How Authors Can Act as Affiliates

As an author, you need to write. You may make a living by writing full time or during your leisure time. You may actually be a full-time freelancer or big-time blogger. You can fill e-zines and newsletters with fillers like jokes, poems, puzzles and quizzes. You could even be one of those globe-hopping journalists who rush from flight to flight with a laptop and a carry-on bag. So be it.

However, you need more than just the droppings of pennies in your PayPal account every now and then from your writing. You need to get some real money between writing gigs and writing conference presentations. You need some truly passive income.

As a Smashwords affiliate, I would be negligent to not mention that Smashwords offers an affiliate program. It requires that you sign up for a free Smashwords account, but the rewards are plentiful.

Why should an author consider such an affiliate program?

Smashwords not only offer great monetary rewards but it also offers authors a way to benefit from the profitability of one's fellow authors. Smashwords' site offers its affiliates twice as much as Amazon for Kindle-enabled purchases. That's an optimal online income opportunity.

Authors who are reading this and are not part of HubPages need to get with the program. You can publish, link, comment, browse and even earn some affiliate cash right here at HubPages. If you are a fellow hubber, you better get to making the most of what HubPages has to offer you as an author and an affiliate.

• eBay Partner Network (EPN): You can get approved in about a week or so. It's worth it and you never have to host an auction yourself.
• Amazon Associate Program: Add Amazon items on your hubs and earn just like you do on your website or blog. Make it related to your content, of course.
• HubPages Affiliate Program: You can earn based on the internal network of HubPages and its advertising. Read the fine print to ensure that you know what terms you are agreeing to with this.
• Google AdSense: Drop in your AdSense account number and earn just as you do on your website and blog. This is the type of program that goes where you go.

If you are any kind of true author, especially one who knows his way around the Internet, you need to be able to do some basic research. Search and see what sites offer affiliate programs. These will range from big corporations like Amazon to independent authors as well. Be sure that you understand the terms that you are offered. Every affiliate program may not work for you or fit your online business profile. If your blog is about books, e-Books, and other similar content, then you may not attract the type of audience that will buy computer products or do-it-yourself hobby kits. However, if your writing features pop culture icons or current trends, you may do well with an e-card affiliate program or that Zazzle affiliate banner.

Earnings can come slow. That's a reality. Accept that and enjoy the ride.

You need to keep this in mind. If not, you will find yourself seeking checks rolling into your inbox day by day. That may not be the realistic view. Every blogger doesn't quit his or her day job. You may not get a lot of clicks at first. Just be patient and keep promoting via links embedded in your blog posts and hubs.

Patience and promotion will pay off. I use Suite101 and Bukisa, even article sites like Associated Content (Yahoo! Contributors Network) and ArticleBase. These offer some links that pay beyond upfront payments for articles. Like I said, remain patient and keep pushing your promotional buttons.