Instead of looking at your high quality software as an "asset to monetize", I would recommend thinking of it as a "way to introduce your high quality skills to attract high quality customers that are more than willing to pay for your time".
This allows you to get money for customizing the software for specific applications, but still build up a valuable asset over time (instead of just being a T&M slave).
This allows you to get money for customizing the software for specific applications, but still build up a valuable asset over time (instead of just being a T&M slave).