Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of writing for a living in some form or another. For most of my life, I’ve followed the advice of family and friends, dismissed this dream as being “impractical,” and taken the safer route. Over the past few years, however, I’ve undergone a radical shift in my priorities in life, and begun making big changes in how I spend my time and money, and have seen extraordinary gains in my personal finances as well as my happiness and well being as a result. Launching this site is about spreading the word about all the lessons I’ve learned (albeit a few years later in life that I would have wished), but it’s also about reviving my dream of writing professionally.
Of course to write professionally, one must by definition actually earn an income from writing. I will be experimenting with various ways of doing that here, but my first priority in doing so is not to compromise the message I’m trying to send. I have spent far too many years compromising already, and this site is all about putting an end to that.
Enter the Infamous Affiliate Link
With that said, on to the subject at hand. One of the ways I intend to derive an income from this site is with affiliate links. I am well aware of the inherent conflicts of interest that affiliate links present. This conflict is easily seen by attempting to find negative reviews on any product which offers a significant affiliate commission (the only exceptions typically contain affiliate links to a competing product).
Recommended Books and Where to get Them
Most of my affiliate links I use will be for books I recommend you read. That means that if I link to a book on Amazon, I will receive a small commission of somewhere between 4% and 7% of your purchase price. The price you pay will not be affected.
I intend only to highlight books I think you should read. I have no interest in getting into the book reviewing business in general, and if I wanted to spend my time pointing out all the lousy books out there, well, I’d have no time for anything else.
The only real conflict of interest I may have is in your obtaining the books via my links as opposed to some other source. On that point, let me be especially clear. If you’re going to read a book, here are the places I recommend you obtain it, in descending order of preference:
- Borrowed from a friend
- Your local public library
- A local thrift store
- A local independent book store, preferably used
- PaperbackSwap.com
- If all else fails, from Amazon.com, preferably used
I like linking to Amazon in any event because they’re a great source for unbiased reviews, even if you ultimately pick up the book elsewhere.
Other Affiliate Links
I also have affiliate links to Mint.com. They’re an extremely valuable free service that I use nearly every day. I highly recommend you sign up, whether it’s via my link or not. If you do sign up via my link, I will receive a $3 commission.
I may also link to other products on Amazon from time to time. Pretty much the same logic applies to these as for books above. If you are interested in a product I mention, and can find it used at a thriftstore, on Craigslist, at a garage sale, on Freecycle, or any other place, please do so. Pick it up at Amazon as a last resort. If you do so via my link, once again, I’ll receive a commission of between 4% and 7%. The price you pay will not be affected.
I may add other affiliate relationships down the line, if they make sense. I will update this page if I do.
