About Handpicked Software

Handpicked Software includes over 200 posts dating back to 2004. Traffic is modest (see stats below), but has been increasing every month, in spite of the fact that I’ve posted only twice this year. And, even though page views average only a couple hundred a day, the site makes about $25 to $100 a month.

In the right hands, Handpicked Software should easily generate a consistent $250+ per month within a very short time (of course, I can’t guarantee anything).

I’ve agonized over letting it go, but I want to move on to other creative projects, including creating more WordPress themes. So I’m looking for someone to take the torch.

The Deal

I’m entertaining offers for the site, but I reserve the right to withdraw the offer at any time. I want to find the right person who can make the site more successful.

The minimum offer I will consider is $1,000. Payment in full upon sale.

I’m selling the domain and all content currently on the site. The focus has always been on Mac software (it was named after my book, Handpicked Software for Mac OS X: The Best New Freeware, Shareware, and Commerical Software for Mac OS X), but it could be greatly expanded by including Windows applications. It would make an excellent multi-author site.

The site currently uses a theme designed by N.Design Studio. The design is a good one and fits the topic, but if you want to use another theme, I will install a new theme for you and make minor changes, if needed (but I would expect that this opportunity will appeal to someone with at least basic WordPress skills who would rather do this on their own).

If you need help, I will move the site to your new host for you. You will be responsible for the almost inevitable minor cleanup.

Best of all, I will offer personal coaching to the new owner on how to monetize the site.

Making an Offer

If you are interested, please post your questions in the comments. If you would like to make an offer, note that in your comment and I will email you directly. Thanks for your interest.

Blurb, the book company that lets you self-publish bookstore quality hardcover and paperback books, has finally added TypePad and WordPress.com support to their BookSmart book creation software.

BookSmart slurps the entries from your blog and autopopulates the pages (you also have the option of dragging and dropping entries to build your book). BookSmart doesn’t currently support importing from freestanding WordPress blogs, but you can easily open a free WordPress.com account and import your entries long enough for BookSmart to slurp them.

You can go freestyle, creating any kind of book from scratch, or let BookSmart jumpstart your cookbook, photo book, or blog book (poetry books are coming soon) using customizable templates. Readymade books (templates which already include some content; for example, a Groucho Marx quote in the This Dog’s Diary readymade: “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”) are also available for your dog, cat, or baby book.

Blurb is still in beta and the BookSmart software, while easy to use, is a bit slow and buggy. It crashed the first time I imported a single entry from my WordPress.com blog, displaying a good-natured error message:

A 40-page book is $18.95 in paperback and $29.95 in hardcover, which includes a custom dust jacket. When your book is complete, you can offer it for sale in the Blurb bookstore. But if you’re interested in making money from book sales, you’ll need to buy in bulk for a discount (or check out CafePress or LuLu)

The BookSmart software is free and you can preview your finished book onscreen, which should have you salivating for the real thing. You can buy a copy of How to Make a Book (pictured above) for only $14.95, to get an idea of the quality. It includes a $10 coupon toward your next book. Or, download the PDF for free. It’s worth a look even if you don’t publish your book with Blurb.

BookSmart runs on Windows and Mac. Universal. Blurb