Comments on: The Simple Dollar Book 2: Electric Boogaloo

By: Rob in Madrid

Rob in Madrid — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:03:07 +0000

I would add as well that 320 pages is still too long unless its a technical (tax and investment laws) book and than it will be out of date quickly. Best book I read was “The four Laws of Debt Free Prosperity” 100 pages and read like like a story. Something along that lines I think would really work. Particularly with emphasis on all the tricks of the trade you learned on how to live frugally and enjoy it. In other words timeless ideas. Your a gifted writer (even if you do post too much) and I’m sure a book along those lines would be enjoyable to read.

By: Stephan F-

Stephan F- — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:59:07 +0000

Opportunity has knocked on your door.

Open It.

You are already a writer, given that you have this blog. A publisher has come to you, that is a great gift. Most authors have to do it the hard way, you’ve been given a great gift, go for it.

That said your big job now is not to write the book but to learn how to market it and make it a bestseller. Being able to say you are a bestselling author will do amazing things to your life. Sadly, most publishers won’t do a good job marketing your book, so you better learn and do it yourself.

You may think this is a change in you life’s direction, but it may well be worth it.

By: David

David — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:24:13 +0000

If a legitimate publisher contacted you (i.e. the last title wasn’t “How to Invest in Nigerian 409″), go for it! I tend to like this idea better than the last, because the focus is a bit narrower, with fewer pages. 300 pages is nice and informative without being too unwieldy. If you have a personal goal to be published, and the door is open for that, then by all means pursue it! I may or may not buy it right away, depending on other books on my to-buy list, but there are thousands of people out there it may help tremendously. Don’t pass up an open opportunity. :)

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:19:23 +0000

Not to beat a dead horse here, but I agree with the others…DO IT! As others have mentioned, The Simple Dollar readers are not going to be the target audience for your book, so asking whether or not we would buy it or not is irrelevant. I think there are millions of people out there struggling financially that don’t read your blog that might buy it though.

Good luck!
Ryan

By: glblguy

glblguy — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:09:12 +0000

Go for it Trent, I probably wouldn’t buy it because I’ve read all of your great content, but I would suspect many other non-blog readers would. Worst case, it’s great visibility for your blog and for yourself.

- Larry
http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com – A Christian focused personal finance blog

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:15:50 +0000

I would not personally buy it for myself, since I can get all this information on your website and I enjoy seeing it in small daily doses. However I might buy it as a gift for a friend or know of others who might want to buy it. I say write it.

By: Elden

Elden — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 15:35:47 +0000

I remember you saying that Bill Simmons on Espn.com was one or your favorite writers. He wrote a book after he had already told about his life online. It wasn’t a best seller, but he found a niche in the book world and was successful. Go for it.

By: eh?

eh? — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:17:48 +0000

I would purchase it.

By: David

David — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:05:31 +0000

Definitely do the book!

You’re a writer, it’s what you want to do, you have always wanted to write a book, you have someone asking you to do it (rather than you having to beg someone to publish it), thus it must be the right time. Carpe Diem!

You can do it, it will be fantastic, the subject matter will make it fairly easy, and it might even put you on a book tour circuit so that you can meet folk like Stephen Colbert if you have a good enough publisher/publicist.

You have the talent, you have the means, you have the backing, this will put you firmly on the road to being a bona fide book author, etc. The list goes on.

Personally, I wouldn’t buy it simply because I have enough financial books and already have access to some of the material here for free. But that’s not the point. Your audience for this book isn’t the one or two thousand people that read this blog – it’s the millions who haven’t. Stop asking the blog readers about books – they’ll always tell you they won’t buy it because they’re blog readers. You’re asking the wrong people.

So, if after reading this you still aren’t sure about whether or not to do it, then please invest $11.20 into your future career and get the book “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz. Take a single morning to read through it, and then seize your day – it’s yours for the taking right now!

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:22:54 +0000

I think writing the book is a great idea! I would definately buy it. I am always looking for new ideas to better myself and my finances.

By: Louise

Louise — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 05:08:08 +0000

I did not read any of the comments; I’m just offering my thoughts to the pile for Trent to sort through. It’s his book, after all.

I would not buy it for myself. I think it sounds like a great introduction to The Simple Dollar and not so much a supplement for current readers. I would seriously consider buying the book for other people. Blogs are just not everyone’s cup of tea and this would be a lot of great information in a more familiar format for many people. ACtually the more I think about this the better it sounds for you. This is not at all an exhaustive personal finance book. This is an introduction to your methods and why you do the things you do. It’s a story that everyone can learn from – a wide audience. And if it does well, I’m sure you have a ton of ideas for a second book.

By: ERB

ERB — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 04:33:33 +0000

The concept of a book about your meltdown would be a fresh approach to the personal finance topic. I find your posts discussing your personal experiences and family to be both interesting and relevant. I would suggest that including your family financial history, and the lessons you learned growing up, should make a part of the book. Include real detailed info about exactly how you got into trouble and exactly how you got out. Include real details of how relationships with family and friends are affected by finances, the more detailed the better. Because this type of thing is what the average person is grappling with, not whether or not they should contribute more to a 401K. The average person makes financial decisions because of non-financial factors. They buy a house in a certain neighborhood because they are trying to satisfy a spouse. They buy a certain car to project an image of success. They are loyal to a brand of ketchup because it was the kind mother bought. They spend too much money on an evening out because of boredom or loneliness. They spend too much money on gifts because they want to be liked. They dress the way their friends do so they can fit in. Yes, even mature adults can be swayed by a peer group. Well, it would be refreshing to hear one person’s story about exactly what led up to certain decisions, exactly what words were said in certain conversations, exactly what dollars and cents were involved, and exactly how emotions were handled. It would be even more useful if you include info about others you know, whose situations might be slightly different or very different from yours, and how their experiences differed from yours. You could always change a person’s name to protect the identity. Are there any seniors you know who have experienced meltdown? Single people without family to fall back on? People with health issues? People who have been downsized? The core of the book could be your own story, but if you could disguise the identities of others and include instructive stories, that would be relevant to a wider group of people. I love hearing your story, and I would probably consider buying a paperback. But I would love to also learn of others in a wider variety of situations. In your own circle of family and acquaintances, you probably have a wealth of stories to tell. I am not interested in what Donald Trump is planning to do. But I would be fascinated to find out how an ordinary person with an ordinary income is surviving and coping with debt, meltdown, and recovery.

By: Corinne

Corinne — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:25:24 +0000

Fairly new to your blog, so I hadn’t read the Financial Armageddon series until about 5 minutes ago. Your story is definitely one that people need to hear. I think there’s a HUGE number of people walking around that were never taught how to handle money in a way that they weren’t constantly “chasing checks”, as a friend of mine calls it.

PR tip: if you’re not already familiar with Stephen Snyder’s Life After Bankruptcy program, I highly recommend you look into it. His seminars are PACKED with people that are hungry for information on how to fix their debt issues. You’d have a ready-made audience for your book.

By: Kim Bentz

Kim Bentz — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:53:22 +0000

Go for it. I would probably buy it, but then books are an indulgence I don’t believe in foregoing. I will do without a lot of other things before I will go without books. I disagree with what some of your readers say. There are probably many people who are reading your material and are just beginning or struggling through the process.

I believe it was you that talked about the choices we make. Those folks who are too frugal to buy a book or don’t care to own them will go to the library or second-hand store. For others it would be a gift to ourselves or others.

In any case, don’t let your decision be based on what your blog audience does or does not say. Follow your heart, listen to your gut. Don’t let your blog readers be an excuse not to buckle down and get writing. Will you listen if people say your ideas on frugality and money management are silly? Or if they criticise or make fun of the way you live? Why then should you listen to the naysayers? There will always be those people who don’t think you should do what you want!

By: Zian

Zian — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:55:34 +0000

I generally stick to checking books out from libraries but I would certainly lobby at least 2-5 local libraries to purchase copies.

By: Tori

Tori — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 19:54:37 +0000

I think a memoir based on your experiences would be the most resounding with U.S. readers. I think the nation is hungry for a tale of people who tamed the Debtosaurus before it was too late.

My only caveat would be to keep it under 250 pages. Pull out the big guns for the 31 days to fix your finances book.

Would I buy it? Of course I would. Best of luck with your move!

Good luck with the move.

By: Mardee

Mardee — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 19:14:17 +0000

I think everyone has a good point about your blog audience not being your target audience. I would probably (almost assuredly) read it, but would get it at the library rather than buy it. That’s not just your book, though – I only buy books after I’ve read them at least once to see if it’s something I’d like to keep on hand.

However, it sounds like a great opportunity for you and I would certainly delve further into it.

By: Firebyrd

Firebyrd — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 19:10:16 +0000

Go for it and don’t listen to Tordr. You definitely want to get an agent to make sure that you’re getting a good contract, but you do NOT give up your copyright to the text. That remains yours. You give the publisher the right, usually an exclusive right, for publishing for a certain amount of time. Usually they keep them as long as they keep the book in print.

I’m not sure if I would read it or not. I probably would consider getting it from the library. The financial books I’ve read, or rather tried to read in the past just haven’t been applicable. They talk about things like “perhaps you should stop expensive hobbies like hang-gliding” when what debt I have is because of necessities. Gotta eat, gotta get the car fixed or my husband loses his jobs, etc, etc.

Good luck!

By: Sasha

Sasha — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:50:07 +0000

I truly do think that a book would be a good idea. I am an 18 year old college student, and am trying to learn more about many of the things that you tend to cover in your blog. When at a business convention in Chicago just a few weeks ago, some other business students and I were scanning the personal finance and investment books available at Borders, and YOU were mentioned many times, with nearly everyone saying that if you were to write a book, they would buy it. So our vote is YES!

By: Christine

Christine — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:41:14 +0000

Troy,
I wouln’t buy it, a you have taught me, I would eithr get it through paperback swap or the library :-)

Seriously, go for it. You won’t know until you try, it has been a dream of yours and what is the worst that can happen?