But a good idea, the right developer and a solid marketing plan could be your path to early retirement, 99¢ at a time. We tapped some industry experts to give you the rundown on how to take an app from idea to app store in five steps.

Apps: those tiny icons on the screen of your smartphone that do so many things, from the meaningful to the mundane. Doesn’t it seem as though they’ve taken over the world? There’s an app for this, an app for that and everything in between, but what do you do if you’ve got an idea for an app? That brilliant game or useful utility that would sell like mad if only you could figure out how to get it out of your brain and into an app store. You’re not alone. With more than 200,000 apps and more than 4 billion app downloads since July 2008, the iPhone and Apple App Store have changed the mobile phone game forever. Google’s Android platform is fast becoming a contender in the apps race too, with the Android Market recently topping the 50,000 apps mark. With BlackBerry’s App World and other smartphone makers gaining ground as well, it seems like everyone wants to jump on the application-making bandwagon. Developing a successful app is actually pretty easy, though potentially costly. All it takes is a great idea, stellar content, a developer and, depending on the idea, anywhere between $1,000 to $30,000 or more. But you won’t be able to join the increasing number of people making and selling apps if you don’t know where to start. We talked to the pros behind the music app Shazam, drink app Pocket Cocktails and Toronto-based app shop Able IT Solutions to put together this app-maker’s primer. Follow this and you’ll be ahead of the game.

Step 1: Have an Idea

When Robert Maran and Deidra Jones, the Toronto-based creators of the popular Pocket Cocktails application, thought up their idea. in 2008, they were kickin’ it on vacation, wondering what to do with their lives. They had just bought an iPhone and, after playing with a few apps, decided to take a stab at making one themselves. It helped that Maran and his family are publishers of the Maran Illustrated series of For Dummies-style books, one of which is on bartending. At the time, there wasn’t much competition in the cocktail app market so it did well when it was released. Jones says originality is key. “It’s got to have a unique selling feature,” she says, “and it has to stay relevant.” Pocket Cocktails, which teaches libation lovers how to mix up everything from Bloody Caesars to Broken Down Golf Carts, includes bright photos and quirky sounds.

Tip Be original “If there are already 100,000 cocktail apps, don’t create another one unless yours blow away the market,” says Jones.

Step 2: Content is King

Whether your app is full of recipes, delivers sports scores or helps musicians simulate beats and samples, it’s the content of the app that answers the question, “What does this app actually do?” For Shazam – the extremely popular music recognition app that uses a phone’s built-in mic to “listen” to music being played then magically delivers info such as song title, artist, album and more – it’s the music database that is central to the program. Beatrice Farina, VP marketing and communications at Shazam, says the company has been building its database of songs for more than 10 years, constantly adding more titles. With 8 million songs there’s no shortage of content. Of course, Shazam is a big company with 80 employees, but even a one person operation can learn from the big guys.

Tip Compelling is selling – Have engaging, entertaining and useful information, keep it up to date and people will buy, says Farina.

Step 3: Find a Developer
With your idea intact and the content there to back it up, next up is programming the zeros and ones. Even if you can write the code yourself, think again and just hire a developer. After all, developers specialize in this task and are likely more robust in problem solving.

Where do you look, you ask?
First, try the app stores. Check out some apps you think are great and might be suited to the style you’re looking for.

How much does one cost?
Prices definitely vary, and you should always shop around, but Maran hired a developer at $100 per hour to put together the nuts and bolts of Pocket Cocktails. The total cost was roughly $10,000, Maran says.

How long does it take?
According to Muzammil Mahmood, president of Toronto-based app developers Able IT Solutions, it can take from one to three weeks or more, depending on the project. After coding is done, he installs the program on the client’s phone, and when it’s ready, uploads it to the app store.

Tip Write it out – Before approaching a developer, write down exactly what your app will do and how it will look. Maran mocks up his apps in Photoshop and Mahmood says his company can do the design for you, but it’s cheaper if it’s already mocked up.

Step 4: To the App Store!
You’ve tested your app and it works perfectly. Now you just need to upload it to your preferred app store.

Apple App Store
First, you need to pay $99 a year to register as an official developer. Follow the instructions and upload your app. Apple will review it to make sure it complies with its standards (no pornography, for example). It usually takes about a week for approval. Android Market It’s a similar process to Apple’s, but the big difference is the fee and wait time. The first step is paying a onetime charge of $25. Then you’ll go to Android Market, fill in information such as what category the app falls under and your contact info. You’ll then upload the app and voila – in about five minutes, it will be available for download.

Step 5: Make Money:
As much fun as it would be to just see people using your app, you’re probably in this to make some cash. From pricing to marketing, here are some tips from the pros.

Set a price
First, ask yourself what the market will pay. A high-end GPS app such as TomTom might fetch $100 or more, while for a recipe app, 99¢ is more reasonable.

• Shazam’s market research showed what users would shell out for a paid app. This can be done with a basic survey. “People told us it was so good they were prepared to pay for it,” Farina says. They settled on $5. (There’s also a free version.)
• Jones says Pocket Cocktails originally sold for $5, but as competition grew she dropped the price. That meant more buyers and, ultimately, more money.

Get a sponsor
Want your app to be cheap as chips or even free? Embed advertising in your app or, better yet, get a sponsor. Jones, a sales ninja in a former life, managed to partner with Grey Goose vodka, who paid a hefty sum to have every mention of vodka in Pocket Cocktails reference that brand.

Marketing
Once your app’s out there, learn to work the media. That could mean, says Jones, sending out press releases every time there’s a new update, getting on TV to talk about the app, or through traditional advertising. “Create a Facebook fan page, Twitter account and other social media to get the word out,” says Jones.