Q. I'm thinking about setting up my own software house. Please could you tell me how to go about this from copyright to duplication?

Stephen Miller
Halesworth, Suffolk

A. You're going about it the right way - thinking. First advice is to carry on doing that for a while longer. (You may even consider quitting while you're still ahead.)

Our first reaction is that if you have to ask this kind of question, you're far from qualified to set up this kind of enterprise. However, for the sake of interesting exercise, we will take the question seriously.

1. Do you have a product that people want to buy? Sure? Good.
2. Contact a tape duplication house and get a quote for their services.
3. Consider the following question: how many copies should I produce? The answer will depend on the machine you're writing for, what you're writing (games sell more copies than dedicated applications) and how many other versions there are. This is complicated by a further consideration. If you produce too many copies, you'll have paid for them without getting your money back. If you produce too few, you'll gain a reputation for poor service and lose customers.
4. Having arrived at near enough the correct figure, have the duplication done.
5. Have cassette artwork designed and printed to the highest standard you can afford. Since you'll be selling by mail order, it doesn't have to compete with the best-sellers but it should look reasonably professional.
6. Take out a series of adverts in several computer magazines. This will not cost a great deal.
7. Wait for the orders to roll in, but use the time wisely. Have the organisation and cash ready to mail off the software.
8. Start work on your next best-seller.
9. Go to 3.

There are three possible outcomes. First, you may quietly and honestly lose a substantial amount of money. Be a good loser, secure in the knowledge that you are better and wiser person.

Second, you may dishonestly lose a substantial amount of other people's money. If you do this we trust you will be pilloried in public and face the righteous justice of the courts of the land.

Third, you might just possibly make a success of the venture and make a decent living at it. It is only fair to warn you that the third eventuality is by far the least likely but we wish you good luck.