#amazon code apply

[amzoncode]

Unlocking Amazon Codes' Complete Potential: A Step-by-Step Guide

Overview

A vital component of the Amazon ecosystem, Amazon coupons can be used for anything from applying discounts to activating devices. Knowing how to use these codes can make a big difference in your experience, whether you're utilizing Amazon CodeArtifact for development purposes, configuring an Apple Watch, or setting up an Alexa device. This tutorial will provide you a thorough, user-friendly, and interactive rundown of using different Amazon codes. 

First Chapter: CodeArtifact on Amazon

What is CodeArtifact on Amazon?

Software packages used in development may be easily stored, published, and shared securely by organizations with the help of Amazon CodeArtifact, a amazon code alexa login fully managed artifact repository service. It integrates easily with your current CI/CD pipelines and supports package managers and formats such as NuGet, Python, npm, and Maven.

Using CodeArtifact from Amazon

Setup and Configuration:

Register: Visit aws.amazon.com to create an account if you do not already have one for AWS.

Establish a repository: Go to CodeArtifact in the AWS Management Console and start a new repository.

Set up Authentication: To enable access to CodeArtifact, build a policy using AWS IAM.

Packages for Publishing:

Configure Package Manager: Set up your CodeArtifact repository's connection to your package manager (such as npm or Maven).

Publish: To upload your packages to CodeArtifact, use the publish command in the package manager.

Getting Packages Back: 

Install Packages: Assembly CodeArtifact as the package source for your project, then install the necessary packages.

Chapter 2: Alexa Codes from Amazon

Code for Amazon Enter Code for Alexa

An activation code is amazon code artifact frequently needed while setting up an Amazon Alexa device in order to connect it to your Amazon account.

Utilizing Amazon Codes to Turn on Alexa

Configure the Alexa Device:

After plugging in your Alexa device, complete the Alexa app's setup instructions.

A code will show up on your device's screen during setup.

Put the Code in: 

Launch the Alexa app on your smartphone.

Go to settings and type in the code that amazon code alexa enter code appears on your Alexa device.

By doing this, you can use all of Alexa's features by connecting your device to your Amazon account.

Chapter 3: Using Coupons from Amazon

Use Your Amazon Code

You can access exclusive features, promotions, and discounts by using Amazon codes. This is how these codes work well when applied.

How to Use Amazon Coupons

Find the Code: Look for the coupon or discount code during the checkout process, on product pages, or in Amazon's promotional emails.

Put Products in the Cart: Put the things you want to buy in your shopping cart.

At checkout, enter the code: 

Go ahead and check out.

Find the "Gift Cards & Promotional Codes" box on the "Review your order" page.

After entering the code, select "Apply."

Your order total will reflect the discount or offer.

Typical Use Cases:

Product discounts: Get money off of particular brands or categories.

Free Delivery: Take advantage of free shipping on qualifying orders.

Offers That Are Only Available Through Code Application: Take advantage of exclusive discounts and promotions.

Chapter 4: Setting Up Amazon Electronics

Activate the Amazon Code

When setting up an Amazon gadget, like a Fire TV, Echo, or Kindle, you will usually be prompted to enter a code. 

How to Activate a Device

Configuration Device:

Turn on your gadget by plugging it in.

Until a code appears, follow the on-screen setup instructions.

Put in the code:

On your PC or mobile device, go to the given URL (often https://amzoncode.com/).

If prompted, sign into your Amazon account.

To finish the activation process, enter the code that appears on your smartphone.

For instance:

Fire TV: A code will show up on your TV screen after you connect to Wi-Fi. To connect your Fire TV to your Amazon account, enter this code at www.amazon.com/code.

Chapter 5: Apple Watch Code on Amazon 

Apple Watch with Amazon Services Integration

You may increase your convenience by using Amazon services on your Apple Watch, which lets you use Amazon features right from your wrist.

Configuring Apple Watch with Amazon

Install the app:

To pair your Apple Watch and iPhone, install the Amazon app on your iPhone.

Sign in:

Using your Amazon login credentials, launch the app on your iPhone.

Linking up with an Apple Watch:

On your iPhone, launch the Apple Watch app.

From the list of amazon code apply available apps, locate the Amazon app and turn it on.

Put the activation code in here:

If your iPhone asks for an activation code, enter it as directed.

This enables easy use of Amazon services by connecting your Apple Watch and Amazon account.

Using Apple Watch with Amazon:

Shopping: Use your Apple Watch to browse and buy products straight from the device.

Get notifications on the status of your orders and about special offers.

Voice Commands: To use Amazon services, such as adding goods to your cart or monitoring delivery statuses, use Siri.

In summary

Using Amazon coupons is a great way to take advantage of all of the company's services and goods. The ability to use discount codes wisely can improve your experience, whether you're a developer utilizing Amazon CodeArtifact, an Alexa user configurin

g your smart home, or a consumer trying to save money on purchases. To get the most out of your Amazon experience, adhere to the instructions provided in this article.

Cheers to using Amazon for development, streaming, and purchasing! 

[ricecake-eaterr]

111 things to do instead of eating

go on a walk

drink water

clean your room

reorganize your bookshelf

learn to draw/draw something new

learn to knit/crochet

apply for jobs

do yoga

paint your nails

do laundry

do your makeup

take a nap

design a new phone layout

change your bedsheets

skincare

wash the dishes

read a book

deep dive into a niche topic

go to the mall

online window shopping

clean out your closet

meditate

do online quizzes

play coolmathgames

empty your email inbox

make a bullet journal

scrapbook

plan a fake vacation

look at expensive houses on zillow

do your duolingo lesson

make a mood board

sing karaoke

learn an instrument

burn a cd

make hyper specific playlists

bake things to give away

go swimming

make a funny powerpoint presentation

watch movies

start a new tv show

listen to a podcast

hang out with friends

paint something

make decorations for your room

make stickers

write a book

learn to sew

upcycle clothes

make a bucket list

write a diary

look at thinspo

start a youtube channel

start a podcast

do a puzzle

plan out outfits

make a collage

scroll tumblr

learn a new sport

make a new friend

study

do your homework

watch a video essay

do pilates

take a bubble bath

create a website

create an aesthetic ed journal

watch diet vlogs

watch mukbangs

make a style book

make a tiktok

learn origami

learn morse code

learn scratch coding

write media analysis

play geoguesser

plan your meals

dust everything

learn a dance

do a coloring book

update your resume

clean your car

find a pen pal

clean your makeup brushes

try new makeup styles

make a tier list

write love letters

make slime

call a relative

start a free course

critique old philosophy

plan your dream house

learn how to invest

go grocery shopping

make an amazon wishlist

scroll twitter

brush your teeth

write a poem

stretch

listen to asmr

do some manifesting

go to the library

play just dance

play random free steam games

make some tea

play with your pet

go people watching

start a garden

go for a drive

do some volunteering

play a board game

have a photo shoot

[greenglowinspooks]

The way that I’m brainrotting over a DCxDP crossover with a Danny who’s a vengeful villain rn

Like, let’s just say that the GiW finally get into contact with the JL. They need help neutralizing a threat, you see, and they’re on their last limb trying to keep civilians safe.

They have video evidence! They have studies to back their claims! The JL have to help them!

Unfortunately, the JL believe them. They join a fight against Danny, and defeat him due to being far more experienced than he is. Danny is locked away and experimented on by the GiW.

That would CHANGE a person. Your heroes turning against you and seeing you as a monster, being experimented on for who knows how long, not knowing if your friends and family are safe.

Danny gets out due to a simple mistake on the GiW’s part; having Blüdhaven as part of their transport route.

Of course the trucks were attacked, they’re government property!

So now, whoever decided to raid the government transport trucks (the Penguin or something) has a ton of experimental weapons with no idea how they work, and a heavily traumatized teenager.

Danny knows how they work. Danny can be useful! They won’t throw him out if he’s useful! And so, now Danny is working for the Penguin, altering the ectoplasm weapons to make them work on humans.

It’s a good deal for both parties. Danny gets to neurotically imprint on the Penguin like a small baby animal, and the Penguin gets a brilliant mind who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But eventually, Danny finds out what happened to his family in his absence.

Jazz is in Arkham. Not as a psychologist, but as a “patient.” Apparently, she snapped and completely destroyed the house, leveled a few blocks of Amity Park, and conducted organized attacks on government bases (mostly GiW) for months.

Sam and Tucker helped her, eventually splitting once Jazz was captured. Sam travels to areas of extreme pollution, completely overgrowing them with her plant powers. Currently she’s in the Amazon rainforest, engaging in an ongoing feud with logging companies. Sam is winning.

Tucker faked his death, and Danny has no idea where he is. He only knows that the death wasn’t real because of a code that the three of them made together, just in case.

Ellie’s trapped in the Infinite Realms. Danny had a failsafe in place so that if she was ever cornered by the GiW, she would be sent to her haunt in the GZ. However, with the portal destroyed, she can’t come back. Danny just hopes she’s okay.

His parents are now top GiW scientists. They’re traveling the country giving speeches. They’re working on a battery powered by ectoplasm, but apparently started “having difficulties” around the same time that Danny escaped.

None of it is fair. None of it is right.

The Justice League destroyed his life, the lives of his friends, and they’re doing as good as ever. The GiW is respected, and his parents are happily working away for them.

Danny takes up some of his more experimental weapons and breaks Jazz out of Arkham. She’s a little different now, colder and more quiet, but she still loves him all the same. It’s an unimaginable comfort to him to see his sister again.

He can’t use his powers anymore. He’s so used to associating them with pain that even transforming into his ghost form is enough to take him down for hours.

However, he understands ectoplasm more than anyone else in the world. He knows how to use it in virtually everything; how it can become a weapon, how it can be used as a supplemental ingredient in poisons and nerve agents, how it can twist and distort the mind if applied correctly.

He doesn’t care what happens to him. He’s going to take down the GiW, and destroy the lives of the JL members who helped lock him away, just as they did to him.

No matter the cost.

[diminuel]

One Piece AU Comics Masterpost

Some of my AUs are somewhat interwoven as they borrow headcanons from each other. I'm doing my best to sort them into their respective AUs.

They're mostly Dragon/Crocodile and Crocodad comics.

Stinky Child AU

A canon divergent AU where Dragon and Crocodile decided to raise Luffy in Windmill Village while still being a revolutionary leader and a warlord. They adopt Ace and Sabo.

Crocodile meets Ace // Crocodile is taking Ace home // Stinky Child gets a bath (Illustration) // Ace gets a new outfit // Ace meets Baby Luffy // Dragon meets Ace // (little time skip) // Sabo interacting with Crocodile // Dragon has nightmares // Swooning over Criminals // ~ Big Timeskip~ // Logue Town // Impel Down // Luffy and Crocodile reunite on Amazon Lily // After Marineford // Ace and Crocodile are reunited on Momoiro Island // Post Timeskip // Mistakes were made // Momoiro Island Dress Code // Cross Guild // Cross Guild puts a bounty on Garp

Captain No Brows

A potential first meeting between a young criminal and a marine and their encounters over the years.

First meeting // Unexpected call // Taking care of two orphans //Doffy has questions // Dragon cleaning up messes // Doffy is fantasizing // Dragon leaves the Marines

Potentially set in the same universe: Crocodile meets Portgas D. Rouge // Crocodile takes his shirt off // Unexpected revelations

Surprise Baby

Dragon and Crocodile find themselves with a child and have to figure out what to do. I have not yet decided to which AU this belongs.

Late Realization (Illustration) // Crocodile tells Dragon about the baby // Bit coat hides big secrets

Former Kuja Empress

AU where Crocodile is a Kuja who got ship wrecked and saved by Dragon's small group of revolutionaries. (Crocodile presents female.)

First Meeting and misheard names // Haircut

After the Divorce

Canon compliant AU in which Dragon and Crocodile get back together after the events of Marineford and end up having another baby.

Crocodile's mysterious client // Too late for protection (Illustration) // They're having another baby (Illustration) // Suspicious Coworkers (Illustration) // Luffy finds out he's going to be a big brother // Luffy meets his baby sister // Luffy brings his sister to his ship // Another one

Little Dragon's (Mis) Adventures

Bringing up never to be answered questions: did Garp and Roger have sex (see this comic) and is Dragon maybe Roger's son?

Dragon ends up on Roger's ship // Dragon has no choice but to stay with the Roger Pirates // They get to know Dragon // Pirate Flag // Diverging Priorities // Treasure Chest Baby // Dragon is babysitting Roger's cabin boys // Shanks thinks about his babysitter

Mini Mingo and Grumpy Verse

An AU in which Dragon and Crocodile had more biological kids after Luffy, "Grumpy" (Kite) and "Mini Mingo" (Dulcinea). Mini Mingo is suspiciously blond but it might mean nothing. Grumpy also exists as the fifth baby in the After the Divorce AU.

New blonde baby // Mini-Mingo is visiting Cross Guild // Mini Mingo has a crisis // Asking Grumpy for advice // Doflamingo has a crisis // Doflamingo does not take hugs well // Usopp develops the "can't meet anymore of Luffy's insane family" disease //

Misc.

These are stand alone comics that could apply to multiple AU story lines.

Big Parents, Tiny Baby

Luffy's Birth // Tiny thing fitting into Crocodile's big hand

The No Brows Multiverse

Dragon is tired of people telling him he looks just like Garp. // Dragon shaves his eyebrows for his first wanted poster.

Chaotic Family Time (Various family related comics)

Toys for Luffy // Everybody wants to be a girl // The return of Captain No Brows // Sabo feels left out // The kids are meeting Pops // Alabasta Trip + Follow up

Rocks' Era (Various Comics about the Rocks Pirates as well as Rocks being thrown into the future.)

Pregnancy // No Doubts // Achieving Dreams

Spaghetti // Learning more about the timeline // Facing Whitebeard // Grandpa Mug

[cushfuddled]

I saw a post which claimed since Americans are spending unprecedented amounts of money on holiday gifts this year [1][2]...

the American public isn't actually as strapped for cash as we say or think we are, and

Americans didn’t vote for Trump out of economic frustration.

Like.

I hope you guys know Americans aren't splurging on gifts because we can afford to do so.

The majority of Americans live paycheck to paycheck [3], and yet vacations are on the rise, with Millennials and Gen Z-ers at the front of the trend. [4][5]

It’s not excess capital. It’s nihilism.[6][7][8]

"If you work hard and save your money, someday you can buy a house/raise a family/retire." So goes the conventional wisdom, now fine viscera under the wheels of an Amazon forklift. Even older generations can't afford to retire these days [9]. You can buy a shed for the price of a master's degree. And how are you supposed to raise a child when your full-time job barely covers your grocery bills?

Knowing they'll never travel as a retiree, people are splurging on plane tickets right out of school. Knowing class mobility is a lottery pull, people are dumping their last few pennies into meme tokens and other get-rich-quick schemes. Knowing they're already saddled with lifelong debt, people are saying "fuck it" and grabbing a shovel—because at this point, what's a car payment on top of every other loan they'll never repay? "Things will keep getting worse anyway."

Americans are spending stupid amounts of money on vacations [10] and extravagant gifts [11], yes—but they're not spending THEIR money. They're spending Klarna's money, and the bank's money, and when the bills come due people aren't paying them. We're all just doing kickflips on our way down the drain.

The question, "How does killing the UnitedHealthCare CEO solve anything?" misses the point. The shooter may have believed he was doing the American people a favor, but I don't think the majority of Americans are cheering on Brian's death because they believe it will manifest universal healthcare. It's just nice to see the rich criminals who profit off our pain suffer for their choices.

Even if the Dems had acknowledged our financial straits (I find Atrioc's video "Slowly, Then All at Once" to be very helpful re: why the numbers look good but nobody can afford to live)...I still don't think Kamala Harris would've won the presidency. Again, Americans don't believe progress is possible anymore—at least not via our current system of government. Extremists are banking on a wholesale descent into anarchy. Your everyday worker is distracting themselves from impending financial implosion with daily Beverages (I'm stopping here to take a sip of my Rockstar energy drink). Hope is a heavy burden. Instead, people keep their eyes on their feet. One day at a time. Sometimes on its way to the brick wall, their speeding car hits a CEO—and sometimes it mows down a crowd of schoolchildren. Sometimes we're all just trashing the bathroom.

That's Donald Trump's presidential win, to me. Let the horse take over the hospital, America declared—why not, if none of us can afford a hospital visit anyway. Let the nation descend into anarchy and fascism—why not, if we never had rights/liberty to begin with.

It's not logical. It's lashing out in pain like a cornered animal.

The rule of law doesn't apply to the wealthy, as emblemized by our incumbent president's 34 felony charges. It punishes the marginalized by design, for the benefit of corrupt institutions. Harris would've given us a chance to get back on our feet...but with her centrist prosecutorial approach, she represents the law. Donald Trump represents chaos. He's a champion of the CEOs who bankrupt and maim and kill us, but as a certifiable toddler with no object permanence and a suitcase full of ketchup packets and nuclear launch codes, he's also a fucking nightmare to babysit around the White House. That's the best some people can hope for in this country: To give their tormentors a headache. To "trigger the libs." To treat their representatives to the smallest taste of their own helplessness and hopelessness and fear and anger and pain.

People do not have money. People do not have hope. People do not have compassion.

I don't feel any sympathy for Trump voters, and I don't mean to minimize the role of bigotry in this election. This country was founded on genocide and slavery, and that legacy still permeates our culture. I only mean to explain—not excuse—some of this group's behavior. It's a trend suffered on all sides of the aisle: Nihilism externalized as sabotage, whether directed at oneself or others. People are so sick of watching this boat sink into the ocean they've set it on fire just to feel like they had a say in it.

[vshiftsss]

HAI VAL

fruit asks for you 🖤

— 🍎 SHINY RED APPLE … what are you the absolute best at in your DR? the thing that, when people need help with it, they let out the most gigantic sigh of relief when you walk in the room—everyone knows you do it best

— 🍓 SUGAR SWEET STRAWBERRY … what’s the most romantic, sugar-sweet moment you’ve had or will have in your DR? something so terrifically soft and perfect it could’ve come straight from a wild strawberry patch

much love xoxo

GENERAL Q&A - (FRUITS ASK GAME)

ave <333 hii!! thank you for the ask.

answering for my outer banks dr.

— 🍎 SHINY RED APPLE …

i would say the thing i’m best at is cracking codes. i couldn’t count on my two hands how many times i’ve gotten a call from any the of pogues asking for help in deciphering the hidden messages in the tannyhill journal, or finding out how certain diagrams apply to the layout of the outer banks. i just have a natural knack for solving things, just like pope. we have a lot of time to practice. a.k.a. we buy those fake murder mysteries off amazon and solve them together. it’s a weekly occurrence.

— 🍓 SUGAR SWEET STRAWBERRY …

my first thought when reading this question is when me and rafe linger near our favorite ice cream spot and dance to the music playing through the old radio sitting on the cashier counter. it’s late enough that nobody’s on the boardwalk, so we simply exist in each other’s presence, lazily dancing while the moon shines down on us. rafe’s grinning all wide—the happiest i’ve seen him in a while. he spins me while listening to me hum the timeless tune, and i lean back into his warmth, relishing in the moment. the old woman manning the cashier smiles at us fondly. probably reliving a moment with her husband. the scene is perfect, a true reflection of young love.

sigh i miss my man

ask game :)

[n6918]

Tired of waiting for her blond boy to take a hint Pyrrha decides to take matters into her own hands by force. She decides to kidnap and forcibly take jaune in any and every kinky way she can imagine

'Do what ever you want to me, but leave Pyrrha alone' had been what he had told his kidnappers when he was first brought in, he was saying something different now. "PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS! PLEASE! LET ME REST" Jaune shouted to his tormentor. Blindfolded and with the device around his ears to defend him, the young knight had no idea his tormentor was his own partner.

Pyrrha continue to lazily stroke his cock and lick the tip as she watched him wiggle around in his restraints. She'd had so much fun over this last 48 hours, this has been the best idea she'd ever come up with. She thought back, things that she done to him as she put his tip in her mouth again to deep throat the man she loves so much; hearing gutter roll and desperate moan out of this mouth as she did so.

She spent hours sitting on his face and forcing him to eat her out, squirting all over him as she did so; something that she'd only ever achieved well masturbating, of course her darling would be able to do this to her. Riding his cock in the Amazon position as she sucked on his nipples and made him moan. restraining his arms and putting a collar on him to force him to fuck her doggy style, and then missionary. Continuously applying new lipsticks so she could leave marks all over his body, and using said lipstick to write things on him so that all knew that he belong to her. Hours spent sucking his cock and fingering his asshole as he begged for a break, the only break he was getting was when he broke she thought as he squirmed around.

And of course her darling was still hard for her after all this time. It could have something to do with the regimen of male enhancing supplements she's been sneaking into his food, or the aphrodisiac that she slipped into the water that she was feeding him. But she didn't care, the results were all she wanted and she was covered in them; head to she was covered in his semen, he coded the inside of her mouth and the inside of her pussy.

They'd taken ever first experience from each other that the other one had, well all but one Pyrrha thought with a giggle. Letting go of letting go of his cock with her mouth, she lined up the strap on that she put on with his virgin asshole. Capturing his lips with hers as she slid into him and he moaned into her mouth. If only he had noticed sooner they could do this without the blindfold.

[thegreatzombieartisan]

RoP!Sauron and the Missing Repentance or “Don’t Eat the Children!”

For what he has to work with, Charlie Vickers is killing it as Sauron. Yet what’s interesting is an interview (Time or Empire?), where showrunners said the audience will feel sympathy for Sauron in S2.

It’s arguably inappropriate for an adaption to portray Sauron as sympathetic given how legendarium is Catholic work. Neither Sauron nor the Devil was an antihero turned villain like Walter White, Tony Soprano, or Milton’s Lucifer in Paradise Lost. And while it’s on point for Amazon to promote sympathy for the Devil, rumor has it that this angle is actually Simon Tolkien’s idea. Interesting.

In any event, if one did feel pity, or even sympathy, for Sauron, it would be during his brief repentance

Sauron’s relapse back into darkness is a pivotal plot point

Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation…

Shame is a heavy emotion — it is perceiving oneself to be somehow fundamentally flawed, unlovable, or unworthy in the eyes of others. Many of us know of someone who, like Sauron, failed to overcome shame despite its harmful impact on others or themselves.

While shame can be constructive if not accompanied by blaming others, this is not true for humiliation. It is a common feature of humiliation to feel wronged, unfairness, or injustice. Refusing to take full responsibility is what dooms Sauron’s redemption.

Want my sympathy? Show Sauron genuinely do good and struggle but ultimately fail to free himself from the “heavy bonds Morgoth laid upon him”. That is at least understandable and pitiful, and would give his character arc satisfying complexity.

However, as RoP tells it, Sauron never fell back into darkness — he never left

In Forodwaith, Sauron is a satanic presence fresh from committing war crimes who also experimented on orcs, aka sentient that possess consciousness and feel pain, before assassination. Instead of performing acts of benevolence for at least some of the following millennium, he spent it as an evil chowmein puddle (absurd to the point of hilarity).

He ate one of the Children; and despite being a beast master, he allowed a sea monster to snack on the Children. Some might argue that Sauron took a noninterventionist role like the Valar but it’s clear he acted to save his own life — or rather, from becoming evil chowmein in the ocean (can chowmein swim?)

What is there to be sympathetic about? Sauron was depicted continuously as evil. Totally evil. Smug evil.

“Do you think Sauron really repented?”

An often asked question twice answered. Per Tolkien:

[Sauron] lingers in Middle-earth. Very slowly, beginning with fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth

“… his temporary turn to good and 'benevolence' ended in a greater relapse, until he became the main representative of Evil of later ages."

“Fair motives” = “good intentions”. To be clear, “good” isn’t subjective but objectively defined within legendarium’s divine (Catholic) moral order. In other words, you can’t possess “fair motives” if your concept of good and evil is misaligned with the divine good.

Sauron isn’t fallen like Gollum or Wormtongue. He is not of the Children but of the Ainur who are governed by a secret code called axani — although it clearly includes not harming the Children. If Sauron had “fair motives” and acted “benevolently”, then his understanding and actions were (briefly) good.

“B-b-but Sauron only repented out of fear!”

Immaterial. In Catholic reconciliation, two types of acceptable contrition (sincere sorrow) exist: perfect and imperfect. Simply, even if Sauron was motivated by fear, it still falls under imperfect contrition.

How does someone become “perfectly contrite”? Take Diarmid’s advice: do good. Goodness is cultivated like any other skill. It is interesting how RoP seems to understands this through a wise Southlander but does not apply it to Sauron.

[daftpatience]

Do you have any tips or advice for running an artists booth at a convention? I'm thinking about doing it eventually and been wanting to hear from people who have done it before :^)

yeah!!! lemme rattle off a few things off the top a my head also, pardon me 4 using amazon dot ca links for products that i mention. its just easy to find references that way (and often u can look up the brand and find their non-amazon store etc etc)

this got super long so im putting it under a cut!!

• join an artist alley group!! i'm in this artist alley discord and it is a fantastic place to get info about cons, table display ideas, manufacturer recommendations, etc. there are more than just this group out there and i think there are bigger ones but i personally really like this one ^u^ i make a ton of use of the display resources and manu recommendation channels!

• if you can afford it, be choosy about the events you apply to. there are a lot of cons out there that are fantastic, and a lot that aren't worth the trouble, and i don't necessarily mean small vs big cons. some of my fav events are smaller artist alleys local to me, and most of the artists i know avoid informa (fanexpo) like the plague. check out what other artists have to say about past events and keep an eye out for red flags: personally i find cons with really out of date/poorly advertised social medias and websites that have mismatched info are a warning sign of a mismanaged and not well attended event. • you don't need a lot of fancy display stuff to start, those sorts of things you can build up over time. im a fan of getting a ton of my display stuff from the dollar store >:)

when you're ready and need the space to display a good amount of art the main thing you wanna pick up is definitely something that gives your table some verticality, whether that's a pvc pipe style setup, pegboards, or modular cube shelving (we all used to use these big heavy grid ones until the plastic sheet covered ones came out and now we all use those. theyre cuter and lighter and fit better on a table and come in more colours yayay. im sure some people still like the grid ones since they fit gridwall accessories tho) there are lots of other ways to display stuff but these r what i am most familiar with. definitely helps to look at youtube and pinterest and discord groups for display ideas!!

another thing you will want to start is a tablecloth. not every con has their tables already covered! there are those plastic picnic ones at dollar stores, and you can thrift bedsheets/fabric too.

• depending on the type of display and art you do you'll need some way to attach signs/prints/charms/etc to your display. i just moved from blu-tack to magnets but i used to use sewing clips (back when i used the grid cubes) and before then masking tape. all of them are okay and cool! except blu-tack. don't make the same mistakes as me it adds like 40 whole minutes to teardown and it leaves gross oil on the prints after some time. evil

• if you don't have business cards you can make a sign with a qr code that links to you/your shop! there are lots of qr code makers online that u can even customize with images and colours and stuff. there will be people that wanna know how to find you again after a con!

• these days a lot of people don't bring cash to conventions and it's pretty vital to bring some sort of card reader or other digital payment method. most of us use square - they recently made it so that the phone app can accept tap! so you don't need to jump for the expensive physical readers. i've also got a paypal dot me qr code and my etransfer email (i think this is a canadian thing) on a lil sign on the table so people have lots of payment options. usually over 50% of my con income comes from non-cash sales!

• make sure to bring change!! we've forgotten in the past and done okay but it's always handy to be able to make change for people. you'll want a secure place to put cash as well, whether it's a locked moneybox that you keep out of sight or a place on your person (friend of mine uses a fanny pack!) you never wanna leave your table completely unattended but especially when it comes to the moneybox. if it's a multi day con this is an item you mustn't leave at your table overnight.

• keep count of your sales and expenses properly so that you can see how much you made at the end of the con. i really like spreadsheets but you can even just note it down in a book. here's a little example of one con for me:

• you'll want to make a checklist of stock and display stuff to bring, but don't forget to make a list of minor stuff like phone chargers and scissors and tape and glue and pens and paper. multiple types of tape and paper if possible. they don't feel super important until you're stuck because you forgot to make a price sign and have to get by with a sharpie and a napkin. don't let that be you!! dollar store sticky note pads are super useful for this type of thing.

• plan out your prices and do as much prep (counting, sign making, display planning, packing/sorting) as you can beforehand so that the event doesn't feel too stressful. make sure your merchandise is stored in an easily accessible way for you behind the table so you aren't scrambling or rummaging too much when people are asking for stuff!

• similarly, whatever you can leave out for people to just pick/grab themselves, the more of it you're likely to sell. things like stickers and charms are good for this - people like to touch stuff! and it makes it so you don't need to go fishing for items for people as frequently. generally i don't do this with more expensive items just to be safe.

• if you sell prints, people are gonna ask for sleeves to keep them safe, especially at outdoor events. sometimes people ask for sleeves/bags even if they dont buy anything. they're a good idea to have on hand and you can find em for pretty cheap online and for a bit more expensive at dollar stores (i use OPP bags. if you dont wanna use plastic you can always get paper bags/envelopes/glassine bags instead)

• a cushion for the chair is a good idea. lots of conventions have really uncomfy chairs. some folks even bring camping chairs instead!

• pack snacks/lunch/water/drinks/have lunch plans. if you have a table buddy that is able to run out for food that's always nice. you might be sitting but it uses a lot of energy to interface all day!! you'll be exhausted and hungry and it's gonna be important to get enough fuel for your brain to function properly. i genuinely would recommend juice/soda/coffee/energy dink alongside water and food if you wanna live, especially if its a multi day con. get good sleep on days between!

• if you're excited to do trades with other artists during the con, the general etiquette is to wait until later in the day/near the end when the crowds are winding down! it's always okay to ask if someone's doing trades, and don't be upset or press them if they aren't interested or have certain stuff they don't want to trade.

• speaking of con etiquette, depending on the type of vert you are (intro/extro) and or how much customer service experience you have, interfacing can be nervewracking. my general rule is that if they stop to look, i say Hello and let them browse. if they seem interested in my table i try and do some small talk. stuff like How are you/How's the event been for ya/compliments on their outfit/cosplay/merch they have on like pins etc are good! kids and old folks love this. as tiring as it is to do some of my favourite parts of cons is talking to nice people that like my art!! all the folks that say nice things about my work are what keep me drawing ;w; i keep my sketchbook with me to jot down/doodle nice and funny encounters just cus it makes me happy to look back on XD

• when it's teardown time try to put stuff away as neatly as you can. you might be tired and just wanna toss all your stuff into whatever it is you brought it in but i promise future you (especially next-con you) will be so thankful that you put all your price signs into one baggie etc etc.

• speaking of bringing and putting away merch - you'll need a way to get it all from your home/car to your table and back. lots of people use dollies and other types of utility cart (i can guarantee there are a bunch of those grandma grocery ones at your local thrift store!!) - i personally use a big luggage bag and a collapsible wagon, but back in the day we used to CARRY bin after bin of stuff from the car and back in multiple trips which i would NOT reccomend lol. not every convention hall is easily accessible or close to parking so not having to lift stuff if you can avoid it is gonna be vital.

[laanirouche]

2025 Homevalley Global Entrepreneurs Competition

Registration Now Open

March 1, 2025 — The highly anticipated 2025 Homevalley Global Entrepreneurs Competition officially launched today, with global registration now open. Innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide are invited to participate, with registration available until May 10. This competition aims to build a global entrepreneurial ecosystem, offering a dedicated investment fund of RMB 300 million to recruit high-quality projects and accelerate technological innovation and industrial upgrades in Shanghai.

Key Highlights of the Competition

Expanded Global Reach

Five major competition zones across 18 Cities/Countries: Including ​North America （West/ East）, ​Europe, ​Asia, and ​Oceania.

Six Competition Tracks

New track: Advanced Equipment Manufacturing, joining Artificial Intelligence & Software Technology, Electronic Information Technology, Life Sciences & Health, Green Environmental Protection, and Cultural Innovation/New Consumer Trends.

Generous Awards & Funding

150 award slots across all stages, supported by a RMB 300 million investment fund.

Individual project funding ranges from RMB 3 million to RMB 10 million.

Post-Competition Benefits - Shanghai Incubation Program

Finalists gain access to a 1-6 month fully funded incubation program in Shanghai, covering flights, accommodation, workspace, and mentorship.

Policy support via integrated municipal and district-level resources.

Global Talent Scout Incentives

"Global Talent Scout Award" : Up to RMB 500,000 for individuals/organizations recommending outstanding projects.

Prize Structure

Regional Preliminary & Semi-Final Rounds:

Preliminary Awards:

First Prize: ​$1,000

Second Prize: ​$500

Third Prize: ​$300

Semi-Final Awards:

First Prize: ​$5,000

Second Prize: ​$3,000

Third Prize: ​$1,000

Special prizes include ​Amazon Web Services credits (up to $25,000).

Global Finals:

Gold Award: ​RMB 100,000

Silver Award: ​RMB 50,000

Bronze Award: ​RMB 30,000

Project Implementation Support

Funding: ​RMB 3–10 million for outstanding projects.

Talent Subsidies: Up to ​RMB 2 million based on qualifications and location.

Office Space: Free workspace up to 300 sqm in Shanghai.

Residency Support: Shanghai residency quotas for up to 5 core team members.

Credit Financing: Loans up to RMB 30 million.

Competition Timeline

Registration: March 1 – May 10, 2025

Regional Preliminary Rounds: May 11–31, 2025

Global Semi-Finals: June 2025

Global Finals: August 2025

Eligibility

Open to global innovators who are founders or largest shareholders of submitted projects, regardless of nationality.

Organizers & Partners

Hosted by Homevalley, with support from 100+ investors, angel networks, and media partners. The competition bridges startups with Shanghai and Yangtze River Delta industrial resources.

How to Apply

Scan the QR code below or visit the official website: 

www.homevalley.net （Home）

www.homevalleycapital.com (Abroad)

For details, follow the official WeChat account ​**"归心谷"** or email service@homevalley.net.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT SEO & MARKETING NEWS FOR ECOMMERCE, March 2024

Welcome to my roundup of SEO and marketing news and useful resources for ecommerce businesses, March edition. There is a lot going on with Google, and some really strong marketing pieces this time around, so let's get right to it.

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google launched both a core algorithm update and spam updates on March 5, with the spam update ending on the 20th. Core updates now include the Helpful Content algorithm. In early observations, Etsy and Reddit both picked up visibility in the UK. 

The Helpful Content algorithm updates late last year destroyed a lot of sites’ Google traffic. Avoid the things they had in common.  You can read the full study here. 

Ecommerce sites were some of the biggest losers in Google visibility in 2023, with Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, Target and Best Buy in the top 10 of sites whose Google appearances slipped. 

New to Google SEO? They’ve revamped their SEO starter guide for people like you. And if you are more advanced and want to learn how to optimize your website product pages, this is a good overview. 

This lengthy article on backlinks for ecommerce websites covers pretty much all the angles, including the really difficult ones. 

Reminder that if you want to rank on Google for a search term, you need to look at what is already ranking, and make decisions based on that content. [video and transcript] This works for most search engines, not just Google. 

Yes, Google crawls “high quality” content more often. I used to refer to this as Google thinking the page is “interesting”, so I guess I will need to change my wording...

While Google sends the most traffic to websites, people spend a lot more of their online time elsewhere. Market where people are, not just where your stats say they came from. 

Sadly, Google has stopped providing caches of website pages in its search results. While you can still see the caches of some pages by using the Google search Cache:[page link] as in cache:https://cindylouwho-2.tumblr.com that will eventually stop working as well. Bing still provides caches, but unfortunately both it and the Wayback Machine do not crawl often enough to give really recent results most of the time. 

Missed Google news in February? Here’s your update. And just in case you are really behind, here is January. 

Not Google

Unsure if your website has enough good backlinks? Bing Webmaster Tools will now tell you if you don’t. 

Yandex - the top search engine in Russia - was sold by its Dutch ownership group to a consortium in Russia. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

A US study of social media use found that the most popular site was YouTube, with 83% of adults using it. Two-thirds of American adults use Facebook, while TikTok is up to ⅓ of the US population. 

Because they do change periodically, here are the latest image and video sizes recommended for the top social media platforms. [infographic]

Bluesky is now open to everyone - it was previously invite-only. 

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

Meta has introduced several changes to its Ad options, applying to Facebook and Instagram. 

Meta had a great 4th quarter in 2023, with revenue, users, and earnings per share up. “Fast-growing upstarts Temu and Shein, which originated in China, have been pouring money into ads on Facebook and Instagram. Li said on Thursday that revenue from China-based advertisers accounted for 10% of sales for the year and 5 percentage points of growth.”

Instagram

An updated post on Instagram's algorithm and how it works. 

Instagram is still beta testing longer Reels for some users. 

If your account is a brand account, you can now run ads on Instagram with coupon codes right in them. (Some Facebook users can already do this.)

LinkedIn

Among other recent changes on LinkedIn, the algorithm is now looking to boost important content longer than just the first day or two after publication. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has its own stats package, called Pinterest Analytics, but only for “Business” accounts. They show how many people clicked on the outgoing links, how many people saw your pin on their screen, and much more. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Reddit

Reddit successfully launched on the stock market this past week, but questions remain about how this will change the site. 

Google is paying Reddit to scrape its content through the API instead of from the web. 

Snapchat

Snap was a little later than most tech companies doing layoffs recently, waiting until February 5 to let 10% off staff go. 

Threads

Threads is so new that the algorithm is bound to change a lot in the next year, but for right now, here is how it works. 

TikTok

There is an overwhelming amount of info out there on the US attempt to either ban TikTok or force its sale, and much of it is incomplete, so I will let you Google to your heart’s content if you want to learn more. If you are relying on TikTok to drive sales, this would be a good time to make sure you diversify your promotional strategy. 

You can now track trending terms on TikTok through the Creator Search Insights section. “Creator Search Insights will highlight frequently searched topics, which creators can organize by category (for example, tourism, sports, science) or tailor to their content type with the “For You” option. Additionally, creators can filter for “content gap” topics, which are highly searched but have relatively few videos on TikTok covering them.“

TikTok may be testing a photo app, which would obviously compete with Instagram. 

Twitter

What? Twitter may have lied about its Super Bowl ad performance? I’m so not shocked. 

Tumblr

Tumblr will be selling data access to AI companies. 

YouTube

This is a pretty decent article on YouTube SEO. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Small and micro-businesses need an email list. An email list is:  

portable (unlike most social media followers or marketplace buyers) 

is available to almost everyone, as we all need at least one email address if we are online

less susceptible to the whims of algorithms (unlike SEO, marketplaces, social etc.)  

I keep seeing people argue that no one opens emails, but the chart in the article above is proof that is still wrong. (My blog email list averages close to a 70% open rate, depending on the topic and the time I send it. My jewellery email list - which I hardly ever send to - still has an over 30% open rate. My click rates are well above the industry averages, usually 30 to 40% of all recipients for the blog list. These are much better numbers than social, and astronomically better than my clickthrough rate on Google and other search engines.)

Gmail and Yahoo both changed how they handle bulk emails such as newsletters in February. Here’s what you need to know on the basics, including authenticating yourself so your email gets through. 

Find out how to get people to read all the way to the end of your content. 

Get ready for April marketing with 5 topical ideas. National Handmade Day is April 6. 

We should all think twice before deciding to use AI to create content. “Circa 2024, generative AI does not produce new ideas or even develop its own conclusions. Rather, it regurgitates information that it has indexed.” Not convinced? Here’s another article. “AI-generated content represents the literal “average of everything online.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Google Ads can now be tracked in Google Analytics 4. 

Both Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising were up in the 4th quarter of 2023. 

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

Google Analytics 4 tracks organic traffic differently than the previous version. Here’s how to figure it out. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

I’ve probably posted this specific article before, but it is worth another read: how to communicate with customers.  For example, “Mirroring your customer’s tone lets them know you’re on their side. If a customer is formal, for example, hold back on the LOLs. If they’re more casual, relax your tone.”

According to a US study, Generation Z is skewing the traditional marketing funnel. “Per Archrival’s data, 77 per cent of Gen Zs and 79 per cent of millennials in the US are actively seeking style inspiration at least monthly, with almost half of those looking for style inspiration on social media. When asked where they learn about new brands, products and experiences, video reigns supreme: YouTube is the most popular platform with Gen Zs, followed by TikTok, then Instagram.”

Trend alert: bag charms are back. 

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Almost all of these 12 video tools are free, and some can be used on your phone. 

MISCELLANEOUS

This is an older piece, but it checks out: IKEA Hacks for Craft Show Displays. A few of these could be done with non-IKEA items. 

Want to stay up-to-date on a nearly daily basis? Follow me on Bluesky or on LinkedIn, or become a member of my Patreon.

[erik-even-wordier]

A word on the "move fast and break things" concept

A word on the "move fast and break things" concept. It comes from tech, as you probably know, and was very much the Amazon ethos. And I'm actually a fan of it, when it's deployed correctly. But it's now being used to justify malicious people doing reckless things in the stupidest ways possible, and that makes me mad.

So if someone in your life is under the delusion that Pres. Musk and his band of bros are just being "entrepreneurial" or "operating at internet speed" or whatever and the outcome will be glittering success, here's what "move fast and break things" is SUPPOSED to mean:

* Design and code products and features in an iterative way so that you can respond to customer/market needs quickly, vs taking forever to build something that might not even be relevant anymore once you're done. Launch something, get feedback, tweak or add to it, get more feedback, etc. This can be tricky to get right--we've probably all seen the definition of "minimum viable product" stretched to within an inch of its life at times--but I think it's a net good for companies and consumers alike.

* Understand when you have ENOUGH information to move forward responsibly, even if you might LIKE to have a little more. Analysis paralysis is real. (I can personally attest to this as one prone to it.) Certainty is seductive. But endless dithering over edge cases and what-ifs means no forward momentum. This also applies to over-reliance on consensus. You need your key stakeholders on board with your plan, but waiting for universal approval is a route to getting nothing done. When people ask how I succeeded for twelve years at Amazon, a company the average (and saner) employee leaves within eighteen months, my answer is that I learned how to navigate and even thrive in ambiguity, so that I could make decisions in fast-changing circumstances and take measured risks.

* Distinguish between one-way and two-way doors. Two-way doors are decisions that can readily be reversed if it turns out that when you moved fast, you broke something important. One-way doors are permanent, and a sign to slow way down. When I took those "measured risks," I mean I was also aware of when making a mistake would mean real damage to customers or the business--and thus potentially also to my own reputation--and proceeded much more cautiously.

Here's what it's NOT supposed to mean:

* Recklessness with foundational systems. For one thing, remember that it's a TECH maxim, meant to apply mostly to digital environments where code is easily deployed and rolled back. One of the teams I led at Amazon experimented with different kinds of email subject lines. If one of them had disastrous open rates, we could just pull it (or the algorithm would pull it for us). Yeah, it meant that tens of thousands of customers had received a mail from us that they didn't find useful. That's not great, because once you've trained a customer to ignore or even unsubscribe to your emails, it's really hard to get their attention back. But that was the price of learning. And it didn't HARM customers, or break their trust. And even in a tech environment, we would never EVER have played it fast and loose with, say, the system for storing customer data or managing employee benefits. The stakes are way too high, just as they might be with, say, safeguarding the nuclear stockpiles of the United States of America.

* Failure to plan. Even when you know you might break things, you try to anticipate those things in advance and have a mitigation plan. At Amazon we even tried to anticipate "dogs not barking," our phrase for unintended consequences that happen below the radar and so go unnoticed for too long. Did DOGE take the time to either ensure it wasn't firing HUNDREDS of mission-critical people or to have a fast rollback plan? Apparently not. (The nuclear scientists' email accounts were wiped as soon as they were fired, forcing HR to hunt people down one by one via personal accounts.) I also wouldn't consider these firings a two-way door. Even if your people come back to work, the experience of being fired (illegally, let's not forget) by a ketamine-addled billionaire who is ALSO operating illegally--and who the White House claims is neither the DOGE director nor a DOGE employee--won't fade anytime soon. The chaos and breach of trust are irreparable.

* Lack of coordination. Even in a rambunctious tech environment, teams did not take it well when some other team's code changes broke their stuff without plenty of advance warning. That's amateur hour, not to mention assholery. Before you fire the one locksmith for all of Yellowstone, maybe you give his boss a heads up and time to arrange coverage.

To be clear, I don't think Elon Musk and his band of young bros are TRYING to "move fast and break things" in the right way. Their goal is to destroy the federal government, not improve it, so they don't think they need to take any care. (Which is the Achilles heel of the whole Trump administration; instead of taking the time to ruin things in a legally defensible way, they proceed with all the finesse of thugs using Adderall as chaw and get smacked down in court, again and again.)

But they ARE banking on the public being dumb enough to believe that this is just how the wealthy, successful, super-ultra-modern tech class got that way. It's not true. So don't fall for it.

PS: also, THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT A BUSINESS AND SHOULD NOT BE RUN LIKE ONE. Would I like our government to be more agile and efficient? Absolutely. I think we all would. But a large bureaucracy will NEVER run like a corporation, and that’s not just inevitable, but desirable in some ways. Institutions are MEANT to be stable and predictable.

[literaticat]

A writer on AW recently commented that their publishing contract for one book said if the book was sold discounted they'd get half their royalty rate and the publisher kept the book on a permanent discount (a small one of 5 percent) so they only ever got half the royalty rate. How common is this in the business? Will most agents try to remove such a clause from a contract or reduce it? (I'll include a link to the comment in a separate box in case you want to read it.)

Well, the link didn't work, but I found it. :-)

I have bad news and good news: Pretty much all contracts have a "high discount clause" -- and no, agents can't remove it.

The good news is, that's not what that means. The "discount" is not referring to the on-sale price of the book to the consumer, it's referring to the wholesale price of the book to retailers.

When a retail store buys books from a publisher, they buy them at the wholesale price, and then sell them for the retail price. So, they get, let's say, a 45% discount, and then sell them at full price. If they are Amazon or Target or someplace, they can give a discount to their customers if they WANT to -- but that doesn't affect the amount they have paid to the publisher, or how much the author gets.

For example: A book has a retail price of $10. (That's the amount on the bar code). Bookstore gets a 45% discount - so they pay $5.50 to the publisher. They sell the book as part of a Summertime Spectacular 10% off deal -- so they charge $9. to the consumer. That means, instead of $4.50 profit, they make a dollar less -- but the amount they have paid to the PUBLISHER doesn't change! Nor, in that case, would the author's royalty change.

Bear in mind here that these normal books at a normal discount are sold on a returnable basis. So if the retailer buys, say, 12 copies and only sells five, they can return 7 copies to the publisher and the publisher will have to return that money -- and that includes the author royalty part. (There are asks about returns in the FAQ, I'm already making this too long, just trust me when I say it's complicated but YES bookstores need to be able to return books and it is ultimately to author's benefit that they are able to do so!)

ANYWAY: A "High Discount" that WOULD make an author's royalty go down is if the publisher gave a discount of like... over 55% to the store. Which most publishers in the US don't do that often. If they DO give a big huge discount like that, it might be because a) the purchaser is buying in MAJOR bulk, and b) the books are sold on a non-returnable basis. So, yes, the author's royalties ARE less -- but also, hopefully, the size of the sale and the fact that those books can't be returned help ameliorate the sting.

Why they are not going to remove the high discount clause: As you see above, the regular discount gives the publisher a $5.50 "profit." The author gets 10% of the retail price -- so the author takes a dollar. They had to edit, print, distribute, warehouse these books, keep the lights on, pay the staff, etc -- all of which costs money, and the margins are very thin -- so of the $4.50 they get, not that much of it is actually profit.

If they are selling at, say, a 60% discount -- again, rare! -- they are only making $4 per book, which means almost NONE of it is actually profit. So instead of calculating the author's % as "10% of Retail" they might make it something like "10% of the amount received" (also called "net" or "publisher's receipts") -- in other words, instead of 10% of $10, you are getting 10% of $4.00. .40 cents rather than $1. (And YES, that totally sucks -- but in fairness they are also making less profit on those sales, and also they are non-returnable, and also hopefully it was a large enough sale that it comes out in the wash!)

ALL OF THAT IS TO SAY, in my opinion, with no actual factual information at my disposal, I would venture to guess that in that comment, one or more of these apply:

a) The author misunderstood the High Discount clause, saw that there were sales at a lower royalty rate, and conflated the fact that the books were "5% off" with that, AND/OR

b) The publisher in question is not a major US publisher.

(I specify "major" because maybe they are some random small press or educational publisher or something like that, that has their own way of working and their terms don't reflect the norms of regular large trade publishers! I specify "US" because in some countries like the UK, a LOT of books are sold at supermarkets, and supermarkets often get a high discount rate!)

and/or

c) There's something hinky going on, but you don't need to worry about it, it's neither your circus nor your monkeys!

[daviddemesquita]

Progressive Overload - The Best Way to Do It for Muscle Growth! How To Progressive Overload For Muscle Growth #fitnessgoals #workoutroutine #powerlifting Are you struggling to build muscle and make progress in the gym? You're not alone! One of the biggest mistakes lifters make is not applying progressive overload properly. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced lifter, understanding how to increase strength, build muscle, and maximize hypertrophy is key to seeing results. In this video, I break down how to progressive overload effectively, including: ✅ The best compound exercises for growth ✅ How to track your sets & reps for maximum gains ✅ The importance of reps in reserve (RIR) and training close to failure ✅ How to safely push past your limits and avoid injuries If you're serious about getting stronger and growing muscle, this is the video for you! Hit that LIKE & SUBSCRIBE button for more expert training tips. ✨ Apply for Coaching: go.theaegisnutrition.com/apply-form 📈 BEST RESOURCES Amazon Favorites: https://ift.tt/2Dqs5co My Preferred Peptides: https://ift.tt/fMyUk89 Morphogen Nutrition: https://ift.tt/3KLsqJ0 Use discount code “David10” on your order! Prevent Hair Loss with Intelligent Elephant: https://ift.tt/7tznE2K Customized Nutrition, Training, and Competition or Health Coaching with my team: https://ift.tt/kr2sIQf ✅ Important Links 🔗 Intelligent Hair Products Mentioned (code David): https://ift.tt/7tznE2K 🔗 Linktree: https://ift.tt/vOrw8dA 🔔Subscribe for Expert Tips on Muscle Building, Nutrition, and Creating Your Dream Life. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxjheFb2GYN1iHdPgFjzwCQ/?sub_confirmation=1 Stay Connected With Me. Instagram: https://ift.tt/AaWxnsM Tiktok: https://ift.tt/NHvZj84 Discord: https://ift.tt/K3FqQtd Website: https://ift.tt/8mHa1KO 📩 For inquiries: david@theaegisnutrition.com ============================= ✅ Recommended Playlists: ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@DavidDeMesquita/playlists 🎬Suggested videos for you: ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysrdLwYP0Gw ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppLcTf9Q2BU ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRSdLutyPzE ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmoAsESfOV4 ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5s8kadaY8 ================================= 🔎 Related Phrases: Progressive Overload, The Best Way to Do It for Muscle Growth, Muscle Growth, Strength Training, Hypertrophy, Weightlifting Tips, How To Build Muscle, Progressive Overload For Beginners, Gym Workout Plan, Workout Tips For Muscle Gain, Lifting Heavy, Best Exercises For Muscle Growth, Progressive Overload Explained, Reps And Sets, Training Intensity, Strength Progression #progressiveoverload #musclebuilding #strengthtraining #gymtips #hypertrophy #fitnessmotivation via David DeMesquita https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxjheFb2GYN1iHdPgFjzwCQ March 24, 2025 at 10:00PM

[wuxiaphoenix]

Stray Thoughts: The Cost of Making a Living

Yes, it’s that time again. Tax season!

Needed caveat: I’m no tax lawyer, just someone who’s done this more times than I like to think about. And gone through more paper than I like to think about doing it, because the IRS does not make it easy to be a self-employed person. And if you’re making any money as a writer, any at all, you count as self-employed.

So. What you’re going to need if you made money from books in the U.S. is probably going to include:

Standard 1040, or whatever version of it you use.

Schedule 1, for various self-employment taxes/income from royalties.

(The info you need for this will likely be on the 1099 form you got listing your royalties, if for example you get paid through Amazon. If you have some other side gig self-employed stuff like selling crafts, those calculations are on you... and mostly go on Schedule C.)

Schedule 2, ditto, other aspects of the self-employment tax.

Schedule C, for being a self-employed business person - book royalties count for this. Note, if you get royalties some other way that you are not self-employed but still get the royalties as part of your job, that’s apparently schedule E. But everything I can find says that’s not what applies to writers, even if you have another paying job.

(Also note that part of the info you need for Schedule C is the business code; the one for writers is also shared with acrobats and other “performing artists”. So I guess it is our circus, and our monkeys.)

Schedule SE, for calculating self-employment tax. Which you have to pay no matter where the whole of your income falls otherwise. Pfui.

The 1040-V, if you reach the end of your calculations and still owe the government money.

Scrap paper, plenty of.

Calculator.

Writing implements.

Caffeinated drink. (Anything alcoholic comes after the number-crunching, not during. Trust me on this.)

At least an afternoon free so you can crosscheck all the forms. Because they nest in aggravating and unexpected ways. You will pretty much end up doing the 1040 last, because it needs numbers from allllll the others.

Yes I do this by hand with paper and calculator. I don’t trust online tax programs to get everything right for writers. And I definitely don’t want someone else’s free program having my tax info. Meh.

Most effective order of operations I’ve found is: Gather all income info. Do the Schedule C. Then SE, then 1 and 2, then the 1040, then the 1040-V as needed.

But do them all on scrap paper first.

Work all the numbers out, put them together and leave the pile aside for a day. Or however long it takes to have a clear head.

Then redo all the calculations and check that you get the same numbers.

Checked and double-checked? Good. Fill out the forms, make copies of everything, then mail off the originals. It is possible, even likely, you will need extra postage beyond standard letter rate due to how many forms there are. I tend to bring the sealed envelope right to the post office and pay for postage there. I do not want to get this stuff back for insufficient postage!

File the copies where you can find them, labeled with the year. In case.

(And please, don’t make the check out to the Infernal Revenue Service. They will send it back, and hit you with late fees for nonpayment. No, I didn’t do this. Yes, I had to deal with the fallout from someone who did. Oy....)

If you make lots and lots of money from books - then go you! Remember you’re succeeding. Just don’t forget to pay your estimated taxes on a quarterly basis on top of this.

Off to fill out more paperwork!

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Hi! Sorry if you've said before, but I couldn't find it- what body is your Shadow doll on rn? I've NEVER seen jointed feet like that before and I love that detail. Thanks!

Hi there! I hadn't but here's a link!

I got mine of sale for 25$ but it looks like thry have a discount code that applies to the cart :)

Edit: it looks like there's another listing on amazon that is cheaper and has more skin tones! Here that one too