We have good devs on it. Check out the CK Ryver channel:
https://cryptokingdom.ryver.com/application/signup/members/njw9Z-TTBMjyruBAnd yes, GUI and the like are on the to-do list.
And on the "pay for exchanges" side, it's a little pricier than you'd expect. I've heard even low ranked exchanges want 30 BTC per listing. The ICO craze means token creators have money to burn, and understandably exchanges are putting their hands out

There are some cheaper ones I believe.
First option should be YoBit
To add a new coin to Yobit please you need to fill out the form below.
Payment method: YobiCode
Listing type:
Free - 0.00 btc - no guarantee
Premium - 0.1 btc - 4-7 business days (no guarantee in case of compilation issues)
Exclusive - 0.5 btc - 2-3 business days (no guarantee in case of compilation issues)
Though, I've seen numerous people pay and not get listed.
The 0.1
BTC option isn't expensive at all to try.
Also, to update others, just visited the Ryver channel, seems the 2 devs that CrazyLoaf is in touch with habitate that channel.
Apparently development is going on.