While existing legacy desktop style applications can be distributed using current mechanisms, the only way to distribute Windows Store apps will be via the Windows Store, and they must pass a certification process for that to happen.
Enterprises and developers will be able to side-load their Windows Store apps, bypassing the store restrictions.
Perform the following steps:
Start a new Visual C# | Windows Store | Blank App (XAML) project.
From the menu, select Project | Store | Open Developer Account.
A browser window will open and you can apply for a developer account using the process as outlined on the page. Windows Store accounts may require a payment of a small license fee, so have a credit card handy when you perform this step.
Once you have an account, switch back to Visual Studio and from the menu choose Project | Store | Reserve app name.
Again a browser window will open and you will be directed to the Windows Store to register the name for your application. Follow the process as described on that page.
From the Visual Studio menu, select Project | Store | Edit App Manifest and use the information from the app name reservation to populate the appropriate fields. Take particular note of the fields on the packaging tab.
Alternatively you can select the Project | Store | Associate App with the Store menu entry and follow the steps of the wizard to automatically populate the packaging tab with the appropriate values.
Write your application. No, really you should. There is no point submitting an application that does nothing.
Verify your application using the Windows App Certification Kit. Refer to the Validating your Windows Store app recipe in Chapter 2, Getting Started with Windows Store Applications to do this.
Package your application for uploading to the store by choosing Project | Store | Create App Package.
Upload the package to the store by selecting Project | Store | Upload App Package from the menu and following the steps presented in the ensuing upload wizard.
Once the upload completes you can monitor the progress of your package through the approval process using the tools provided by the store.
The Store submenu is only available when running Visual Studio in Windows 8 and when you have opened the solution for a Windows Store app.
When you upload a package to the store there are a number of basic sanity checks to verify your package is acceptable and meets the requirements of the Windows Store. These checks include running the certification toolkit on your app and verifying the manifest information against the information you supplied when you registered the app name. Using Visual Studio's Associate app with the store wizard is an easy way to make sure you don't have any typographical errors in your manifest and it improves the chances of a successful first time submission.
If you want to make money with Windows Store apps you aren't limited solely to upfront purchase revenues.
You can also distribute your app using a trial mode that encourages a try before you buy approach, provides functionality for in-app purchases, in-app advertising using any ad platform you choose, and you can even implement you own transaction system if you so desire.
For in-app purchases and trial versions of your product, Microsoft bundles supporting functionality in the Windows.ApplicationModel.Store namespace to make it easier for you to build applications with these features.
If you want to confirm what are the requirements for App certification refer to the Microsoft documentation on the subject at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh694083.aspx.