oh I am such a dodo!!!! Call in the creative accountants. You know how the corporate big wigs twist things and show a loss for dollars not earned (um, a loss for dollars NEVER actually received)? Y'know, the same kind of logic in Washington lately about 'raising' funds by getting rid of tax breaks on the wealthy?
Well, a few years back I started putting jewelry making lessons on a website that sells the tutorials and keeps half the price. It is a fun niche site, I had found them and used some of the FREE lessons myself with pleasure. So I jumped on board and put up a few lessons of my own back starting in 2010.
About the 3rd lesson I posted was for an adjustable ring. An adjustable ring is a pretty desirable item, because it saves a crafter loads of time and trouble instead of making rings one by one by exact size.
Well, I was happy enough with my experience on the site and made the tutorial free. Fine. Not particularly due to being generous, just a good thing to do. It was great for my exposure and was fun to watch the number of downloads go up:
Oct 2011 - 402
Nov 2011 - 289
Dec 2011 - 223
Jan 2012 - 191
Feb 2012 - 150
Mar 2012 - 136
:
:
:
and you get the picture. There have been 1645 or so takers by now.
On Saturday I was hanging out with my 12 y.o. showing her something about that particular webpage, and she simply says, "Why don't you make it for pay?"
Whereupon I slapped my forehead (and then KICKED MYSELF in the b*tt for the next hour) realizing I should have changed it from free to pay a LONG time ago.
I just had it in my mind that you couldn't change it out of the free category. That once it was there, it was set in stone.
OH WRONG. DUMB. STOOPID.
How many of those 1,645 downloads do you think would have actually been paid? Certainly a lot of folks grabbed the lesson simply because it WAS free. But even it if 1 in 10 were dedicated crafters, that's $165 I'm poorer. Or even 1 in 20!!!! $80 fluuuush
*sigh* I never really had the money to start with, right?
So now the lesson is a measly $2 (of which I get half). I am VERY CURIOUS how many will buy.
Ah well, nevermind the dancing. How about them jeweled eggs?!
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Jeweled Easter Eggs
Tuxedo Formal, tufted in red and sparkling swarovskii crystal, with silver scallops. See more
Violet Star, studded with glass flowers and a crowned tip. See more here