A while ago I started using a new strategy for writing posts to my blogs: an editorial calendar. It’s low-tech, a paper wall calendar where I can see one month at a time. In combination with the calendar, I have two clipboards, one for each blog, hanging from the shelf above my desk. On the clipboards I write down ideas as they come to me. So at any given time there are a dozen or more ideas per blog. Every weekend I take the calendar off the wall and put it on the kitchen table, then I strategically take some ideas from the clipbaords and plot out the coming week, with the posts for both blogs and their respective newsletters. All this to say that I had a post programmed for today. It was the announcement of my Amazon Store on this site, something I’m very excited about.


At the same time, I am now taking part in the 31-Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge, and today, day 2, our task is to write a list post. List posts can be great, because they allow the writer to easily organize her thoughts while also helping the reader. Lists are easy to scan, so the reader can see if there is anything of vital interest in the article without having to read the whole thing.

What was going to be an essay post in which I waxed poetic on the joys of having my own Amazon Store (aStore for short) is now going to be a list post which will break things down very easily for you, my dear readers. Here are the 5 reasons it’s g-r-e-a-t to have an aStore:

1. If you like my blog and the tech tips I give you, in addition to the “putting your skills online” tips, you will be interested in the books I recommend. Also, since Amazon sells everything, my store is not limited to books, so when for instance I answered a question on how two computers can share one monitor, I was able to list in my store the sexy device switcher thingy sold by Amazon that will do exactly what my friend Denise wants. So, reason number 1 is that having my own store allows me to recommend books and other products I think you as my readers might enjoy. One thing I would like to point out here is that having this store allows me to practice what I preach. I have taken some offline skills I have and put them online: I am good at teaching people how to do things, and I am also trustworthy, honest and reliable. You as my readers know you can count on me to tell it like it is, so if I recommend something you can be sure it is what I say it is.
2. I am not limited to the Amazon categories. If I want to create a category called “All Things Polka-Dotted,” I can. And then I can put in it shoes, books, beauty products, cell phone, you name it. There is no rule that says I can only put the same type of product in a category. I get to mix and match however I please. This means that I can create “kits,” a grouping of items that one might need for a specific task or goal: A book, some tools, an appliance, an electronic gadget could all go together in the “Get Rid of Your In-laws Without Getting Caught” category.
3. You, the readers, have a very pleasant and straightforward experience. Don’t get me wrong, I love Amazon.com as much as the next gal, but when you find a product you think you might like and you start to scroll down to check out a review or the product description, you have to wade through a ton of “people who bought this also bought” and “frequently bought together” and “recommended for you” stuff before you finally get to the information you’re looking for. Not so in my aStore! Here you get a compact description of exactly the product you click on, nothing more, nothing less. In my book that’s worth a lot right there. Even I like to check out the products I recommend in my own store.
4. I get a commission on everything you buy. This is a nice perk for me, and if you enjoy the blog it will also give you a warm and fuzzy feeling, since you will be supporting the blog.  [oh, there is also 4a - I believe that if you click on the amazon button in the top of the button that contains the categories and go on to buy any product on Amazon.com at all, I get a commission; the reasoning being that you may not have visited Amazon.com that day had it not been for my store. Pretty nice, eh? So if you go in for a book and end up buying a lawn mower, I get a commission on that as well. Sweet!]
5. It has a personalized design, so I get to choose the features that the store has. I have chosen two features for my aStore. In addition to the small square at the top that contains the categories of products to be found in the store, you will find a Similar Items window, which might come in handy. If you click on a product, a second window opens up between the Category window and the Similar Items window, called Listmania! This is a compilation of lists made by Amazon customers like you and me, also lists that can cross categories (I’m not the first to have thought of this). If the item you have clicked on is on someone’s Listmania! list, then the link to the list will appear in the Listmania! window. I also get to choose the look and feel of the store, meaning the background color, the color of the links, the color of the banner, etc. I think my store is simple and pleasing to look at. What do you think?

So, don’t forget, when you read a review on the blog, or you think of buying something on Amazon, head to my store and use it as your portal. You will be getting what you want and I will be getting a small commission. Every little bit counts! Look for the aStore button on the upper right-hand corner of any page in the blog, and click on it. Thanks!

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Luigia from Italy asks the following question:

How does Amazon acquire the books it sells? In other words, how can I get a book published by an Italian publisher to be sold by Amazon?

There are various ways to sell books on Amazon, but for someone with a book published by a foreign publisher the situation has a few complicating factors. There are two questions we must answer:

1. Is there a North American distributor? And,
2. Who holds the North American rights?

If there is no United States distributor and no holder of American rights to the publication, then you cannot sell the book on Amazon. That is the sad and simple answer.
If this is your situation, you can approach Amazon in Germany, Japan, France, Canada or the U.K.

But if there is an American distributor, someone who has the rights to the publication in the United States, then there are several options, depending on the volume of books one expects to sell. The best option I can see is the Amazon Advantage program. There are detailed instructions on the Amazon site at this link, if you will follow it. The main prerequisites to participate in this program are:

• Having the North American distribution rights;
• Having access to email;
• Having a U.S. bank account;
• Having an ISBN number for the book(s) in question;
• Having a barcode on the book(s).

This was a hard question to answer. It took quite a bit of research. One of the hardest things is that there is pretty much no way to communicate with Amazon in person. I had some questions and I had to just read and read and figure them out myself. There are several other programs, like the Marketplace program, but I think this Advantage program is the best bet, if one has the prerequisites.
I hope this answers your question, Luigia, and good luck!

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