Tag Archives: making money blogging

Failing at your Own Business–Author

The end of January brought me my first 1099-MISC from Kindle Direct Publishing. Would you believe I made $12.91 in royalties from the sale of my books in 2018? Ok, well, that’s not a lot of moolah, but it’s a start, isn’t it? My goal is to double that income this year. Seems obtainable.

January itself was off to a rousing start. I had 107 downloads via Amazon. Unfortunately, they were all FREE downloads from my promotions. 117 pages were read via Kindle Unlimited. That netted me a total of $2.07 in royalties that I’ll get next month. Guess I can’t quit my day job just yet.

writing goingNo one ever said that being a writer was an easy road. Since I’ve decided not to be dismayed, I am continuing work on the 5 books I have planned for this year. I hope to have another ready for publication by the end of February, but with the internet being what it is, uploading the book to Amazon may be delayed a bit.

Additionally, I went ahead and set up a new web site as an official author just in time for National Entrepreneurship Week (February 16-23). Very apropos since I am “setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit” with this venture.

I’ll still be blogging my wild and wacky adventures in Mexico here at Surviving Mexico, so never fear. The new blog will be going in a completely different direction.

content creative heading.jpgContent Creative will be devoted to writing, blogging, and reading. You can expect interviews with authors, book reviews and inspirational articles and how-to guides for bloggers, writers, and reviewers.

So should any of those topics tickle your fancy, you can find me in my new position as a freelance writer/reviewer at:

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On Being an Herbal Academy Affiliate

Herbal Academy Courses

I’ve tried several affiliate programs and most have not been worth the effort. However, the Herbal Academy Affiliate program has been one that I would recommend if your niche contains herb lovers, homesteaders or tree huggers.

Commission payments are sent out the first full week of every month with an outstanding balance of $50 or more by Paypal. I make a 15% commission on every referral. I get 35% off Herbal Academy’s Online Programs and Herbalist Packages and sometimes I even get to take a course for FREE in exchange for a blog post, There are banners and images galore to make promoting easy. And finally, the courses are of the highest quality which makes it easy for me to rave about.

You can read the Affiliate Terms and Agreements here.

I’ve taken several of Herbal Academy’s courses myself.

Learn how to wildcraft and identify plants confidently in the Botany & Wildcrafting Course!My review of the Botany and Wildcrafting Course is here.Enroll in the Herbal Self-Care for Stress Management Course My review of the Herbal Self-care for Stress Management Course is here.The Craft of Herbal Fermentation Course by Herbal Academy My review of the Herbal Fermentation is here.

The Herbarium Membership for Herbalists

Herbal Academy also sponsors the membership only herbal online library The Herbarium. There you can find articles, downloads, video, podcasts, monographs, and an herbal bookshelf designed to add to your herbal knowledge. They have also begun a new series of intensive workshops concentrating on herbal treatment for specific conditions. The first course is called Herbs for ADHD, Cognition, and Focus.
Herbs for ADHD Intensive enrolling thru October, 21st

But that’s not all! Herbal Academy also has its own store choked full of fun and useful herbal products. My personal favorites are the Materia Medica Journal and the Herbal Starter Kit.A complete Herbal Starter Kit by Herbal Academy

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

So really, what’s not to love about being an Herbal Academy Affiliate?

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On Becoming an Ultimate Bundles Affiliate

eek (3)Back in May, Herbal Academy sent me an email saying that the Herbal Materia Medica Course that I liked so much would be featured in an Ultimate Bundle packet.  If you remember, I LOVED the Herbal Materia Medica Course.  It really helped me focus my interest in local herbs as medicine and inspired several blog posts. (Hibiscus Tea, Cilantro Tea, Tamarindo, Garlic, Matali Tea)

The email from Herbal Academy suggested I sign up for the Ultimate Bundle Affiliate program so that I could feature this bundle on my blog.  So I did. (See Herbs and Essential Oils Super Bundle).  I thought I’d make the bundle available and be done with it.  

Little did I know that the Ultimate Bundle group offers several of these bundle packages per year.  I soon realized that these would be excellent items to offer my readers!  I did pass on featuring a bundle or two.  They couldn’t really be classified into one of the categories I typically write about.  However, there were some that did fit.  

For instance, I often write about my most recent income generating failure.  Enter The Ultimate Work At Home Bundle.  I also am a proponent of natural alternatives for health issues.  Let me present the Gut Health Super Bundle.  

 

Then there’s the Conquer Your Clutter Super Bundle which came out just at the end of my transition year.  Perfect!

In August, you can bet I’ll be featuring the Parenting Super Bundle.  I aim to be a Super Parent after all!

The best part of this affiliate program is the work I don’t have to do.  I don’t have to find images.  I don’t have to code links. I don’t have to figure out how to add the buy now button.  Why not?  Because it’s done for me. I can pick and choose from a whole slew of banners, buttons, and images for each bundle.  

How about promotion?  Studies say that the average person must be presented with something an average of 7 times before buying.  Well, I post to my blog.  Then my blog posts to Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google + and my email followers.  That’s pretty much all the promotion I do.  I’m not one of those pushy types.  If you want it, great, if not, that’s ok too.  

So how has it been going?  In the two months since I’ve become an affiliate, I’ve made $30 USD.  No, it’s not a lot of money, but it sure is less work than some of my other business ventures recently. (See Failing as an Online Book Reviewer).  I’m not in the business of blogging to get rich.  Really my goal is to cover my blogging expenses like domain names and hosting and if there is a little left over, maybe splurge on something fun. (Failing at your own business-Blogging)  With such modest goals, I’ve found being an affiliate for Ultimate Bundles to be a great fit for me!

Not convinced yet? Here are some more successful Ultimate Bundle affiliates stories for you.

*Become an Ultimate Bundles Affiliate – Earn Money from Your Blog

*Ultimate Bundles: Love or Leave? 2017 Affiliate Program Review

*HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS AN ULTIMATE BUNDLE AFFILIATE

*THE ONE AFFILIATE PROGRAM YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO RIGHT NOW

Does it sound like something that would work for you and your blog?  

Sign up to be an affiliate here.

Here are the upcoming bundles for 2017.  Do any work for your niche?

AUGUST 9-14: Parenting Super Bundle

AUGUST 23-28: Ultimate Fitness Bundle

SEPTEMBER 20-25: Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle

OCTOBER 4-9: The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit

OCTOBER 16-17: Ultimate Homemaking Bundle Flash Sale

NOVEMBER 1-5: Indie Travel Super Bundle

DECEMBER 27-JANUARY 2: Ultimate Healthy Recipe Bundle

Sign up to be an affiliate here.

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