I know I’ve been quiet for much of the year, but that’s because I’ve been heads down working on a book idea!
It’s been a “long and winding road” navigating the book process, but I’m really excited to share that Wiley will be publishing my book, to be released in late 2019/early 2020!
What’s the Book About?
I’ve been describing the book as part personal finance book and part career guide, providing advice on work, money, and happiness in a holistic manner. The goal of the book is to help readers find the right career path and determine their desired lifestyle, while teaching them the financial strategies they’ll need to make that path a reality (Translation: teaching readers how to find what they want from work and life, and how to fund it).
Why Do You Want to Write About That?
Work and money are topics I’ve tried to make sense of for a long time, and often, through reading personal finance and career books. I’ve gradually come to better understand the connection between work, money, and happiness in my own life through a great deal of self-reflection, experimentation, and continual iteration. I only wish that I had this perspective and context earlier in my life.
Looking back on my journey, one thing that struck me was that many personal finance and career books often cover their topics in isolation even though these topics inherently impact one another, as well as other areas of our lives. Viewing these topics as separate decisions can make it difficult to fully connect the dots in our lives and properly align how we spend our time and money with what we value.
Because of the benefits I’ve gained from viewing work and money decisions more holistically, I wanted to write a book that provided readers with actionable advice across these topics, so they could not only learn how to find work they like, but also how to make that path financially feasible.
What Will The Book be Called?
The tentative title is Life Laid Out, and the subtitle is to be determined. Both the title and subtitle are not final, so if you have any ideas or would like to brainstorm, your help is welcome!
Why’d It Take You All Year to Get a Book Deal?
The process of getting a non-fiction book published by a traditional publisher starts with developing a book proposal, which is essentially a 40-60 page business plan outlining what your book is about, why people would want to read it, and why you’re the right person to write and promote this book.
Before I could even write the book proposal, I spent a great deal of time reading and figuring out what books were already in the marketplace, what was potentially missing, and what unique perspective I could bring to the table.
Once the book proposal was complete, that was used to attract a literary agent (through a process called “querying”), who then reached out to publishing houses on my behalf to secure a book deal (a process known as “being on submission”).
How Can I Help?
Content:
For the next six months, I’ll be focused on writing the book. While I have a chapter outline and a couple of chapters written already, I’m aiming to finish a complete first draft by the end of January. At that point, I’ll have a better idea of how all the content will fit together, and where it may be interesting to highlight case studies or examples from others.
In the meantime, if you know people that you think may be interesting to highlight (e.g., they made an interesting career pivot, whether a drastic or subtle change) or may have compelling advice around personal finance, careers, or happiness (e.g., career coaches, life coaches, psychologists, financial life planners), please pass those names to me.
Marketing:
While the next couple of months will mainly be focused on getting out a good first draft, I am always thinking about marketing and open to any ideas you may have.
As part of the book launch, I’ll be putting together a speaking tour, so if you think your company, organization, or social club may be interested in hearing a talk around work and/or money topics, let’s chat!
I’ll also be looking to appear on podcasts and working to get publicity through TV, radio, and articles. If you have recommendations on who I should connect with on this front, please send those ideas along.