50 Books for 2014

I’m on a mission to help bloggers create 50 books in 2014.

Why?

When I self-published last spring I had a reason to write (and finish) a book – the launch of the Debt Movement. Without that deadline the Debt Heroes book wouldn’t exist.

During the process I met amazing people, learned a ton, and like to think we helped a lot of readers. Being part of a movement was a great experience so I’m starting another movement, to help bloggers share their experience and stories via self-published books.

I get a kick of out creating things, like books and software, and this mission involves both.  First we’ll talk about the books and then about the software.

Why Self-Publish?

If you’re a blogger you’re already familiar with the power of self-publishing. You exercise it every time you hit the Publish button in WordPress.

The great thing about blogging is you can get ideas, stories, and tips out into the wild a little at a time. You don’t have to wait until it’s all packaged and perfect to publish.

Creating a book helps you look back at what you’ve shared and focus in on your most useful content and lets you delve deeper and share more in your areas of expertise.

I think if you ask bloggers who have already put out books you’d find that putting together a book helps bring clarity for both you and your readers about your message and what you’re trying to accomplish.

It helps you focus and refine your direction and gives you more purpose.  There’s no doubt that self-publishing a book is a project that takes time so you want to do it well and create a quality product.

The end result is worth the time and money you spend because getting it on Amazon and other marketplaces lets you reach people who you wouldn’t have otherwise and it can help open doors for you and your site.

What Kind of Books are we Creating?

That’s up to you.  I’m sure there will be some of these and more:

• Manifestos
• Collaborations
• Ultimate resource (the best of your blog)
• Workbooks
• How-to books
• Lessons learned
• Tips and hacks

How to Reach 50 Books?

How will we create 50 books?  One book at a time : )  I have a schedule in mind but there’s no question it’s a daunting challenge. That’s the great thing about a challenge; it forces you to find solutions.

I do have an ace up my sleeve though, something I’ve been working on for a while now called the Virtual Book Coach.

After being laid off last spring I took a few weeks and built the prototype of the Virtual Book coach.

Since then I’ve been gathering feedback and building its core pieces and now it’s ready for the first group of users.  It walks you through the steps of self-publishing, connects you with the resources you need to get your book out on Amazon, and helps you spread the word about your book once it’s ready.

So if you want to be one of the first few to get your book started head over and check out the early access offer I’m running for the Virtual Book Coach.

Happy New Year!

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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