Rakin' in the dough

You may have noticed the Amazon ads and links I've added to this site. I signed up with Amazon Associates so that when I feature a book, interested readers will be able to click on the link and go directly to Amazon's listing of that book, complete with reviews and further information. Then, I receive a (tiny) percentage of any purchases made as a result of my link.

So far this endeavor has brought in a whopping $0.00, just under the $1.22 I have earned from people clicking my Google ads. (Although, since you have to hit $100 to ever get paid, at this rate I will be retired, or possibly dead, before I receive a check from Google.)

The helpful Amazon Associates Program Staff sent me an encouraging email which started out like this:

"Hello Associate,

We noticed that you were accepted to the Amazon.com Associate Program several weeks ago but have yet to refer a sale."

Gee, thanks for rubbing it in.

The email then goes on to list ways I could improve sales, and ends with a face-saving suggestion that maybe I have simply forgotten my password and am unable to log on?

Don't worry, I'm not asking you to buy anything. I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that the purpose of my blog is not to generate income. I'm sure you will be equally surprised to know that I am not advocating buying stuff you don't need.

However, let's just say you are planning to buy something from Amazon, especially if it is a book I've reviewed. If you don't mind clicking one of my Amazon links to get there, they will reward me with a minuscule percentage of whatever you spend during that shopping session.

But wait! There's more!

Supposing I ever do make any money from this blog, I'll be donating all proceeds to Water For People, an amazing organization that develops sustainable clean water and sanitation systems around the globe. To learn more about WFP, click my "Water For People" link on the sidebar.