Amanda's Books and More

Monday, November 18, 2013

Maximize Your Potential Blog Revenue By Utilizing Your Blog Sidebar

Guest Post by Janine Huldie from
Janine's Confessions of a Mommyaholic

Blogging, for many, is done for fun when first begun. This is what I thought and my main reason when I began.

See, I was a teacher before I had my kids and during my second pregnancy lost my position due to the economy and budget cuts.

Overnight, I became a stay at home mom. We went from two incomes to one, but it seemed ok and doable at first.

As much as I loved being at home with my girls, I did get to a point where I needed something for me and even a place to share all our daily exploits. I also wanted to know some of what I was experiencing as a mom to two little girls was normal and that I wasn't alone.

See, being alone with two babies under two can be quite overwhelming and as crazy as times can get, still definitely kind of lonely and short of adult stimulation to say the least.

So, I started my blog and did indeed begin sharing my life with the whole free world on the internet. I loved it from first bite to be quite honest.

But then I started to catch the blogging and making money bug, which I remember the first time that I found out that not only can you write from home, share and get to know others this way, but you can also make a living off doing this, as well.

I saw an infographic that was shared about bloggers and how much money they made over the course of the last year.

Click image to enlarge

Source: H&R Block

I truly had no idea that this was even possible until I saw that.

I decided to immerse myself and learn all I could after seeing that.

Recently I was asked to share a few tips from Tina from Amanda's Books and More on indeed making money from blogging.

One of the biggest and best things I did to monetize my blog was setting up my sidebar properly and including ads from both other bloggers and affiliate companies.

So, the question is, "How do you set up your sidebar to indeed make you money?"

Other than making sure to have the essentials included, such as social media buttons, so you could be found online and even e-mailed by potential clients, bloggers and companies, as well as having a blogger "grab me button" and even an "about me" graphic image with text to explain who you are, you will need to make sure to make money by having some other key elements.

Read on to find out now, my tips for a successful, revenue making sidebar.

Maximize Your Blog Revenue by Utilizing Your Blog Sidebar

1. Set up a blogging advertising account with the likes of Passionfruit. This will enable bloggers, Etsy shop owners and other companies to pay you money to place their ads on your side bar offering different sizes and options, even including in post advertisements, too.

2. Set up accounts with Affiliate marketing companies, such as Google Adsense, Amazon Affiliates, Linkshare and ShareASale to be able to run companies latest banners (ads) with their current promotional offers to your readers.

3. Also sign up with blogger affiliations, such as BlogHer, SITS, Clever Girl Collective, Influenster, or Sverve to be able to not only display their buttons, but become active in their communities, where you can be afforded blogger opportunities to work with the companies they are affiliated with to write posts, try new products and make money through this, as well as lacing ads that if clicked on can make you a share of their profit.

4. Also join groups such as Top Mommy Blogs or Mommy Hot Spot, where many companies lurk to find influential bloggers to work with to share their products by trying them out and also making money in the process. These groups run on voting and the more votes you get by readers clicking on these banners, the more influential you are by being higher in rank on their sites.

5. Put all this together and make sure to have a nice assortment/arrangement of these types of money making banners placed on your sidebar to maximize your profit potential.

These are just a few of the ways I have indeed made money blogging just by utilizing my sidebar to do so. Hope this helps you to get some ideas to make money.

Also, if you have anything that I have not shared here that has helped you in making a profit, please do feel free to share this here with us today.

Thanks and Happy Blogging!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Make My Saturday Sweet - Blog Hop #58

Today I'm participating in two Friday writing prompts. I also invite you to link your favorite blog post from this past week below on my Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop. My hop doesn't have a theme, so any family friendly post is welcome. Don't forget to visit the two posts that were linked before yours and make their Saturday sweet!

Create With Joy's Friendship Friday has a"Gratitude" theme for this month. Today's one is Thankful Quotes. I'm sharing with you a post I put together last year around Thanksgiving time with photos of what I am thankful for and 3 really awesome Thankful Quotes that you can pin on Pinterest by using my "Pin it" button on my right-hand sidebar. Here's a peek at one of them:

And, here is my contribution to today's

Finish the Sentence Friday.

When it comes to my past relationships, my spouse thinks…

…super jealous thoughts. Mentioning past relationships to my dear spouse is a seriously bad idea. I’m not insensitive about those kinds of things either. He’s just super sensitive. He never kissed a girl romantically until he kissed me. He spent his adolescence at a boy’s school and then went off to serve in the Army for 2 years as was the law in those days. He’s an introvert who, after the Army, had a crush on a few girls during university (even dated briefly) and missions, but nothing came of those crushes. I had a different upbringing and already had a few boyfriends before I fell in love with my future hubby.

You know, it’s silly to think that a couple should divulge everything to each other in marriage. Some things are better left unsaid. What’s past is past. We are building on the present and Hubby and I talk all the time about everything in the present. We have 18 years of it accumulated. That’s a pretty good track record. It hasn’t come without its challenges either. The first 7 years of our marriage were the rockiest, but it got better after that and we are both better people after having gone through it.

How did we keep going when we wanted to be rid of each other? We held onto the concept of the threefold cord in Ecclesiastes 4:12. The picture is a rope with three intertwined strands, which is not easily broken. In marriage, two of the strands would represent us and the third strand God holding us tightly together. Another verse we held onto was the one that says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” in Proverbs 27:17.

It certainly hasn’t been a walk in the park. In many ways we are complete opposites, but that’s good, because we balance each other. Most importantly, we are best friends… usually.

Don't forget to enter Stanley and Katrina's

Book Blasty Tour $25 Amazon Gift Voucher

or PayPal Cash Giveway here!

*********************

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to
link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest

Twitter

Facebook

Leave me a comment with your link and I will follow back!

Here are the easy rules:

Follow Tina (your host) @ Amanda's Books and More.
Link up your family friendly blog.
Please try to add my hop button on your most recent post or on your side-bar.
Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
Visit at least the last two blogs before your link and leave a comment.
Follow any new blogs that you like.

Blog Button Code:

This is a blog hop!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Book Blasty Tour - Voucher/Cash Giveaway

Celebrating

Stanley and Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge are celebrating their one year blogiversary (click here to read their inaugural post) by hosting their very own "Book Blasty Tour". Thank you for taking the time to visit this special stop along their tour.

About the Book

Title: The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets

Authors: Stanley & Katrina, Pet Authors

Illustrator: Miro Chun

Year published: 2012

Updates: This book was updated in September of 2013 with a new cover, interior illustrations, and a sneak peek of book #2 in the series.

Publisher: CreateSpace

Number of pages: 106

Recommended ages: 5+

Summary (Amazon): After three years of living under the same roof as the dog in the house, Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge decides to write a letter to her canine housemate, Stanley. Katrina loves treats, naps and bossing the dog around. Stanley loves snow, attention and turkey. The diva kitty, Katrina, will have none of Stanley's antics and most certainly will not stand for him eating her food. The only reasonable solution is to take him to Kitty Court.

Amazon U.S. * Amazon U.K. * Amazon Canada

Barnes & Noble * Leanpub(digital formats)

My Review

The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets is a hilarious novel that follows the rambunctious lives of two pets, a cat and a dog, with a couple of other animals adding their thoughts to the mix. One can easily imagine that these are truly the thoughts of these animals. If any kid is reading this book who doesn't own a pet, then this book will help him/her to dream up imaginary ones that have lots of character. Also, this book will inspire any young reader to read as it's funny and moves quickly.

The dialogue is mostly happening through a series of silly letters that are exchanged between Katrina, von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge, and Stanley, the young Labrador/Rottweiler mix. Then, to add more depth to the story, there are Narrator Segments cleverly included throughout. I like how the story is broken up in this way. The chapters are also short and sweet.

Amanda's favorite part in the story was when Stanley ended one of his letters to Katrina with, "Okay, but I will still eat your food, Stanley" on page 3. She only listened to the beginning and soon lost interest as she's a bit young at age 5 for this novel. One of my favorite parts, besides what I've already mentioned, was The Pet Paper, a newspaper written by pets, on page 83.

I recommend this book for children

around the ages of 6 to 10.

The Buzz

"The book is really humorous. It is unique in a manner where you see the cat and dog communicating with each other about themselves, their likes, and dislikes in a letter form. The narrator's tidbits add to the charm of the book. The contrasting characters and their individual personalities have been etched well. The author has put the perspective of the pets in the forefront and written a unique and excellent book for children." ~ Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

"We enjoyed this book tremendously! It charmed us, made us laugh, and kept us wanting to read more. A tip of the hat to the pair of pets whose rivalry leads the story along its delightful course." ~ Amazon Reviewer

About the Authors: Stanley and Katrina

Stanley is a three-year-old black Labrador/Rottweiler mix who does his best to ignore Katrina.

Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge is an eight-year-old grey tabby cat who loves her toy mouse.They would love to tell you where they live but all they know is that they live in a tan house. For more information about Stanley & Katrina, please visit their website, www.StanleyAndKatrina.com.

Twitter * Facebook * Google+

Pinterest * Goodreads

Stanley & Katrina are currently offering a free 15 Minute Skype Session as a Thank You to their readers!

* Free Printables For This Book! *

Kid Lit Printables has created fun and FREE printables for The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets. Click here to view all available printables, now.

Stanley & Katrina's Book
Blasty Tour Stops (2013)

November 8

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

November 9

Mommynificent

Desperate Homeschoolers

November 10

Bookworm for Kids

November 11

When I Grow Up I Wanna Write a Kids Book

November 12

Jemima Pett - Princelings of the East

November 13

DinoMama

November 14

Amanda's Books and More

Gizmo's Terrier Torrent

November 15

My Devotional Thoughts

Kid Lit Reviews

November 16

Lyndsay

November 17

This Kid Reviews Books

November 18

Imogen Daley Writes

November 19

Baby Bookworms in Black Words - White Pages

November 20

BeachBoundBooks

The Ninja Librarian

Stanley & Katrina Co-Host the Kid Lit Blog Hop

November 21

Bruce the Bookshelf Gargoyle

November 22

The Squishy Lady

Book Blast Participants

Charlotte Raynor Writes

Giveaway Breaking News for Indonesia

Tales of a Bookworm

Sher A. Hart: Written Art

$25 Book Blasty Tour Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner's choice)

Contest runs:November 8 to November 30, 11:59 pm, 2013

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget above or by clicking here.

Terms and Conditions: A randomly drawn winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest or any other entity unless otherwise specified. If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an email at stanleyandkatrina (at) gmail (dot) com.

* This giveaway is sponsored by the authors, Stanley & Katrina. *

Disclaimer: I received a free pdf copy of this book for my honest opinion, which I have given on My Review above.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Picture Perfect Party Linky #65

Here's a peek at our back garden, swimming pool and 2 of our pets. Recently was the first day that Amanda could go swimming. We've been having spring and now summer with a few wintry days still passing through. I know, most of my blogging community is in the northern hemisphere and experiencing winter, and even some have already had early snow fall. None of my kids have ever experienced a white Christmas, but it is on my wish list for them.

Click on the images to view

them larger. There's almost

no wait time and it's worth it!

Amanda excited to go swimming.

Amanda testing the waters.

Benny and Prince

Hubby keeps the pool looking good.

Benny with his summer hair cut.

Prince enjoying the warm evening air.

Amanda standing at the pool fountain.

Amanda with both pets at the side of the
house that is rarely photographed.

Amanda drying off.

White roses from my back garden.

White roses from my back garden in Black and White.

I've also got a great new series on the
McGregor Wine Region on my 1camera1mom
that you won't want to miss!

Now on to my blog hop...

Here's your chance to link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Come join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Twitter

Facebook

and

Here are the easy rules:

Follow me. Please leave a comment so that I can follow back (as long as your blog is family friendly).
Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
Grab the button below and add it on your post or side-bar.
Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Make My Saturday Sweet - Blog Hop #57

Today I'm participating in Create With Joy's Friendship Friday. The theme for this month is "Gratitude." I also invite you to link your favorite blog post from this past week below on my Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop. My hop doesn't have a theme, so any family friendly post is welcome. Don't forget to visit the two posts that were linked before yours and make their Saturday sweet!

Her questions for us this week are:

Do you currently keep a Gratitude Journal?
If you’d like to start one but haven’t – what’s stopping you?
Are there any tips or resources you’d like to share to help others get started?

Honestly, I don't keep a Gratitude Journal. I do believe in counting my blessings and naming them one by one. I also encourage others to focus on what they have rather than on what they don't have. I had the privilage this past year to teach once a week a 45 min. Bible class to 4th graders. These past several weeks we've been looking at Philipians 4:4-9. They memorized verses 4-7 and I printed their verses out on white cardboard for them to color and keep. I did this one in watercolor.

Also, my latest blog post on Happy Moms, Happy Homes deals with the issue of our thoughts. Here's the image and text that I created for that post. The photo and quote are my own.

*********************

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to
link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest

Twitter

Facebook

Leave me a comment with your link and I will follow back!

Here are the easy rules:

Follow Tina (your host) @ Amanda's Books and More.
Link up your family friendly blog.
Please try to add my hop button on your most recent post or on your side-bar.
Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
Visit at least the last two blogs before your link and leave a comment.
Follow any new blogs that you like.

Blog Button Code:

This is a blog hop!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Picture Perfect Party Linky #64

I hope you enjoy all the colors in today's photos.

The flowers are in my garden and Amanda is the

prettiest flower of them all. We've been having

spring and the hot summer days have already

begun to make an appearance.

Click on the images to view
them larger. There's almost
no wait time and it's worth it!

Sheela, Amanda's kitten,
sitting by the pool.

Prince, Samantha's cat,
exploring the garden.

Check out my latest set of photos

of the Robertson Wine Region

on 1camera1mom!

Now on to my blog hop...

Here's your chance to link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Come join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Twitter

Facebook

and

Here are the easy rules:

Follow me. Please leave a comment so that I can follow back (as long as your blog is family friendly).
Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
Grab the button below and add it on your post or side-bar.
Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Make My Saturday Sweet - Blog Hop #56

South Africa will be celebrating International / Universal Children's Day on the 2nd of November. I went to Wikipedia to find out more about this day.

"Universal Children's Day takes place annually on November 20. First proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954, it was established to encourage all countries to institute a day, firstly to promote mutual exchange and understanding among children and secondly to initiate action to benefit and promote the welfare of the world's children.

"This day is observed to promote the objectives outlined in the Charter and for the welfare of children. On November 20, 1959 the United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.... Universal Children's Day is not simply a day to celebrate children for who they are, but to bring awareness to children around the globe that have succumbed to violence in forms of abuse, exploitation and discrimination."

The safety and care of children is very close to my heart. There's a wonderful organization in Cape Town called Jelly Beanz Inc. who have set this day aside to "celebrate children - their joyfulness, innocence, energy and creativity." And to, "remember those children who have to struggle on a daily basis for their emotional and physical survival."

Jelly Beanz Inc. is a national non-profit organization that offers creative African interventions to address child abuse and trauma. South African children are amongst the most traumatized in the world. To find out more, visit the Jelly Beanz website and like them on Facebook.

*********************

I'm participating in Create With Joy's Friendship Friday. The theme for this month is "Gratitude." I also invite you to link your favorite blog post from this past week below on my Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop. Don't forget to visit the two posts that were linked before yours and make their Saturday sweet!