The Low-Down on Bundles

November 6, 2013

We interrupt this week of non-stop healthy living talk for a little low-down on what bundles are, how they work, and why I'm so keen about this one.

You'd have to be living under an internet rock to have not encountered a bundle sale before. They are quite popular these days. And as they have increased in popularity my enthusiasm for them, which was lukewarm at the beginning anyway, has waned.

I have a less is more philosophy of living, in general. Less stuff is more freedom. Less pdf's on my computer is more space on my hard drive. You get the idea.

And so I made the decision a while back, after the last bundle I participated in actually, to mostly say no to participating in bundles and to thoroughly and critically evaluate the ones that seemed promising or a good fit for FIMBY (I get lots of ebook bundle participation offers).

One of the things that really hooked me about this bundle was the 12 week online mentoring program, starting in January.

I'm an online mentor. This is the work I love to do - interacting with people directly - coaching, chatting, encouraging. And for this online conference I get to do the work I love while someone else manages the technology and marketing strategies. Sign me up!

Other things I love about this bundle:

• The download process. It's a breeze. Seriously the way most bundles download through e-junkie (the site most used for these things) really irritated me. So much so I didn't want to even promote them all that much, it just seemed like adding extra work to your already busy life.
• 15 day money back guarantee. If you don't like this bundle once you've seen the books, or feel you've been mislead in purchasing it you can get your money back. This is a leap of trust on the organizers part but kudos to them for doing it.
• Excellent bonus materials that people actually use. Even if you never get around to reading or using 10% of the knowledge in these ebooks, I bet you would like and use eco-friendly laundry soap. Or would appreciate a video download on basic herbal remedies. Or how about a sourdough or kombucha starter? Or a store credit for handmade natural soap and skin care products? The bonuses - for truly useful stuff - are worth more than the price of the bundle itself.

Here's the evaluation criteria I use for choosing to participate in and promote a bundle:

• Would I recommend this to a friend? Would I feel comfortable telling them about this and feel they would get a good deal from buying it?
• Is the bundle a good fit for my values and what I write about at FIMBY? I am still holding out hope for the adventurous, hiking mama ebooks (complete with gear lists for getting outdoors with kids etc.) But really, I'm not writing those ebooks, even though I could, and a lot of other women like me aren't either. Why is this I wonder? There really is not the homemaker bundle equivalent in the adventurous, traveling, hiking, and the outdoors mama set. This used to bother me but if I'm not actively writing those ebooks then I can hardly expect others to do it. To be sure it's a much smaller niche of readers who would appreciate those resources, maybe that's part of it. Regardless, there are bundles of books and resources that support the other parts of who I am. And I'm good with this.
• Is this bundle a really good value for a large portion of my readers? A lot of different people read FIMBY and I like that. Teenagers, dads, and empty-nesters. But, based on who contacts me the most, a lot of my readers are moms who are highly invested in their home and family life (this does not mean they stay at home full time or homeschool) and care deeply about their family's wellbeing and their own wellbeing. A bundle has to relate to a significant portion of FIMBY's regular content to feel like a good fit for my readers.

This will be the last bundle I actively participate in for at least a year. (I sometimes contribute my material to bundles but don't blog about it here.)

Not bundle related at all:
here I am starting to train with a weighted backpack on my morning walks.
Never mind the AT, it's just really good for my bone strength and muscles.

Not only that, but I decided this bundle would be my last big effort, for some time, at publishing healthy living and homemaking posts. Some of you will be happy about that. And others a bit disappointed, a certain segment of FIMBY readers love it when I talk vegan kitchen stuff since there is little support for that in most people's realities. (Homeschooling is here to stay. Smile.)

Healthy living and homemaking stuff is important to me. It's what I do. But I am more than that. My life is shifting, who I am and what I spend a lot of time doing is shifting.

I'm excited about this change but also a little sad about letting go, or letting rest, some of themes that have dominated my life and writing for the past few years.

The ideas I'm writing about this week - healthy living in a homemaking context - are not at the forefront or the cutting edge of my personal development so they are unlikely to get a lot of air time, unless a bundle like this shifts my focus.

When this bundle came along (months ago) I welcomed the opportunity to indulge this part of myself once again before moving into new phases of living and writing - namely the call I feel right now to write about adventurous and creative family living and freedom homeschooling.

So it's been fun this past week to write about being a healthy homemaker. For me, it's like visiting an old, familiar friend and saying "ah, it's comfortable here, safe, and somewhat predictable" before I venture again into the unknown territory of the new things I'm experiencing and writing about.

Let's Talk about Making Money

I like to be really upfront with FIMBY readers about how bundle sales work. I earn money if you buy bundles through my site.

Everywhere you see this bundle talked about (I have no idea your internet wanderings and how much your online circles overlap mine) that writer is hoping to earn money from selling these bundles.

Does this mean we're competing?

No. A rising tide floats all boats. As an author I will earn a small amount from every bundle sold, regardless of the link used to get to the sales page. But I make the most money by having people buy through my links.

How do bloggers earn money selling bundles?

Basically instead of selling our own individual books we pool our resources with other ebook writers and make a commission of the sale price. The organizers also take a cut, with good reason - they do an incredible amount of work to bring everything together.

I make more money participating in ebook bundles than I do on the steady trickle of ebook sales through the year. This is why bloggers and ebook authors are so eager to participate and promote these bundles to their readers.

By the way, if you have considered writing an ebook but don't know how to get from idea to publishing you might want to consider this self-paced course - From Idea to eBook

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