I have recently tried to share some of the things I have learned from living on a small income and my thoughts on living a frugal life. My hubby thinks I should turn it into a book. Please read back over my frugality posts (start with #1) and let me know your impressions. Have I missed anything? Do you have any stories/experiences that could help illlustrate one of my points? Where do I need more "statistics" or "expert opinions"? Etc.
Thank you in advance for your feedback. (and thank you to those who've already been giving feedback as I was writing and first posting.)
I've enjoyed your series. Are you thinking national market or local market as far as publishing goes? I have some ideas for you when you're ready to submit a manuscript. I edit for Segullah and I follow a bunch of publishing blogs, so although I haven't published a book I feel like I'm as familiar with the process as someone who's never done it could be ;-). Let me know if you want me to pontificate further--I have a lot to say about it but I don't want to go on and on.
ReplyDeleteI will say that one thing that I always tell people who want to write for Segullah is to read Segullah (we get a lot of submissions from people who haven't spent a lot of time reading it), so the corollary to that here would be for you to find every frugality book and blog you can, read them, analyze what you like and don't like, and then figure out how you are going to make your book and your advice both follow the best elements and stand out from a crowd.
Good luck with it!
Thanks Hna! I will definitely pick your brain if and when I decide to take this to the next level. Although my husband thinks this could make a good book, I'm not as sure about it... so I guess that's what blogging it was meant to accomplish - help me see if I have enough to make a book and see if anyone would want to read it anyway. I'll definitely look into some other books and blogs. I'm curious now to see how others have approached the subject.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your husband. I think you've got a great basis/start to writing a book. I have, out of necessity, been living the "frugal" lifestyle for the past ten years, but reading your posts have really given me a lot to think about and try to implement differently. I would love to be an editor if you get to that point (or could help if you need more examples or stories....). Call me nerdy but I really enjoy that kind of thing. :)
ReplyDeleteDo you have a copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn? Therein may be found several essays with regard to the art and science of frugality. Definitely worth reading, even if some of the specific advice is now dated.
ReplyDeleteOne thing Dacyczyn points out on multiple occasions is that the frugal mindset, when approached in the right spirit, is not one of drudgery and getting by. It's more like playing a game, where every time you make something from nothing, find a way to make the most out of the resources you have, discover a great secondhand score, etc., you feel as though you've won. There's a sense of playfulness and fulfillment in much of her discussions about tightwadding.
Today I have a new short-sleeved shirt. It looks remarkably similar to my old long-sleeved shirt, which I loved but accidentally ruined by spilling dishwasher detergent on the end of the sleeve a few weeks ago. Today I found a tutorial online, followed its advice and with a few snips and lines of sewing I was able to salvage the shirt. (Yes, it is my own version of Joseph's Little Overcoat.) I wasn't compelled to do this out of necessity; I could have gone out and bought another shirt if I really wanted to. But there's a certain pride and a sense of creative accomplishment in making something useful out of an item that otherwise would have had to be discarded. I like that feeling. And I think any modern discussion of frugality would have to include that aspect of the quest for provident living: the sense of fun.
I don't know if there's enough to write a book about, but I'd buy it. Frugality is something I struggle with and having the concept broken down in applicable ways is fabulous. Good luck!
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