The following is a list of DOs and DON'Ts that I've compiled, based on the
more common author mistakes I've seen in my years as a shareware distributor.
While some of these items might be specific to my own Author-Direct
Distribution Service, or specific to the ASP, the majority of them will apply
to virtually any distribution service or system. Please do yourself a favor
and abide by them -- otherwise you are just asking for a lower level of
distribution, or a delayed processing time for your products....

DO - spend the time to *properly* create a valid VENDINFO.DIZ file for your
     product. I can't stress this enough! We have a fairly automated
     processing system (as do most other distributors), and the key to
     making it work is the ability to access the information we need in an
     automated manner. If you've spent weeks, months, and even years
     perfecting your product, please spend an extra couple of *HOURS*
     working on a VENDINFO.DIZ file -- don't just blast through the
     process, leaving blank or inadequately filled fields. (and remember --
     once you've created your first VENDINFO.DIZ file, any subsequent ones
     needed for updates and additional products will only take a few
     minutes to create!) Please see the file VENDINFO.TIP for more info
     regarding VENDINFO errors.

DON'T - enter your WWW http address in places that ask for an Internet email
        address. This information is needed as an email contact, not as a 
        place to go web surfing.

DON'T - try to use a generic filename when asked for a BBS filename. Each
        release of a product in the BBS world (as well as many other
        electronic distribution systems) requires a unique filename. Including
        the version number as a part of your filename insures that each
        release filename is unique, and is considered the industry standard
        method of dealing with that requirement.

DON'T - try to use your BBS filename (which includes version number) when
        asked for a 'generic' or 'CompuServe' filename. The generic filename
        must NOT contain any version-specific information, as it will be
        used for all current and subsequent releases of the product. This is
        especially important when you are creating your VENDINFO.DIZ file --
        DON'T use your BBS filename when asked for the List of CompuServe 
        Parts!

DO - if you are using the WISE Installation Utility, be *sure* to use the
     PKZip- Compatible option when creating your self-installing archive
     file! If you don't, many file processors (including mine) will reject
     your file because they can't extract the imbedded program files for
     virus testing. Unfortunately, the Wise folks don't make this option
     very well known, so you may have to hunt for it in the configuration.

     Be aware that the 'default' file size in the Wise system is 1420K,
     which many authors misinterpet as being the maximum size of any 1 file.
     One ASP author states that "Users must change this to 0 in the "Make
     Disk" function to create a single EXE file" greater than 1420K in size.

     Also be aware that multi-part Wise installation EXE files (i.e. 
     SETUP.EXE, SETUP.W02, etc) can not be created as PKZip-Compatible. As
     such, you can *NOT* use a multi-part Wise installation file for our
     electronic distribution.

     (Please note that the Wise EXE file *still* must be packaged inside a
     standard ZIP archive file for electronic distribution)

DO - test your floppy disks for readability before mailing them! I receive
     a *LOT* of disks which are bad, and I can't copy the files from them
     in order to process them. This only delays things, and causes
     frustration for both the author and the distributor.

DON'T - if your WWW http address contains non-alpha/numeric characters (such
        as the ~ tilde character), please don't include it in your
        FILE_ID.DIZ file! (or in any other 'product description' text, for
        that matter). Many file processing utilities (including mine) will
        reject your submission because it sees those characters as 'illegal'
        for use in FILE_ID.DIZ files. I've also seen them cause problems in
        online descriptions on some electronic online systems as well.