Ask HN: A paper magazine wants my app for its companion DVD. Should I accept?

[krib]

I have a Windows application that I am selling from my website using PayPal and a home-made protection/activation system. I have been contacted by an IT paper magazine that wants to make an editorial of my app and put it on the companion DVD. The app will also be available for download on their website for two months. I sell the app around $10 a copy on my website, and they offer around $500 of license fee for me giving them the right to put it on their DVD and website. The sells on my website have not been great, so I might take their offer.

Is the license fee of $500 that they are offering an industry standard, or should I negotiate for more money? I know I'm greedy =)

Should I do it?

Thank you HN!

[kgo]

Do you have a trial version? I'd rather have them include that, possibly for free if they review the app, than 500 dollars.

That is assuming they have a bigger subscription base than 50 users.

[krib]

I do have a trial version, with limited features, and I think that trying to give them the trial version for free is a good idea. But honestly, my sales have been so ridiculous that $500 for the full version does not look that bad at this stage.

Also, they claim to have a circulation of 500,000. This seems huge to me, but they are a monthly magazine so it might be possible. I am going to ask them if this number really is the circulation of their paper version, or if it also includes the visitors on their website...

EDIT: The licensing/activation system I developed for the full version would allow me to limit the time period with which I allow free activations. This means that I could make a "special" version based on the full version, which allows users to register for free for let say, two months, and then blocks the free activation process. That way, even if the app is distributed on the internet outside of my control (and it will), the number of free licenses will be limited to a two-month period (I checked, and the license agreement that the magazine offered would allow this two-month restriction).

[keithclark]

Ask for $750 and negotiate from there don't go below $501 though. #classic

[krib]

Thanks for answering :) Why $750 and not $1000? Is it a negotiation thing to ask for 1.5 times the offered amount?

[keithclark]

That is just what I would do, you gotta follow your gut!