Is it time to give up on Amazon Associates? #WriterWednesday #AmazonAssociates #Amazon #BookMarketing

Last week, I discussed why Amazon Associates is not the end all be all for writers (see the blog here). Considering the problems I discussed, why would a writer stick with the program? Despite not being able to track pages read under the Kindle Unlimited program, you can track purchases. This is definitely helpful, especially for those markets where KU is less popular. But that’s not the only reason I stayed in the program. I also stayed for the money. Let’s be clear. I wasn’t making tons of money, but earning one to two dollars a day for essentially doing nothing is pretty awesome. I even had three-dollar days. That’s nearly a thousand dollars at the end of the year for basically filling in a few links. Where do I sign up? Hold up. It’s not that easy. Nope. Amazon can’t make anything easy.

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This disclaimer is now ‘proudly’ displayed on each page on my blog.

I’ve now been denied for the Associates program three times (which is pretty awesome considering I only signed up twice). The first time I got my fingers ticked for using Amazon logos. I didn’t really understand the problem as I was using the logos to sell products on Amazon and, therefore, make money for Amazon. But okay. I took all the logos off. I also took the time to read a few blogs of other writers who’d been kicked out the program. As a result, I added several disclaimers to my website. (My bad, I should have added these sooner instead of merely hiding the disclaimer.)

After dealing with the above problems, I applied for Associate status once again. This time I was denied because a link on one of my website pages linked to another page on my website. Huh? What? Of course, I denied the decision. I calmly and politely asked for an explanation, so I could make changes to ensure my website did comply with the terms and conditions. Amazon’s response? I was denied (again!) as I wasn’t using associate links on my website. Well, no shit! Amazon had cut me off from links after the first email.

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So, now I have to make the decision, do I continue on this track? Or do I give up? I’ve decided to give it one more try. (That nearly one thousand dollars for doing nothing is very appealing to me!) I’ll let you know how it goes. Spoiler alert: expect ranting & raving!