Hi folks, Michael here. Writing reviews, interviews and articles is a lot of fun, and I really hope you enjoy reading all of the content here on Track of Words. In case you didn’t realise, however, behind the scenes at Track of Words there’s just me, and it takes a lot of time – and costs a fair amount of money – to keep the content coming. This is the part of the site, then, in which I make a gentle request that if you enjoy reading Track of Words you consider supporting me and the site in any way you can.
There are a few ways in which you can, if you want, support Track of Words. I appreciate that most of us are stretched thin when it comes to paying for entertainment, so don’t worry if you can’t afford anything – I absolutely understand! That being said, there are ways to help support Track of Words without spending any more money, so read on and find out how!
Ko-fi
I’ve set up a Ko-fi account so that any time you can afford to throw a little something my way…you can! There’s not recurring commitment, just head over there whenever you can and donate the equivalent of a coffee. Here’s the link:
Bookshop.org
It’s vitally important to support local independent bookstores, and if you’re in the UK then through Bookshop.org you can do exactly that, while supporting Track of Words at the same time! There are two ways in which you can do this – either check out the Track of Words online store over at Bookshop.org or look for the links at the end of certain reviews. Any time you buy anything via the store or one of the links, I will receive a small affiliate commission from Bookshop.org.
Amazon referral links
At the end of most of my reviews you’ll find a link to Amazon where you can buy the relevant book/short story/audio etc. If you click one of those links, for every item you go on to buy (not just books – pretty much anything and everything you buy in that session), I’ll receive a small commission from Amazon. If you’re a user of either Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, this is a great way of supporting Track of Words essentially for free, while you do your usual online shopping!
Share with your networks
Lastly, you can support Track of Words and the work I put in without spending anything more than a few seconds of your time. If you know someone who you think might be interested in the reviews, interviews or articles I put together, share the link or send them my way on social media. You can find me on Twitter and Facebook (although I’m much more active on Twitter than Facebook), so please do like, share, retweet, comment, join in with the conversation and spread the word!
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For the sake of transparency, let’s take a quick look at what the costs are for running Track of Words (on top of the time it takes):
- Books: while I do get a few review copies direct from publishers, I still spend a lot of money on books, short stories and audio dramas; the majority of the reviews I write are for titles I’ve bought myself.
- Hosting: I pay for web hosting and a domain name so that I can keep control over the site (like making sure you don’t have to see annoying adverts) and have a nice, easy to remember URL. Between those it costs somewhere around £80 per year.
Whatever you can do to support Track of Words, from a retweet to a personal recommendation to your mates, from following an Amazon referral link to buying me a Ko-Fi, please know that it will always be appreciated!