If you’re an app developer who isn’t making a decent living from the app stores, there’s someone you need to meet.

His name is Mark Dawson. Amazon paid him $450,000 last year. He didn’t write a line of code.

That’s because he’s a book author.

Mark writes books about a British assassin named John Milton, a character described as James Bond with a conscience. (Here’s an article about him in Forbes.)

So what? You don’t have time to read. You’re banging out code for two dozen downloads a day.

Well, stop it. You can learn a lot from Mark. We all can.

I would argue being a self-published author is very similar to being an indie app developer. In fact, I can say it with confidence, because at various times in my career, I’ve been each.

Take it from me, there is very little difference between the two. Particularly when it comes to marketing and sales.

Yes, I know. Marketing is slimy. Sales is a job for people who can’t code.

But you want to make a living from your apps, right? Stop updating your resume? Take all product meetings off your schedule? Live on your own terms, with money in the bank?

Good. We’re on the same page. I’ll make it quick. Here are five things Mark Dawson does to earn that $450,000 from Amazon that you should be doing to earn more than you’re earning now from the app stores.