The Secret of Freedom and Wealth

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Find more ways to make money overseas in International Living Postcards —your daily escape

Dear International Living Reader,

About 35 years ago, I was broke and in debt. In a state of total desperation, I began searching for a way out of the rat race...looking for financial independence, fulfillment, and fun. I feared deep down that what I wanted was impossible. Nevertheless, I searched high and low, all over the world. Yet surprisingly, I found the best opportunity was in my own backyard, as well as practically everywhere else: self-publishing.

This required very little money, could grow as fast as I required, offered freedom and enjoyment, and allowed me to live wherever I chose.

You just need to know seven secrets to tap into this system of everlasting wealth.

These seven secrets are so powerful, they can help you earn millions on a full- or part-time basis, and allow you to have more fun and enjoyment at the same time.

The quest that led to these secrets began by observing exceedingly rich people. “How do they make and keep their wealth?” was my leading question. Most millionaires make their money in business. So this quest refocused on looking at small businesses with rich owners. This is where I stumbled upon the seven secrets that have brought my wife Merri and me such wealth...in money, but even more so in satisfaction and lifestyle.

How rich? The secrets have brought me millions in the bank and a 252-acre farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains where we live in the summer. In the winter, we enjoy sunny Ecuador, either at our 800-acre hacienda, our colonial inn, in a small village, or at our house sitting on a mountaintop.

We enjoy our colonial hotel in this tiny Andean village that lies between two huge (inactive) volcanoes. This is the village square, a perfect place to meet our friends who come from around the world to visit in this courtyard...all because of self-publishing!

We also own condos—not just units, entire buildings—in Ecuador, and have numerous other properties…and not a penny of debt. No mortgages, no loans outstanding, no partners...just land, buildings, stock, bonds, and cash. The money, though, is the least important part of what we have to share. The freedom, the satisfaction, happy family, fun, fulfillment, and ability to serve others are what count. To top it all off, even in our 60s, when others only hope to retire, we can, without a thought of the financial consequences.

Yet we would not even consider retiring. We are still very active, healthy, and enjoying a really good life...because we are having so much fun. We have helped thousands of readers over the years enjoy this type of income and freedom. Helping others is perhaps the best benefit of the self-publishing system.

Here is the first of seven secrets in this system of self-publishing that can bring everlasting wealth:

Self-publishing Secret No. 1: What you write must enjoy the “multiple effect.”

A product, once created, should produce profits again and again, almost on a never-ending basis...without a great deal of additional work on your part. Each of your efforts in this way should add to a long-term stream of income.

Three of the wealthiest women in the world are perfect examples of this principle:

• Meg Whitman helped create an auction program at eBay. The program was set, and now it earns millions again and again, day in and day out
• J.K. Rowling is another perfect example. She had to write each Harry Potter book only once, and then let the sales and royalties keep pouring in
• Once Oprah Winfrey writes an article or tapes a TV show, it is reproduced, syndicated, or reprinted, and each time it runs, she adds to her wealth through no extra effort.

I used the multiple effect in a much smaller, but highly successful way, by self-publishing when I spotted a huge trend 35 years ago that almost everyone else ignored: the falling U.S. dollar. Being a habitual traveler and having lived all over the world, I saw that the greenback was always headed down. I started publishing information about this fact. I wrote and self-published a report about this. The report had one simple message: “The dollar is headed south. Invest in other currencies.” This report has been selling for decades…each copy earning me a nice fat chunk of cash even though no real extra effort has been required on my part. The profits for this have been hugely enhanced because I have also been able to sell the report myself. I earn in three ways...as the author, the marketer, and the publisher!

Many successful writers are also self-publishers. They have at least one small business where they hire themselves as their own best client. After all, if we can sell products and services for others, why not for ourselves? Not all of us will become billionaires, but many of us can become multimillionaires by following these seven self-publishing secrets, especially when we take advantage of the multiple effect through self-publishing.

To learn about these seven self-publishing secrets, go here.

Gary Scott
For International Living

Read related IL Postcards:

- Become a Published Travel Writer in Less Than 3 Months

- Weak Dollar, Strong Real Estate Opportunities

- Your Passport to a New Life Overseas