"Feed me, Seymour!"

I'm channeling Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors except ~

~ I'm screamin' "Read me, Y'all!"

~ this post has nothing to do with gigantic blood-sucking, vampire plants,

~ and I've never actually seen the movie.  

I'm hopeful you'll give me three minutes of your time to make a case for why you should support your favorite bloggers by purchasing their eBooks.

 

1.  They work hard for no money.

Though a few writers are making a legitimate income from their blogs, the overwhelming majority receive a disproportionately small financial return for their time.  Certainly, paychecks come in other forms–

• a commenting community with the potential for real life connection and relationship
• shedding light and garnering support for important causes
• sharing their passions and interests through the written word

But you can't pay bills with the intangibles.  Even if they have affiliate links or sidebar advertising, most bloggers aren't earning a meaningful part-time income.

2.  For the cost of a Starbucks, your purchase greatly encourages the author.

Blogger ebooks often cost $10 or less; many I've seen are in the $5 range.  I cannot overstate how much it encourages a blogger for you to support their work!  And the converse of that?  After a blogger invests their time, energy and HEART into an ebook, it's extremely discouraging not to see interest in their topic. Now, I fully understand supply and demand; if a book isn't generating sales then perhaps there's not a huge market for it.  But this isn't purely about economics.  Back in the day, bloggers would add a Tip Jar to their sidebar; today, you can practically "tip" them with your purchase AND you walk away with their ebook.  Win-win, yes?

3.  Multiple format availability.

Most of the time you can simply download your ebook to an e-reader or your smart phone.  If you're limited to a laptop, you can read as a .pdf file.  Wanna kill a few trees?  Print it out.

4.  Dynamite in small packages.

Typically you can read an ebook in one sitting; short and sweet.  Think how quickly time will pass while you're waiting on a kid at the ortho office!  You won't have to sift through years' old copies of People Magazine AND you'll make the author's day!  The #winning continues!

5.  You might just learn something.

If a blogger takes the step to write an ebook, they're knowledgeable and passionate about the subject.  They're practiced, experienced and believe they have something new to say.  I'm not asking you to purchase ebooks out of pity or obligation; I strongly believe it will be worth your time and money to invest in these authors.  

So…now and into the new year, would you consider a commitment to support your favorite blogger by purchasing their ebooks?  Maybe trade a latte or two for the cause?  

If you're new to all this, a few of my friends have published ebooks in 2011; a few I've bought, a few I've been given, and a few are on my reading list:

By Jessica Bowman, $4.99.  If you have littles, this book will encourage and inspire you and give you permission to let go of parenting perfection.  

 

By Mary Carver, $4.99.  This book makes me want to go to one of Mary's parties!  For some, party planning comes naturally; for the rest of us, it's stressful and rips the fun out of it.  Help Mary help YOU.  This is an excellent resource with practical advice and meaningful takeaways.

 

By Sarah Mae, $4.99.  If you're thinking of writing your own ebook, this is a THE book to help you git 'er done!  Sarah Mae takes you by the hands and effortlessly guides you.  And she'll cheer you along the way.  (She's also written another bestseller you might wanna check out, 31 Days to Clean ~ Having a Martha House the Mary Way.

By Amanda, $4.99.  Author of Oh Amanda and Impress Your Kids, Amanda is the perfect person to write this book.  I haven't read it because my littles are biggles, but based on what I DO know about Amanda, TRUTH in the Tinsel is a WONDERFUL resource to engage your children and focus on Christ during the Christmas Season.  

By Melissa, $3.99.  I admire those who help me see the beauty right in front of me, I might have otherwise missed.  Melissa does that and more through her wisdom and insight in this book (and on her blog).  Contentment and simplicity are common themes.  Wonderful read.

By Tsh Oxenreider, $5.00.  Tsh lives what she writes.  I love her sense of style, and I appreciate her substance.  Here you'll find 52 ideas for simplifying life, realistic enough to put them into practice.  

 

Do you realize you could buy ALL SIX books for under $30?!  

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my perspective AND if you have an ebook I haven't listed, please feel free to pimp it out in comments!  I'd love for others to hear about it!

But wait…HERE'S A FEW MORE!!

 

Heather Solos' practical, fabulous book is available in softcover, but I included it here because you can get it as a FREE DOWNLOAD on Kindle (if you're an Amazon Prime member).  Wowza!

If I had seen this before I published, I would have included it, too:  From Blogging Basics 101, Four E-Books Your Blogging Friends Will Love.  I absolutely agree with the title knowing a little about the books included in the post featuring Kelby Carr, Darren Rowse, Angela England and Melissa Culbertson. 

Entangled ~ A Woman's Guide, by Amy J. Bennett.  An emotional, courageous, powerful, redemptive story.  Though I haven't read it, her endorsements are compelling.

Brooke McGlothlin has been rather prolific in 2011–she has four+ eBooks published with more on the way! 

30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous eBook, Angela England. More help on how to get started on your own from an experienced social mediast.

 

Love a blogger.  Buy their eBook.

 

Disclosure:  I've included affiliate links for some of these books; any commissions earned will be returned as a donation to Compassion International.  

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