Literate Software Systems - Across Lite for Business

Who can benefit from Across Lite?

Across Lite creates business opportunities for a number of different commercial ventures. Contact us at marketing@litsoft.com for more details, advice, suggestions and recommendations to suit your particular needs. We are quite amenable to business arrangements that are mutually beneficial. Here are some potential avenues to explore:

Crossword publishers

Previous attempts at producing crossword puzzle compilations that are solvable on a computer have not been very popular for one or more of the following reasons:

The compilations were marketed as a crossword program that comes with a number of puzzles rather than the opposite
The package pricing was comparable to the pricing of consumer software rather than the much lower pricing of printed crossword compilations.
The crossword software was only available for a single platform or at most two thereby creating marketing and distribution problems for the publisher.
The software involved too much set up time that was comparable to installation of a typical consumer software program rather than being the equivalent of opening a book and picking up a pencil.
The software was designed more for glitz than for user convenience and was perceived as a barrier rather than an enticement to solve crosswords on-line.

The throw-away pricing of Across Lite, the simplicity or lack of a need for installation (can be as trivial as insert floppy, double-click or drag and drop to open up the puzzle), multi-platform capability and the intuitive user interface makes it a lot more like a pencil that was needed for solving on paper than a computer tool that had to be mastered. You can request submissions in Across format to simplify the compilation process.

Here are some possibilities for crossword publishing with Across Lite:

Include a diskette in your book of crossword puzzles with the same puzzles in Across format and a copy of Across Lite. If you do not wish to create separate packages for various platforms, include all licensable versions. There will still be sufficient room left in the floppy to take on all the puzzles from a typical book.
Include an advertisement in the book for the on-line version of the same book or a compilation of book compilations that can be ordered directly. A diskette can store more than 500 15x15 puzzles even with the uncompressed program and help files in it.
Create a diskette only version of your book and share the shelf space in book stores for about the same price as the book. Make sure that you draw the consumer's attention to the fact that the compilation comes included with the "popular" Across Lite.
Produce puzzle+program versions as well as puzzle only refill packs that can be ordered directly or sold retail. The refill packs can be used on all supported platforms and incur no royalties.
Arrange with us to produce a customized version of the program that sets your compilation apart from others.

Crossword clubs

Offer both on-line version and printed version memberships. Send the program with the first mailing and puzzle-only diskettes (that will work on all platforms) for subsequent mailing. The production costs become trivial for subsequent mailings and improve your profit margin considerably.

Web sites

Commercial web sites have become popular largely due to their potential for reaching a significant customer base with very little investment and overhead. On-line crossword puzzle market is yet to be tapped to any significant extent. Given the popularity of this type of puzzle in the printed media, suitably designed on-line ventures are likely to be even more profitable due to lower overhead and precise targeting. Some ideas to explore:

Become an on-line crossword publisher with a web site as your main distribution point. Submissions can be received electronically in Across format, edited and distributed in Across format saving valuable time.
Use crosswords in Across format to entice people to visit your site. A web book store can make sampler puzzles available to make customers visit often. Point to our site for customers to pick up a copy of Across Lite, if they don't already have one. Your costs will be limited to purchase of any of the software that can export Across puzzles.
Arrange crossword solving competitions and contests with puzzles conveniently dispatched in Across format (with solution letters randomly jumbled to be useless). Filled grids can be received in Across format and automatically scored. Contact us for customized software and tools to set up such systems.

Crossword authors

Follow the example of many of the poets, authors and even some crossword puzzle authors that have created a significant audience for themselves without having to rely on publishers and their whims. Make your puzzles available on a web site. Choosing Across format allows you to concentrate on the construction of the puzzle rather than the logistics of distribution. Create compilations on diskettes and market them directly.

On-line magazine/newspaper publishers

An appropriate crossword is almost mandatory in a variety magazine or newspaper. But it is never the centerpiece and seldom justifies large expenditures to make it available. A crossword that can immediately be interactive in an on-line magazine is much more attractive than one that can only be stared at. The multi-platform capability of Across Lite and its seamless integration as a helper application with most major Web browsers make it ideal for providing interactive crosswords. Just provide a link to our site for readers to pick up a copy of Across Lite from amongst the supported platforms if they don't already have one. Let them simply click on links to puzzles in Across format to start solving it on their own computer.

Crossword software authors/publishers

The ability to export crossword puzzles in Across format makes your software a potential candidate for use in all of the above ventures and consequently increases the potential market. We can provide statically or dynamically linkable libraries in most of the supported platforms to export in Across format.

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