SQ: Robert, thank you very much for this opportunity to learn about your book! You have said it “helps bridge the financial services gap and helps displaced Middle Americans take control of their financial lives.” What separates this book from other financial books today?

RL: My book won’t bog you down in everything under the financial sun from credit card debt, to mutual funds, and estate planning. It’s a steppingstone for people who want to build a positive financial track to run on, and wish to do so in a way that allows the things that are important to them to stay important. The book allows the reader to escape the confines of traditional budgeting and, through the use of their own, personal experiences discover a simple and easy to understand financial rebirth. The book drives the reader toward a “Statement of Change” not a budget or spending plan. There’s no financial guesswork or boring spreadsheets. Readers are never asked how much they make or spend. No math is necessary.

SQ: What is the book’s basic message?

RL: Good money management skills and true financial success can only be established by making financial decisions based upon what you personally value and find important in life. Financial success and good money management are not so much elusive goals or mysterious traits as much as they are cumulative combinations of patient and persistent daily observations which can be learned, practiced, and built upon. 

SQ: How logical! So this book helps readers live better lives based on their own life and financial values. What do you anticipate overall reader reaction to be?

RL: I anticipate that many readers, for the first time, will be able to bring together their personal values and past financial experiences and unite them with specific daily actions reflecting the way they experience life. The idea is to allow the reader to establish a comfortable financial foundation by answering a series of questions challenging their financial beliefs and helping them to make changes.

SQ: How long did it take you to write this book and did you hire an editor?

RL: Financial Karma took a little less than a year to write; thanks, in part, to my editor Tim Drexler and esteemed colleague Mike Ebel. Tim never attempted to change my writing style yet regularly challenged me by asking simple questions that helped focus and clarify my writing. Mike Ebel’s ability to identify with the needs of the non-financial reader really helped me fine-tune the simple, comfortable approach characterising my book. 

SQ: At this point I want to thank you for sending me your book and agree and was easy – and quite fun – to read! May I ask what requirements / credentials were necessary to be published by Spiritis Publishing? 

RL: Spiritis Publishing’s primary requirement lies in what the company stands for. The word Spiritis is the Latin root for the word Spirit, which means, “to give life to”. And that’s exactly what my goal was with Financial Karma – to inject new life, a breath of fresh air, into people’s financial worlds. 

SQ: The book does accomplish this. Is there a chance you would be willing to share a writing sample from the book, one you feel best exemplifies the book’s overall premise?

RL: I’d be happy to. In addition to this excerpt, interested readers can view the entire first chapter on my website at www.financialkarma.com 

“…If you come away from my book understanding just one fundamental of Financial Karma, I hope it’s a belief that you have the ability to manage your own financial destiny. Don’t expect, or wait for, outside forces like luck or fate to change your life. Believe that control resides within you and that financial karma offers you a freedom to embrace or reject the opportunities life is offering to you. Doubts paralyse us, fears can blind our eyes and silence our ears, and once a person stops learning about their world and themselves, they invite failure, misery, and poverty to settle in permanently. Each of us must learn to overcome the uncertainty and apprehension we have with our money and commit to developing strategies that will allow us to function more comfortably in our own, unique financial worlds … Getting your financial karma in order begins with one simple, yet fundamental act: You must learn to respect and to correctly manage the money you have, and are earning, right now!” 

SQ: Thanks so much for sharing that excerpt. Have you been actively marketing the book?

RL: Definitely! I am creating awareness through press releases, my website, local book stores, seminars, and, of course, word of mouth.

SQ: Which marketing techniques do you feel work best?

RL: Seminars and people telling other people about their positive experience with the book. In this day and age there is nothing more valuable than an honest opinion and that’s what I ask all my readers to share. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you’ve read my book and you’re unhappy with it, send it back and you’ll get a full refund!

SQ: That’s very fair and attests to the quality and success of your book. How do you support yourself financially while writing?

RL: I manage a financial planning department for a large membership-based organisation that serves the entire state of Michigan. 

SQ: Do you have other publications in the works? If so, please share descriptions!

RL: I am working on three additional projects. The first is a “next step” in my series of financial steppingstone books designed to help the average American transition from a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle into a foundation for financial success. The second is a new marketing program for professional financial advisors that addresses the doubts and misgivings of sceptical consumers. My final project that I am working on is my pride and joy. It’s what I call a platform book that will help parents talk to their children about the concepts and characteristics of success and money. 

SQ: There should be a great need for these books as they build upon / complement one another and address the needs of succeeding financial situations. Is there an author that influences your writing? If so, who?

RL: There are a number of great authors that I admire, probably too many to list. Somewhere between high school and the end of college I discovered an important piece of wisdom, “reading is the key to being what you want to be.” So I try to read anywhere between fifteen to thirty books per year and in the process usually find an author or two that inspires me. 

SQ: Would you consider yourself a successful author / writer? Why or why not? 

RL: Yes I do, but more than anything else I think of myself as fortunate. Writing a book that has the potential to change and improve people’s personal as well as financial lives was a primary goal in my life. I am grateful to have accomplished it thanks to the support of my family, friends, and colleagues. 

SQ: What advice can you give aspiring authors regarding the publishing process?

RL: Be patient and stay focused. It’s easy to get caught up in all the “other” things that come with writing a book like marketing and promotion. But without the primary component – the book – you don’t have anything. Visit your local library, surf the web, and talk to other authors. There is more than enough information out there to make you a successful author. Be patient with yourself and take daily, small steps. 

SQ: Is there any information / websites you would like to add to this interview? 

RL: Sure. I would encourage interested readers to visit www.financialkarma.com to find out more about my book and myself. I conduct workshops as well as individual consultations for people and organisations that are looking to take their financial lives to a deeper level. Many people find themselves in the unique situation of being in-between the need for a financial advisor or the services of a credit counsellor and they are looking for affordable, professional advice. This is the financial services gap I help bridge.

SQ: Thank you Robert, for sharing your superb book with firstwriter.com!

RL: It was my pleasure. Thank you for making the interview process comfortable. I hope we have the opportunity to work together again in the near future.