I'm excited to announce that my Kindle Single on student debt was released on Friday. Naturally, this means I've been refreshing my Amazon ranking on an hourly basis. Over the weekend, the book reached the Top 10 on several best seller lists, including Kindle Singles: Essays & Ideas and Kindle Singles: Memoir.
I'm also a little nervous about this book. It's a sensitive topic. While I hope people will find my analysis fair, I know it has the potential to attract negative comments as well. It will be interesting to see what happens as the reviews come in (so far so good)!
The other reason I'm nervous is that I write exactly how much money I made over the last five years, what my rent has been, and my SAT scores (among other things). It's scary to reveal so much personal information, but I felt it was necessary if this book is to be a candid portrait of a student debtor and a useful resource.
It has been great to work with the folks at Kindle Singles, including my editor--who recognized the appeal of a student debt success story and helped me with the tone--and the cover designer--who does amazing work. I hope that the story will be both encouraging and informative for graduates and their parents. I'd appreciate it if you could share this with any of your friends who are struggling with student debt, especially in the US.
 |
| Cover design by Hannah Perrine Mode |
By Shannon Young
In 2009, amid the global financial crisis, 21-year-old Shannon Young
graduated from college with a degree in English and more than $80,000 in
student debt. Less than five years later, she was completely debt-free.
This is her story – a cautionary tale with a surprisingly hopeful
outcome. Filled with practical advice and personal experience, Pay Off
is an invaluable resource for anyone coming into or out of student debt.
$1.99 on Amazon
PAY OFF is great! I loved your honesty and your willingness to share your experiences. If you hadn't revealed these things about yourself, your book wouldn't have much of an impact on people who really need advice on paying for higher education. And as a reader, I find it very frustrating when authors aren't open. So don't worry about negative reviews. You know you were honest about your story, and there's nothing more people should say about that. If they do, that's their problem.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Susan. It's good to hear that the personal details actually further the goals of the book. I do hope it'll be useful for some people!
DeleteMy thoughts after reading the book
ReplyDeletehttp://acareyphoto.blogspot.com/2014/06/last-week-iread-book-pay-off-how-one.html
Thank you so much for reading the book and sharing your thoughts, Ann!
DeleteCongrats on paying off the debt! I have my Chinese hubby to thank for getting my $10,000 of student loan debt paid off in our first year of marriage. I started tutoring on top of my regular job and he taught me to live on literally nothing! Payment cleared the day our son was born.
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte,
DeleteThat's wonderful! So glad you could clear the debt in time for the new addition to your family. It must have been a huge weight off your mind!
Thank you for your comment :).