I 'met' Alexis online as someone promoting books on behalf of authors. My question was "Wow, you can actually make money helping authors promote books online?" Alexis agreed to elaborate for me and here are some of her answers about how she makes it work.
Promoting a book anytime soon, or wonder how social media types make money online? Read on.
1. Do you work for a company or do you work for yourself?
I work for myself (well, for my clients!) part-time (through my company, www.10thFloorPR.com), and I work for an author/public speaker/counselor/life coach part time (www.maryannelive.com). Though I guess I'm technically still self-employed because I still pay all my taxes myself :-)
2. Do you promote books full time or is that just part of your job?
I do web-based publicity and marketing - or social media strategy, whatever you want to call it! - which includes pretty much anything and everything you can think of. i publicize books, grow social media networks, facilitate blog exchanges, develop contact lists, market events through social media channels, integrate video clips, podcasts, blogs, articles, etc. etc. through multiple online venues, and pursue any number of web-based publicity opportunities to gain exposure.
Beyond that, I do a couple random things here and there: I am a content editor for a start-up travel site (www.valueweekly.com), I blog and write articles for several websites, and I (attempt to) maintain my own blog :-) (www.alexisinthecity.com).
3. How is promoting books online different then promoting other things?
I've been working with authors and promoting books for almost as long as I've been in the web publicity game, so I'm not sure how thoroughly I can answer that!
What I can say is that I've found that the ideal situation with book promotion online is to have an amazing "brand" to go along with it. Some people who aren't as tuned in to the web 2.0 world want you to do that all for them, along with promoting the book! It can be done, but it's much more difficult, with much less dazzling results - and it takes a lot longer! An author doesn't have to have an established, highly frequented online presence - that's what i'm here for! - but when the foundation is already in place it makes things a lot easier.
4. Let's say I've written a book and want to hire someone like you to promote it. What's one piece of advice you'd give me?
Find someone who actually cares about your message. I may be shooting myself in the foot by saying this - because - I'll be honest - I've had clients I've taken on just for the money! - But both people will get so much more out of a partnership where there's an understanding of the underlying work and message of the book/author/persona, etc. I can say that from experience :-)
And ... don't expect results RIGHT AWAY. I've had people start out on a shoestring budget and then cut me out altogether because they weren't selling books. Of course, as an author, the goal is to sell books, but you can't sell books without building a presence and that just takes time - in the online world and in the offline world! If you don't have the time/money/patience to invest in a long-term social media strategy, you're probably better off either saving that money or putting it toward another type of publicity.
5. How did you get started doing this?
I always tell people - what I do now wasn't even a "thing" when I was in college (and it hasn't been THAT LONG since I was in college :-). The online world has blow up FAST and I guess I was in the right place at the right time.
My degree is in journalism, my background is in TV, specifically as a news producer. I started out at network affiliates (ABC, CBS, etc), and when it was clear that industry was dying, I moved over to internet/cable TV (current.com). When that wasn't super stimulating, I went to work for myself, not really sure what I was doing, where I was going, how I wanted things to pan out - only that I was tired of having a "real job," and didnt want to punch a clock any more.
I started out taking any type of relatively related consulting work I could get. I did a lot of article writing, blogging, ghost blogging, website publicity, brand evangelizing, content management, and website content writing etc.
It just so happened I knew a guy who had a small, independent publishing company - and he also did traditional marketing - and was looking for someone to help out on the web side of things. I began working with him and his clients developing their online marketing and publicity strategy (he's one of the people I still work with!), and that helped give me the experience to land the job with Maryanne (the author whose book she is currently promoting).
Plus - I live in silicon valley and have always been pretty plugged into to web 2.0 trends - so I like to think that gives me a bit of an edge :-)
Social bookmarking websites are one of those things that I know I grasp only add that basic level. I do know though that they can be very powerful, especially after this last weekend. Friday, I had my first stumble. I happened to look at my stats (just another exciting Friday night in my life!) and I saw huge spike in traffic.
When I look at the referrers I found a woman who'd stumbled an old post of mine. (This post in case you were curious). For the next 24 hours at my usual weekend traffic was doubled. I could have hugged this woman, I was that excited.
Social bookmarking is a great way to keep your favorite links organized and searchable not to mention give props to someone who wrote something that was enjoyable to you. So increasing knowledge and my own positive personal experience combined, I have seen the light. I heart social bookmarking! I've decided to finally get into this. For serious.
Any ideas as to why social bookmarking site I should start with? I find the "Stumble Upon" toolbar thing hasn't worked for me since I am on a couple different computers everyday...
The first post of my Holy Technology series this week only!
I heard on one my favorite blogs Nerve's Scanner that Skittles has fully jumped on board with this whole social networking thing. On the "chatter" portion of their website for example, there is a feed that displays every time someone twitters (or tweets) with the word "skittles" in it. (To get past liabilities of potentially racy content, you have to enter your birthdate and aknowledge Skittles' lack of responsibility for content before entering the website.)
I mean the landing page for skittles.com is a Wikipedia page. At first I thought I typed it wrong but then I realized that they did this on purpose. Interesting. You can read all the social networking details here.
So on one hand it's a great idea. Skittles gets a bunch of overly connected people like myself to mention this on blogs and websites and gets me to tweet to my network of followers. But aside from being an interesting concept...Will anyone visit the site more than once? Will this translate into increased sales or is this just a brand building project for Skittles? And is anyone even going to be talking about this next week?
It's certainly hard to tell. Mars is a privately held company so we can't look at the stock ticker to see if Skittle's value has gone up or down recently. Evidence would be purely anecdotal.
So what do you think of this marketing plan? Great idea or just something that'll pass? As socially networked as I am, I find myself moderately annoyed with this campaign.
I realized that there have been a few things going in my life that people may or may not be updated on. Not the most compelling post but sometimes a little housekeeping is in order!
Last week, I got a promotion and a raise.
I was really debating whether or not to write about this. We live in crazy times and I didn't want it to seem like I was rubbing my good fortune in anyone's face. The more I think about it though, the more I thought most everyone would be happy for me.
I've been promoted to the editor position on the new website our newspaper is launching in April. That means less copying and pasting what other people write and more editing and writing my own stuff. My boss thinks it would be a better use of my talents.
Interestingly, when he called me to the back room on last Friday afternoon to tell me this, I thought I might be getting fired. You can read my play by play account of the situation here on my Myspace blog.
My new website is actually happening, and soon!
Part of my job these last six months was selling the commercial web design services of our company. Since I've been doing a pretty good job selling (who knew I could sell stuff?), guess whose website got put on the backburner? Mine.
I now have a logo and the template is getting put together. It looks sharp but for those who want a little inside look, I'm including the logo in this post. You may remember I do like hot pink but hopefully it's not too in-your-face. I'm working on transferring the content off Typepad and onto this new site. What a pain, but I know in the end I'll be glad I have it all on my own site.
My dog had surgery on a possibly cancerous growth.
Some noticed Sadie's absence from the Too Cute Tuesday party this week (and me cozying up to another dog). I love that people were concerned enough to email me about it!
I took Sadie to the vet last week to have a weird growth examined. The vet said it is a 50/50 chance it is cancer (given her age and the growth's location) so I decided to get it removed and find out. Her surgery was on Tuesday and she was a little too zonked to hang out with three other dogs and craft so I left her home.
She now seems to be feeling fine but the growth is being biopsied so I won't know for a couple more days whether I have to make a difficult decision or not. To be honest, I knew what I was getting into adopting an older dog (Sadie was 11 four years ago when I got her) but it's still hard. Keep her in your thoughts!
I've lost 15 pounds...and am still going.
I got a little fat a couple years ago and have been fighting to get back to a healthy weight for awhile. It helps to go to the gym with friends and do a little Wii Fit too.
I stepped on the scale at the gym yesterday and had to slide the pointer down further then I was expecting...I don't want to get into numbers but let's say I haven't been in that "decade" in awhile! I'm down 15 pounds from my highest weight last December, and I feel good!
So consider yourselves updated on pretty much everything in my life unrelated to money. How are you doing?
For the next few Wednesdays, I'll be featuring writers I like and how they hone their craft, use the internet, get writing ideas from life, and rake in the dough.
Kristy is a twentysomething personal finance blogger who has been writing with Master Your Card since May of 2008. During her free time from blogging she works for a credit union in Austin, Texas where she helps clients manage their financial picture.
Though I haven't met Kristy in the real world, I can tell you from her posts and comments, we'd be great friends.
You're a contributor at Master Your Card. I've noticed a trend of other sites recently that are launching with multiple bloggers. How did you find out about Master Your Card and become part of it?
Well, Jonathan posted an ad over at Freelance Writing Gigs (www.freelancewritinggigs.com) looking for a personal finance blogger. Because of my experience in banking, I figured it would be a good opportunity, so I applied. Initially there was another candidate that had applied and Jonathan was torn between the two of us, so we were both writing on a trial basis until Jonathan had an idea of who would be the best fit for the blog.
How do you work with the other contributors at Master Your Card? Do you work with them? There is only Jonathan and myself at this point, though Jonathan has mentioned the possibility of another writer. He and I work independently of each other for the most part, but remain in constant contact for updates on various goings on with the blog. While Jonathan does write and comment on the blog, he handles the administrative stuff and is currently working on our 'ace in the hole,' as it were. He's got a few things in mind for the site that we're both pretty excited about. My job is to write content, keep up with comments, and generally be a presence in the blogosphere.
Do you get assigned topics by the site owner? I'm thinking the more people are involved in a blog the harder it may be to stay on message.
No, I pretty much have free rein to write about what I want to write about. I do ask Jonathan for his input and topics he'd like to see me discuss, but overall he's pretty good at letting me have creative control. He doesn't even do a lot of editing, which is nice. Occasionally I run out of things to talk about and he's always there with some ideas that prod me along and generate other ideas...he's awesome to work with.
How are bloggers like you compensated on these multi-blogger sites? You for example seem to post a ton and it wouldn't seem fair to get compensated the same amount as someone who posts less frequently.
Well, Jonathan and I have a payment arrangement that has changed somewhat since I started writing for him because my role has changed. But, this will vary from one blog to the next. I'm not sure how Jonathan came to his amount initially, but it was fair and I accepted. When we discussed the changes in my role, he asked for my input and I gave him an estimate based on an amount per word. So, it really depends on the writer and the employer as to how the compensation works.
I've asked this question of all the writers in the series. What is the craziest thing you've done to get a story right?
Hmmm. I don't really have anything witty to say here, lol. I'm not usually the "go crazy" type. If a story isn't working, it isn't working and I don't force the issue. This doesn't happen to me much in terms of writing for MYC; however, in my screenwriting this happens quite a bit. If I can't find the story, or make it work, I shelve it and give it some breathing room. I'll come back to it eventually, but I don't try to force it.
I know you do other freelancing work as well. Is it finance related?
I was invited to write with Wisebread, so I'll be sending over my first article probably sometime this weekend. But, for the most part MYC is currently the only freelancing I'm doing. I was working with a site called First 30 Days, which is neat because it helps walk people through the first 30 days of a change. I wrote for the finance channel and I think some of my work is still posted there. For the most part I stick with finance because it's what I know; however, I will occasionally venture out into different things. I've done some ghostwriting on all manner of topics from the mundane to the weird...I once wrote an article on how to solve a Rubik's cube, which was interesting as I've never actually solved one. I've also written some pretty risque "guides" that I won't go into detail on here, but that was a learning experience as well.
I may be interested in contributing to a site like Master Your Card so that I get to write a blog but the site wouldn't have to be my baby. How would I go about finding a gig like this? What general advice to you have to someone considering contributing to a blog like this?
If you're interested in writing for a blog, I'd start with FWG where I found Jonathan and MYC. But, you can also check Craigslist and jobs.problogger.net for a listing of blogs seeking writers. As for general advice, I'd recommend keeping a running list of ideas. I know sometimes I get so busy with other things that I think of really good topics and then lose them in the hustle and bustle that is my day. I rely on Jonathan for those times with his great ideas. But sometimes you don't get as lucky as I have been with Jonathan there to offer ideas, so keep a running list. Add often. Other than that, try to make the writing fit you and not the other way around. If you look at the successful blogs out there, you'll notice that they're all pretty unique in their voice. Find yours early and let it shine in your work. When I first started writing with Master Your Card, I was pretty stiff because I was adjusting, but I think I've let my personality come out a little more and that's what draws people in. Sure, the content is important too, but the delivery makes all the difference.
Read Kristy's writing on the Master Your Card Blog or subscribe to the Master Your Card feed so you don't miss a thing.
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Mark Laflamme...
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Melanie Brooks...
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Carrie Jones...
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Rhea Cote-Robbins...
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Tom Walsh...
For the next few Wednesdays, I'll be featuring writers I like and how they hone their craft, use the internet, get writing ideas from life, and rake in the dough.
Rhea Côté-Robbins is a Maine author and Franco-American activist. Her first book, Wednesday's Child, chronicles the life of a young woman growing up in a mill town. She has since edited an anthology of early Franco-American women writers' translations, Canuck and Other Stories, and written a sequel to Wednesday's Child titled, 'down the Plains. Cote Robbins is a professor at the University of Maine in Franco-American Women's, Maine and University Studies. She's the Founder and Executive Director of the Franco-American Women's Institute and publishes the Franco-American News and Events blog (to which I occasionally contribute).
Your first book Wednesday's Child is a creative nonfiction memoir about what it was like growing up in a milltown. How does this straddle the divide of fiction and nonfiction? It seems like this would be a challenging first book to write in many ways.
I believe that there exists a Franco-American women's literary tradition, and whether we, as Franco-American women, know this or not, I believe that we participate in this written tradition. My own book, Wednesday's Child, came out of an event which happened in my girl days, 1969 to be exact, and at the moment of insight I decided to write my story so that others could understand what it was like growing up in the South End of Waterville. I was sixteen at the time and I knew that the story I wanted to tell was an important one and that the story deserved to be told. Now, many years passed before I did write the story, but the story only got better as a result of the wait. Like any art form, whatever life happens in the between times becomes a part of the ongoing, creative process.
The book was challenging because there is a myth that there is not a Franco-American literary tradition, and as a result, each and every Franco-American begins at square one. We are always having to re-tell the story, each and every one of us, of how we were discriminated against, and the story stays stuck there for many people. My idea is to create a literary movement so that more and more Franco-Americans come out of their writing/writer's closet and proclaim their independence to be artists in their own right/write.
The classic scenario is to isolate and create a feeling of the writer being all alone in their art. When, in reality, the opposite is the true state of affairs. If anything is difficult, I find getting past the barriers created by the myth of Maine that the only literature happening here is based in "yankee" ingenuity. Well, I believe there is so much more to the whole story than that, and I would like to see the story expanded and enlarged to encompass the Franco-American literary voices--which includes mine.
Wednesday's Child is taught at several universities and colleges as well as read in the community. I think this is an indication that the story remains important, alive and vital to the larger story plane of the continent.
How did you decide that the Franco-American female experience was the most powerful thing you could write about and ultimately dedicate your life to? I'm sure you could have written about a number of things.
The Franco-American culture workers over the past century and more have done much to contribute to our treasure trove of life experiences--something like an Everything in the Whole Wide World of Franco-American Interpretation Center...I was going to say museum, but museum connotes past tense. The Franco-Americans are not past tense. We do need interpretation, although. My thought on writing about the Franco-American female experience has to do with going deep into the meaning of the culture and what is usually hidden, kept from the public eye, secret, or overlooked is the definition of what does it mean to be Franco-American and female and living in the state of Maine. That, in fact, was my working question for my book. The working question kept me focused on what I wanted to examine in depth and write about. I am absolutely enthralled with the common, everyday aspects of our lives as Franco-American women. I take some of my inspiration of Laura Thatcher Ulrich and her examination of ordinary women's lives. She has studied the life of a dish towel--from growing flax to its final weaving and use, which takes over a year to make a dish towel from scratch by the way, and then she writes about this. I find that inspiring and fascinating. What I want told as an art form, not simply as stories about the good old days, and told in such a way that elevates the Franco-American story to the level of great literature. I think what it takes is attitude. And a good computer. And an agent. And a publisher. And book sales. And major prizes won. I want that for myself and for the Franco-American story about Franco-American women telling her own story.
You've had the Franco-American News and Events blog since before blogging got really big. How has the blogosphere and your audience changed over time?
Sometimes blogging feels like you are suspended in outer space talking out loud to yourself...you feel deliciously alone. And then, someone leaves a comment. Or, sends you an email suggesting a story I might have missed. And then they send more suggestions. And then they send links and stories. You realize someone is reading the material. Oh, oh, I'm not alone. I was hoping I was the stealth blogger and that no one was paying attention.
Jacques Boudreau who blogs/blogues from QC on the FA News and Events blog, was one of those folks who took notice of this little event happening in the blogosphere. So, I invited Jacques to go ahead and join the blogue and put up the pieces he was finding. He wanted to know, what about French articles? Sounds good to me. What happens is that the blogs capture the attention of folks from all over the world. So, lots of people have lots of time on their hands, I'm thinking, or, they resist
other temptations by cruising the internet blogs.
My first blog happened in March of 2003. A friend put me onto blogging. I think I suffer from a condition knows as loquaciousness; I have a surfeit of words and if I don't let them out somehow, I combust internally. My maman used to call me "the talking machine." I used to really bother people back in the day when letter writing was the way to chat and send them 10-page letters. It was very embarrassing. So, I found the joy of journaling and I am on my 130th+ volume; write everyday, and
that does not count the emails, blogs, etc. I don't watch much TV, although. But I do read many books in the course of a month. I think I am a word addict. Blogs are the proof that there are many like me out there; they may or may not know from what they suffer, but they are practicing their addictions with fervor and a writer's religion.
Blogs, to me, are proof that we are all story makers.
Does your teaching inform your writing? Another UMO professor I interviewed has said that teaching has not necessarily helped her writing but has really helped her editing.
Teaching and writing are like editing and writing, for me. Two different worlds. And anything that is not me writing, or my writing, frankly, interferes with my writing. Keeps me from the act of writing. Now, above I said that all things feed into the act of creativity. But, at some point, you have to sit down and do the deed. I also find I don't necessarily want my student's writing voice in my head. Nor, do I want to be in the position to point out grammar errors. But that is part of the job and I do it, but I am very aware that I am not doing my own writing when I am teaching. I believe that time off from the teaching is a time when I don't want anyone else's voice in my head. I think because I am so "slayed in the soul" from someone else's work, that I take on their voice, etc. I don't just read a book; I live the book I'm reading. Comes from being a shy child perhaps?
What do you think most people misunderstand about Franco-Americans? How do you try to change this view with your writing and teaching?
Oh, boy. Big questions. One, I don't think Franco-Americans are dead, gone anywhere too far, nor out of touch with their culture. I think, if asked, or pushed, the surface scratched, the living blood proof of Franco-American is alive and present.
Two, I don't think Franco-Americans speak a bad French. They don't speak slang French. They don't speak a dialect. The Franco-Americans speak French. Just French without any adjectives. Trying to erase that myth might take a word bomb of sizable proportions. Some cataclysmic event equal to tip the linguistic universe on its ear to create a space for Franco-American French as a living language of a living people. To hear some folks say that they never hear French spoken in towns in
Maine must mean they have their ipods on or something. I hear French everywhere.
Three, Franco-Americans don't know their own stories, histories, writers, etc. They need to be more self-aware of the power of their stories.
Four, Franco-Americans love their priests and their nuns--religious and otherwise. They are used to being led and told what to do. I would like to see them aware of their "follower" status and change it to refusing to be led, especially when it comes to non-Francos telling Francos who the Francos are. Sounds harsh, but I think there needs to be a reckoning of the days when Franco-Americans could not speak for themselves, were spoken for, and we need to lose that habit fast. Especially the women. It is good to have the validation, we all need to support one another, but I do think that non-Francos could listen more to Francos instead of talk for them.
Five, since this is wish list time, to go with the above, Franco-American artists creating till we all fall down from the sheer weight of the outcome. And in some kind of concerted act of committing political act on behalf of all Franco-Americans.
I think the arts are the answer to what does it mean to be Franco-American because the arts are a language that many can understand.
Want to be a part of this series? If you get paid to write, you qualify! Email me and we'll talk!
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Mark Laflamme...
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Melanie Brooks...
Wednesday Writer Spotlight with Carrie Jones...
For the next few Wednesdays, I'll be featuring writers I like and how they hone their craft, use the internet, get writing ideas from life, and rake in the dough.
Currently an editor at Bangor Metro magazine, Melanie Brooks has worked at newspapers, magazines, and as a freelancer in New York, Boston, and Baltimore...and those are the ones I know about. In addition to her job at Metro, she's also a writer and professor of journalism at the University of Maine. Her blog What Mimi Read, is a fun commentary on media and pop culture. As a fellow blogger and writer (and friend), I asked her a few questions about her craft and, of course, money.
What a lovely year it's been, 2008, but I must say, I'm happy to see a new year come. Here's a look back:
In Februrary (on the 17th actually), Breaking Even became a daily blog. A commitment yes but one I've never regretted.
In April, I turned 27, three days after my father would have turned 52. I celebrated both of our birthdays.
In May, I met my friend Mel at a small business conference. She's been so encouraging abut my writing and web projects that we eventually teamed up for our own, which is still in progress.
In June I launched Too Cute Tuesday, my midweek craft and cocktail. I realized that people liked series because then they knew what to expect at least once a week. Ah-ha! While the crafts tend to be a little girly, a couple of men have admitted to me they secretly enjoy TCT. Ah-ha again!
In July, I had a popular couple of posts: Lame Things That Your Friends Do That Cost You Money in Part I and Part II. I realize that I don't have to talk about just intellectual things or just personal things... I can do both! Cool!
In August, Sean had an emergency operation and I developed carpal tunnel. J Money at Kelly stepped up with guest posts to keep my blog going. To them, I'm ever grateful. It is at this time I realize that I have actual friends in the blogosphere. Oh, and I start my very long term project to connect Maine-based bloggers.
In October, I went to Las Vegas and thought about life. I broke up with Sean and moved out of his house. I slept on a friend's couch for two weeks until I found my current apartment. And Breaking Even turned one year old. Sarah C. stepped in with a couple of guest posts to get me through a terrible weekend.
In November, I moved into my new apartment and it was the one year anniversary of my father's death. There was a lot of crying and a big cell phone bill but I got through.
In December, my freelance work and personal happiness have ramped up. Coincidence? Probably not. And my Small Business Series was the most popular set of posts I've had besides my fashion series, the highest single day traffic I ever got. As of this evening, I have 99 subscribers, so close to my year end goal of 100. What a great note to end on.
And what's up with the champagne and corndogs headline? Well that was my dinner this New Year's Eve. I'm perfectly happy with it and realize just now that the metaphor is what I'm trying to do on this blog which is have it both ways: personal and personal finance, freelance and fun, long posts and short quips. I love the big and little things of life and I hope you do too.
So I raise a glass and a corndog to your health and mine. Best wishes in 2009 and thanks for reading this blog, for commenting, for passing around a link. I wish you could know how much I love writing Breaking Even. Happy New Year, and may you more then break even in all your projects!
The week began crappy enough but seems to be finishing strong. Among the good developments: 1) I found a rocking t-shirt at a thrift shop and crafted with it.
2) I got an article published in a newspaper (unrelated to personal finance but related to my French heritage).
3) Gina from Best Buy refunded my money and apparently mailed me a $50 gift card for my Best Buy fiasco. (Ah the power of the internet...and if you want to read another story about using the internet to get what is rightly yours, check this out.)
4) Last night at 7:30, I got home internet access for the first time in over a month.
5) I've been hearing from lots of far flung friends words of encouragement both in writing and life.
I've been bookmarking great online blogs and articles for the past month for future reading. Here are some of the things that made me smile:
Today while Googling someone, I came across this article about three guys being stabbed outside a strip club. The premise is ridiculous enough but the comments are the hilarious part. One of them: "... I am sick and tired of seeing naked women with stretch marks, bullet holes, and C-section scars..." Bullet holes?!? (from Victoria Advocate)
Did you know our nation needs a haircut? Apparently it's Nancy Pelosi's new favorite metaphor. (from WSJ)
Spanx came out with a male version of their shapewear product. It's about time men worked as hard as women to look hot! (from Give Me Back My Five Bucks)
A cute picture of a puppy. Need I say more? If dogs aren't your thing, just scroll. There are lots of small animals, like a pygmy hippo. I know, random. (from Holy Cuteness)
An imaginary conversation between "The Big Three". Funny stuff, because everyone needs a laugh about the automotive bailout, right? (from Master Your Card)
Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women? I love these gender issues and interesting research and this post has both. (from Wise Bread)
Do You Say "Soda" Or "Pop"? I've always had this secret ambition of mapping the country linguistically. Where is the line dividing where people say "really good" and "wicked good"? How about "pop" and "soda"? Apparently, someone has beat me to the punch (and put in the hard work and mapping skills) to do the latter. (from My Corner of Maine)
So whether you have a soft spot for cute animals, search economic humor, or just have a sick twisted mind, I hope I made you smile with a link. Happy Almost Friday!
Listen to the fabulous song "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley...
Image from free-background-wallpaper.com
Welcome to my week-long women's series. It's no secret that one issue that I'm passionate about is female empowerment. I used to answer a domestic violence hotline, coach cheerleading, lead a girls technology club in my local middle school, and met with a monthly girls book club. I'm currently on the board of our county's domestic violence program and doing some writing for the Maine Women's Fund. My point is it's certainly been a common thread in my life no matter where I am or what I'm doing.
So this week, it's about the ladies, and of course money (as usual). Enjoy!
You often hear people talking about making money while blogging. It's interesting because when I tell people that I make money off my blog, they are confused as to how I do it. When I say that one way to make money off of a blog is advertising, they half expect to go home, set up a blog, and begin making money immediately. Like many professions, blogging doesn't start to pay off until after you do it awhile.
I have found a way to jump start the money making process a little: affiliate advertising.
Blogher is a community of female bloggers (or bloggers who write for a female audience). They not only offer a forum for female bloggers to interact but also have found a way to have their members generate advertising revenue on their websites without any work on their part (well, besides writing a blog anyway).
Your blog must meet certain criteria to be considered: blog content, posting frequency, potential audience, age of the blog, and other factors determine your acceptance. After your blog meets the criteria, there is a contract agreement to be signed. (The reason I'm saying this is that you're entering into a contract with the company when you set up something like this, so it's important to know what you're signing.)
How does Blogher work? What happens is your blog is packaged with other blogs and sold to potential advertisers. In Blogher's case, they have a lot of big name advertisers, many national brands you would recognize. Point is, these companies are not interested in the relatively small amount of traffic I generate on my blog but are interested in the amount of traffic thousands of bloggers collectively generate. Power in numbers.
Blogher does the legwork out of finding the advertisers and keeping them current and Blogher members provide a sort of bulletin board space for them to use on their blogs. They take a large cut for this work but my reasoning is that the space wasn't making any money for me anyway so I have nothing to lose. Plus it makes me look a little bit legitimate to have advertising on my site.
To be honest I haven't talked about this before because I wasn't sure how legitimate this was. Then last month came a check in the mail for $35. $35 in four months is not a lot of money but it does pay for my hosting and then some. As my blog gets more traffic, I have the potential to earn more money.
The important thing to mention about Blogher is you can say what kind of advertisements you do not want on your site. I find Google Adwords and programs like it can generate some pretty random advertising that you may not necessarily agree with on your blog. But with Blogher, you can rule out types of companies or specific companies that you don't want to be associated with and to me that's pretty cool. And the other bloggers I have connected with thorough BlogHer have been a great resource to me.
Networking and making money? Now that's what I call a win-win.
While Blogher is not accepting new affiliates right now, they say on their site to stay tuned.
Welcome to my week-long women's series. It's no secret that one issue that I'm passionate about is female empowerment. I used to answer a domestic violence hotline, coach cheerleading, lead a girls technology club in my local middle school, and meet with a monthly girls book club. I'm currently on the board of our county's domestic violence program and doing some writing for the Maine Women's Fund. My point is it's certainly been a common thread in my life no matter where I am or what I'm doing.
So this week, it's about the ladies, and of course money (as usual). Enjoy!
I was drawn to this book at my local library while looking for something new to read. "The Boss of You: What Every Woman Needs To Know To Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business" definitely caught my eye with it's fun, sensible cover and complete title. As a woman trying to run my own part-time business, I thought this might me some great professional development information.
I find books like this tend to be one of two things: 1) a little scatterbrained with lots of tips and tricks but a lack of cohesiveness or 2) dense with information and a little on the boring side.
This book was a good balance of case studies of other female run businesses (tips and tricks) but was also well outlined with cohesion throughout.
Sure you can get lots of books about how to write a business plan but there is lots of information in here that works whether you are before or after the BP stage. I enjoyed the exercises where you figure out what you're good at and how that translates to your business as well as the you-can't-do-everything-and-that's-ok attitude.
Emira and Lauren (the authors) are the kind of smart women you want to be friends with and their advice is clearly from the trenches. I know most business people who'd write a book like this would use it to talk about everything they did right but it's more helpful (not to mention realistic) to hear the not-so-ideal parts too. And if I had a business for years, I could still see myself getting something out of the book.
Since the librarians won't speak to me if I renew this one more time, I guess I'll have to surrender this copy next week and ask for my own copy for Christmas to keep as a reference. Oh and if you're more the abbreviated info type, check out the back index full of useable resources (with websites, yay for authors who get the 21st century).
Anyway if you're a woman wanting to start your own business who refuses to buy a book that implies that she's a "dummy" (a little personal bias there), this one is fabulous. I even took it on vacation which means it was worth lugging on a plane in my carry-on.
So learn and enjoy! I continue to myself.
Check out Lauren and Emira's blog here, where you can also order the book.
A good article about self employment taxes from Moolanomy.
Some helpful links for women starting their own businesses via USA Today
I am a keeper of those fortune cookie fortunes, if only to remind me of universal truths and because I think they are so gosh darn cute. I have a few posted by my desk and some links to share so I thought I'd combine the two.
Be mischevious and you'll never be lonesome. Wisebread has an awesome guide about doing your own Halloween makeup. Even if you don't get around to sewing a costume, you can at least do crazy makeup. Warning: this post has sound when you open it.
The world is ready to recieve talent with open arms.
Almost Frugal has some serious talent for making homemade gift bags. And stay tuned for a series of holiday craft posts from Kelly and other crafty bloggers (myself included).
You will have good luck and overcome many hardships.
Sadly, I missed Blogger Action Day on October 15 due to the sheer bad timing of my vacation. A lot of bloggers did take part though, and Wisebread's entry about poverty fighting superheroes was fantastic. There are also links in the post if you want to get involved with helping others (and possibly yourself) overcome some hardships.
The joyful energy of the day will have a positive effect on you.
Sense to Save sees the positive sides of this recession, mainly the fact that it's putting into question some American values that aren't the best. Could agree more, Kacie.
Your mentality is alert, practical, and analytical.
A Dollar A Day posted a Declaration of Financial Independence posted on her bank ING's website (called We, The Savers). I feel like printing out and posting it, even if it's from a bank.
Smile when you are ready.
I have this one framed, typed up in a large font. Since I've been in kind of a funk lately, one of my coworkers suggested today I get a mantra. Something to recite whenever I'm scared or nervous about life that'll calm me. I was wracking my brain all day for one and when I started writing this post, I remembered my framed copy of this phrase was once in a fortune cookie. I think I refound my mantra. I love happy coincidences!
So may good fortune find you tonight, and check out some of these great articles that "spoke" to me if you want some good reading.
Photo from Wikipedia
The following blog was inspired by Craft Therapy, a crafting blog by Barb, who uses crafting to keep her sane. (It’s funny because I often get a little insane when I craft!) I finally did Barb’s craft she blogged about almost a month ago. You can read the Craft Therapy blog here or subscribe to it here. I should also say the cocktail is Barb-selected…and delicious! So you’ve seen those cute little magazine folders at Target but at $13 apiece, who wants to pay that? Not us! We’re making our own, right now!
You can get uniform and perfect size boxes at your local post office for free Barb recommends the flat rate boxes and to make sure whatever you get will be tall enough for whatever magazines you want to stash.
Other kinds of boxes that work well? Boxes used to ship books or small items of clothing. I used a box from a care package my mom sent me. (I know, I’m lucky to still even be getting those!)
Materials: Box (a box with thinner cardboard will look classier…you’ll see what I mean)
Packaging tape (if I had an arch nemesis, it would be packing tape. But I’ve faced my rival for this project because it really does work best)
Scissors
Scotch tape
Blade/straight edge to cut the box
Ruler
Pen/pencil
Paper to cover it (optional)
Spray paint (optional) Cocktail: Pomegranate Martini from Rachel Ray via Oprah (for a trendy two servings)
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 ounces Absolute Citron vodka (I use Sky Vodka)
1 ounce Cointreau liquor (I used Grand Manier)
Cup of ice
Squeeze of lemon (optional)
Shake ingredients in a shaker and strain into chilled martini glasses. Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish.
Step 1: Make your Pom Martini. Yum. (Don’t sip too quickly or your blade skills may be compromised, causing a crafting-related injury.)
Step 2: Close your box and then tape it completely shut with packaging tape. It sounds silly but all you're doing right now is taping up an empty box, making sure to line up the closing parts well to give yourself a uniform and square box to work on.Though it is evil and flimsy, you too will master it.
Step 3 : Make sure your magazines will fit inside by putting a sample magazine alongside the box. Make sure it's deep enough for your magazines and catalogs will fit (you can always cut off the top if your magazines are taller then the box). After your ordeal with the packaging tape, you deserve a little martini break.
Step 4: If you’re not good at cutting straight (I must have blown kindergarden), mark using a straight edge how you want to cut along the box. (See the photo of my drawn in lines. I measured so the lines would be the exact same on the other side.)
| Step 5: Cut along your lines with the straight edge. Make sure you are cutting through all the layers of cardboard. You should see your project shaping up!
Step 6: Now time to reinforce your cardboard creation. Take your packing tape and tape the inside of the seams that you taped the outside of when we began to firm it up. Basically tape everything down inside that needs taping down too. You don’t want the magazines to get caught on anything when you slide them in and out of the holder.
Step 7: By now your magazine rack should be done and ready to decorate! I covered mine in newspaper but I think decoupage, wrapping paper, or spray paint would have looked a lot cooler (unfortunately, I didn’t have any of these materials). Finish your martini while you decorate.
So thanks to Barb for the idea and now it’s your turn. If you want to craft and cocktail with Too Cute Tuesday, do drop me a line! Also, feel free to send photos of projects that have been successful for you. I’d love to see them
Happy Crafting!!!
No I don't have throngs of fans writing me emails constantly but I do have the occasional Breaking Even question. I thought I'd take the time to answer a few questions I've gotten.
Are you really that poor?
Yes and no. I make $10 and have some health insurance, which is a lot more than many people have. In addition, I have a working car, an adequate computer, and a college education. More then what I have is who I have: family and friends that could help me get out of situation (financial or otherwise) should I need help. If it's one thing I've learned from doing this blog, it's that I'm very fortunate.
That said, the $7,000 pay cut I took last year in my move to Downeast Maine really made me feel poor in a way I hadn't in awhile. I've made adjustments which I continue to chronicle here at the Breaking Even blog and I'm doing fine. And while I do have people who can help me, I've never asked anyone for money and don't intend to start now. I live within my means, which means that while I can't do whatever I want whenever I want, I can still have a pretty great life.
You live with your boyfriend Sean in his house so do you pay rent?
When I moved in, Sean and I agreed that I would pay what his old roommate used to pay. This works out to be about 1/3 of the morgage and about 1/4 of my salary. Since Sean makes more money then I do and also technically owns the house, this makes sense for us.
I'm a firm believer in coming up with your own agreement, whether you live with a partner or roommates or your family. All parties should think the arrangement is equitable, otherwise it's just one more thing to fight about.
What's your policy for advertisers on your site?
I only advertise products which I'm not opposed to. I've had advertising offers for casinos, gambling websites, paid posts, and payday loan companies. I would rather not have any advertising on my site then have links that could potentially get a reader in a bad situation.
Currently, I use Google Adsense and Blogher Ads to generate a small amount of revenue. I find the links not at all offensive or dangerous. I am, however, always looking for options that make good sense to my readers financially and otherwise. So advertising folks can pitch away.
What kind of dog is Sadie? I adopted Sadie in middle age (hers, not mine) from the Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick Maine. The only info the adoption people knew was that Sadie is a beagle mix. (I could have figured that out the way she gets into the trash if left unattended!)
My first vet thought Sadie was a beagle-corgi mix while my second vet thought she was a beagle-Jack Russell terrier mix. The microchip put into her neck by a previous owner can't be read so without blood tests, Sadie remains a genetic mystery. An underwear eating, ear raising, stuffed animal ripping genetic mystery.
Who are your frequent commenters? Robby and Laura are my two childhood best friends who I continue to be friends with to this day.
Kim is my cousin who is a lot like me but ten years older (among other things). My Aunt Paula ("matante") is also super supportive with her comments. Go family!
Justin is my brother-in-law. He is a businessman and hardware expert so I always hope he'll pipe in with DIY advice in particular.
Jennifer is a fellow Maine blogger who I finally made a connection with through an exchange of mix CDs. We've been online friends ever since.
Nancy Marshall is a fellow communications person based in Augusta with her own blog.
Kelly is a personal finance blogger based in France. We've bonded over French and finance, both subjects we love.
The Sarahs are college friends, one in San Fran the other in New Hampshire.
Robby is my most commenting friend and I get frequent telephone feedback about the blog from my friend Michaela.
How many readers does Breaking Even have?
The blog has around 75 subscribers (which is steadily growing, yay!) and 100-150 people visiting the blog everyday. That may not sound like much but that is way more then I had when I started!
How many websites do you read?
I subscribe to about 150 sites. I get the headlines delivered into my Google Reader as the blogs and websites are updated and I just skim through most of them. I do this for a few reasons 1) to keep on top of what's going on in personal finance, Maine blogs, and other topics I love 2) to not copy what other people are doing and, if I do cover a topic, to properly give credit to others and 3) because I love to read. I comment on five to ten articles per day and save links to articles I like in a list for future post ideas.
Some of my favorite sites are in my blogrolls if you want to check them out. (And if you have any to recommend, send them my way!)
If you have any questions about the blog, don't be shy. I'm certainly not!
Images: Me and Sadie at our first Christmas together, Robby Laura and I at a party last weekend (for the first time in five years!)
You may remember a month or so ago when I first proposed a Maine Blog Network. I thank those of you who helped pass the word around and those who wrote me to send me links. Some people even stepped forward to offer to work on it.
I have been working on this a little. I changed the DNS on www.maineblognetwork.com to my hosting company so I'll have hosting on the site in 24-48 hours. Until that happens, there isn't a whole lot I can do (plus I'm still deciding with those working with me what software to use). I have, however, started two sub-projects that I'd like feedback on. Today, logo, tomorrow the first draft list of Maine bloggers (this is taking me waaaay longer then I thought, holy cow are there a lot of Maine bloggers!).
Logo
Don't worry, I don't think that just because I have Photoshop means that I'm a graphic designer. But I think a symbol of the network that's simple, easy to reproduce, and looks good small or large is key. I was thinking key elements would be the state of Maine itself, symbols of conversation, maybe something that implies the internet or blogs or computers.
Since I had a little insomnia this morning, I finally tried to do something in really simple as a jumping off point. I'm putting it in this post at 500 pixels not because I think it's fabulous but I figured you artistic types could play with a higher resolution image (an art credit on the site for your trouble). But even if you just have verbal ideas, please comment below. All I know is this needs to look less lame.
So come back tomorrow for the list of bloggers I have so far and make sure I have your name or the names of your favorite Maine blogs. I've spent most of today compiling around one hundred blogs and I'll put them in a nice format for tomorrow.
I'll be emailing those of you on my email list about all this too so if you want to be on that list, email me so I have your contact info. Thanks!
Yes, I look about two rollerskates and a tattoo away from becoming part of a roller derby and most of you commenters liked my tough look. Here's another pose and a continuation of yesterday's link love having loosely to do with the twelve steps of recovery.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
How Big Is Your Halo?
According to a Freakonomics guest poster, we judge strangers on fairness more harshly then our friends and ourselves.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Eva Longoria's Short Hair - And Weight Gain- Explained
I think People magazine needs to apologize to me and every other non-skinny person out there for this article (I linked it with its original title). Because Fat Eva Longoria (for a character who has "let herself go") looks an awful lot like Normal Nicole. Perhaps People can make amends with an America Ferrera article.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Ten Steps To Financial Success For A Minimum Wage Earner
Trent at The Simple Dollar directly targets advice that few personal finance bloggers touch on: the minimum wage earner. The comments are as interesting as the post, some a little heated (clearly a compelling discussion).
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
21 Ways To Make Your Blog Or Website Sticky
I'm taking constant inventory of my site and tweaking but good ol' Problogger challenges us to inventory things we haven't even thought about.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Surround Yourself With Constant Reminders
Gather Little By Little is a God-based personal finance blog. I really liked this post from a few months ago about surrounding yourself with constant reminders as to why you are saving money (or I guess the operative action would be not spending money anyway). If you need a little boost, God-based or otherwise to improve your attempts at financial goals, check this out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
I really enjoy this blog for the exact reason I get to interact with people who enjoy life without feeling the need to spend money they don't have. Check out the blog roll for some excellent examples of other people trying to pass on positive messages to others!
So it turns out I have a touch of carpal tunnel (which is apparently reversible) and a combination of my own and the doctor's solutions, I am on the mend. (Though it could be the 800 mg of pain reliever talking.)
In any case, my fabulous link list is getting long so tonight, I'm working it... Here are the links that helped heal me, or at least made were worth tweaking my wrist to read, organized with the help of the twelve steps to recovery.
1. We admitted we were powerless--that our lives had become unmanageable.
Given A Shovel, Americans Dig Deeper Into Debt (NYT)
A fabulous article about debt in America. If you can identify with any of these problems, step up and admit your life has become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
For Some Products, Prices Have Been Falling
Carpe Diem reminds us of the bright side and restores those of us in hysteria over the economy to our senses.
3. Made a decision to turn our will, and our lives, over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Top Five Conspiracies of Science
A fellow Maine blogger at Leave The Lights On has some pretty interesting stuff to say about scientific theories. I don't necessarily agree but thought enough of the article to put it on my list of things to mull over.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Are Your PR Efforts Working?
Kiplingers challenges us to take an inventory of our PR efforts. Hopefully you are doing things like setting measurable goals and objectives but it doesn't hurt to have a remind.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Carnival of Money Stories
Hosted at Stop the Ride, a bunch of us shared our money stories, some of which involved our wrongs.
6. We entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
I am certainly ready for the massage I scheduled next week to remove all my defects!
So since my arm is going numb, shameless promotion continues tomorrow with the other six steps and more fun links. Plus a special bonus post... Freaky Friday: The Bad Date Mini-Series continues.
Stay healthy!
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