Even before my husband and I quit our lucrative corporate jobs and started our nomadic journey, we cancelled buying each stuff each Christmas and Birthdays, and took mini travel adventures. We collected memories instead of belongings, and those were so much more rewarding than accumulation of more possessions.
If you’re involved in the travel blogger industry you’ll have noticed a growing trend – selling all your belongings and traveling the world on a budget. It’s what I did three years ago, and it’s what Kashlee Kucheran did with her other half, Kevin. She wrote a book about downsizing, decluttering and creating the freedom to travel more, and in today’s interview she shares her writing and self-publishing journey to get this book into reader’s hands. ~~ Jay
Author Interview: <<>>
How would you describe the type of books/genre you write?
I would describe the genre of my book to be under: personal development. Although, it’s more of a modern lifestyle/finance book with REAL life applications
What motivated you to start writing?
I was motivated to start writing after the flood of emails and messages I was getting about my lifestyle. When I decided to pull the trigger and sell my house, along with 90% of my belongings, people started to ask a lot of questions. I wanted to be able to help as many people discover minimalism and how magical ‘experiences over things’ really is.
Tell us the journey you went on to get your books published (e.g. direct on your website, self-published, assisted-publishing, traditional publisher)
First, I made a simple PDF book that was about 20 pages and hosted it on my website as a free download. Even though it was very detailed, people still wanted more depth into the minimalism and travel based lifestyle, so I committed to writing a full length book. Over the next 3 months I wrote and self-published ‘The High Maintenance Minimalist’ on Amazon KDP.
What publishing elements do you most enjoy and most like to avoid, and why? (e.g. design, marketing, formatting etc.)
I loathe editing! Everything about it makes me miserable, which is why hiring the right editor was crucial to getting my book published in this century. I like to be able to write my thoughts down as they flow out of my head, without worrying about grammar and spelling. It allows me to keep my ‘voice’ if you will.
My favourite part of writing my book was finally being able to express the millions of thoughts I’d kept to myself over the years. It felt nice to feel like I was speaking to a friend and giving her key advice, even though it was just me typing on my computer.
I also like the creative marketing that goes into promoting the book. It’s fun to be able to run my own campaigns and try out different avenues.
With the hindsight of being a published author, anything you would have done differently?
The only thing I would have done differently would be looking so hard for a publisher. Not getting any responses was starting to kill my confidence and almost stopped me from finishing my book. Once I realized that I could self publish and still reach people who wanted to read my book, I saw that I didn’t necessarily need to go the traditional route and I could still have success on my own.
What tips or advice would you give an aspiring indie author who is looking to self-publish?
My advice on self publishing is just to DO IT and stop stalling. Even if the book is not perfect, put it out there! My cover wasn’t perfect, nor was my formatting, but at some point I think that done is better than perfect. Being on KDP I can do simple things like update the cover, add to the manuscript or change the layout…it’s not all written in stone. So for that reason, I say get your book out there now and tweak it as you go.
What marketing or promotional tools or techniques do you use to reach your readers?
I love using social media to reach new readers. I did a Facebook and Instagram promotion where I offered the first 100 people in March who bought my book a 30-minute call with me and it was an amazing promotion! Not only did I get to connect with so many new people, but I got to hear about what they liked or wanted more of in the book. These people all became friends and started recommending the books to their inner circles. Soon those 100 sales grew exponentially and I was able to reach more people with my positive life messages.
What impact do you want your books to have on your readers?
I want them to put the book down ready to make some changes in their life. My book is all about confronting mixed messages we’ve all been force fed from society about how we spend money and consume. I hope people will challenge the status quo and make their own decisions about how they live their lives and spend their money. I’m all about experiences over things and truly believe we are happiest when were making memories, not shopping.
#AuthorInterview with Kashlee author of a book about creating the freedom to travel more. #selfpub and writing tips. #digitalnomad Click To Tweet
What’s next on your writing journey?
Currently I am blogging weekly on my site TravelOffPath where I give my readers tips on how to see the world better/cheaper than they ever thought possible.
Will I write another book? Absolutely! I am currently working on my second full length book and I am hoping to have it published early 2019.
About the Author
Kashlee sold her house and 90% of her belongings, all to be able to see the world. She has committed the next 10 years to full time travel, collecting experiences instead of things and her aim is to inspire others to take a chance, jump out of their comfort zone, and see as much of the world as they can. Kashlee loves to teach the benefits of minimalism and frequent traveling, and most importantly, loves living life a little off the beaten path.
Connect with Kashlee
- Website: https://www.traveloffpath.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
kashlee_k - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
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