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A Dime A Time

Since this article was published in 2000,

the company has reduced the amount it pays 

per read. Also I got into a hassle with them. 

by

Jaron Summers

I was amazed at the number of people who commented on my recent publishing piece. Many sent it to friends who wanted to publish a book.

If you missed my article on how to publish a book for less than the price of a big Mac and fries, you might want to visit my web site.

But how do you get paid for short columns or stories on the Internet?

Enter Themestream. 

It’s a huge web site that allows writers to post their columns and writing. When someone reads one of the columns, Themestream sends the writer a dime. Simple as that. And you keep all rights to your material. 

Here is what they say: “Publish-At-Will is the easiest way for you to publish on the Internet. When you're ready to publish your article, just go to the Themestream writer's section and upload your file, or cut and paste the text or HTML directly into the designated space…your article will be available for people to view.”

So if you have a special knowledge of something, anything, assemble a short essay, post it on Themestream and each time a person reads it, you’ll get a dime. 

And dimes add up.  Ask anyone who runs a toll bridge.  You have to write an article or column each  week. That’s it.

What does Themestream get?  I think they see what you are interested in and if you want them to, they will send you information about similar subjects.  They claim not to sell mailing lists.

Here I am on Themestream.  Click and have a look – I have a dozen columns. Each time you click on one to read it, I get a dime. You get a laugh or a smile. It doesn’t cost you anything. I get rich a dime at a time.  

You can do the same thing!  Write a column or an article about something you have great love for.

Idea!!! 

Instead of sending me an E-mail note about the columns, post your reaction at the end (talk-back box) of the humor columns on Themestream.  

Why?  I'll get a dime. If I get enough I can buy a hospital and give away free operations. I've always wanted to be a doctor and if I have my own hospital, I think I'll be able to perform brain surgery and stuff. 

Seriously. I’ve written about 250 columns in the last five years.  I'm assembling a book of my top thirty columns. If you have a favorite column, please mention that at the end of the article posted on Themestream where it says talk-back.  I’ll include your favorites in my first book of columns.

I’m going to give away a dozen books to those who help me with this self-serving survey. To win, all you have to do is be one of the first twelve people to post “this is a keeper” in the “talk-back” section after any of  my columns on Themestream.  Feel free to make comments pro or con. I get a dime each time you click.

By the way, if you go to my web site, you’ll see a Barnes and Noble icon at the top of my web page. If you click on that, bingo you’re at Barnes and Noble’s web page and you can see three books I wrote. 

These are reprints and they are expensive.  Around twenty dollars each.  

Curiously, people are buying them. Others are using my link to buy other books from Barnes and Noble. To be brutally frank, there are a lot of books at Barnes and Noble that are superior and in many cases cheaper than my books. 

Ask me if I care if you buy another book after you visit my site? 

Okay, I care a little bit, however, the sting of rejection is soothed by the fact that I get five per cent of the retail price of any book anyone buys if they go through my link to Barnes and Noble. 

The fact is, if you a have a book and you want to publish it, the chances are 99 per cent that Barnes and Noble will sell it for you.  You can have your own web site for less than ten bucks a month.  And you too can have a link to Barnes and Noble. It's free.

If you have interesting material on your web site, people will come to it, then possibly migrate to Barnes and Noble and you will get five per cent of the money your visitors spend.  It’s like having your own book store with hundred of thousands of books. 

Here's another tip on handling and marketing your writing. I seem to have some kind of crazy facility for grinding out a weekly humor piece. After it is proofed by Vue Weekly in Canada, they put it on their site, then I download it and post it on my web site and send it out to everyone on my E-mail list. Find someone to edit your material for you--it's dangerous to do it all yourself. You need checks and balances. 

My E-mail list is in the hundreds so I have a company named Topica send out the e-mails to each of you. Topica at (www.topica.com) does this for free. If you have a mail list, you can use the service.

Many of the E-mail destinations I send my column to are mail boxes for editors and publishers.  Often, these wonderful people will buy my column for their publications. 

I’m careful never to sell it to markets in the same area and since the column is initially generated in Northern Canada that tiny market is not going to be shared by a magazine, say in Texas.

To recap: I’ve been trying to figure out how to generate more money with my columns. What if each person who read it paid me ten cents?   That would be a good idea … for me, but not for you. 

While you might think my articles were worth one tenth of a dollar, how would you get the money to me ?  Write me a check that would cost you fifty cents and put it in a 33 cent envelope?  I don’t think so.  I wouldn’t. 

Thank heavens for Themestream.  Join, write articles and become rich, a dime at a time. The readers make sure you get a dime and it doesn't cost them a penny. Talk about a win-win deal.

SYIC,

jaron