Having your own application on the iPhone's App Store has many benefits, from bragging rights to being a respectable source of income. Just how difficult is it to develop your own, take it through the complex submission process, market it and most importantly of all, how much time and money is needed to do it? We spoke to Jessica Abroms, the developer of M.A.S.H., in order to gain an insight into developing for the iPhone and find out how she earned over 375% profit.

With a degree in Computer Science and Human Computer Interaction, backed up by eight years work experience at the computer animation powerhouse, Pixar, Jessica has just the right blend of experience for developing iPhone Apps. In January 2009, she had a window in her schedule and decided to do exactly that. Her heart was set on writing a game which would appeal to girls, who are so often overlooked in the male-dominated programming world, and she choose to adapt M.A.S.H. (Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House), a pencil-and-paper game she loved in her early school years.

The interface was up and running after two weeks work, however Jessica says 'I was at a point where I was a little stuck and although I knew I could finish it, I figured it would be better if I got help.' This is when she went to elance.com, a website where freelancers bid on projects, and placed an advert for a developer to help finish M.A.S.H.. She ended up with two bids, one for $2000 and one for $500.

The bid for $500 was from a Canadian programmer who had previously worked on iPhone apps, and since the quote was within Jessica's budget, she accepted it. Although it was difficult to send the code she had spent weeks writing to someone else, elance.com's contracts made her feel safer and work on completing MASH was soon underway.She says, 'A lot of people ask me whether I made my programmer sign an NDA, but all I did was state in our Elance correspondence that this was my idea and I was paying him to work for me. Once we talked over the phone, I trusted that he would be able to complete the work and wasn't out there to steal the idea (in fact he had never heard of the game before). He did a great job and sent me back the code just two weeks later.' The only other person to work on M.A.S.H. was a graphic designer who spent two hours drawing some illustrations, which Jessica inserted into the App. As the designer was a friend, she did the work for $100.

With M.A.S.H. completed, Jessica reflected on the total cost. She recalls 'If I hadn't had the skills to do some of the work myself, I guess it would have cost upwards of $2000, which in hindsight seems expensive for such a simple little game, so it's great that I was able to do it for just $600.' However, developing the application is only half the battle, as once it's written, Apple must approve it.

On January 22nd, Jessica submitted M.A.S.H. to Apple. The process is a lengthy one, especially for a newcomer, but Jessica discovered there was plenty of documentation online, found via a simple Google search, to help solve any issues. But that was the least of her problems. 'When I first submitted it,' Jessica says, 'I found someone else had also built a M.A.S.H. App just five days before me. I couldn't believe the timing, but I was glad I had paid a programmer to speed things up. Even though he had a head start, I think there's room for two M.A.S.H.'s, and although I may be biased, I think mine is cuter and has a better interface.'

It took two weeks for approval, however discovery of an error saw the App needing to be fixed and resubmitted, adding another month to the process. It wasn't until the beginning of March that M.A.S.H. made it on to the App Store. Jessica marketed the app by presenting at local iPhone related meetup.com gatherings, posting on her Facebook page, asking friends and family to spread the word and getting in touch with sites like Yappler.com.

She says, "At first, I didn't really know how to interpret the data provided by Apple and assumed that only a few friends had downloaded it when I posted it on Facebook. But in April someone from Apple contacted me asking me to add my banking information so they could send me my check. When I went back to check the numbers, I was amazed to learn that it had been downloaded over 1000 times just that month. It pretty much became a hit on its own because people knew the name of the game and it's a good fit for the iPhone (quick, easy, and fun)."

Priced at $0.99 she has already earned $5,290.56 (gross as of July) and $2,903.39 (net 30% Apple & $800 development fees), easily making back the initial $600 development cost. She later spent an extra $200 to pay the programmer to improve the interface and add new features like a history view. She comments, "It's been a huge success though the sales have hit a plateau now that there are five versions of the game on the App Store by three different developers."

Jessica has already developed another application. 'My sister is a public health professor and I have developed an App for her named My QuitLine, which connects anyone trying to stop smoking to a trained counselor at the National Cancer Institute Quitline. It has gotten a lot of press and has users from all over the world!' This App was entirely Jessica's work and took just a day to write and then just over a week to test and submit.

When asked about any advice she would pass onto prospective developers, Jessica says, 'My QuitLine is a free App, and the submission process is so much simpler. Anyone who is planning their first App should probably create a free one first to familiarize themselves with Apple's system, before moving onto a paid App.'

With both M.A.S.H. and My QuitLine doing well on the App Store, has Jessica achieved what she set out to do? 'I wanted M.A.S.H. to be an example to women developers, to show that they can make their ideas happen with help from the right people, a small investment, and some perseverance. Really, I just wanted to make an iPhone game which my friends and I would want to play. I'm so proud of it and I think the App Store is an amazing tool for getting your creation out on to the market for the world to enjoy'.