rivo

More than once, I've built a software library - usually something required in specialized industries - which I've then gone on to sell to enterprise customers. Each time, however, I feel that I'm leaving money on the table by pricing it wrong.

It does not seem wise to charge a fixed one time fee of a few hundred bucks when the customer then uses the library for years in their own products. Is it still common to charge per installed CPU/core? How do you then deal with cloud systems where that number always changes and may even be difficult to determine? What about charging "per end user"? In general, can libraries also be charged on an ongoing basis like a SaaS (x EUR per month or year), i.e. do customers accept that?

I've offered maintenance and support packages but when the software works beyond the initial warranty, customers usually don't order them. I could turn the library into an API and charge for that but that's not always what the customer wants.

Any ideas on how to maximize my revenues here?

Hi,

there are obviously quite a few regular HN readers located in Berlin, Germany. A bunch of us decided to meet up, maybe even on a regular basis. We'll meet on Tuesday, May 17, 8:30pm, at the Goldapfel Bar in Prenzlauer Berg. There's no agenda. This is simply a chance to get to know each other. More details here:

http://rentafounder.com/hacker-news-meetup-berlin/

Join us!

-Oliver