Help Me Make Simple Marriage My Full-Time Job
I began blogging as a way to have a place to house articles I was writing for a small town newspaper. After a couple of months of posting each week, I fell in love with the idea of blogging.
Where else can you write about what you love and get almost instant feedback and discussion from wonderful readers around the world?
After a few months of weekly posting, I stopped writing for the local paper and focused more on writing for you the reader.
Simple Marriage was born.
Writing is the best way I’ve discovered to reach readers who are interested in experiencing more in marriage and life. While I still love doing therapy with people and couples in crisis, I love writing and teaching more.
Thus far, Simple Marriage has allowed me to write and reach thousands of people and assist them in their life and marriage, it has even brought a literary agent to my door (I am working on a book proposal based off the marriage essentials research many of you helped me with).
So here’s my next plan – I’ve decided to ask you to help me realize my dream of making Simple Marriage my full-time job.
There are several different ways you can help me.
One, continue to visit and respond to the posts here at Simple Marriage. An added assistance you can provide is to spread the word to your friends and family members. You can also help by sharing the content via Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, Facebook, etc.
Two, buy a copy of A Simple Marriage – my marriage book designed to assist you in experiencing more in marriage and life. Think of it as a book and workbook all in one. It’s filled with great information as well as exercises to work through as you design the marriage you desire.
Three, sign up for an upcoming seminar, conference, or online challenge. While the seminars and conferences are still in the works, the online challenge is happening in September with the 38 Day Build a Better Marriage Challenge – I’ll release more details about this in a couple of weeks.
Four, you can hire me. This can be for a couple of different things. Perhaps you are looking for a relationship coach to work with as you design a relationship you want with your spouse. Or maybe you’re looking for a speaker or teacher at your church or company. If you’d like to hear a sample of me speaking, you can here.
And five, you can give a donation. This will be the only time I will ever ask for donations. I am not asking for a payment for reading this site, I’m simply asking for a donation, and I am only asking for a one-time donation (or at most, once a year). You are under absolutely no obligation to make a donation – you can continue reading and there will be no hard feelings, promise.
However, if you feel that your relationships have benefited from Simple Marriage or if you feel that this content is worth something and you’re able to donate, please do (say $25, which is my suggested amount, but you can do more or less). Simply click on the button below. Thanks.
Once again, thank you to my loyal readers for helping make Simple Marriage what it has become – and here’s to all it will become in the future!
Photo courtesy DeaPeaJay
Corey is the editor of Simple Marriage as well as a licensed marriage & family therapist. While he has a Ph.D. in Family Therapy, he only occasionally likes to be called doctor. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe so you don't miss any future posts.16 Responses to “Help Me Make Simple Marriage My Full-Time Job”
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I am VERY DISAPPOINTED.
I, too, wish that I could earn a lving from writing my blog, but I know it won’t happen. VERY FEW people earn a living at it.
I was truly disappointed to see you ask for donations. To me that is the antithesis of a blog.
Now, if you write a blog and a publisher comes to you or you go to a publisher or you decide to self-publish, and you write a book or make a product, and thus you earn money and perhaps win fame, then more ppower to you, BUT TO ASK FOR A DONATION… NOT a good idea! too crass., not a true blogger.
I am also disappointed in another blog that I read regularly and really enjoy. That blogger is trying to make money by charging something like $500 to teach you how to earn a living writing a blog.
Maybe I have the wrong idea, but I think these two quests for money from the blog are way out of line.
Others, tell me what you think. Am I wrong?
I’m sorry if you fine this disappointing but the idea behind this post is to declare my desire to make Simple Marriage more of a business than simply a blog. While the blog will remain (and will be free) there are other aspects that can be added that will assist people in creating a marriage and/or life they desire.
Thanks for your feedback, and for reading Simple Marriage.
I guess I agree with the mantra that “it never hurts to ask.” Besides, making a donation was only one of the five ways Corey has asked for support. I also don’t have any problem with people charging for their efforts. I don’t see why it should be offensive for someone to try and sell something. I think it is extremely admirable when someone goes out on a limb to make a living doing something they love. If you don’t like a product, don’t buy it.
Thanks for all your great posts here and great advice Corey. I am going to keep reading and sharing with my friends. Good luck in your new endeavor!
Thanks for the support Jennie. I think this can be something even better than it has been thus far. I guess we’ll see what happens.
Kudos to you Corey for investigating the next steps to get where you want to go. You are so gifted and can offer people so much enrichment to their relationships and lives. How exciting to see you risking to go the next step to reach out to others and expand your business. I can’t wait to see how your adventure plays out.
Thanks Laurie- you’ve always been a great encourager for Simple Marriage.
Corey- I applaud for wanting to take Simple Marriage to the next step and turn it into a career. The world is full of people who do things/jobs that they don’t care about and have no passion for. If only more people took leaps of faith and turned their passion into careers we’d see a lot more value in this world.
The one thing I absolutely don’t want to do in life is a job just for the sake of having a job. Especially when I have the chance to see what this can become. Thanks for the encouragement Tyler. And blessings on Building Camelot!
Corey
It is great that you have a passion like this, and from what Phil and I can tell…you are very good at what you do! We are people who read your site daily, but never comment. I only wish I had the talent and mentality that you do! We are both excited to help support you in your career and look forward to what you have to offer in the future! Keep up the great work!
Have to agree with fivbert..
Offering something for free and then telling people to donate ‘if they feel the content is worth something’ is a sales tactic to make them pay…because people feel obligated to do so.
They do think the content is worth something that’s why there are so many readers, they keep coming back because they enjoy the content.
Obviously it is everyone’s right to make money, so why not offer something different to those who are willing to pay? Your book is a very good step for instance..you can make downloadables like Trent in The Simple Dollar has..interviews, freelance posts in magazines.. you name it.
But to ask people to make donations at a certain amount, to say it is a one time thing, and then a couple of sentences later turn it into a one-a-year thing..doesn’t look like a long term solution.
Organizations ask for donations all the time. I have also seen it done on blogs as well. There is value in what Corey offers with Simple Marriage. He has every right to benefit from his work financially. I read a post once (and I think it was here) that “No” is a complete sentence. If you don’t feel like you want, need, or can donate, just say “no” (followed by a thank you would be nice). A wise man once told me that it never hurts to ask. Corey asked…..and that’s OK.
I have to say, I agree with Laurie! It seems to me Corey is only following his own instruction here, and asking for help from anyone who feels the desire and has the means to help. I read no threat to pull or reduce content if not enough donations or financial support could be generated. I feel Corey is doing God’s work here, and none of us would give a second thought about a minister asking for donations to help further his efforts. If you don’t feel it is right to ask, just say no. (Unwritten rules about blogs are made to be broken.)
I have no doubt Corey and his wife prayed long and hard over the decision to make this request, and it has been done with the purest of intentions. I find nothing offensive or unethical about it. I can tell this is more than just a “blog” to Corey, it is the beginning of his life’s work/ministry.
I applaud you Corey, and I know God will continue to heap blessings on you and your family. Whoever said; “You can’t please all the people, all the time” spoke truth. Continue to do what you do and don’t get discouraged. Families are being blessed daily through the work you are allowing God to do through you. Keep it up!
Ditto!
I’m excited for you! I hope that opening yourself to these new avenues will pay off, both in fulfillment and financial gains.
Right now, the best I could do was to use my blog to highlight the awesome work you do…maybe a financial “thank you” can come soon.
http://www.tcoyou.com/2009/07/tcoy-spotlight-simple-marriage.html
P.S. I still haven’t figured out why I feel offended when others find offense at a blog writer asking for a small non-obligatory donation if they enjoy the content. “Doing it for free” is not a requirement to having a blog. Paying for viewing is also not a requirement for reading it.
Thanks Suzanne for the encouragement and the promotion of Simple Marriage on your site.
I also agree. It is not always easy to open up and really dig deep in hopes of finding a solution. It takes a lot of time and thinking to write blogs daily and to monitor them and keep up with it. Essentially, it is a job. Some columnists and such find it constantly demanding to have to come up with a story or blog of some sort. Corey happens to love what he does and has found a perfect balance in doing so. I think it is a question of quality over quantity. Do you just want blogs that are meaningless and did not take long to come up with or do you want a new-found quality with meaning and substance to attest to? That is what it is all about. Great Job! Keep it up and let the haters hate. lol