This is just a brief announcement to let you know that I am now an Amazon.com Associate. Actually, I joined back in early November. As many of you know just about every book link goes to Amazon only because they seem to provide pretty good deals. In becoming an Associate I earn a small commission on each sale. I chose not to say anything at the beginning because I wasn’t sure I would maintain my membership and I had no sense of whether I would make a single penny. Today I received my first commission gift certificate for $17 which covers the first month. I had a choice of receiving a check as well, but I decided to stick with a gift certificate. I feel pretty comfortable with this program given that there is nothing that prevents me from giving an honest assessment of individual titles. It is entirely your choice to click through and make a purchase.
This was also a trial to see if I could make any money from this site. I’ve played around with monetizing the blog before, but a number of factors have kept me from making the move. First, I do not want to ruin the look of this site with a bunch of Google ads that will more than likely not make any money. There are a few Affiliate programs that seem attractive, but that route is going to have to include products that are not only relevant to the subject of my site, but ones that I can fully endorse. I may put up a couple of 125×125 ad spaces in the sidebar, at the bottom of the page and even before the comments section on individual posts. This is a popular method and one that should not negatively impact the aesthetics and user experience. All of this is still up in the air, but please feel free to share your own thoughts. I am all ears.
Now, if you will excuse me I am going to purchase a book.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Seventeen bucks a month, eh? Who says you can’t get rich blogging?
FWIW, I’d appreciate it you maybe had a separate page of recommendations (like you have a separate page on “black Confederates”), with titles perhaps grouped by topic. I think that might be cleaner than putting more stuff in the sidebar, and might even generate more sales by putting out a wider selection all at once.
I’ve thought about that. Thanks, Andy.
In my opinion, a little extra money in your pocket for this excellent website/blog/whatever is a good idea. Good luck.
I came across this when setting up my own blog and thought about trying it. I use Amazon for most of my book purchases because it’s so much less expensive than bookstores and because I often buy older titles not available at bookstores. I’ve used Abe Books a couple of times when Amazon didn’t have what I was looking for. Anyway, I think I might sign up. If you made $17.00, I might make 10 cents!
Good luck.
Amazon is a great site for buying books not only for the price. I’ve found the information about the book and the reviews very helpful. I’ll be sure to check here first to see what titles you have listed so that you can benefit. As little as it may be, everything helps !!
Thanks Roger