This web site relies on the Amazon API to search for books and get the images and information. It is now broken until further notice and I don’t know when I’m going to be able to fix it.
The State of Colorado recently enacted some legislation that Amazon doesn’t agree with and so they just closed the accounts of every one of their Associates whose address is in Colorado, including the one used here on MyBookLog.
Here is the email they sent me:
Dear Colorado-based Amazon Associate:
We are writing from the Amazon Associates Program to inform you that the Colorado government recently enacted a law to impose sales tax regulations on online retailers. The regulations are burdensome and no other state has similar rules. The new regulations do not require online retailers to collect sales tax. Instead, they are clearly intended to increase the compliance burden to a point where online retailers will be induced to “voluntarily” collect Colorado sales tax — a course we won’t take.
We and many others strongly opposed this legislation, known as HB 10-1193, but it was enacted anyway. Regrettably, as a result of the new law, we have decided to stop advertising through Associates based in Colorado. We plan to continue to sell to Colorado residents, however, and will advertise through other channels, including through Associates based in other states.
There is a right way for Colorado to pursue its revenue goals, but this new law is a wrong way. As we repeatedly communicated to Colorado legislators, including those who sponsored and supported the new law, we are not opposed to collecting sales tax within a constitutionally-permissible system applied even-handedly. The US Supreme Court has defined what would be constitutional, and if Colorado would repeal the current law or follow the constitutional approach to collection, we would welcome the opportunity to reinstate Colorado-based Associates.
You may express your views of Colorado’s new law to members of the General Assembly and to Governor Ritter, who signed the bill.
Your Associates account has been closed as of March 8, 2010, and we will no longer pay advertising fees for customers you refer to Amazon.com after that date. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned prior to March 8, 2010, will be processed and paid in accordance with our regular payment schedule. Based on your account closure date of March 8, any final payments will be paid by May 31, 2010.
We have enjoyed working with you and other Colorado-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program, and wish you all the best in your future.
Best Regards,
The Amazon Associates Team
This web site is 100% driven by the Amazon API.
So just like that….POOF! … it is broken.
I don’t know who is right or wrong in this situation. All I know is that one day I have a web site that works and the next day I don’t.
I will fix it as soon as I can figure out what to do. Stay tuned.
I make a part of my living by being an associate with Amazon.com. I put ads on my web site for Amazon products. These ads have a special code in the link and when someone clicks on the link and buys something from Amazon I get a percentage of the fee and Amazon sends me a check.
A lot of people like me do this on their blogs and web sites to make a little extra coin. Some people do it full time and can actually support themselves with it. That’s how powerful it is and that’s how good those people are at it.
However the State of Colorado recently enacted some legislation that Amazon doesn’t agree with and so they just closed the accounts of every one of their Associates whose address is in Colorado, including mine.
Here is the email they sent me:
Dear Colorado-based Amazon Associate:
We are writing from the Amazon Associates Program to inform you that the Colorado government recently enacted a law to impose sales tax regulations on online retailers. The regulations are burdensome and no other state has similar rules. The new regulations do not require online retailers to collect sales tax. Instead, they are clearly intended to increase the compliance burden to a point where online retailers will be induced to “voluntarily” collect Colorado sales tax — a course we won’t take.
We and many others strongly opposed this legislation, known as HB 10-1193, but it was enacted anyway. Regrettably, as a result of the new law, we have decided to stop advertising through Associates based in Colorado. We plan to continue to sell to Colorado residents, however, and will advertise through other channels, including through Associates based in other states.
There is a right way for Colorado to pursue its revenue goals, but this new law is a wrong way. As we repeatedly communicated to Colorado legislators, including those who sponsored and supported the new law, we are not opposed to collecting sales tax within a constitutionally-permissible system applied even-handedly. The US Supreme Court has defined what would be constitutional, and if Colorado would repeal the current law or follow the constitutional approach to collection, we would welcome the opportunity to reinstate Colorado-based Associates.
You may express your views of Colorado’s new law to members of the General Assembly and to Governor Ritter, who signed the bill.
Your Associates account has been closed as of March 8, 2010, and we will no longer pay advertising fees for customers you refer to Amazon.com after that date. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned prior to March 8, 2010, will be processed and paid in accordance with our regular payment schedule. Based on your account closure date of March 8, any final payments will be paid by May 31, 2010.
We have enjoyed working with you and other Colorado-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program, and wish you all the best in your future.
Best Regards,
The Amazon Associates Team
One of my web sites is 100% driven by the Amazon API and makes money for me solely from these commissions. It is the only reason it exists.
So just like that….POOF! … my business is closed.
I don’t know who is right or wrong in this situation. All I know is that one day I have a business and the next day I wake up and I don’t have a business and there is no appeal process for me. I’m stuck in the middle.
This is why it is important for online entrepreneurs not to have all of their eggs in one basket. Fortunately I do have a lot of different brands in the fire and I wasn’t solely reliant on this one web site for all of my income.
Are you protected? Maybe you better start another business this week. If you need help with a membership site head on over to Kencinnus.com.
Now it's your turn. I want to know what you think. Comment below with a quick response...
Today I made two significant updates to the amProtect plugin for WordPress that allows you to protect your content with your aMember products.
1. Protect Entire Categories
The first improvement is pretty straightforward. Now you can protect entire categories.
It works just like protecting an entire post or page. When you add or edit a category you’ll notice a new section at the bottom of the page with checkboxes next to all of your aMember products. You can just check off any product/subscription that should protect every post in that category.
amProtect Edit Category Screen Shot
The same rules apply as if you’d checked those products on your post. But you can still edit the post to add even more product/subscriptions and/or also use the amprotect tags to protect portions of the content. It is all cumulative.
2. Show Alternate Content
The second improvement may not be as easy to understand at first. I’ve added an else condition to the amprotect tags.
Sometimes the replacement text phrases are not enough to show to non-members or members who don’t have a particular subscription. Sometimes you just want to show alternate content to the protected content. Maybe you need a way to do something in a different language that cannot be covered by the replacement text phrases.
But here is my favorite use of this new feature…
Imagine having a video in WordPress that is protected for your paying customers. But for anyone who is not logged in and/or has not purchased that video you want to show a free shortened preview teaser of the video. Now you can do that with a new tag:
[amelse]
You’ve made two versions, one paid and one free and you have your embed code. Here is how you would edit the post:
[ amprotect=xxx ]
Embed code for paid version goes here.
Put a link to the download link or any related members-only content here too!
[ amelse ]
Embed code for free version goes here.
Put a link to your sales page here too!
[ /amprotect ]
(Please note that I put extra spaces in the tags for demonstration purposes that do not normally go there.)
If they are signed in and have paid for the video then they get to see that version. If they are not logged in and/or have not paid for that video then they will see the free version.
It’s that simple. One URL in WordPress that can now be used for both your prospects and your customers!
The possibilities are huge here for what you put before the amelse tag and what you put after.
If you haven’t picked up a copy of the amProtect plugin yet you can get it here.
(I definitely need to make a new video for amProtect soon!)
by Ken on February 15, 2010
If you like the sales copy that’s on this site, and you’d like similar copy for your membership site, then definitely let me know.
I can put you in touch with the direct response copywriter who has written most of sales copy you see on Kencinnus.com.
Here are some of the things my copywriter can handle:
- Short sales copy for a series of products (similar to this site).
- Long sales letters for your core product or service.
- Autoresponder sequences for prospects or new members.
- Email broadcasts to promote your products.
Anyway, just shoot me an email letting me know you’re interested. Put “Direct Response Copywriting” in the subject line. Please also include your name, phone number, and web site.
Thanks!
-Ken Gary
by Ken on February 12, 2010
Membership Academy is one of the very few membership sites I’ve ever joined that I am still a member of and still feel good about when I pay my membership fee month-after-month.
David Moskowitz has helped countless membership site owners set up their sites, fine-tune their sales and retention processes and optimize their membership sites to make their members come back month-after-month. He provides new material constantly and has videos and checklists that you’ll refer to again-and-again.
The forums are also an invaluable resource for when you get truly stuck on something or want to discuss a new idea and see what other membership site owners think about it.
Plus his bonus package when you sign up is truly terrific … even if I say so myself!
Here’s the deal: You’ll get a coupon worth $30 off any plugin I sell when you join Membership Academy. Basically, you’ll get a coupon that you can use on my site to save $30.
Why would I do this?
Simple. When you join Membership Academy, I’ll get a commission. This commission helps off-set the cost of any plugin you buy. So in a round-about way, I’m actually crediting my commission back to you in the form of a discount on my plugins.
The way I see it, the more you learn about running a membership site and making money from it, the more you’ll see the value of my plugins. And so long as you’re a member of Membership Academy, you’ll be getting that ongoing education.
I hope you’ll give Membership Academy a try.
-Ken Gary
