I knew this day was coming, and it has. I received an email from Amazon today saying that they are terminating my affiliate account, effective April 15.

No, I didn’t do anything wrong, rather, Illinois passed a new tax law that says if a company has a physical presence (including affiliates) in a state, then said company must collect sales tax.

To get around this, Amazon is terminating all Illinois affiliates. I’ll have to thank Gov. Quinn next time I see him (although he just outlawed the death penalty in Illinois, which I applaud) for taking away a small revenue stream for me.

Here’s the email I received:

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I received an unusual email this morning from Barnes & Noble. They are trying to lure me to their affiliate program from Amazon’s. Last month I received a notice from Amazon that they might terminate my affiliate relationship with them.

The reason? The state I live in, Illinois, wants to start taxing internet purchases for companies that have a physical presence in the state. The law (HB 3659) is written so that affiliates count as a ‘physical presence’ in the state.

The state legislature has already passed the law and needs to be signed by Gov. Quinn, who just signed a large tax increase into law.

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I just want thank everyone who submitted a new tagline for Brad’s Reader in last week’s contest. I’m currently reviewing the submissions and will make a decision shortly. The winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

I love doing contests like this because it allows me to connect with readers and allows you to become an active part of the blog. I hope to have more contests in the future.

Brad’s Reader is evolving and moving forward. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this blog is going to concentrate on technology as it relates to reading, writing and publishing.

Brad’s Reader is changing! Starting today, this blog will focus exclusively on how digital technology is changing how we read, write and publish. I’ve been moving towards this niche for a while and I think it’s time to make it official.

In order to properly kick off this new direction, I’ve decided to let you, the reader, help me make the transition. I need a new tagline and I want to tap into the creative minds of all my readers out there on the intertubes.

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I was recently browsing the shelves of my local Barnes & Noble when something caught my eye – a new book about my favorite band, the Grateful Dead. My heart skipped a few beats with excitement. Then I was shocked to see the section where this new golden nugget was shelved: Business marketing. What?

Turns out, that despite their anti-business leanings, they were a pretty business savvy band. They were way ahead of their time.

The book is called Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead (aff link). I haven’t read the book yet, but when I saw it and began thinking about why the Grateful Dead is such an iconic band, it began to make sense that businesses and authors today could learn a few things from Jerry Garcia and Co.

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I originally started this blog to write about literary topics with a few writing tips thrown into the mix. Slowly, over the last 4 years, I’ve been writing less about literature and writing, and more about ebooks, publishing and the influence of technology.

On February 1, Brad’s Reader will begin focusing exclusively on technology and its impact on reading and publishing. I’m going to do away with the “All Things Literature & Writing” slogan and replace it with something that better reflects this blog’s content.

I’m hoping that this more focused mission of Brad’s Reader will align with a growing readership that is increasingly interested in how technology is affecting how we read, writing and publish.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that everything I’ve written in the past 4 years will still remain in the Brad’s Reader archives for all to search, read and enjoy.

I received a letter from Amazon informing me that I might be at risk of having my affiliate account terminated. Not because of any nefarious practices on my part, rather, because of upcoming legislation in Illinois that would slap a tax on online sales in the state.

Similar laws have been passed in Colorado, Rhode Island, North Carolina and New York (pending outcome of a lawsuit). So Illinois isn’t the first state to pull this stunt, and sadly, it won’t be the last.

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It’s only a few days before Christmas, meaning all you procrastinators out there still have 2 more days to buy all those presents. For the rest of us, we can relax. Thanks to the good people at Amazon, all of my shopping gets done in my bathrobe and slippers.

The end of December is also the birthday of Brad’s Reader. This year, I’m proud to say that I’ve been blogging for 4 years now. What started as a blog on Google’s Blogger platform to muse about literature, philosophy and writing, became the blog you know today. I never imagined that in 4 years my main focus would become ebooks and digital publishing.

That said, here are a few random notes worth your attention:

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30 years ago today the world lost John Lennon. He was an inspiration to countless people who penned such memorable songs as Imagine (my personal favorite Lennon song), Instant Karma, #9 Dream, and many more.

In celebration of John Lennon’s life and legacy, and to honor his memory, I’m re-posting an article I wrote almost 2 years ago about what John Lennon can teach us about creativity. I planned on writing another John Lennon-related post for today, but things got busy and I didn’t get around to it. Better late then never though.

RIP John Lennon, 1940 – 1980

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I just wanted to wish everyone here in the US a Happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully you’ll be able to take a break from your writing to enjoy some turkey. I’m a vegetarian, so I didn’t eat real turkey. I ate “tofurky”, fake turkey made out of tofu. It was very good.

I also hope you can spend some time with your family. This year is special because it’s the first year with my son (now 3 months). Of course, he’s too young to eat turkey, but he did have some yummy milk. And he also got to spend some time with our family. I think he had fun.

Anyway, since it is Thanksgiving I just wanted to thank all you loyal readers out there for your support. Thank you!