The classic personal finance book Your Money or Your Life was recently reissued. It has a timeless appeal to those who are drawn to values-based work (such as in the non-profit sector) and who want to structure their financial lives to make it possible. When the authors released the new edition, they wanted to walk their talk by creating a book publicity website and blog on a shoestring budget. To make this happen, they turned to Happy Snowman Tech. 

The Your Money or Your Life authors needed a website where each of them could write blog posts, list upcoming book tour events, and engage in dialogue with readers, as well as share videos, websites, and other resources related to the book.

Another high priority was for the authors to be self-sufficient on the website once it was created, since budget constraints could hamper their future access to technical expertise.

In light of the book authors' needs, we opted for the simplicity of a WordPress-powered website, hosted at WordPress.com. We created the basic layout for the site. We incorporated several free/low-cost services to enrich the web experience and extend the website's reach, such as YouTube for videos, AddThis for social bookmarking, and FeedBlitz for mailing lists and email blog delivery. Then we trained the book authors (who had little to modest amounts of technical expertise) in how to write blog posts, update their book tour event calendar, add links to resources and videos, and manage other areas of their website. Since the authors had limited experience with blogging, we also coached them on best practices for blogging, generating publicity, and engaging more readers.

The end result? The book authors are blogging regularly, and they feel comfortable and confident in managing the website and even experimenting with it. And their ongoing cost of ownership is less than $25/year.

Learn more about Your Money or Your Life