Now available!
In August, iTunes changed affiliate partners to PHG, which means that if you want to provide affiliate links for people to buy your books in the iBookstore, you had to change all your links. Updating has been a breeze and it makes book marketing more efficient.
First, why add links to your website, blog or your social media platforms? The links take readers directly to the iTunes page about your book. Not only does it encourage readers to buy your book for the iBookStore, it also gives you a small commission. I am currently earning about $100/month on this type of affiliate and by adding in the iTunes affiliate, I hope that figure goes up. (Thanks for your support!)
If you just want a link to your book and don’t care about the affiliate links, then use the iTunes Link Maker tool. If you are writing books for children or teens, this is a great time to add these links because more and more schools are adopting iPads in their classroom. For example, the Los Angles School District spent more than $30 million this summer to purchase iPads for every student. Of course, on the iPad, you can choose to read books from the Kindle or Kobo apps; however, the iBookstore is becoming easier and easier and I expect Apple to start pushing it more.
Becoming an iTunes affiliate is now an easy task: simply apply now. It’s free.
After your application is approved and you provide the proper financial information, you just need to snag links to your books. This used to be a cumbersome process and I was lousy at doing it. With the switch to PHG, it’s as simple as any Amazon affiliate links. More on creating affiliate links.
You simply login to your iTunes Affiliate Dashboard and click on the iTunes Link Maker Tool; it will take you directly to the tool, but this time, it will automatically add in your affiliate ID. The resulting links will still take readers to your iBook page, but will also record that they came from your affiliate link.
As always, if you use affiliate links, you should update your privacy policy to let users know what you are doing.
So, here’s the list of my books now available on the iBookStore. For more information on each title, see here.
Grandma Kernik: Davey, honey? Are you up? School will be starting soon.
Grandma Dolores: Well, David. Would you like some cold cereal?
Grandma Kernik: I don’t understand. How is that a school on your computer? You kids.
Me: It’s an online school, Grandma. You don’t even have to leave the house.
Grandma Kernik: Well, I wouldn’t go out in this old thing anyway.
School’s in for Summer
If you can’t tell from my typing, I’m waiting for video to compress and upload. Even as I enter the home stretch on the Sparky Firepants Digital Illustration School launch and still intensely fascinated by how awesome it’s turning out to be, I’ve got more fantastic ideas ready to hit the page. As soon as I wrap up the launch, I’ll be moving right into more very exciting and cool things.
Before I go into that, I need to let you know about a special offer on Digital Illustration School. It would be very wrong of me to not let you in on this, since you were nice enough to hang out here today.
The first course in the school will be ready for download on Tuesday, June 2. For the first week that it’s online, I’m having a Grand Opening Special. The rate for the Vector Course Value Pack will be reduced (ok, slashed) for a whole week.
Two things you need to know to take advantage of this:
- I’m going to send out a discount code via e-mail. If you want to get the code, you need to sign up on the site before June 2nd.
- The sale ends at midnight on June 9th. After that, the price almost doubles.
- This is just for the Vector Course Value Pack. The other stuff is priced so cheap I’m almost giving it away as it is.
To recap, that means that for the first week, the price on the Vector Course Value Pack is $175. After June 9th, it goes up to $295 and stays there. Forever.
I don’t know about you, but even as a “creative type” with my limited math skills, that sounds like quite a deal.
If the course isn’t your thing, it’s cool. Maybe you know someone it would be perfect for, in which case you would be an amazing friend if you told that someone about this killer deal. Also in which case you could potentially earn some cash, since I’ll pay a whopping 25% commission if your someone purchases anything on the site. I’m going to set up an affiliate program soon but for now I feel really happy about offering you $43.75 just for helping an artist learn some mad new digital skills.
So before you forget, go sign up now.
How to Get and Keep Illustration and Design Jobs
The next exciting thing being hatched by my madly manic brain is a series of blog posts that will tell you how to get work as an artist.
I was thinking about how I’ve been getting art-type gigs for a really long time now. I was also thinking about how I used to hire people for art gigs. So with all this golden knowledge collecting dust in my noggin, it’s borderline criminal to not share all the inside information.
So I’m kicking off a series of blog posts that tell you how to get work as an artist. I’ll tell you everything. What to say (and not to say) in an art job interview, how to deal with the monotony of production work, and even deep, dark secrets about portfolio reviews that will probably make you angry… but at least you’ll know how it all works.
What about working at a design McJob while you pine away for that glorious freelance illustration career? Yep, I’ll clue you in on that stuff, too. I’ve done it. You can do it. There are just a few things you need to know that your boss isn’t going to tell you.
What about freelance gigs? How to get them, where to get… and where NOT to get them.
Right here, on the blog, read it when you need it.
