Help Wanted!

I've had this post simmering in my mind for a while, but I haven't been convinced to post it until now. I'm worried no one will respond. I'm worried that I might complicate things further. That trying to coordinate help could be a nightmare. That nobody will like me and I'll lose all my friends. I could write a list of my worries!

But I'm going to take the plunge, anyway. And hopefully the list of worries will follow suit of all my other checklists and not get completed!

I started Winning Readings last July. I had recently discovered the book blogging world, and books were coming in! But I was really uncomfortable with some of them - they just weren't uplifting, and I certainly wouldn't want my daughter picking them up to read!

I looked for a list, a center, a bulletin board, of what I call family-friendly reading (mainly nonfiction, Christian fiction, and children's books). And I couldn't find anything. Surely others might want the same thing?! So Winning Readings began as an outreach of sorts.

At the time, I was a SAHM and figured I could devote 1 hour per day to this blog (by getting up at 4am). Now I'm working part-time (away from home - and full-time at home). And this blog is taking off, and I think there is huge potential for it to become so much more.

But I'm overwhelmed, and I need help! If you're interested in the mission of getting family-friendly reading into more homes, here's a sampling of what I'm looking for:

• Feedback! What do you like? What would you like more of? Less of?
• Guest Posts. I'd love to get more variety in the posting by having more writers!
• Regular Features. If you'd be interested in writing a weekly or monthly feature, there are all kinds of book-related ideas. Topical book reviews (e.g. parenting), author interviews, book lists (topical, new releases, etc.), tips on book reviews and blogging, tips on book giveaways, book blog of the month, children's book-related activities, etc., etc.
• Trolling. Do you like surfing in bloggyland? Take an hour or so a week to compile a list of family-friendly book giveaways for us to post!
• Data Entry. Do you type fast? Commit to an hour or more a week to post giveaway information.
• Design. I'm not particularly artsy, so this blog is very much Plain Jane. If you have a passion for blog organization and design and want to take this on, I'd very much love it!
• Revenue. It would be easier to justify time spent on this blog if we were making a little income to offset the expenses. If you'd like to take on the advertising function for this blog, let me know! Any income would be spread amongst Partners (defined as anyone who commits a set feature or amount of time to this blog).
• General Partner. If you want to help brainstorm and coordinate and spearhead where this blog is going, let me know!
• Blog Takeover. I'm open to the idea of someone (with a like-minded mission) taking the blog over entirely, with one caveat - that I still get to post reviews/giveaways here and include a link to my personal blog.

What do you get in exchange for helping (besides the fuzzy good feeling)?

• If you do any posting - giveaways, features, guest posts - you can link to your own blog or website. You could also put in your affiliate links if you'd like.
• If you commit to a set feature or amount of time, I'll set up a Partners section in the sidebar and include you on the list.
• Perhaps you'd like review copies of books, but don't have your own blog. By partnering here, you could use this blog to obtain books and review them.
• Currently this blog is a money drain, but if there is ever a significant amount of revenue (say $100 or more per month), we'll come up with a revenue allocation plan for all Partners.

So, if you want to help, leave a comment or shoot me an email. Thanks so much!