Use Me to Make Money!
March 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before. If you believe in my book (or have even read it!), you can use Amazon to make a little money off of it.
Amazon has its own affiliate program, called Amazon Associates. You sign up and your information is between you and Amazon. It has nothing to do with your Amazon buyer’s profile. No one else can access your Associates info. After signing up, you pick the products you want to feature on your Web site or blog and Amazon gives you the code. Amazon sells a lot more than books, so you can make money off any number of things.
If you know your way around HTML, you can grab the essential part of the product’s hyperlink (example: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978094409/, my book) then add your own special referrer code. It makes a fairly simple and direct hyperlink that you can use anywhere without any fuss. The ones Amazon provide for you are a bit messier.
Although their percentages on items can vary, I’ve been getting a $1 fee per sale of my own book (4.01%, according to them). I have somehow sold other things with higher referral fees through my Amazon link, like jewelry (no, it wasn’t for me!).
I know $1 doesn’t seem like a lot. I am working on my own affiliate plan (it was derailed last summer – long story) and it will be very generous to those who sell a lot of books. As far as I can tell, Amazon’s affiliate program is a flat rate, no matter how much your link sells. Still, for those who don’t mind helping me promote my book, you can join the Associates program, place a link on your site or blog or anywhere online and make a little money in the process.
Remember, you don’t have to just promote my book. You can pick anything Amazon sells and promote it with your affiliate code – including your own Wish List!
Happy selling!
Book #2: Call for Volunteers
March 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I want to test what I’ve written in my Web site DIY (do it yourself) section. To do that, I need one or two volunteers.
To volunteer
You must:
- be an independent escort with a live, non-Flash, Web site
- have direct access to your Web server/hosting
- have a need to make text/link/image changes on your site
- be literate
- be willing to be a guinea pig
- be willing and able to offer feedback in a timely manner*
- be a DIY kind of girl
- not have any prior Web design experience and are very new to HTML
- use a Windows computer at home
*I expect you to read the text, attempt your changes and give me feedback within 14 days of you receiving the material. The feedback doesn’t have to be formal, but you will have to give lots of detail as to what did and didn’t work for you.
The Test
You get my DIY section on Web maintenance. You follow along and try to make your changes. You have to be able to tell me if I clearly explain the concepts, where I’ve made mistakes and how it’s worked out for you. (This will be an edited rough draft. I don’t expect you to edit, but if there is a glaring error, feel free to point it out.)
Understand you will receive copyrighted material. Although you’re more than welcome to discuss it however and wherever you want, you cannot copy from my work in any way. You cannot share it with anyone else, online or off. You will not make “notes” from it. You will delete my file when you are done.
I can answer questions, but I prefer not to. I really want to see if I explained what needed to be explained through the text. But if you really cannot understand something, then ask. It will make clear to me where I need to re-write.
Disclaimer
You cannot hold me responsible for messing up your site. The text includes instructions on creating a backup. I don’t profess to know everything — I’m trying to explain the most common situation faced by most people with non-Flash, HTML-based Web sites.
Privacy
Unless you want credit for being my guinea pig (and I’m totally willing to do that for you), you will not be mentioned in the book, online or in any public way.
Thank You
You will get a copy of the finished book as a “thank you” for helping out. You can opt of this, if you want.
To Apply
Nothing complicated here. First come, first serve, as long as you seem to understand what I’m asking. I do want to know the site you’re working on so that we’re on the same page when you try to make changes.
Contact me: missbrooks [AT] goldengirlpress [DOT] com
Book #2 Progress: Web Site Stuff
March 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I’ve been working the last two days on the huge Web site section. No matter how much I write, it keeps growing. I don’t know if I’m adding too much detail or not enough.
At any rate, I’ve finished the SEO section, the “hiring a designer” section and DIY maintenance. Still have work to do on all these sections but the main work is done.
I have to say that I’m astonished at the prices escort Web designers charge. It’s been more than a year since the last time I seriously looked at a range of designers.
Designers who charge several hundred dollars and severely limit the amount of pages, pictures or links you’re “allowed” are not good designers. Good mainstream designers don’t pull this kind of crap on their clients — they’d be out of business if they did.
I see these “escort” designers as taking advantage of their client-base. It really makes me mad, especially when I see the general quality of sites these designers churn out. And rarely do any of these “designers” know the first thing about standards-compliant XHTML and CSS, or even basic SEO techniques (submitting your site to search engines is not a basic SEO technique).
I didn’t see a single designer that I would recommend, even the ones that I thought made some great sites. Every one of them seems to want to tie you down to their (overpriced and underserviced) hosting and maintenance plans. Good mainstream designers don’t do this, why is it somehow okay for escort designers to? Makes me steamed.
Oh well, that’s why I’m writing the book I’m writing.
Book #2 Progress: Web Sites and More
March 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I’ve been writing for the past week although I haven’t put everything down here. I’m re-tackling the Web site section and am working my through it in edits, realizing there’s even more to put in than I originally thought.
I finished the client correspondence section and have started on the Conclusion. I still have to write the Intro, but I’m thinking it will come easiest once I have a finished rough draft.
I made a major change in this book. I elminated the final section. I will make a formal announcement about this on the Web site and give some details here…but not today. Still have writing, research and basic editing to do.
The first draft of Book #2 is coming to a conclusion! Finally! Very soon…
