One World, One Book, One Heck Of A Difference

Offical Blog Of The Book Project

• Every other year...

  After much thought, I am changing the Free Book process to an every-other-year thing instead of an every-year thing. I now realize that doing a free book every year is a far more ambitious undertaking than I ever imagined it would be -- for some reason the customers who have me under contract want me to deliver THEIR books first (and they won't pay me until I do)! So...I am going to focus the next six months on finishing up my Free Book with Jenny Ford, then I'll turn my attention to setting up the selection process for my 2010 Free Book. Keep an eye on this space for further announcements about the NEXT Free Book, and progress on the current one.

• Jenny Ford Press Release

  Canberra Girl, 12, To Be Featured In Book Alongside Famous Young Entrepreneurs Like Ben Casnocha! Canberra Girl, 12, Wins Global Recognition And Will Be Featured In An Upcoming Book About Young Entrepreneurs Kids Money Book To Help Break The Cycle Of Poverty By Raising Funds For Microloans.PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 03, 2008 – 12-year-old Rhiannon Leetham, of Canberra, has been recognised for her excellent entry in a global video competition for young entrepreneurs. Not only has Rhiannon started her own business, her video about the business has been publicised as a high-quality entry into the Cash-Smart Kids YouTube Video Competition. The video can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/v/zoEdSUHV9Tg Rhiannons website may be seen at http://thatpsychicgirl.com/ The global competition has been launched by Australian financial educator and mother of three, Jenny Ford, to find two young entrepreneurs to feature in her new book. Creator of the award-winning Cash-Smart Kids program, recently voted “Web Site Most Likely To Change The World”, Ford says the winners of this competition will have a myriad of opportunities. “This book will be released globally by a major publisher,” she says. “The two winners of this competition will be profiled alongside famous young entrepreneurs like Ben Casnocha.” Casnocha launched a software business at the age of thirteen which went on to become a Silicon Valley success story. He is now a full-time college student, but maintains what he calls “a light hand” in the ongoing operations at Comcate. “My generation, in order to compete in the future with increased global competition, we need to be thinking creatively and entrepreneurially,” says Casnocha “It's no longer enough just to get a safe corporate job. At a young age, people are going to have to be creating businesses or thinking creatively about their careers.” “The publicity from a presence in this book will open many doors,” says Ford. “Even just putting in a good entry will result in priceless exposure and contacts for any young entrepreneur.” The book will help parents to teach their kids about money – saving, investing, and business. The two winners will be profiled in the book, and runners up will be mentioned, with their web site address, if they have one. Other entrants also benefit from exposure during the competition, as does 12-year-old Rhiannon Leetham, of Canberra, whose video can be seen at the Raising Entrepreneurs blog - http://raisingentrepreneurs.org/blog/2008/04/21/cash-sma ... Rhiannon and her brother, Morgan, are participants in the Cash-Smart Kids program, which they pay for with money they earn for themselves through their business activities. San Diego based business writer Peter Economy will co-author the book, and all proceeds will be donated to microfinance charity, ACCION. By simply registering your email address at www.raisingentrepreneurs.org, you can help Peter and Jenny to leverage the best possible deal from a publisher, and increase the dollars that flow to the charity. The more people have registered interest, the bigger percentage the publisher will be willing to give away. Register now, before reading on … About The 2008 Charity Book Project After a distinguished writing career, authoring dozens of books, including more than 10 of the world-famous “For Dummies” series, Peter Economy decided it was time to give something back. Starting in 2008, he would co-author a book a year, and donate the proceeds to the charity of his co-author’s choice. “I promise to write one book each year -- for free -- until I can no longer write,” he says. “I'm 51 years old right now, so I think I've got at least 30 free books in me. Maybe more.” A worldwide search commenced in August 2007, to find Peter’s first co-author. Dozens of illustrious applicants from many different nations were winnowed down to 12 finalists, and a selection panel of three distinguished American citizens chose the winner, Jenny Ford, a financial educator from Australia. The 2008 Charity Book will help parents to teach their kids about money and business. Raising levels of financial literacy is now a focus of government programmes in countries including Australia, Japan, the United States and the UK. The OECD started an inter-governmental project in 2003 with the objective of providing ways to improve financial education and literacy standards. The 2008 Charity Book Project aims to educate families in the wealthy nations, and empower microbusinesses in the developing nations, at the same time. About Microfinance Millions of people are trapped in poverty – without jobs, and without the resources to start or expand their own businesses. They struggle from day to day, trying to scrape together food for their families. Often, as little as $50 would enable them to create a thriving business, one which would provide for their needs, and even allow them to gradually pay back the $50, so it could be loaned to someone else. It’s called microfinance, or microlending, and it’s a growing trend in empowerment, rather than traditional charity with its risk of creating ongoing dependence. At the launch of the International Year of Microcredit in 2005, Kofi Annan, then Secretary General of the United Nations, said, "Let us be clear: microfinance is not charity. It is a way to extend the same rights and services to low-income households that are available to everyone else. It is recognition that poor people are the solution, not the problem. It is a way to build on their ideas, energy, and vision. It is a way to grow productive enterprises, and so allow communities to prosper." About Peter Economy Peter Economy was a featured expert for the AllBusiness.com small business Web site, and he was selected by Time magazine to be its staff management expert for the TIME Vista Boardroom website (along with such business luminaries as reengineering expert Michael Hammer, marketing gurus Michael Treacy and Jack Trout, and others), where he fielded hundreds of questions from managers all around the world (and a few who appeared to be from some other planet altogether!). He has also done live online chats as a management expert for America Online, iVillage.com, Inc.com, Costco.com, and TalkCity.com. Peter has written more than 35 books, including Managing for Dummies, which has been translated into more than 17 languages. About Jenny Ford Jenny Ford is an expert in educating children about business and wealth creation. She is one of the founders of the award-winning financial education site www.Cash-Smart-Kids.com, and her blog can be seen at www.RaisingEntrepreneurs.org. She holds an Honours degree in Psychology, a Diploma in Training and Assessment Systems, and an Advanced Diploma in Business Management. She is the mother of three young entrepreneurs, all of whom started successful businesses when they were nine to twelve years old. About ACCION ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need – microenterprise loans, business training and other financial services – to work their way out of poverty. A world pioneer in microfinance, ACCION was founded in 1961 and issued its first microloan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCION International’s partner microfinance institutions today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and women entrepreneurs in 25 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and in the United States. The 2008 Charity Book Project will aid microfinance charity, ACCION. Co-authors Peter Economy and Jenny Ford are donating their time to write and produce a book for parents who want their kids to grow up financially secure. Register your support now at Raising Entrepreneurs. No donations required – just your email address! Contacts: Charly Leetham +61.411 573 983 charly@aest.biz Jenny Ford +61 410 520 635 jenny@cash-smart-kids.com Peter Economy +1 1 619 556 5554 bizzwriter@gmail.com # # # Rhiannon Leetham is a young woman who is interested in and studying to enhance her own psychic abilities. Rhiannon is working with a Home Study Course, editing a blog and writing an EBook about Learning To Be Psychic. She is interested in all things to do with the meta physical world. http://thatpsychicgirl.com

• Jenny Ford Project...

  We're motoring along on our current project, making good progress. Looks like we will complete the manuscript first, then seek a publisher. Jenny's been great to work with -- she's really got a lot of great stuff going on in the young entrepreneurship space.

• Interviews...

  Last week I was interviewed about the Free Book Project by a reporter for The Costco Connection magazine, which goes out to more than 6 million people each month. I'm hoping that if they run an article, that it runs before the end of the year so word gets out in time for my 2009 book. Also, I was at Book Expo America -- the annual trade show for publishers -- on May 30, and was interviewed for John Wiley & Sons on the topic of getting published. If you're interested, you can find the audio of the interview right here.

• Start thinking about your ideas for 2009...

  Just a quick note to remind you to start thinking about your ideas for my 2009 Free Book. Jenny and I are motoring along on her book Raising Cash-Smart Kids, and the plan is to have the manuscript completed by the end of this year. I'll post directions for submitting your book ideas on September 1, 2008. Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer!

2008 Charity Book Project In The News