Kay's List of Work From Home

Using Pinterest to Market Your Crafts

2012-03-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

Really Pinterest can be used to market almost anything. I am a little late to the party but finally gave it a try a couple weeks ago.

For sure if you pin an interesting picture on there of a craft, product or "how to" you will get re-pinned and possibly sales.

Like any social networking you have to get people "following you" and you have to follow others. Just like the blog world, if someone starts following you; you should follow them back.

All you do is upload a picture of your craft or product, fill in the description, put in a link and publish it. Hopefully it will catch enough peoples eyes that they start to repin you.

Many of mine have now been re-pinned to other categories. Food is especially popular on there.

Just like Etsy though a great picture is a must.

Here is my profile if anyone wants to follow me and then I will follow you back!

Rejcected From QVC

2012-02-28T18:00:00.001-08:00

Well I got my rejection email from QVC today. At least they were quick to deny me LOL.

The email said my product did not fit in with their marketing plan. What an odd way to reject jam and jelly. I wish I could have got them to taste it. No one really gets my jam and jelly until they taste it.

I tried to sell them gift packs of my wine and pepper jelly. Basically my 2 top selling jams and jellies.

Okay so next I am either going to try HSN or Shark Tank. Not sure which one. I have been reading up on the Shark Tank terms.

One of them is that the production company gets 2 to 5 percent of your companies profits forever if a shark picks you. Dang!! I have to ponder that one some more.

How to Sell Your Products on QVC

2012-02-26T18:12:00.001-08:00

I took the plunge this morning and applied to become a "QVC Vendor" aka sell my jam on QVC.

I figured what the heck all they can do is tell me no. They do have a program called QVC Sprouts for smaller companies like mine.

All I did was submit an application with information about my product, attach to an email and hit send.

Click here to see the QVC Vendor application info

They have a whole list of categories of what they are currently looking for. My guess is they are looking now for what they will sell next fall; Christmas season.

Be sure though if you apply that you know exactly what it costs you to produce your items. You must sell them wholesale to QVC. Therefore you have to know your exact costs so you don't lose money. Wholesale can be tricky!

I will keep you all posted on what happens!

Strawberry Balsamic Jam!

2012-02-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

I am playing with some new jam flavors and trying to gear up for the spring craft shows and farmers markets.

For a year I have heard how great Strawberry Balsamic Jam tastes so I knew I wanted to try making some.

Well I found some great fresh strawberries at the store and decided to give it a try.

I have to say the taste is amazing! You really do not taste the vinegar but the balsamic gives the strawberries a really deep flavor that they do not have on their own.

Now I am thinking of making it with jalapeno's. Yum. I also made a batch of Strawberry Jalapeno Jam which is hubbys favorite. I made him a 16 oz jar so he would stop eating all of my 8 oz jars LOL.

If you would like to order some of my homemade jam just email me at jamanarchy@gmail.com

I need to get a good picture of it!

More Writers Laid off From Demand Studios

2012-02-16T16:52:00.000-08:00

Well one look at the Demand Studios forums shows it is now officially imploding on itself.

As more and more writers get rejected for the new "writer sections" it becomes apparent that this was just another way for Demand Studios to lay off a huge amount of writers without admitting to a massive layoff. That wouldn't look good right before their 4th quarter financial report.

Oddly enough, as of last week, I was still approved for Finance and Money. I specifically asked Jordon on the Demand forum if that meant I was staying in. He replied it did. A few days later I was met with "re apply." So much for that answer.

I applied for the Pets section but still no word. I seriously doubt I will get in but that's okay.

I think what upsets writers more than being rejected is being rejected with form emails that have nothing to do with their application. Many like myself easily meet the "qualification" guidelines yet still get a rejection letter.

I think most writers would feel better if DMS would just call it what it is. Another layoff.

What Craft Items Sell the Best?

2012-02-15T05:37:00.000-08:00

I see this question posted all over the internet. People seem to think there is some magical craft item that just sells a ton and makes a lot of easy money. This is just not how it works.

The great thing right now is that due to the recession (or whatever you want to call it) The handmade crafts market is booming. There is a huge return to buying handmade gifts and LEARNING HOW TO MAKE handmade gifts.

So many people over look that last sentence. Probably the easiest most profitable money there is to be made in the crafts industry is teaching your craft to other people. This can be in the form of a class, video, blogs, patterns etc.

So many crafter's are hesitant to sell their patterns or teach a class. Because we are like hoarders. We don't want anyone to know how we made something or sell our patterns because they might outsell us. This is crazy!!

Now not everyone is meant to teach a class. I myself love to teach classes whether it be painting, crocheting etc. There is great money to be made in teaching classes. So if you love people and have a crafty flair; contact your local craft store and see about teaching what you love to do. I averaged about $25.00 per hour when I taught tole painting.

Okay so maybe teaching is not your forte. What about selling patterns? I have posted about this several times on this blog and elsewhere. People that refuse to sell patterns are missing a huge market. This is the easiest highest profit money you will ever make in the craft industry.

People that buy craft patterns obviously enjoy making their own craft items. They are never going to buy your finished craft items, but they will buy the pattern. So this opens up a brand new market for you and a new customer base.

People are going to copy others anyway, so make it easy and make a few bucks at the same time.

The other day I was writing Etsy Product Descriptions for an Etsy store. While researching what her best keywords are I noticed a huge amount of Google searches for patterns in the item she makes and sells.

I advised her to think hard about selling a downloadable e-pattern for what she makes. I think she would be hugely successful if she decides to do it.

So lets say you are new and do not have any original craft design patterns to sell. To be successful you must pick a craft you are passionate about making. I am a firm believer in that.

Then you must pick the right colors and the right price. Quality handmade items always sell as long as they are in the right colors and prices.

Why You Need a Tax ID Number for Your Craft Business

2012-02-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

Anytime you say the word "tax" people tremble with fear. Doesn't matter if its horse people or craft people they are so scared of the T word.

I have watched many home business's fail because they are so afraid of sales tax, income tax etc.

It really is not a big deal and it really isn't scary.

If you are running a home business you must have a tax ID number! This enables you to buy supplies in bulk and wholesale. Many companies will not sell you supplies at wholesale cost unless you have this number.

Because I sell food I do not have to charge sales tax at craft shows. Yet I still have a tax ID number for the state of Ohio. Why? So I can buy bulk and wholesale supplies!

Just an FYI some states may call it a vendor number and others call it a tax ID number and yet others will call it a resale tax number.

Many are afraid of doing the reports. Most states now have it so you can file online so its even easier than ever. If like me you do not collect a lot (or any) sales tax you can set it to only file quarterly or once a year. s

Also keep in mind many of the bigger money making craft shows will not allow you to rent space without this number.

Just look up the website for your state and many times its listed under "commerce"

Here is the link for the state of Ohio tax vendor number.

If you start out with a semi annual report and your sales increase, the state will probably notify you that you need to report more often.

Happy Craft Selling!

Self Publishing Your Crochet Patterns

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I welcome my first grandson Feb 6, 2011!!! Woohoo! Welcome to the world Kamden Cole Baxter.

I edited this post 2-11 to add more info at the bottom as I was getting lots of email questions!

So of course I crocheted him a blanket and a couple hats. With another grandson coming in April and a great nephew coming in July, I am crocheting up a storm.

I came across one of the best crochet sites I have ever found and found their page on publishing your own crochet patterns. Really great info!

I have been telling writers/crocheter's on Demand Studios for years to stop selling their original crochet (or any craft pattern) patterns to Demand for a measly $15.00. I could never understand why so many people did that.

Original craft patterns are great little money makers. You can sell them on your website, blog, Etsy, Ravelry etc. Instead of getting paid by Demand once, you can get paid over and over.

You can even self publish an e-book with many patterns and sell it on Amazon.

Here is the link to Crochet Crowd and the article on publishing your own patterns.

Click here for an older blog post I did on selling patterns

Also if you need an easy to use program that delivers your patterns automatically check out my older post on using E-Junkie

Only costs $5.00 per month and your customers get your pattern as soon as they pay.

How to Pick the Right Craft Show

2012-02-08T04:25:00.000-08:00

If you are a crafter now is the time to be picking and reserving what craft shows you are going to attend for 2012.

I have found that a lot of people new to selling crafts are afraid to ask questions. If you are going to plunk down your hard earned money to rent space; you need to ask questions. All craft shows are not created equal. Do not waste your time and money on shows that get little traffic.

Questions for Craft Show Managers:

How many buyers came through the show in 2011?

Any craft show manager worth their salt knows what their previous years attendance was. If it is a low number skip that show and move on. Be wary though of managers that hand out huge numbers. I was told by our mall manager that a huge number of people had attended the year before only to find out later it was false information. Beware!

Will this show be advertised?

If the response is that their advertising consists of poster board signs on the street; skip it and move on. A good craft show manager will give you a list of newspapers, websites etc that the show is being promoted on.

Co op Promoting:

The best shows ask their exhibitors to co promote with them on Facebook and other social media outlets. I had one show manager that loved my stuff so much that she promoted me on Facebook even though the show was full and I could not get in.

Location:

If you are not familiar with where the show is held ask about the location. Is it off the beaten path or on a main roadway? This can make a huge difference especially for newish shows. We attended a first year show last year that was unfortunately way off the beaten path. It also had zero advertising. It had about 20 people come thru the entire day. Lesson learned!

Hand made items only?

I prefer to attend real craft shows where only hand made items are allowed. These always seem to be the higher attended shows and the better money makers. Shows that also allow resale items, party plans etc are just not nearly as successful.

Most real hand made only craft shows are also juried which normally equals a better show. I LOVE juried craft shows!!

I really prefer not to sell my items across from someone selling junk tshirts and hats from overseas. So anti craft show in my opinion but it seems to be happening a lot now.

Changing My Life Direction

2012-02-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

Several days ago I announced my herd dispersal of all of our ASPC/AMHR miniature horses and Shetland ponies It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.

For 11 years miniature horses and Shetland ponies have been my life and my passion, so it is not easy to make a decision like this.

But I know for sure it was the right decision no matter how painful it is.

I do think I will try to get my ASPC/AMHR judges card either this year or maybe next year depending on how hubby is doing. This way I can still do what I enjoy and that is horse shows and small equine!

On the bright side I have to admit I am looking forward to being able to travel without obsessing over who is taking care of the horses. Invariably every time we have tried to take a vacation, I get a call that something is wrong back on the farm. Mostly we had to take separate trips so that one of us could stay home and care for the ponies.

I am also finishing up the next e-book in the Miniature Horse & Shetland Pony series and I think this one is going to be awesome! This one will be showing tips for minis and ponies and I have invited some special people to add to the book with their wealth of knowledge on showing minis & ponies. Way too much fun!

I am determined to simplify my life and get hubby's and mines stress levels down to a manageable level.

If anyone reading this is interested in purchasing any of our minis/ponies please email me at kay@baxterspaintedpasture, and I can send you a dispersal list. My biggest priority is finding them the best homes and preference will be given to those with a good reputation of caring for their horses.

My Kindle Select Update

2012-02-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

So I put one of my e-books in Kindle Select to see if this would work to market niche books. I offered the book for free 01-14 and 01-15.

The theory is you give one book away for free and this will increase sales on your other books. This has worked for a lot of my indie publishing friends. I wasn't sure this would work for a niche books like mine that cater to a certain population (small equine people)

I gave away 100 e-books for "Buying Miniature Horses & Shetland Ponies"

Now most said you have to give it a couple weeks to see the sales increase. So now it is Feb 1st.

I have to say I didn't see a big increase in sales. They are actually pretty much what they were before the two free promotion days. I did promote it on Facebook and Twitter etc. Have ads running on horse forums.

Unfortunately it did not get me any reviews either which is what I was hoping for. But I don't think that people new to Kindle even know they can give reviews.

So while it was not a total bust, as I thought it is not a great marketing tool for niche e-books. Would I do it again? No. Not unless I write a book that is more universal and sells to a wider audience.

My problem now is I would like to offer all 3 books in a bundle but because one book is in select I cannot offer that bundle. In hindsight I should have done a bundle and skipped the Kindle Select Program.

I do think it can be a great marketing strategy for more mainstream books. Niche books? Not so much.

How to View Your E-book for Free on Your Kindle

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

The first time you self publish your e-book on Amazon Kindle, you really need to see the actual book on your Kindle to make sure there are no formatting errors. The Kindle preview many times is not what your customer is actually going to see.

Yes you can buy your own e-book and make a commission on yourself, or you can just follow these steps and send your e-book file to your Kindle for free.

Go to your Amazon account and log in.

Go to "my devices"

Copy your Kindle device address which is usually your email address with @kindle.com

Send an email to that address with your e-book Kindle file attached.

Give it a couple minutes and then turn your Kindle on and hit "sync and check for new items"

There is your book!

Blog SEO - Is Anyone Reading Your Blog?

2012-01-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

Okay Joesph from Kindleboards this one is for you! And all of my other friends with blogs.

The same SEO or search engine optimization techniques I have been writing about for websites and Etsy stores applies to blogs.

If you want people to read your blog you have to be found. This blog is fairly new in blog terms. (started Sept 2011) While I don't have a huge amount of followers it does get a large consistent amount of daily hits. Enough daily hits that companies are starting to offer me payment to put their ads on this blog. That is always a good sign.

Blog Domain Name:

Buy your blog domain name. Yes it is important! If you are here on blogger you can buy it very easily for 10.00. Or you can go purchase it somewhere else and put it in your settings. It is worth its weight in gold. Pick the domain name carefully and make sure it says what it is and try to include keywords.

I have noticed that people are starting to search for this blog by typing in "kays list" into Google. I will probably buy that .com and have it forward to here. Why pass up a good opportunity? Remember that works for websites too. Here is an older blog post of mine on how to buy domain names.

Blog Title SEO:

So many blog writers do not even use the blog title. You really need to use the blog title space. But to make it more effective stop and think about it. Use keywords that someone would use to find your blog post. Look at my title today. I put my biggest keywords first (Blog SEO) and then followed with some fun text to insert my sparkling personality. It is very similar to a newspaper article heading. Bad headings do not get read. Good headings capture attention and get read.

To look professional, you should use capitol letters in the first word just like a real article would do. Because after all that is what you are writing - an article. For my Etsy friends think of your blog title just like an Etsy product title.

Blog Post SEO:

In no way am I saying to lose your personality, but you need to get used to writing with keywords. I promise after you get used to writing with keywords it will become second nature to you and you will always write with keywords. Do not go overboard and keyword stuff.

Do not get lazy especially if you are a writer. Writing a blog still requires proper punctuation, grammar etc. I see a lot of text speak, horrible grammar etc in blog posts. This does not show you in your best light and search engines are not fans of that. Today's search engines (especially Google) are trying to find quality content.

Be descriptive in your posts. Say what things are! If you are selling something in a post it is not an "item." Say exactly what it is. It is an e-book on miniature horses, it is a jar of homemade strawberry jalapeno jam, it is an ASPC/AMHR pinto stallion. See all of those keywords? It doesn't matter if I am trying to sell an e-book, jam, or a pony. It has to be descriptive and include keywords to get the right readers.

I cannot tell you how many blogs I read where things are so vague. They say "my next project" instead of my next science fiction thriller e-book. My newest item on Etsy, instead of "here is my newest silk flower wreath for sale on my Etsy store!." See how easy it is to insert keywords?

Bullet Points:

Notice that I am using bullet points in this blog entry. I did that because I knew it would be a longer blog post. Search engines like bullet points on longer articles. Readers like them too because it breaks up the text and is easier to read.

Embedding Links:

You really should embed your links in text. This is what search engine robots like. They like it because the text describes the link.
So instead of saying visit www.baxterspaintedpasture.com, you should write visit my miniature horse website today!

Readers are savvy and know that the change of color means a link is "clickable" Is that a word? I see so many blogs with links that are what many refer to as "dead" or not live. They just put www.baxterspaintedpasture.com and assume the reader will copy and paste it. They won't. We are all lazy and do not want to have to copy and paste a link into our browsers. If you want people to click your link, embed it and make it live.

Prime Blog Real Estate:

In blog terms the right side is considered prime real estate. Yet everyday I see blogs with most of their information on the left. Left is awkward for most readers. Yes I realize there are left handed people, but the majority are right handed. An email I received the other day specifically asked for ad space on the right side of my blog. The right upper top spot is primo. Notice that is where my links to my other websites is located.

If you are putting an amazon widget on your blog to sell your book - put it on the right side of your blog. If you are putting an Etsy widget on your blog put it on the right.

At the end of the day remember that search engines are literal. You must be descriptive and say what things are specifically. Write with your reader in mind and what keywords they would use to find your blog/website/store.

Quickly skim back over this blog post and see how many text rich keywords I used.

Working for Leapsource/Lionbrand Update

2012-01-28T15:48:00.000-08:00

I have been getting a lot of messages and emails asking me for more info on the Leapsource/Lionbrand work from home jobs.

I know a couple people that have been working there. In a nutshell they hate it. Like I said before it is very repetitive boring work. Also to make the higher money you have to have a work history and speed in order to take the better paying work.

Some have also said it is stressful as your online work desk tracks your speed and accuracy and tells you when you are too slow etc.

Shameless self promotion of my new glitter wine jelly. If you would like to order some see my facebook page Jam Anarchy Once you are on the page just click on "shop now" on the left.

Another problem some have is that the available work hours are sporadic and do not come close to 40 hours unless you can get that higher paying work. Most are getting about 10 hours per week.

And again it can take up to 60 days to get paid. You must first work 30 days, submit your work invoice and get it approved, then wait for a check to be mailed. Very archaic method of paying people.

I do not think this is worth the hassle of the prolonged testing, invoicing for your hours, waiting to get paid etc etc.

It could be a good match for people that are very detail oriented and have the patience to keep going until you can get the higher paying work.

Most of the people I know have lasted about 60 days and quit.

Are You in an Etsy Sales Slump?

2012-01-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

I have been hearing lots of grumbling about a lack of sales on Etsy.

This is traditionally a very slow time for retail. Doesn't matter if it is online sales, box store sales or even real estate sales. Most people are in recovery mode from the holidays and getting ready to file their taxes.

There is always that spurt of sales the first and second week of Jan as people who got cash or gift cards for Christmas spend them. After that it will be pretty slow until after tax time.

Once people start getting their tax refunds watch out! That is when you will see a spike in sales again. I see it every year in everything I sell whether that be ponies, books, jam or crafts.

Use this slow time to get organized, plan your 2012 craft shows, order supplies, come up with new designs or books.

Honestly this time of year is usually a relief to me as I am filing my own taxes and catching my breath from Christmas and first and second week Jan sales.

I am finishing my next miniature horse e-book, planning crafts shows and farmers markets for my jam and just basically getting my life together before it all turns to chaos again. This includes updating all of my websites.

Finish up all those things you have been putting off because you were "too busy."

I even found a much cheaper supply for my jam labels yesterday during my down time. This nice little find will increase my jam profits by 10 cents per jar. Which is a huge deal over hundreds of jars of jam.

Also if you have an Etsy store this is the time to tweak your titles, tags and descriptions and get that SEO working for you.

Demand Studios Will Issue 1099's

2012-01-24T04:41:00.000-08:00

Demand Studios did announce that they will be issuing 1099's instead of relying on Paypal to issue them. And they will be mailed to everyone.

That is a huge relief to me!

I really wonder how this will all shake out with Interact Media stating they will not issue theirs. I'm not sure they can do that but apparently they think they can.

The problem in my humble opinion with Paypal issuing 1099 K's is that there is going to be a lot of duplicate 1099's. Especially for the first year.

New Tax Law for People That Receive Paypal Payments

2012-01-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

More fun tax news. Now Paypal is being required to send out form 1099 K for anyone receiving more than $20,000.00 or more than 200 transactions. Click here for the Paypal FAQ Page

I think this could get confusing!

I get almost all of my payments through Paypal. Payments for freelance writing, Etsy, Banner ads that I sell on the pony forum I own, Jam, E-books.

I am thinking I could be over the 200 transaction limit. Oh joy. Not.

I feel my headache getting worse.

Self Employment Taxes

2012-01-20T04:43:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately it is that time of year again. Tax time! Ugh.

For the record I am not a CPA and I do not play one on the internet.

But I have been self employed for many years and did work closely with many CPA's in my past life as an office manager.

Whether you make crafts, do freelance writing or any type of work from home, you will most likely have to file taxes either as an indidvual or a business.

If you made over 600.00 from one company in freelance work, they will send you a 1099. You must file that with your taxes. The IRS has gotten really good at matching up social security numbers with W-2's and 1099's so the days of disregarding 1099's is over.

Now if you were making a lot of money and do not have many business deductions, you should be filing self employment taxes quarterly. But many people do not make enough to have to do that. If you expect to make less than 1000.00 (click for IRS link) after business dedcutions; you should probably just file yearly.

Most new business's will find they show a loss the first couple years. This in turn translates to a tax deduction if you paid in taxes on other income or have a spouse that paid in.

Remember start up costs are deductible from income. So if you had 2000.00 in sales, but had 6000.00 in start up and material costs, you have a loss of 4000.00

Now that is putting it in really simple terms and its not quite that simple. But you get the gist.

Common Tax Deductions:

Website fees
Commissions Paid
Computers/printers/printing
Advertising
Materials
Shipping materials
Bank fees
Association fees (MC/Visa fees, checking account fees, Paypal fees)
Magazine subscriptions (that pertain to your work)

You can also use the home office deduction if you have a real home office.

The IRS has a lot of great info. Here is a good article on whether to file an IRS Schedule C or C-EZ

Just be glad you are not me. I have to file for my pony farm, my freelance writing income and my jam sales. My head hurts just thinking about it. But it is one of the parts of being able to work from home.

Are You Frustrated With Etsy? Take Control!

2012-01-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

I see a lot of people frustrated with Etsy. They are frustrated by resellers, copyright violators, people that price too low, scammers, low sales, and on and on it goes.

Number one stop worrying about what other Etsy stores are doing!! Yeah it sucks and I hate resellers too. But at the end of the day you can only control YOUR Etsy store. You cannot control what Etsy or other shops do. But you can control your reaction to it.

Stop wasting energy on what other shops are doing or even what Etsy is or is not doing.

Take a good hard look at your store and spend your energy making it the best it can be. Take time to put in SEO. Take better pictures. Tweak your product descriptions, use the Google keyword tool and try some new tags.

It's not enough anymore to just make great items if you want to sell online. You have to educate yourself on marketing, web design, search engine optimization etc etc.

Take it one at a time and don't get overwhelmed.

Remember an Etsy store, blog or website is never DONE. Its just a work in progress.

Self Publishing on Amazon Got Easier!

2012-01-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

The past couple days I have self published two more books on Amazon as Kindle books and one more on Barnes & Noble as a Nook book. I cannot believe how easy it is compared to last summer when I tried to upload my own e-books.

Now I will say these books have no images so that alone made it easier. If you have images it will be harder to correctly format.

But what I found this week is that just uploading my Microsoft Word file worked perfectly. The preview on Amazon looked great.

I am so happy they are making it easier to self publish books without all the crazy formatting.

For all my writing friends that are stressing about formatting, go upload your book on Amazon and check the preview. You may not need to do all the formatting. If it doesn't look correct just leave it in draft mode. No big deal.

My Esty Store SEO E-book is Finally Done!

2012-01-16T06:54:00.000-08:00

Yeahhhhh!! I finally got my Etsy Store Seo Guide e-book finished. I had a lot of fun writing this. At the urging of many of the ladies on the Etsy forum I took the plunge and wrote it.

Includes all my best tips for having your Etsy items seen in Etsy search, Google, Google shopping and all the other search engines.

I made this so it was really easy to understand and implement. I know a lot of arts and crafts people have never had to deal with SEO or search engine optimization so this is the basic first steps you need to take.

Cost is $6.99. Once payment is made I will email you the book. Etsy Store SEO can be purchased off of my Etsy SEO store, Amazon as a kindle ebook or here via email. To paypal a payment use kay@baxterspaintedpasture.com

If any of my Etsy friends are here, the first couple people to email me will get a free copy, but in turn I would like a review.

Thanks to all the Etsy ladies for your encouragement and I wish everyone the best of sales in 2012.

Shameless Self Promotion Post - Free Kindle E-book

2012-01-14T05:47:00.000-08:00

I put my kindle e-book "Buying Miniature Horses & Shetland Ponies" in Amazon Select. Today and tomorrow it is available for Free!

It will be interesting to see if this goes as well for a niche book as it has for my other writer friends. I will do a new post when the free period is over to let my writer friends that read this blog know how it went.

Information on Publishing Your Own E-book

2012-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Most of you know I have several e-books on my website, Amazon and now Barnes and Noble. Way fun!!! And thankfully mine are starting to sell really well now.

I am getting ready to publish my newest e-book titled "Etsy Store SEO." More on that later.

I get a lot of emails asking me how I got started and how to format for Kindle etc.

I am always researching and trying to find good information on self publishing. Like all things there's a lot of trash on the internet that you have to sort through to get the good stuff.

I find an awesome blog a couple days ago on writing and self-publishing your own e-books. This blog is a diamond mine full of excellent information.

Its also a great blog to read if you need some inspiration to keep going.

http://www.jakonrath.blogspot.com/

I feel sure you will thank me for that link. Be sure and go back and read his old posts on getting started with Kindle etc. Also read the comments. Lots of good info there from other writers.

Demand Studios Writer Sections Now Live

2012-01-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

I guess this is just another Demand Studios joke. They finally went live with writer sections today. Supposedly you would see this:

Similar to the previous application page, your status will be “Approved,” “Eligible” or “Ineligible.” Your status on the new page will be based on your current permissions and application history. For new sections or sections you have not previously applied, you will see a live “Apply” link.

All I have is apply links and apparently that is what everyone else has. I thought for sure I would be put into the pets section given the hundreds of pet articles I wrote for both Demand Studios and Yahoo Associated Content. (with good scores and great comments by editors) But apparently that is not enough and I will have to apply to write for pets. What a joke.

I feel strongly this all for show for investors to make it look like there will be work again. NOT.

Instead of wasting time applying for a section, I think I will just write another pet e-book.

Update on My Self Published Kindle E-books

2012-01-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

I am excited to say my Kindle e-books finally took off and started to sell. I have no idea why but who am I to question why? My breeding book especially sold very well in Dec and now Jan.

I think part of it is because Kindle put me in the "other customers also bought this book" Wow being in that is invaluable.

I am now thinking about putting one of my Kindle e-books in the Kindle Select Program. Not sure it will work for a niche book like mine but I may try it with the "Buying Miniature Horses & Shetland Ponies" book. That one has been the slowest of the three to sell. Which kinda surprises me. Not to toot my own horn, but that book could save a newbie thousands of dollars in mistakes. Most new horse owners do not understand what paperwork they are supposed to get when they buy a mini or a pony.

If anyone reading has experience with the Kindle Select Program I would love to read your comments!