Are you a Developer or Designer in the NY/NJ/PA area using Microsoft Software?

Why not make 2012 the year you put those skills to use and publish your own app to the marketplace!

A Growing Marketplace

In only a year the Windows Phone Marketplace has grown at a phenomenal rate with over 40,000 apps now available for download.  Sites like WP7Applist track published apps on a daily basis:

These numbers continue to climb as more partners like Nokia begin selling their Windows Phones worldwide.

The Windows Phone Marketplace continues to expand into new markets that you can sell your apps in.

All of these new markets and new devices means more potential customers for your app.

Update 1/5 – Todd Brix just announced the ability today for Windows Phone Developers to distribute their apps in 6 new markets; Argentina, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru and the Philippines. This brings the total number of markets you can sell your app in to 41. You can read the full post here .

Growing Your Own Revenue

One of the harder parts of my job is not telling all of the financial success stories I see people, many of them students, reaching today with Windows Phone.  It is not my story to tell however and so if you are looking for some real world revenue numbers you will have to hunt around a bit more.  A recent public story is from independent Windows Phone Developer, Elbert Perez, who just posted his revenue numbers from last year and he made over $61,000.  Who wouldn’t mind that type of income? 

One of the other stories I can freely talk about is my own.  While not as impressive as Elbert’s numbers my single DoodlePad Free Windows Phone app, which uses the Microsoft Advertising control, has made over $1,100+ last year with close to 19,000 downloads. 

Not bad for an app that only took a few days to write and was mostly intended to keep my own two daughters occupied.  Keep in mind too this app has never been featured in the marketplace nor any tech blogs so I feel it is a good representation of what an average app might achieve.  The advertising has generated enough money for me to upgrade my pc gaming rig to a Solid State Drive and outfit it with a new Nvidia card.  While I did not become financially independent it has given me plenty of “Dad Pocket Money” each month that goes a long way.  Upgrading my home pc would have never been something I had budget for and now Skyrim never looked so good!.

Easy to get started

With a library of free developer resources, code samples, and videos available in the Windows Phone Developer portal it is easy to get started.  Best of all the developer tools are free.  It costs absolutely nothing to get started with your app the only time you have to pay Microsoft is when you want to sell your app on the Marketplace.  Then it is the standard $99 annual subscription fee and a 70/30 revenue split.  This subscription also gives you the ability to publish Xbox games as well.

Developer Devices

I am a Windows Phone Champ who covers the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania geographies.  I am available to assist you in getting your apps up and running and I have Windows Phones!  Are you at the point of wanting to test your app on a device but don’t have a Windows Phone yet?  I can ship you a loaner to use for a couple of weeks!  Have you written some apps but are under contract still unable to get a Windows Phone?  I may be able to get you a device to keep! 

If I don’t know who you are though I can’t help you.  So please, if we haven’t met yet and you are in these geographies  please contact me asap and let me know what you are working on.  Specifically I need to know the following:

• Company or Individual Info
  • Name
  • Physical Address
  • Website (blog or twitter is fine too)
• Primary Contact
  • Name
  • Phone
  • Email
  • LiveID (used for Marketplace)
• Application(s) Details
  • Description (videos are great too)
  • When you started development
  • If it is a new app or port of existing application (iPhone, Android, RIM, etc.)
  • How far along you are
  • When you think it will be completed
  • If you have published the app already what is the marketplace url

* If you don’t fall in these geographies but are looking for assistance I can connect you with your local champ