Saturday, August 1, 2015

new newsletter


NEW NEWSLETTER

Okay, this is the first of the month and you would expect me to remind you that I want $1 from each of my readers every month.  And I do.  I also want world peace and an arsenal full of HK-91’s and 1911A1’s.  I won’t get any of that.  Of the seven people who sent money, I love you.  Now never bother sending any again.  The other 593 ( I hit 600 readers one day-can you believe that!? ), you suck.  Unless you are unemployed or sent a lot in the past, you just plain suck.  However, I blame myself, not you.  Obviously, I had no idea that after publishing steadfastly for ten years I still had to prove myself worthy of financial support.  Do you think I get paid on my books?  At the height of that return, about $15 a month.  Advertising?  At most, $30 a month.  And that is on a good year.  Amazon commissions, which cost you nothing, have gone from $100-$150 a month to around $50.  On a good month.  So, yes, I keep futzing about with the formula for finances ( again, for as few readers as I have, I am well rewarded and I appreciate that.  But as this last experiment proved, two percent of my readers are who send the bulk of my money.  I hate that.  Everyone should be chipping in and relieving the few of the burden ).  I want to earn my living by writing, but not by selling out.  So, the newest idea.  If you want to send that dollar a month but are too tight or hate me or whatever, you can now spend a dollar on a Kindle book and get extra writing not available on the blog.

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Oh, don’t get me wrong.  It is the same kind of writing.  Just more of it.  New subjects?  Ha!  Only if you get lucky.  I remind you here, you go to the link I give you,

( here is the premier issue:


) and I then get a whopping THIRTY FIVE CENTS as royalty!  Be still my heart.  Hey, thirty five cents is more than what I was getting.  If Baby Jesus shines his benevolence directly down on me and I get a hundred buyers each issue I’ll start working at being happy.  And, by the way, proving I love you all much more than you love me, the first issue will be available under Kindle Unlimited so that one won’t even have to cost you anything.  Each one will be a minimum of six thousand words ( I post 500 words a day, 5,000 every two weeks, for comparison ).  The first issues articles are: Using Credit Irresponsably, Is Rimfire Still A Good Idea, and Wheat For The Apocalypse.

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I hope this idea pans out.  I might even try the free ads idea again, adding to my content and page count.  I’ll try about until the end of the year, unless the purchases are REALLY bad, see if I should keep wasting my time.  I wanted to go every other week, but I thought that might be way too much time pressure.  Ready, steady, ORDER!

END

24 comments:


  1. Ordered the newsletter and sent a small donation your way Jim. Small price to pay for the entertainment that your site has provided over the years. Only one small criticism, and that's that you were more at the top of your game when you were off grid. Oh well, you're still light years ahead of the competition as far as I'm concerned.

    Wayne

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    1. I don't disagree with you as far as "on my game more" when off grid. Alas, it made for a very sad and morose Jim. I truly believe in the "suffering artist" as a way to increase creativity, but it is a high price to pay for ones more creative output.

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  2. Guilty as charged, Your Honor! I had to wait till payday (the 30th). A donation will follow. Keep up the good work!

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    1. I'm keeping on keeping on. On the gerbil wheel.

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  3. Edit note for the newsletter.

    Toward the end under hints for wheat you said:

    "Start substituting white for wheat flour"

    I am assuming you meant to say "wheat for white flour"

    Idaho Homesteader

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    1. Christ on a pogo stick! That's embarrassing. I'll post a correction next issue. Thanks for catching that one.

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  4. I clicked the link and I noticed that your newsletter is free if you have Prime or Kindle Unlimited. I have both of those but was wondering if you still get the same cut if I use one of them?

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    1. The books under those programs are given away, no money for me. 1st, I read enough under Unlimited ( an article on that next week ) that I have to contribute myself. 2nd, I'm hoping to bring in more regular readers or at least more buying minions by giving the first one away free. I've given away books and blog articles all through the years and I can tell you frankly it doesn't really work all that well. But I keep trying. I do this mostly for Mad Street Cred, all this begging is just to keep enough money coming in for book buying

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    2. Understood. I bought the newsletter without Prime or Kindle Unlimited. Just wanted to make sure you got your fullest cut.

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    3. Believe me, it is much appreciated.

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  5. Brilliant! I keep forgetting to go through your link on the infrequent occasions I order from Amazon. Just please keep reminding us when you have a new issue out, and Saturdays are a good time to do it.

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    1. Not ordering from Amazon is a good way to save a lot of money. If I could do that, I'd be much better off financially. But, alas, my soul needs to read.

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  6. Question regarding buying through your link:

    I often 'window' shop and place things in my cart to buy later.

    If I enter Amazon through your link and there are already items in my cart from a previous visit (that was not through your link) Will you still get credit?

    In other words, do I need to be on Amazon through your link when I add items to my cart or be through your link only when I am ready to buy? What gets you the $$?

    Idaho Homesteader

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    1. If I'm not mistaken, go through my link when you're ready to buy. And thank you.

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    2. I'll be trying that myself. I buy enough on amazon you should be getting a couple of dollars every week.

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    3. If I could get my Amazon commissions back up to a reasonable level I wouldn't care about sales or ad revenue or the like. Dangerous, as when the economy falls so do sales. At the end of the day, commission revenue will disappear totally. Yet, so will all other conventional methods of writers paychecks.

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  7. Guilty also. I got hit with kids tuition and youngest's school stuff. I have donated in the past and bought your thumb drive books. I will get something in the mail soon. Silver is down so much I may just send you a Jackson or 2. Don't have a kindle.

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    1. Just download the software for your Kindle on your desktop computer. I do recall you being generous with your "extra and above cost" money with the thumb drive, so you only partially suck this year. I can wait, as long as everyone feels guilty and doesn't slack off too often. :)

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  8. Okay, you've shamed me, I'm guilt-ridden. I read all the time and have never donated a cent. I'll get some bucks in the mail to you.

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  9. Given the choice, which would you prefer: My ordering you something off of your wish list, or my mailing you an Amazon gift card for the same amount so you can choose what you want to buy?

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    1. Hmm, a gift card would be really nice, please and thank you. e-mail address is
      jimd303@reagan.com

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    2. It's on its way via email, LB. Thanks for writing a great blog! (P.S. - Speaking of amazon gift cards, you did find the one in the pocket of the DVD album that was in the care package I sent a while back, right? Wouldn't want you to overlook it...)

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    3. That vaguely rings a bell, so I must have. You're too good to me, thanks!

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