Appstore Developer Select: Program Discontinuation

I got this email from Amazon about their Developer Select program where developers embedded the Ad API into the apps to deliver ads.

Dear Developer,

Thank you for your participation in the Appstore Developer Select Program (ADS). Effective February 15, 2015, we will be discontinuing the program. All apps qualifying for ADS prior to February 15, 2015 will continue to receive their mobile ad impressions, Amazon Coins, and AWS credits benefits through March 31, 2015. 

We encourage you to visit our Developer Portal to learn more about the many ways you can engage and delight customers using Amazon’s services. You’ll find information about Amazon Web Services, Amazon’s In-App Purchasing and Mobile Ads APIs, the Amazon Coins program, opportunities such as the “Free App of the Day” program, as well as other self-service promotional capabilities through the Developer Promotions Console. We also offer technical tips, guidance on the different ways developers can distribute their apps, and discovery and monetization best practices on the Appstore Developer blog.

Thank you for your continued support of the Amazon Appstore. If you have questions, please contact us.


Best Regards,
Amazon Apps & Services Distribution Team

Amazon Monetizing Mobile Apps with API

The folks at Amazon sent me this:

Dear Mobile App Developer, Today we announced the general availability of the Amazon Mobile Ads API which gives you the ability to earn great eCPM by monetizing your app with mobile ads from the Amazon Mobile Ad Network. Our eCPM has increased 30% since the beta launch in March, and early adopters such as Games2Win are discovering that the Amazon Mobile Ads API is a great monetization solution. "The $2.00 eCPM we saw from Amazon far exceeded our expectation. We tested Amazon in our Kindle app first. Now we're racing to get the Amazon ads integrated in all of our apps across all Android stores," said Mahesh Khambadkone from Games2Win. Starting today, the Amazon Mobile Ads API will be included as part of our Amazon Mobile App SDK. Apps that use the Amazon Mobile Ads API may be distributed on any Android platform as long as they are available for download through the Amazon App Distribution Program. Earn a Kindle Fire HD by integrating the Amazon Mobile API in your app in the next few weeks. Here's how: 1. Integrate the Amazon Mobile Ads API into your app. Get started here. 2. Submit your app to the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal between July 25th and September 1st. Get started here. 3. Send at least 500 ad requests to the Amazon Mobile Ad Network every week between September 15th and October 19th (see terms and conditions below). Best regards, Amazon Mobile App Distribution Team Terms and Conditions of Kindle Fire HD Offer: To qualify for a free Kindle Fire HD, 7" display, 16 GB, with special offers, app developers must meet all of the terms and conditions of this offer. This offer begins at 12:01 a.m. (PT) September 15th, 2013 and ends at 11:59 p.m. (PT) October 19th, 2013 (the "Offer Period"). A "Qualifying App" is any mobile app that is submitted to the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal between and including July 25th and September 1st, 2013. Apps that have sent ad requests to Amazon using the Amazon Mobile Ads API prior to July 25, 2013 are not Qualifying Apps. A developer's Qualifying Apps must send at least 500 ad requests every week during the Offer Period. (Each week begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday and ends at 11:59 p.m. Saturday.) This offer is only open to developers who send the required number of ad requests for the entire Offer Period. A developer may use a single Qualifying App or multiple Qualifying Apps to generate the 500 weekly ad requests as long as the Qualifying Apps are registered to a single developer account. Limit one free Kindle Fire HD device per developer. Offer good while supplies last. Qualifying Apps must meet the Mobile Ad Network Program Participation Requirements. Developers must agree and adhere to the Program Materials License Agreementand the Mobile Ad Network Publisher Agreement to qualify for this offer. Qualifying developers must be reachable through the email addresses registered on the Distribution Portal. Amazon will attempt to ship the Kindle Fire HD device to qualifying developers in the U.S. and other countries. However, Amazon is not responsible for customs or taxes required for international deliveries. A "Qualifying App" is any mobile app that has integrated the Amazon Mobile Ads API and is submitted to the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal between and including July 25th and September 1st, 2013. Apps that have sent ad requests to Amazon using the Amazon Mobile Ads API prior to July 25, 2013 are not Qualifying Apps. Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time in its discretion. This offer is void where prohibited.

Amazon Just Doesn't Care for Content Providers

Amazon has a unique paradigm.  They create a marketplace and then invite the public to contribute content to their marketplace.  I am an Android developer (as well as an Apple developer) and I get regular emails from Amazon harassing me to upload my apps to the Amazon store.

Amazon also makes the Kindle which is a dedicated eReader.  They created a self-publishing platform where any Tom, Dick or Harry can sell their books to the public directly.  They also created a community forum for these same people to connect with one another to solve their publishing issues.

It was a masterful stroke, because with the forum, they no longer needed a support line at Amazon.  Other users would answer the questions.  It is a prime example of maximizing the profits while minimizing the expenses.

However, in the minimizing their expenses department, the forum moderators do not even visit every day.  Hence when the robo-spammers attack, the forums are filled with link farms, link spam and crap.  It takes days for the moderator (probably an intern) to notice and clean out the spam.

Amazon certainly knows how to save a buck.

As for me, I think that the reason is that Amazon knows that dedicated hardware to read books is on the way out with the new tablets coming online.  Still, they should show a measure of respect for the content providers that made them millions.

New Revenue Stream for Photoshop Gurus

Self publishing on Amazon with eBooks is now a big thing.

I was reading an online forum for that topic and the author of the above book idly wondered online as to whether Brits hated her because she wasn't getting sales in the UK.  Her book had a cover of the heroine in a bar scene that was drawn for the cover.

I opined that perhaps the UK reader had cultural anomalies that made them hard to identify with the American bar scene.  The author replied that she was considering changing the cover.

It occurred to me that a photoshop person could make some serious cash by doing covers for authors.  Then I discovered that they were.  There was some guy selling stock photos for $20 with the title and author added with the photoshop text tools.  Others were selling covers for up to $299 per cover.  Photoshop gurus, here is another revenue stream for you.

A real graphics designer with a creative flair could probably make more money doing covers than the authors were making writing the books.

Just as an exercise tonight, I idly wondered how I would re-design the cover of Ms. Alroc's book called "Strangely Sober".  Knowing that sex sells, I photoshopped the above cover just as an exercise.  Ms. Alroc didn't ask for this and is unaware that I am doing this.  I just did it to see how my design effort would turn out.  I will certainly notify her that I have done this, and I will remove it if she requests it.

And if you are a Kindle reader, please buy her book:  http://www.amazon.com/Strangely-Sober-Essa-Alroc/dp/1478341467/ref=la_B008QN3FX2_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350875121&sr=1-1

Thanks.