Recently I mentioned that I was working on a book and that I planned to take DF’s advice to provide periodic progress reports. The theory is that this will keep me from slacking.
The book’s focus, smart money hacks during tough times, is pretty familiar territory. I’ve been writing about this since January 2007 when my first post, “Surviving and thriving on $12,000 a year,” went up on MSN Money.
But “familiar” doesn’t mean “simple to achieve.” For my first writing update all I can say is, “It’s complicated.”
Websites have changed their addresses or disappeared. Businesses have switched focus, been renamed and/or sold. New providers of (whatever) have sprung up; how many should I include?
While my background info is still valuable, topics that I wrote about in the past look a lot different today. These need not just to be re-researched but also reimagined. For example, I wrote a fair amount about healthcare hacks for people without insurance. The Affordable Care Act has (ostensibly) made it possible for people to get coverage and the “healthcare ministry” is now a thing.
Yet I still need to provide as much info as possible on options like public health clinics and sources for free dental and vision exams. Ways to get cheaper eyeglasses? Check. Places that fill certain types of prescriptions for free? Yes, please! And on and on.
That said, I have nine chapters completed, a bunch more partially written and two others (the intro, navigating governmental/social services) mostly done. I put those last two down for a while after realizing that big chunks of them actually need to be moved elsewhere. Since the very idea made my head spin, I decided to focus on some of the chapters that are pretty straightforward.
Too much of a good thing?
Well, sort of straightforward. The book is aimed at three different groups:
- Those in financial trouble right now
- Those who are staring down the barrel of tough times
- Those who want to pare down expenses in order to achieve a goal
Some of the frugal hacks work for every group and some don’t, which makes for additional organizational challenges: Should I say each time “this might not be an option for Group A” or do I let readers figure it out?
In addition, I keep thinking, “This needs to be its own chapter.” DF has joked that I can’t afford to feed the ones I’ve already got. He may be right: At the moment it’s looking like 24 chapters (with occasional gusts to 25 or 26) plus maybe an afterword and definitely an appendix.
It needs a really comprehensive index, too, so people can meet their needs more easily (“help with utility payments,” say, or “saving money on pets”). But I can’t begin to write the index until I’ve got the galleys. And did I mention that I’m still tweaking the book’s subtitle?
“Trust the process,” people say. To me writing isn’t so much a process as it is a chance to get lost inside one’s own head every day. So if you don’t hear from me for a while, please send help. Chocolate would be nice, too.
TL;dr: Having a good time, when I’m not going cross-eyed with confusion or wanting to lie down with a cold cloth on my eyes.
P.S. Speaking of books, you have until 7 p.m. PDT Tuesday, May 3, to enter to win a copy of my daughter’s brand-new book, “Frugality For Depressives: Money-Saving Tips For People Who Find Life A Little Harder.” Learn more about the book and sign up at this link.
Hannah at Unplanned Finance is also giving away a copy; her promotion ends May 9.
Related reading:
- 10 things you SHOULD say to a writer
- Keeping it real online
- My first half-million
- Information wants to be free. Writers want to be paid
I absolutely cannot wait for this book. I am so excited. You may want to simply outline your main target groups while also touching on how your book can help all people by writing a really good introduction. Let the reader decide for themselves what applies and what doesn’t. Also you might want to see if you can combine things rather than having a million chapters such as healthcare hacks for the two legged and four legged family members. Using schools and certain pharmacies applies to both humans and pets. And remember you won’t get things done any better or more quickly if you force yourself. Take breaks, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed, and breathe. You got this!
Writing a book….What a great idea! Hard for me to believe it’s been 9 years since your “$12K” piece …and now you’re “famous”. One may look upon this book as your “pension”. The “Tightwad Gazette” books, basically a compilation of frugal hacks, are a main stay in any frugal person’s library and if I’m not mistaken they are still in print years after the original “news letter” was shut down. OR one could look around and try to find one on the cheap.And the family still gets request to appear on programs and to come out with new advice on frugality. Best of luck in your new endeavor!
I bought my copy of “The Tightwad Gazette II” at a yard sale. Pretty sure that Amy D. would approve.
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
I was surprised to hear you say the family gets requests to appear on programs. I would love an update on Amy and the clan, as TG was my bible in the ’90s. Do you know of any upcoming programs on which they will appear?
Donna, you are one of my favorite PF writers, if not the favorite. We’re in the same stage of life and both Jersey girls. So many of the blogs talk about student loans and credit card debt, but that just isn’t a problem for me. I don’t need a coupon for diapers, I need reinforcement to keep doing what got me here so I’m ready to navigate the empty nest and retirement. I get that here. And that is why I can’t wait to read your book!
Wow. Thanks!
Donna you’ve been a favorite of mine since I read that first article in 2007. The layout of your book isn’t nearly as important as the content. You’ve proven that the content will be useful and enjoyable to read. Your fans will figure out how they want to read it, cover to cover or topic by topic. It makes me think of the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dascyzn. When she turned her newsletters into books, it had a very loose format. That made it easier for the reader to find what really interested them at the time. I can’t wait to read what you’ve put together. Thanks for what you do.
I do want to have a good index, though (Amy did), so people can find exactly what they need. Someone without pets doesn’t care about my 20+ tips on affordable pet care, and someone who needs help cutting utility bills can go straight to that section.
I hope that people will eventually read all of it, though, because they may find stuff they never knew existed. For example, I regularly encounter people who’ve never heard of discounted gift cards; when I tell them I save 20 percent on movies and up to 12 percent on home improvement items or drugstore stuff, they’re very interested.
Thanks for your consistent support over the past nine (?!?) years.
You could send the book out to an indexer instead. OK, not as frugal, but as someone who’s written a book as well with an index, it’s a MONUMENTAL pain. There’s also indexing software.
Interesting — I didn’t know such options existed. Thanks.
I’m one of those folks who always jokes that I read the tightwad gazette later in life, after my kids were tweens. So between that and living in an inner suburb and not at a farm much never applied to me. I just took what did. Which is another way of saying that intelligent people should know what applies to them and what does not. So a forward telling folks to take what they like pr applies yo their situations and leavethe rest should be sufficient.
Your book is going to be amazing and you have the organizational skills to format your information. Come back with fresh eyes and talk to your muse/muses or maybe an Alaska moose:)
Amy D. changed my life. One of the reasons her books had such staying power is that it wasn’t just a compilation of tips. She wasn’t feeding me, she was teaching me to fish. I wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, didn’t live in a rural low-cost area, but I can fish like a mofo. I’m FIRE now, but still keep a copy of the Big Blue Book (the final compilation) handy and re-read it every February. I find the dated references amusing, but the muffin formula still works perfectly and it’s always inspiring. I confess to googling her name once in a while to check for updates. She’s still rockin’ it.
Teach ’em to fish, Donna F. Stick to your message, use your own brand of humor and writing style and it will happen.
J.D. Roth suggested that FIRE fans would be interested in these tips. I tend to agree.
(For those who haven’t encountered the acronym, it’s Financial Independence Retire Early.)
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
I found the last 12 or so issues of the Tightwad Gazette, the ones that did not make it into the books. I reread every one.
I don’t have any clue about how the discounted gift cards work either.
Short form: You buy a gift card at a discount from the secondary market and use it like cash. For example, I went to the movies today and paid 20 percent less because of the gift card. I plan to go to Walgreens this week and will pay 12.5 percent less because of the gift card.
Here’s a quick primer:
http://donnafreedman.com/2010/11/13/discounted-gift-cards-the-new-coupon/
Who is DF? You keep saying DF is a he. Sounds like a good book you’re writing. I’m also a fan of TG. I have a copy of all three books in one volume.
I’m enjoying Abby’s book so far and love her down to earth approach.
Bloggers tend to call their husbands “DH.” In my case it’s a partnership, and “DF” is short for “Dearest Friend.” The explanation can be found at:
http://donnafreedman.com/2013/02/14/midlife-love-rocks-ask-me-how-i-know/
I read this post the other day and have been thinking about it. Why not put out a smaller teaser sort of book? Sort of hit on every subject and charge less for it. And then hit’em with the big book later. That way you can test it out and get some cash in. Plus get some feed back. Probably not the greatest advise but me thinking about you counts, right?
Always! Thanks for the idea. Another person close to me suggested I do it in two shorter volumes but I’m still leaning toward giving as much as possible in one place. That way people won’t buy the first volume, find that it answers only half their questions and frustrates them the rest of the time (“I don’t have kids/pets. I don’t go to the movies. I already know how to cook frugally.”).
In other words, I’m concerned that it’ll feel like a bait-and-switch: Here’s a playbook for tough times. Oh, it didn’t cover all your issues? Here’s another one! Congratulations, you get to pay twice!
Maybe that’s my hypervigilance making the jump to hyperspace, but that’s how it feels to me.
Back to work.
So looking forward to this book!
I find many personal finance blogs frustrating or even infuriating. So many seem to be written with the assumption that there’s always discretionary spending that can be trimmed, and if tehre’s not enough money coming in, there’s always the available time/energy/ability to take on a side hustle and earn more. Basically, they’re writing for a different audience, and there’s nothing wrong with that – it’s just not my reality right now.
I need to read about boiling bags and yogurt making and frugal entertainment and building greenhouses out of found/recycled materials. You’re one of the PF bloggers who *gets it*, and Amy Daczcyn was someone who got it, and I love you for that.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with noting in the forward that not all advice will work for all people or situations and letting it stand at that. You could always note in the text if a particular bit of advice *really* won’t work or would even be counterproductive for a particular situation, but overall I’d let readers make that determination for themselves. After all, someone could take a piece of advice and add a twist you never thought of to make it work for them after all. As we say in writer’s groups, “Take what works for you and leave the rest behind.”
I wouldn’t worry too much about a greater or smaller number of chapters, so long as all the info gets in and is in a logical place. And if you leave something out…well, The Tightwad Gazette books were published in three volumes, after all…
Great idea for a book Donna. Always something to learn from the best!
Oh Donna! You had me from the moment I read your article about picking up loose change! Your common sense and writing skills seem to have filtered down to your daughter.
Picked up a penny today at Walmart! Good luck with your book.
Best wishes from Best Bun
I picked up a penny at the recycling center the other day, and found a handful of change (only half of which was Canadian specie) in the Coinstar machine a couple of weeks ago. Still makes me happy to do so.
Thanks for your kind words, and for reading the site.
I’m sure the book will be a great success and I sympathize with the pain of organization. 🙂
An idea, based on the textbooks I read last year doing my paralegal certification: 1) break down chapters into sub-parts, and summarize at the end (which you are probably already doing); 2) use marginalia to point out the target audience for specific sub-parts or sub-sub-parts.
In the textbooks, marginalia typically referred to points of law or to definitions, but there’s no reason not to use them as reader flags. And everyone is so used to multi-column presentations now (thx Internet) that I don’t think it would break the flow of the main text.
Definitely doing sub-parts. The rest is still up in the air.
I appreciate everyone’s tips and good wishes. A heartfelt collective thank-you.
Hello Donna,
I feel very positive about you and your book, up and downs come and move, so be optimistic for good time. as a financial consultant i just suggests you to take care of Loans and funds, this will help you get back on track.
Thanks
Bruce Mesnekoff
I read that first article of yours as soon as it was published and immediately recommended it to a large group online. I was very much impressed then and remain so.
This sounds so awesome. It’s absolutely a book that will sell, given the right promotion.
As soon as you finish this (heh heh!), it’s on to the autobiography!
Ah, promotion…As you know, that’s the ticklish part.
Can’t believe it’s been 9 years since that column that put your name on the board. I’ve been with you ever since (though I don’t comment often), taking what worked for me and cheering you on through all of the joys you’ve known since those early challenging days. I too am excited to know that you’re putting out a book. ‘Tho I’ve recommended your blog to *many* people through the years, all of the young adults in my life will need a hard copy of this book in their hands. Even if some of them roll their eyes right now, I know they’ll be digging it out sometime later for a second look!
Can’t believe it’s been 9 years since that column that put your name on the board. I’ve been with you ever since (though I don’t comment often), taking what worked for me and cheering you on through all of the joys you’ve known since those early challenging days. I too am excited to know that you’re putting out a book. ‘Tho I’ve recommended your blog to *many* people through the years, all of the young adults in my life will need a hard copy of this book in their hands. Even if some of them roll their eyes right now, I know they’ll be digging it out sometime later for a second look!
Thanks for your kind words. I always appreciate it when someone comes out of lurk-dom — and of course it never hurts when people de-lurk to say nice things.
About the book: I’ll be giving away a few copies when it’s finished, so stay tuned.
Donna,
I’ve been a long time fan of yours and am beyond excited that you are writing a book detailing how to thrive in challenging times (or at least not lose all hope until one is on a firmer financial foundation). I’ll be one of the first in line to buy it!
Thanks, Suzanne. I appreciate it.