I just got off the phone with someone from Amazon inviting me to develop for their platform. They noticed that I have a top 100 niche app on the iTunes store and think that it would be a great fit for Kindle.<p>Pros:
- First mover advantage. I get a limited beta license to release my app first on the platform.
- Apparently they have a better app discovering mechanism on their store<p>Cons:
- Unproven market
- He won't give me any numbers of kindle sales<p>What it boils down to for me is opportunity cost. Would I make more money developing for Android, Blackberry or Nokia over the Kindle?
Go for it! Amazon's track record in new media has been very solid. If you're nervous, push for more non-monetary perks (like giftcards for their video service or a chance to tour their HQ). Being their goto-guy for a new platform would pay off in spades and be an incredibly unique opportunity.<p>I'm sure if you explain your hesitation to them they'll make adjustments to accommodate you. Propose an arrangement that, though still plausible, leans in your favor. They need you & your skills on their platform more than you need them (they're probably trying to skip the lag-of-quality-app problem that Android is still wrestling with).
Well, the thing is there is rumor of a KindlePad of some kind coming, so think of that. Also, did you see the Amazon Kindle news for today? Massive sales. I've never been an Amazon fan but I had to acknowledge what just happened today:
<a href="http://ipadtest.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/this-settles-it-kindle-ebooks-are-the-standard-now/" rel="nofollow">http://ipadtest.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/this-settles-it-kin...</a><p>And, here's a post from a writer publishing directly through Kindle who is very pleased with the money he's making:
<a href="http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/07/with-change-comes-anger.html" rel="nofollow">http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/07/with-change-comes-ange...</a><p>I'm not advocating <i>for</i> Amazon. Just giving you some stuff to consider. Good luck.