6 ms·

You can have great product idea here. Ebook - how I ... etc.

by stakent 16y ago

Mz 16y ago
I'm pretty burnt out on trying to help people. It really goes over very poorly and I get lambasted for it and, so far, there has really been no money in it. :-/ But when I start that webcomic I keep swearing I will start, it might be good material. :-D
- stakent 16y ago
  I'm talking about showing people that it is possible and in best interest of both parties to divorce without fight and lawyers. Of course not in every case. Showing not by talking, writing to each one of potentially interested one by one. Showing in ebook. And sell it. Not cheaply. This kind of information has its worth. To help some people to save stress, time and money and earn money by yourself. Hmm, poor lawyers. :)
  - Mz 16y ago
    I've also figured out how to get myself well while living with Cystic Fibrosis. That should be worth something too and is way cheaper than the drugs and stuff I got off of. But it's mostly been worth a kick in the teeth (I just left yet another health list yesterday on less than amicable terms). The lesson I have learned: When people used to accuse me of being egomaniacal, they meant "I think it can be done, just not by you (bitch)". Now they accuse me of being a liar, charlatan and snake oil salesman, which apparently means they don't think it can be done by anyone at all, not even with the help of the right scientists, doctors, research facilities and hospitals, much less by some loudmouthed brassy broad, former homemaker and financially challenged divorcee. They just can't wrap their brain around it. A webcomic may be the only hope I have of actually educating people and has some hope of paying my bills as well, which is pretty darn important to me. "Know thyself". The whole save-the-world, goodie-two-shoes, I-just-want-to-HELP schtick is really so not working for me. It's not like I haven't tried.
    - stakent 16y ago
      Ok. You are burn out by helping people. I understand. I'll change the emphasize. You have great product at the hand. Product which can earn you money. Period. Passive income. For you.
      - Mz 16y ago
        Okay, I'll play along: How many pages does the book need to be? How much can/should I charge for it? How on earth would I promote it? Where can I find such info? I have always wanted to be a writer but at the moment my one and only goal is to figure out how to make money from home so I can leave my job and move elsewhere. I'm really not sold (on the idea that I can make money telling people how to not lawyer up). But I am most certainly hoping and praying for some idea that will make me some fast cash so I can be out of here early next year, which is not far away at all.
        stakent 16y ago
        Ok. That's better. I'll try to brainstorm something here, but take, please, into account that I don't live in the US. You do live there. > How many pages does the book need to be? For starters you have to consider state by state differences in law. You can consider staying at high level of abstraction and target all US at once. Second option is to cover these high level matters first and describe details latter, probably state by state. > How much can/should I charge for it? $199 The real answer is to test prices. Search HN. There were some disscussions about setting prices. > How on earth would I promote it? Where do people interested in divorce concentrate? How to reach them there? > Where can I find such info? On the internet? Using your common sense? Asking here? Btw. some lawyers will be upset by such information reaching public. Take this into account and cover your bases. Don't skimp here, it's for your protection. IANAL etc.
        Mz 16y ago
        I started a separate Ask HN discussion in hopes of getting more feedback and getting some of this out of this thread: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1824406 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1824406
- runjake 16y ago
  Then don't think of it as helping people, but as providing a useful product for cash and prizes. Backsearching HN will give you ideas on how to generate income for your insight here.
  - stakent 16y ago
    Exactly. Site which sells ebook about parrots for example. Which population is bigger? Parrot lovers or potentially divorced? This is no brainer.
  - Mz 16y ago
    Well, I participate here in hopes I can finally wrap my brain around "how to make money". So far, no magic faerie dust has been found to help me fly, financially. I would totally love to be the next person to post "Thank you HN. X months ago you helped me with my business idea and now I have left my BigCo job, moved to the city of my choosing and am happily working from home!!!" Historical facts: 1) People tend to speak highly of my writing ability -- even published authors and publishing company founders -- and I have had what began as an email of mine on a list wind up being quoted (after much editing) in a book. 2) I tend to be very polarizing: People either love me or hate me. Not much in between. The only thing I have found so far that reduces the amount I get attacked is to go out of my way to avoid public praise. This isn't a real good tactic for advertising something but has worked well for helping to encourage a budding grass roots movement for folks who are really deathly ill and whom all the experts have written off. 3) People find me provocative, which is generally a bad thing if you are trying to be helpful. In the entertainment industry, "provocative" is a good thing. I also tend to be a ham, which is something I find I have to seriously tone down when trying to "give advice". That isn't working well for me. My sense of humor is critical to my ability to cope effectively, so it is practically lying for me to give advice without a few (er, a few zillion) tongue-in-cheek, humorous observations thrown in. 4) Comedians are the people with the socially accepted role for making the kinds of social observations I am very good at making. Giving people that information straight up really, really bombs. I know: I've been doing it for years (and going down in flames for it, over and over). The serious version of my observations goes over about as well as dousing someone in gasoline and setting them on fire. Anyway, I would love it if you were right and I could easily make big bucks this way (or even enough little bucks to leave my job). But it isn't fitting with my understanding of the direction I need to go.
runjake 16y ago
Sorry, my comment is going to be relatively content-free, but I thought it important to emphasize stakent's suggestion. You should really do an ebook/book on this. Your subsequent post was very well-written, and it have a good income/effort ratio.
rprasad 16y ago
I apologize for being a wet blanket, but the vast majority of couples divorce without hiring lawyers. The numbers vary by location; in Cleveland in the mid-00's, roughly 85% of divorces did not involve lawyers. When lawyers were involved, it was always because the romance had become visceral hatred and one or both parties wanted to antagonize the/each other.
- Mz 16y ago
  Can you provide some stats or something? I mean a link or something? Thank you for providing some balance!

You can have great product idea here. Ebook - how I ... etc.

by stakent 16y ago

You can have great product idea here. Ebook - how I ... etc.

Mz 16y ago

I'm pretty burnt out on trying to help people. It really goes over very poorly and I get lambasted for it and, so far, there has really been no money in it. :-/ But when I start that webcomic I keep swearing I will start, it might be good material. :-D

stakent 16y ago
I'm talking about showing people that it is possible and in best interest of both parties to divorce without fight and lawyers. Of course not in every case. Showing not by talking, writing to each one of potentially interested one by one. Showing in ebook. And sell it. Not cheaply. This kind of information has its worth. To help some people to save stress, time and money and earn money by yourself. Hmm, poor lawyers. :)
- Mz 16y ago
  I've also figured out how to get myself well while living with Cystic Fibrosis. That should be worth something too and is way cheaper than the drugs and stuff I got off of. But it's mostly been worth a kick in the teeth (I just left yet another health list yesterday on less than amicable terms). The lesson I have learned: When people used to accuse me of being egomaniacal, they meant "I think it can be done, just not by you (bitch)". Now they accuse me of being a liar, charlatan and snake oil salesman, which apparently means they don't think it can be done by anyone at all, not even with the help of the right scientists, doctors, research facilities and hospitals, much less by some loudmouthed brassy broad, former homemaker and financially challenged divorcee. They just can't wrap their brain around it. A webcomic may be the only hope I have of actually educating people and has some hope of paying my bills as well, which is pretty darn important to me. "Know thyself". The whole save-the-world, goodie-two-shoes, I-just-want-to-HELP schtick is really so not working for me. It's not like I haven't tried.
  - stakent 16y ago
    Ok. You are burn out by helping people. I understand. I'll change the emphasize. You have great product at the hand. Product which can earn you money. Period. Passive income. For you.
    - Mz 16y ago
      Okay, I'll play along: How many pages does the book need to be? How much can/should I charge for it? How on earth would I promote it? Where can I find such info? I have always wanted to be a writer but at the moment my one and only goal is to figure out how to make money from home so I can leave my job and move elsewhere. I'm really not sold (on the idea that I can make money telling people how to not lawyer up). But I am most certainly hoping and praying for some idea that will make me some fast cash so I can be out of here early next year, which is not far away at all.
      - stakent 16y ago
        Ok. That's better. I'll try to brainstorm something here, but take, please, into account that I don't live in the US. You do live there. > How many pages does the book need to be? For starters you have to consider state by state differences in law. You can consider staying at high level of abstraction and target all US at once. Second option is to cover these high level matters first and describe details latter, probably state by state. > How much can/should I charge for it? $199 The real answer is to test prices. Search HN. There were some disscussions about setting prices. > How on earth would I promote it? Where do people interested in divorce concentrate? How to reach them there? > Where can I find such info? On the internet? Using your common sense? Asking here? Btw. some lawyers will be upset by such information reaching public. Take this into account and cover your bases. Don't skimp here, it's for your protection. IANAL etc.
        Mz 16y ago
        I started a separate Ask HN discussion in hopes of getting more feedback and getting some of this out of this thread: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1824406 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1824406
runjake 16y ago
Then don't think of it as helping people, but as providing a useful product for cash and prizes. Backsearching HN will give you ideas on how to generate income for your insight here.
- stakent 16y ago
  Exactly. Site which sells ebook about parrots for example. Which population is bigger? Parrot lovers or potentially divorced? This is no brainer.
- Mz 16y ago
  Well, I participate here in hopes I can finally wrap my brain around "how to make money". So far, no magic faerie dust has been found to help me fly, financially. I would totally love to be the next person to post "Thank you HN. X months ago you helped me with my business idea and now I have left my BigCo job, moved to the city of my choosing and am happily working from home!!!" Historical facts: 1) People tend to speak highly of my writing ability -- even published authors and publishing company founders -- and I have had what began as an email of mine on a list wind up being quoted (after much editing) in a book. 2) I tend to be very polarizing: People either love me or hate me. Not much in between. The only thing I have found so far that reduces the amount I get attacked is to go out of my way to avoid public praise. This isn't a real good tactic for advertising something but has worked well for helping to encourage a budding grass roots movement for folks who are really deathly ill and whom all the experts have written off. 3) People find me provocative, which is generally a bad thing if you are trying to be helpful. In the entertainment industry, "provocative" is a good thing. I also tend to be a ham, which is something I find I have to seriously tone down when trying to "give advice". That isn't working well for me. My sense of humor is critical to my ability to cope effectively, so it is practically lying for me to give advice without a few (er, a few zillion) tongue-in-cheek, humorous observations thrown in. 4) Comedians are the people with the socially accepted role for making the kinds of social observations I am very good at making. Giving people that information straight up really, really bombs. I know: I've been doing it for years (and going down in flames for it, over and over). The serious version of my observations goes over about as well as dousing someone in gasoline and setting them on fire. Anyway, I would love it if you were right and I could easily make big bucks this way (or even enough little bucks to leave my job). But it isn't fitting with my understanding of the direction I need to go.

runjake 16y ago

Sorry, my comment is going to be relatively content-free, but I thought it important to emphasize stakent's suggestion. You should really do an ebook/book on this. Your subsequent post was very well-written, and it have a good income/effort ratio.

rprasad 16y ago

I apologize for being a wet blanket, but the vast majority of couples divorce without hiring lawyers. The numbers vary by location; in Cleveland in the mid-00's, roughly 85% of divorces did not involve lawyers. When lawyers were involved, it was always because the romance had become visceral hatred and one or both parties wanted to antagonize the/each other.

Mz 16y ago
Can you provide some stats or something? I mean a link or something? Thank you for providing some balance!