I'm back

It has been 6 months since I posted and alot has happened since then. I published my second app 30 Day Love Spark to the android market. I began developing my third app, a drinking game called Drunk Green Robots.

So how has experiment into the world of Android programming gone so far? Well, both good and bad.

The good part: I really enjoy writing apps and get a sense of satisfaction from people downloading them and using them. Writing them challenges me and I am learning alot about java programming and about Android.

The bad part: I haven't earned much. I have earned a total of $9.13 in the 6 months that I've had apps published in the android market. So that is about $1.50 a month which is pretty pathetic. To be fair my first app that has been published for 6 months is a cyclical app that is only relevant around may when the music fest is going on here in Memphis. My other app has only been published since the middle of August and has earned around $4.50 this past month. But still five bucks a month will not even buy me a lunch.

So now I have a choice to make. I can do one of three things. I could stop writing apps since they are not generating the little bit of extra income that I hoped they would. I could continue writing them as a hobby but not try to monetize them.  Or I could get serious about this. Explore more revenue streams and buckle down and try to get a few more apps out there in the next few months.  

I'm choosing the third option. I'm going to put some extra effort into this the next few months and see how things go. I like doing this to much to stop and I don't want to give up on the thought that this could provide a little extra income that my family could use to enjoy life more. My first thing to focus on is to get my new app finished and published. I will try making money from in-app purchases or from a paid version of the app, since its become obvious that to make money with ads you either need a really really popular app or a bunch of them.

I'm also going to start sharing details about my progress and earnings. And talk about the things I learn along the way as I try to make money from Android development. I've read a couple of blogs from developers like me trying to earn money. I've learned some good pointers and enjoyed reading their insight. So I figure I will share my experience so that others can learn from it as well. Stay tuned as I start breaking down stats and earnings and download figures in my next post.