially if I try to tap into any popular news websites.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

If I could change one thing on the App Store, I would add an Indie app category because it would give us independent developers a slightly improved chance to compete with bigger corporations.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

One tip that may seem obvious but is often overlooked by developers is, thoroughly test your app before you publish. A well tested app with little to no bugs is a much more superior app than apps with tons of bugs. Not only does testing your app show you care about the users but it also makes a quality app.

Take a moment and find out more about Ricky Ryan at <http://arcade.gamesalad.com/p/bobtheturtle>

### Developer Name: Rory Buckley

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Sleep Sounds

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing apps for around 3 years. My passion & drive to start developing began when I was running a small app review blog, I was inspired by many great apps & also shocked at some of the poor ones! This got me thinking... I could actually start making apps.. and that's how my journey began.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

I absolutely love the challenge of being an app developer. It's not always fun, to get noticed you have to "think outside the box" & stick with your methods. I'd have to say that getting a new 5* review or breaking into a category top 10 have been my main "high" moments.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The biggest challenge (in my opinion & experience) is making your app visible to your targeted audience. If you fail to apply the correct App Store Optimization (ASO) methods to your app in the pre–release stage, then you really are making your app promotion an impossible task.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

I'd like to see the App Store search layout changed. For example, when a search is done (on an iPhone or iPod Touch) only 1 app can be seen at a time – not very good in my opinion (I'm sure that I'm one of a majority who has this view). This could be presented in a way where 5+ apps were shown at a time in a list format.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Be different & unique – don't follow everyone else like a sheep! Think differently and beyond the standard marketing route, go back to basics & ask yourself how you can get your app seen by the right people.

Take a moment and find out more about Rory Buckley at http://sleepsoundsapp.iphoneapplications.net

### Developer Name: Sebastian Perez

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Floppy Bird

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I've been developing apps for 3 years. I got started first using Gamesalad for the first 6 months. I used Gamesalad because I had no programming knowledge or background. Then I eventually switched over to Corona Labs. From Corona Labs I taught myself how to program in Lua.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

What I enjoy most about being a developer is receiving feedback from customers stating whether they enjoyed it or not. Also as a developer I'm not limited from other people to what I can create.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Since I'm an indie developer, that is not recognized, exposing an app is difficult. Is difficult to have customers admire an app they never recognized, and build trust with customers for them to come back.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The change I want to see in the App Store is if they had the top 300 apps for the all categories instead of limiting to 200. Also create a section where "New Apps" have better exposure to customers.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

My advice for developers is be aware of those App Marketing services you never heard off. It does not push your app to any success. Also if you want to have some success or build some customers develop apps related to other apps. Yes what I mean is clone, but put passion into developing the app. Then if that pulls a success start developing apps coming from your original ideas. Then use your clone to advertise your app with this your own app will be recognized by thousands of people. All this sounds like a rip off or a cheating way to become successful, but tell you the truth the competition in the App Store is fierce. The hours spent putting effort to an app that is never going to be seen by customers is dreadful.

Take a moment and find out more about Sebastian Perez & Tiny Lemon Games at http://tinylemongames.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Logan Sease

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

Phraseparty

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have 17 apps on the store currently and I have been creating apps and games since iOS was still pretty new, in 2008. I originally began by creating apps that I wanted to use myself. In the beginning, the app store wasn't so flooded and there wasn't already ten+ apps to do everything you can think of, so it was much easier to find apps that really needed to be there but weren't. That's how my first (and still most successful) game, Phrase Party, got created. Me and my friends used to play Hasbro's handheld game "Catch Phrase" all the time and it was clear that this would be a relatively simple game to re–create that would be perfect for the mobile platform. Since then I have been constantly adding cool new features like single player mode, and refining Phrase Party to build it its own identity instead of just being a copy of Hasbros game. At the time, I was also making a little money by buying tickets from ticketmaster and selling them on ebay and stubhub. I had a pretty large inventory and kept track of it on a spreadsheet on my phone. I needed an easier way to see what I had in hand, what I had sold and what I had to ship out. To solve this problem I created an app called "SIMS", for "seller inventory management system." Over the last 4 years, this barebones app has evolved into "Inventory Now" and has become a fairly popular mobile inventory system that several large companies are using to replace their multi–thousand dollar legacy systems. These two apps really helped to get me started. The one that really helped me pull away and become full time was a Dieting application that I called "PKU Tracker". It was a very niche product that was also very unique at the time. Luckily I was able to sell that product to a company that catered to that niche and they also agreed to hire me part time to continue to develop the app on a freelance basis. This was the key factor that allowed me to quit my full time job as a lead software engineer for SRA International and move to Charleston, SC to focus on growing my mobile app business.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

The best part of being a successful app developer is the freedom. Being able to work when I want on the things I want to work on, from anywhere I want is so incredible. I am forever grateful to Apple for providing me the tools and the opportunity to do what I do now. The other best part is being able to work on building things that you use yourself or that someone you know is going to use. I enjoy all of my apps and games incredibly. It is extremely cool playing a game and picking apart what should be different and then being able to actually go and make it better.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

The sad part of app development is that the market is becoming so flooded. And the problem isn't just that there are a ton of apps and developers out there, the problem is that there are a ton of low quality apps and developers out there. During the Flappy Bird craze, it blew my mind how quickly developers pumped out their own extremely low quality clones... I mean, here is a game that was extremely simple and almost seemed intentionally bad, but it was fun. Then it gets removed and within a week there are literally thousands of the exact same games being published by everyone. But again, that isn't the problem...the problem is that of those thousands of new games only a handful of their developers took the time to try to add anything to the game. Most of them just literally pushed out the same game but with even less polish and lower quality graphics– or even worse, the exact same graphics. I mean, if you're going copy someone else's ideas, at least use them to make something with high quality. That is what I tried to do when I created Zappy Duck, which is my take on Flappy Bird... I took the concepts, I refined them a bit and added my own concepts and I added polish. Unfortunately, my ad partner Revmob was having problems with the API when was publishing the game. Their API wasn't in line with a new guideline that Apple had added and I was the first person who got rejected because of it. As a result, Zappy Duck took over a month to release after it was developed. By the time it got to market, I was just too late. That is another sad thing about being a developer... the flops. Putting a ton of time and effort into a particular idea that never gains popularity is so, incredibly frustrating and it is unfortunately what happens in the majority of cases these days. The biggest challenge I've had is finding a way to market my games and tell people about them. I put about a year of time and $40K into my first and only large scale game, unFed unDead. A game that borrows some concepts from the old school Hungry Hungry Hippos game, but adds gameplay depth and incorporates Zombies. I think the final product was awesome, but no one is buying it and I have long lost hope that it may one day catch on and become popular. I wish I had some marketing guru that would come in, see that the game has potential and put together a marketing campaign in exchange for a cut. That just isn't how anyone works though. The marketers all want their money guaranteed and up front. It is to the point that I think that the only people who are really making any consistent money these days are the people who are providing the marketing services to all of us sucker developers.

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

The main thing that the app store can do a better job of is discoverability. With so many apps on the store, we need a better way to find which ones are the good ones. This is a very challenging problem and I hope that Apple will find some way to overcome it. Optionally, they might want to consider raising the standards for their apps and for new developers. On the discoverability note, I am hoping that some sort of new social tools and apps will help to solve this problem. Many of the tools and apps out there are all paid promotions, so you can't really trust them. I've been working with a team at AppSting.com and that is one of their main goals. I hope that they will continue their work and provide a bias–free social environment that can help users to discover quality apps and games that they care about.

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

For a developer starting out, the most important thing I think you can do is to make your apps extremely high quality. Watch all of last year's WWDC videos focusing on building apps for iOS7, as the cover a lot of really important design concepts that are easily missed by beginners. Make sure you think about all the details in your apps and games. If you want to help increase the chance of success for a particular app, make sure you have a marketing budget.

Take a moment and find out more about Logan Sease & iParty! Mobile at http://ipartymobile.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: Leo Noia

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 SuperMatch Lite

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I have been developing software for 24 years. (corporate world) – Got started in Apps as a hobby last July, and F/T since I got let go by F/T role in Feb.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

It's my true calling, creating software is like writing a book, but better because it's interactive with mimed feedback (and I've done both) – I like the combination of design, creativity, with problem solving and rules based structures – the rush (very intense) I get when I solve a major problem, or package an app for the app store (I've been known to woot loudly) – I really enjoy reading reviews from happy customers.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting through the clutter without spending a ton of money – there is so much (useless crap?) out there that your app can drown and get lost (a million apps and half a million are all lucky 777 gambling apps :–))

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

Apple takes forever to approve an app, and then when there is a slight problem you go back to the back of the line (ie. Can take 2 min to fix the problem – but can take up to 3 weeks to get the app live) – Useless clutter and obvious copyright infringement enforcement. Most indies don't have the budget for this. – I've seen a new idea come out, and within days there are so many copies. (is there a leak in the app store review team? Do they prioritize apps from their personal app dev friends? I'm sure this process is outsourced worldwide too?) – Apple harps about Samsung, but lets the developers run wild. Quality is pretty low lately. (I've noticed a big change since Nov/2013)

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Do what you love, and do this because you love it, not for the money. Soak up everything you can, best practices, marketing techniques, etc. (it's all out there on the web) – my favorite is Ray Wenderlich (its my goto site and i am a subscriber)

Take a moment and find out more about Leo Noia & White Squirrel Software Inc. at <http://www.whitesquirrelsoftware.ca/supermatch.html>

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

### Developer Name: John MacAdam

Most Successful App(s) to Date:

 Calories Left

How long have you been developing apps and how did you get started?

I published my first mobile app in June 2012. I started by turning my semi–popular Chome Webstore app into an iPhone app using Phonegap.

What do you love most about being an app developer?

Shipping a product – something I created.

What's the biggest challenge you face when trying to market your app(s)?

Getting more downloads

Is there anything you would like to see changed or done differently in the App Store?

N/A

Any advice you would give to developers who may just be starting out?

Care about the product. Be proud of your work.

Take a moment and find out more about John MacAdam at http://caloriesleft.com

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

Receive 20% off when you use coupon code: ib20off

## Special Thanks to our iOS Developers
## About Mobile App Growth Hacks

In today's crowded App Store, creating exposure and marketing their app is the biggest challenge small developers and companies face. The number one reason for failure of an app is improper and ineffective marketing.

So how do you create exposure for your app, and build your brand in today's App Store?

When it comes to marketing a mobile app, many people tend to think of things like writing press releases, running ads, pitching to bloggers, and so on. These things fall into the realm of traditional marketing. Traditional Marketing is expensive, time consuming, and in most cases completely ineffective. Unless your marketing budget reaches into the hundreds of thousands and you have a full time staff implementing your marketing plans, traditional marketing won't take you very far.

And the biggest problem with traditional marketing is that it often neglects one of the most important facts of App Marketing:

Your app is the most powerful marketing tool that you possess.

Simply put, the app you've created can offer more engagement, connect more users, and reach more people than any other website or blog out there. You don't need deep pockets or a full time marketing staff to achieve success in the App Store. All you need is creativity, an understanding of who your customers are, and the courage to try new things.

In this book, we teach you everything you need to know to run a successful app business by focusing on the driving force of your business: The product. Learn how to build and grow your company right from the inside, starting with everything you should be doing in your app to drive sales and downloads, and create more awareness for your brand.

Learn more about Mobile App Growth Hacks  here

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