You asked. We answered.

What does Selfpubd do? What are your services, functions, features?

Selfpubd is a platform of business tools for game developers. We're like a 'salesforce.com' but for game companies - a central hub of tools to grow and manage your business. Earn more revenue, keep and build your brand, and always own your IP (Intellectual Property). The platform currently offers tools for user acquisition, customer support, analytics, promotion, discovery and some monetization options. Also coming are tools for customer engagement, testing, more analytics, regionalization and beyond. If there's a business tool that an independent studio needs, before long it will exist here. And finally, there are also training and community elements - connect with other like-minded developers, learn from one another and celebrate each other.

How is Selfpubd different from other options out there?

Indies used to have two choices - lonely and loathsome. Lonely is the solo approach. Do it yourself and pray for a top-10 miracle. Loathsome is the give up your brand and most of your revenue by signing with a publisher, but hopefully "make it up in volume", approach. And there was previously no other or better option. Selfpubd is the better option. We're part co-op style member group, part publisher and promoter and part app discovery service. So many developers think like the coder or creative person that they are, and so few of us have solid sales or business experience. Selfpubd is the business component every developer needs, and it's built and run by folks who were indie mobile game devs themselves before this.

What market(s) are you geared toward? Mobile? Browser? PC?

Selfpubd is focused on mobile gamess. If you are an independent (Indie) developer or studio and you make mobile, mobile-social or mobile browser games, then this is definitely the place for you.

What do I get when I sign up for a paid membership?

Free membership is available so that everyone can join, become a part of the movement and kick the tires (try things out). During our early launch phase of the game promotion site Thumb Arcade, all members free and paid can put their existing mobile games on there. Additional benefits come with paid membership. As a paid member, you will:

• Be highlighted regularly in marketing materials
• Maintain access to publish games to Thumb Arcade
• Be able to promote your games further on Thumb Arcade
• Take part in additional advertising, PR and marketing
• Gain access to the Have/Meet a Need area to work with other like-minded member companies
• Publish events to the community calendar (ex: announce a beta test, so other members can participate, or announce an upcoming launch so that members can promote you on social networks)
• Have open messaging between members – connect with studios you want to learn from or partner with
• Be a part of brand partner opportunities. Since Selfpubd is your business "hub", we build some tools internally and some are available through strategic integrations with partner companies.
• And so much more...

To join as a paid member, do I have to pay for the whole year up-front?

Yes. It's a recurring, yearly commitment of US$500. We're working on a monthly payment option. We come from indie studios, so we know money can be tight! But money should never be a hindrance to success, which is why we made membership affordable. Join today or contact us if you need help exploring alternative options. We’re always happy to hear from you.

If my games are sold through Selfpubd, Thumb Arcade or other sites, how does that work? What sort of revenue share occurs, if any?

For all pass-through sales to an app store, Thumb Arcade is an affiliate and will receive 3-5% from Apple (nothing from Android, BB, etc.) directly. You continue to earn your full 70% from them as always. On "play it now" games (ex: HTML5 or jQuery) that work right in the browser and where we capture the transaction then the share will be 30/70 like the app stores. But the difference is that your titles will be so called "big fish" in a small pond on TA. We will be pushing tons of traffic through the site, so more people will see your games than ever before. It's kind of like what a big publisher does, but your company name is still prominent and so are your other games. You never get buried. And you don't have to give up 70% of your NET revenue to them!

Is Thumb Arcade the only option to which to publish? What if I only make non-game apps?

While the first consumer-facing site we've launched is for games (Thumb Arcade), plans for apps, non-game apps, are in the works too. Join for free and stay in the loop!

I make mobile-only games? How does Selfpubd help me?

Selfpubd offers you a suite of tools that are designed specifically for you, the Indie studio. One of the most visible ones is the game site Thumb Arcade. Having your games on Thumb Arcade like having a spotlight on your games and your brand all the time! But there are many more features that you'll want to use to grow and manage your company.

Do I earn rewards, points or something for participating? How does that work?

We’re so convinced that Selfpubd only works when everyone participates that we’ve actually built in our own rewards system here too. It’s still early, but new rewards will be added all the time. Essentially, the more you participate and do things on the site the more rewards you’ll earn. We’re planning to add promotion rewards, referral rewards (get discounts on membership!), sharing rewards and so on. Drop us a line at members@selfpubd.com to suggest what you want to see in the rewards area.

How does my game get “featured”?

If you’re a paid member, then we will regularly promote your company and your apps all over the place. But beyond that, and COMPLETELY unlike the mobile app stores, we are offering paid promotion slots on Thumb Arcade. True to the Selfpubd mantra, we’re trying to give Indie studios options to build their sales, develop processes for increasing traffic and create measurable, repeatable steps to adding fanatical users. Our hope is that each of us stops thinking like a coder or creative type, for a little bit, and begins thinking about real ways to grow into a real, sustainable business!

For Thumb Arcade, where does the user traffic come from? Do you have some existing sites you're going to plug into? Is this paid-for traffic? What about quality?

We're working to build a huge, engaged fan base at Thumb Arcade. The idea is that really rabid fans are so much better than fly-by-night "users" that you purchase. Don't get us wrong, we're spending and working hard to drive gamers to the site. But we're also committed to making sure we drive solid customers there that will become proud owners and players of your games.

How much do additional promotional options cost? Are there only promotion options on Thumb Arcade or are there others?

The promo area is up now in the Selfpubd dashboard - available for you (as a paid member). Putting your game up in the highlight area on TA deos cost (see pricing in the dashboard) - but note that NO app store allows you to pay for highlight slots. You have to be magically 'chosen'. This option becomes a serious sales tool, that is measurable, for the developer. Available promo options will include, but are not limited to, highlight slots on TA, co-marketing, co-PR, mentions in articles or interviews and so on. Not all prices are set.

When will promotional activities begin? Is there a timeline or calendar for this?

Thumb Arcade is launched and growing rapidly. Promos are available on the site. And we are marketing the heck out of Selfpubd and Thumb Arcade. Our favorite stories to tell in the press are yours! So connect with us and tell us how we're helping you. We'll get it out the world.

What’s in it for you? Why did you form Selfpubd?

This is our passion. It’s what we think, live, breathe and do all day and sometimes all night long. Our founder, Andy Rosic, has been in mobile development since 1999 (a Prince song comes to mind). He built an Indie mobile game studio to 2.5M users – and yet experiencing all the same pain points that you have felt day in and day out. Bottom line is that we all believe that it's time for a better way in gaming. At Selfpubd, you're not a number. You're a person and we treat you that way. In fact, Andy is always ready to listen and respond to you, the member. Try it - you'll probably hear back from him right away.

Is my IP (intellectual property) protected if I join?

Absolutely. Check our member agreement. You own your stuff, always. We help you test, analyze, promote, monetize, market and sell it…better. That’s it. It's that simple.