It happens all the time. I read a carefully crafted blog or website promotion that also includes a link to Amazon. I always follow the link to see if they are leaving money on the table or taking their easy 4 to 8.3% of the Amazon sale. More often than not the link comes straight from Amazon with no associate code. This means the business misses out on extra income. If you are going to talk about books, music, and other various items available on Amazon–why not earn a simple profit?
You can become an Amazon Associate and earn an extra 4 to 8.5% or more of your own book sales and any other products that a customer buys on Amazon after coming over from your link. Bloggers can use your Amazon Associate account to link people to any other items Amazon sells when you write a blog post on any topic. For instance, if you write a recipe that has a funky ingredient, your reader will wonder where to buy it. Simply link them to Amazon from your blog post and profit. Learn more about the compensation plan here.
There are several methods to use Amazon Associate links. You can provide a static column on your blog that consistently has images of your books with a link to them on Amazon using your Amazon Associate code. You can see an example here at KaylaFioravanti.com. Make it easy for your blog visitor to buy your book when they decide that they like you. Any time you talk about your book in a blog post, you should link to your book on Amazon. Here is an example in Introducing the 2nd Edition of How to Self-Publish.
Or you can set up an aStore on your website or blog. Follow the directions in How to Start an aStore on Your Website. You can see an example of an aStore here at Selah Press.
It is not permitted to use Amazon Associate links in e-mails, newsletters, or in Kindle books. If customers have an option to sign up for your blog as a RSS feed or other format that will appear as an email, you will need to add the Amazon Associate link to the blog post after the email has been sent.
Amazon Associate Disclaimer: Due to various tax laws in some states Amazon does not approve all Amazon Associate applications. Before you start counting up your 4% earnings, be sure to go to the Amazon Associates program to determine if your state is included in the program. Also, this program could change if and when legislatures approve a national tax on online commerce. See the operating agreement here for ineligible states and services.
This information and more can be found in the resource section of How to Self-Publish: A Guide for Author-Preneurs, 2nd edition by Kayla Fioravanti.
