🚀 go-pugleaf

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address:

	visionary@I_HATE_SPAMMERSsprint.ca

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I was wondering if anyine could point me to some online resources, or
information repositories containing
info on current strategies in this area. 

I have been talking to people who have been successful at completing a
solo (one-man) project, in so far as actually making the game itself. I
am at the stage now where I feel I could actually develop a good game,
BUT:

I won't do it until/unless I can assure myself that it is financially
worthwhile before commiting the resources. Here's a good horror story: I
recently heard of a VERY talented fellow who released a successful
solo-effort game. It sold 5000 copies in the first week. Let's see, 5000
copies times let's say, $55 per copy. That equals $275,000. How much of
that did this solo developer see? Only $15, 000. Holy shit - what
happened to the rest!? The publishers, resellers, etc. got it! Sort of
defeats the purpose of one going into business for themselves instead of
slaving for an employer, don't you think? It gets worse. This fellow
said he made negligible amounts, if any, on the shareware registration
part. The $15000 came from sales off the store shelf (ie:  the need for
a publisher).

I would like to hear from people who know of and/or have found
successful ways of getting a good, working, promising games to generate
a good number of sales via self-publishing - ie:  shareware
distribution, WITHOUT having to expend your profits paying sharks. Also,
are ther other methods for self-publishing besides shareware? How does
one develop the means to package and distribute their own product
themselves?

Any advice or pointers to good sources of info would be greatly
appreciated.