nathanbarry

Nicely done! I'd love to hear more about the marketing efforts that went into promoting the app.

Because I built ConvertKit. :)

I plan to release a version of this book for free online. I've learned too many tips and tactics through publishing my last two books that I can't keep them to myself. Stay tuned...

As a side discussion, I've been writing about every step of the process (finding a developer, wireframing, ideas, etc) but am running out of ideas. Any thoughts?

What aspects would you like me to cover in more detail?

Thanks! I am currently at $1,513.67, which is 30% of the way complete. Only 2 months left!

Hey thanks for sharing. For anyone wondering, ConvertKit is an email marketing system designed to increase conversions. It came out of my work on The Web App Challenge (http://nathanbarry.com/starting-web-app-challenge/) my personal contest to build a new web app to $5k in recurring revenue in 6 months.

Thanks for taking a look!

I've actually applied the "Philip," tactic (read the article to know what I mean) to all my writing. Makes it easy for me to balance educational with a conversational style.

I like using printer paper without lines.

The dotgrid book is nice because it is spiral bound so there isn't a mess of papers. Most spiral bound books have lines which suck.

That's interesting. To me it seems like a long process, but if you can't afford mistakes and need the client's approval it may make sense.

Thanks for sharing!

There is always a debate about how best to move from idea to finished product. This is just my method. Would love to hear yours.

Ryan Singer (37signals) actually jumps straight from sketch to code, but then takes screenshots and brings them into Photoshop when he needs to work on more details.

Find a process that works for you.

This is a short, free ebook I wrote with Kinvey. Those guys were great to work with and they have some other really good content as well. Enjoy!

Agreed. And no questions asked refunds are definitely available. I've written two successful book so the money itself isn't the issue. I just happen to have set a $5k limit on what I can spend personally.

If everything totally fails (possible, but not likely) I will repay everyone out of my own pocket.

That's an interesting idea. I haven't done it. I need feedback from customers to find out exactly what to build, but I would never want to be put in a position where I must build something a customer tells me to do.

That gets much closer to consulting or contract work. Not products.

As always, happy to answer any questions!

Yep. We'll add support for that soon. You can also code your own landing pages and just use our drip marketing / email campaigns. I'll have embedded forms all over my WordPress blog.

Sweet! I'm really excited to share this with you guys. I'm using ConvertKit already and love it. More case studies will be coming soon with details on how I'm using it.

Preorders have been going great (more on that later) and I'll start giving access to the first customers in the next couple weeks.

Happy to answer any questions.

Of course! All my blog posts come with a full money back guarantee for all the money you didn't spend...

This is just a free article on how I (with help) wrote and rewrote a landing page. I'm not selling a course on copywriting. Just sharing my experience.

Oops. I rounded off the change... 25% off of $125 is $93.75 (I wrote $93). $93.75 * 3 months = $281.25. But you're right, that is confusing.

I read through the slide deck yesterday and loved it. There is a lot of good information in there. The personal touch makes it especially good.

Hey HN: A lot of friends had been asking me about using Bootstrap in their apps, so I put together this video tutorial. It's fairly basic, but I think beginners will find it helpful.

The one thing I left out of the article is tackling the problem head on. This may not make sense with every manager, but it could be worth trying:

Adding an intentional flaw is not addressing the core problem. Consider talking to them directly, pointing out their behavior, and try to get them to only make valid changes. Not just to leave their mark on the design.

Like I said, this may not always work, but it is better for your long term relationship with your manager.

Looks great! I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished book.

I think Kinvey does it really well: http://www.kinvey.com/how-to-make-an-app-android

I'm really glad you find it helpful. Can you provide some more info about the broken HTTPS? I don't have an Android phone to test on.

I've struggled with this issue a lot. I think when you are still learning or have free time it is good to code or design your own solutions. But after a while you learn that you could spend 40 hours (or more!) coding something, or you could pay $50/month for it. If you value your time at more then a couple bucks an hour (I do), then paying for software is a pretty easy decision.

Also I'd far rather have a team working on making it the best software for the job, rather than what I could do on my own.

Well said. The more you teach, the more people will trust you. Focus everything on sharing valuable information and it won't be hard to build a business around that.

I guess you're right. But I don't want to be the person who says it will ship in February and doesn't until June. Projects get delayed, so I don't want to say a date until I can really stick to it.

That said, development is coming along very quickly, I bet we'll have the first testers using the platform within a week.

Yes, Patrick would definitely fit the target market. Actually, I fit the target market pretty well. I have 2 ebooks that have had great first months for sales, but need reliable sales funnels to continue making money.

That's what ConvertKit is going to help me (or anyone else) setup.

Agreed that it needs more visuals. I'll work on that.