001

Table of Contents
 
Praise
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Foreword
PROLOGUE: “WHY DON’T THEY STOP?”
A MILLION TO ONE
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
WE CAN ALL BE ROCK STARS
Introduction
ROUND-THE-CLOCK NON-WORKAHOLIC
WORK: A DIFFERENT VIEW
A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR’S LIFE—WITHOUT WRITING A WORD
PUBLISHERS MAKE THE REAL MONEY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 
CHAPTER 1 - THE SITCOM AS LIFE
 
WHY YOUR LIFE NEVER MATCHES WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN—AND HOW EASY IT IS TO ...
INVENTORYING YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCE
IDENTIFYING YOUR REAL PASSION
WHERE YOU ARE NOW—AND WHY
GETTING WHERE YOU WANT TO BE—FAST
FUN MONEY PROFILE
Wrap-Up
 
CHAPTER 2 - WHICH FRIEND ARE YOU ?
 
JENNY GETS STARTED
A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF WORK
RACHEL, MONICA, CHANDLER, OR ROSS?
WHAT ABOUT PHOEBE—OR JOEY?
DISCOVERING THE CHARACTER YOU REALLY PLAY IN YOUR LIFE
REINVENTING THE CHARACTER YOU REALLY PLAY IN YOUR LIFE
FUN MONEY PROFILE
Wrap-Up
 
CHAPTER 3 - IT ALL STARTS WITH A BOOK
 
FREE FUN IS GREAT FUN
MAIL BOXED IN
PLOTTING YOUR NEW LIFE
STORYBOARDING YOUR NEW LIFE: IT’S LIKE PLANNING A SCREENPLAY—BUT A LOT EASIER
CASTING CALL: PLUGGING IN YOUR CHARACTER
CHARACTERS COUNT
BE YOUR OWN NIELSEN—FINDING OUT WHAT YOUR PROSPECTS WANT TO BUY BEFORE YOU ...
PLANNING THE HAPPY ENDING
FUN MONEY PROFILE
Wrap-Up
 
CHAPTER 4 - SCRIPTING THE PILOT
 
A SMALL SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
IF YOU CAN WRITE—GREAT!
IF YOU CAN’T WRITE OR SIMPLY DON’T WANT TO WRITE—GREAT!
THE KEY TO FUN MONEY: THINK LIKE A PUBLISHER
FINDING THE RIGHT RESOURCES
PRESELLING THE FALL SEASON
SELECTING THE RIGHT PRODUCT/PROMOTIONAL MIX
FUN MONEY PROFILE
Wrap-Up
 
CHAPTER 5 - THE “PITCH”
 
SELLING ISN’T HARD WHEN YOU’RE SELLING YOU
SETTING YOUR MARKETING SYSTEM GOALS
YOU HAVE TO SELL FREE, TOO
HOW TO CREATE A MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT WILL ATTRACT PROSPECTS
MR. WHIPPLE REALLY KNEW HIS MARKETING
A DRIVING RAIN—OF PROSPECTS, CUSTOMERS, AND CASH
AN EASY MARKETING SYSTEM FOR $200 OR LESS
VIRTUALLY LOCK OUT ANY POTENTIAL COMPETITORS
FUN MONEY PROFILE
Wrap-Up
 
CHAPTER 6 - THE PAYDAY THAT NEVER ENDS
 
RECYCLING: IT’S NOT JUST FOR ALUMINUM CANS
HOW TO REPURPOSE EVERYTHING YOU DO
YOUR NEWSLETTER—THE CONSTANT MARKETER
CONTINUE DEVELOPING AND FINDING NEW, PROFITABLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO SELL ...
FUN MONEY PROFILE
Wrap-Up
 
EPILOGUE
AFTERWORD
INDEX

Praise for Will Work for Fun
“Fun, fun, and more fun. Alan R. Bechtold has written the best step-by-step formula for moving your work and your life from boring to exhilarating that I’ve ever read. Work truly can be play and Alan R. Bechtold shows you how.”
—Kris Solie-Johnson, Chancellor, American Institute of Small Business, http://www.aisb.biz/
 
“In Will Work for Fun, Alan Bechtold gives us a glimpse of a lifestyle we all dream of, yet have not found possible. The book is fun, and the systems Alan teaches can help you live the life you always dreamed of.”
—Warren Whitlock, Book Marketing Strategist, BestSellerAuthors.com
 
“Alan R. Bechtold unlocks the vault so you can have fun . . . make money . . . and enjoy the lifestyle of your dreams. This isn’t just a book. This is a roadmap to success and happiness. Now you can have both!”
—Michael Penland, http://www.instantcashmarketing.com

001

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Carol: Without you, I could never have written this book—or lived through what I’ve lived through to be able to write this book. Putting up with me all day every day would be enough for most, but you also put up with me through the three-month process I went through writing this book, on top of my already-busy schedule. You make every moment of my life even better.
To Mark Joyner: for hooking me up with the great folks at John Wiley and Sons. You have for many years been my spark of inspiration, but you were also the spark that made this book happen. I will be forever grateful. It’s sympathy poker time!
To Dr. Joe Vitale: I am always amazed at the life you’re living. I’ve found much to admire in you, and I’m certain you will continue to exceed even your dreams.
To my family, friends, partners, and associates: My life has been wonderful. You are all an integral reason why. May your every day be as blessed as mine.
To Mom: You’ve always been there for me and believed in me.
And especially, to my brother, Stan: Sorry if I picked on you a little in the book. You’ve had plenty of reasons to be totally frustrated with me, but you love me anyway. You’ll never know how much that means to me.

FOREWORD
Alan is one of my favorite Internet marketers. He’s funny, friendly, prolific, and profitable.
He may be the only person on earth who has been successfully and profitably publishing and marketing online for more than 23 years. During that time, he’s averaged more than $1 million in sales per year doing what he loves most:
• When Alan was studying to write science fiction, he started a newsletter and support group for science fiction writers. As a result, he was able to work directly with some of the biggest names in science fiction, including Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, and Isaac Asimov.
• Alan fell in love with video games, so he launched a newspaper reviewing new video games and received hundreds of free games and complete video game systems—and made money playing with them.
• When Alan discovered computers, he launched a syndicated electronic news column about computers and software. He received thousands of dollars’ worth of free software and generated a solid profit.
• When music CDs were first introduced, Alan started an electronic publication that reviewed them and syndicated the column through the online network of computer bulletin board systems he’d built. He received literally thousands of free music CDs and made money from subscription fees.
• When the World Wide Web exploded, Alan’s publishing experience enabled him to quickly jump to the Web, where he has since generated millions of dollars doing what he loves doing most—publishing and marketing on the Web.
• On the Web, Alan currently publishes three weekly electronic newsletters with a combined readership of more than 45,000. He also conducts a minimum of one teleseminar per week. More than 6,500 people registered for his most recent teleseminar. He also publishes a printed monthly newsletter that is mailed to more than 300 subscribers who pay $97 per month to receive it.
It should come as no surprise to you that his book is packed with information, stories, inspiration, and more. Alan has been around the block when it comes to having fun while making money. Now he’s opened his brain and let you peek inside to his inner workings.
I think this book is a masterpiece of how-to information for the newbie as well as the seasoned pro. Heck, I learned a lot reading it, too. But more than anything else, you’ll read this and discover how to make the work you do for a living FUN!
Read and grow rich.
 
—Dr. Joe Vitale
www.mrfire.com

PROLOGUE: “WHY DON’T THEY STOP?”
The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden;
heaven is a playground.
—G. K. Chesterton
 
 
 
 
 
If you could find a way to make more money doing what you love doing most, to add to what you make at your present job or, possibly, to even eventually replace that income altogether—wouldn’t that be a far better way to live? Wouldn’t that make you feel differently about the very nature of the work that you do? Isn’t it possible that this would create a situation where you would find that you enjoy every moment that you’re working so much that you’d have a hard time stopping?
Just ask Paul McCartney.
I’ve been a Beatles fan all my life. I finally got my first chance to see Paul McCartney perform live, with his band, Wings, in Kansas City. It was several years ago, during Paul’s first solo tour after he decided to perform songs he originally performed with the Beatles. It was a killer show!
I couldn’t help looking around Arrowhead Stadium, noticing it was filled to the brim with thousands of people. There wasn’t a single empty seat anywhere. This started me thinking about all the money this one show was generating for my favorite Beatle. Then I added up the number of similar performances he’s given since the breakup of one of my favorite rock bands of all time.
Most of us could live comfortably the rest of our lives on the revenues generated during this one Kansas City show. Paul’s tour that year included 13 other shows! And he’s been actively writing, recording, and touring, virtually nonstop, since the Beatles broke up.
Wow!
Then I wondered—why was Paul on the road at all? I was glad that he was. If he never toured again after the Beatles, I’d never have had that chance to see him perform live. But, in spite of the fact that he flew to each show in a private jet, from an island base in the Bahamas . . . in spite of the fact that road crews set everything up before he stepped out to play . . . the road is never easy—and Paul isn’t a kid any more.
But, here was Paul, hitting the stage in Kansas City and other places around the world, working long hours, flying back and forth, from city to city.
It’s not that Paul needs the money. He’s been ranked as England’s wealthiest musician, with a net worth of roughly $750 million.
While I watched Paul play, I saw the real reason why he was still onstage, touring and playing live, long after he could have simply retired and spent his days relaxing, traveling, and enjoying a retirement you and I can only dream about having. It was written all over his face.
Paul was having a blast belting out those songs, playing to the crowd and feeling their joy. I’m reasonably certain, from what I saw, that fun is squarely behind the song writing, recording, and performing Paul still does to this day.
You might think it unfair of me to bring up Paul McCartney as an illustration of the FUN Money lifestyle I’m going to show you how to achieve in this book. But, believe it or not, you can live a rock-star lifestyle whether you play an instrument, with or without writing talent, with or without any talent of any kind—when you follow the simple formula I’ll deliver to you shortly.

A MILLION TO ONE

Remember—for every Paul McCartney who makes it and actually lands even one hit record, there are thousands of performers who still go onstage night after night, touring in buses, hauling their own equipment and setting it up themselves, usually for little or no money, often working day jobs just to pay the bills and eat. And they persist precisely because it’s so much fun . . . and there is always the chance, however slight, that one day they might be able to do it for a living.
That’s one of the tests you can apply to determine whether you’ve discovered a good source of FUN Money for you. If you love doing something so much you now pay to do it, and you work another job just to support yourself so you can keep doing it every chance you get (which is probably all too rare)—that thing could be a perfect source of FUN Money for you!
Almost anything you truly love doing can be turned into money using my simple formula. The trick is the way you approach turning what you do into money. The arts, for example, are notorious FUN Money sources. Writing, painting, photography, acting, and music certainly qualify because they are all things we imagine would be fun to do for a living.
Unfortunately, most artists aren’t marketers. They don’t necessarily know how to sell what they create, so they keep working part-time, or they pursue their art part-time and work full-time, just to eat and keep producing, hoping for the day they’re discovered and get their big break.
Sadly, this rarely leads to success.
Apply my three simple FUN Money formula steps, however, and you can turn your artistic endeavors into an endless source of joy by making them pay for your fun—with a profit—while you play.
Even better, the arts aren’t your only choice. This is a good thing, since most of us aren’t especially artistic, and we don’t particularly think painting or writing or playing a musical instrument is the most fun thing we can do with the neighbors watching.
I don’t think anyone would consider Donald Trump a player in the arts. Yet, he’s the perfect example of someone who could have thrown in the towel years ago, to live on a deserted island (or anywhere else he wants to live) and spend the rest of his days on earth like royalty.
Instead, “The Donald” continues working bigger and bigger deals, amassing more millions and billions of dollars in the process. Even when he got into financial trouble and faced complete collapse and bankruptcy in the early 1990s, he kept pushing forward and eventually, after nearly a decade, returned to the rosy financial situation he now enjoys, with a net worth of somewhere close to $3 billion.
And, still he keeps working like a madman, hours on end, day in and day out.
He explained his motivation: Donald Trump lives for the next big deal. He loves every minute of putting huge deals together and seeing them through to completion. Real estate development is just one of the main vehicles for the deals he likes to put together.
The point, once again, is that he’s still doing it, and he continues long after he needs the money, because he loves what he’s doing.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

If we had the kind of money Trump or McCartney has, most of us would simply retire. Under the “old” philosophy about work, anyone who keeps doing what they did to make those millions or billions is a workaholic. Right? Not necessarily!
Bill Gates is another example. He never has to work ever again and hasn’t had to for more than a decade. Yet, he’s still at Microsoft, still involved in the development of new software and hardware products, still working in the company he founded. Gates could easily quit tomorrow. But, he loves technology, computers, and business-building too much to stop.
I probably don’t have to provide much explanation for why Hugh Hefner keeps doing what he does. Or why he loves doing it.
Compare these examples to your life and what you do to earn a living. If you were handed one million dollars in cash—what would you do?
I’ll bet you would at least think about quitting your job! You’re not alone.
According to the first-ever survey of National Lottery winners (conducted recently by Camelot Group PLC, operator of the U.K. National Lottery), 56 percent of winners of more than £ 1 million have given up working.
You can’t really blame them, can you? Most jobs suck. Most people who play the lottery do so dreaming that, one day, they’ll hit it big. And, if that unlikely day arrives, then—finally!—they can quit work to start enjoying life.
Ask yourself—have you ever heard of many big lottery winners who say they’re looking forward to continuing with their jobs? Generally speaking, it’s tough for most people to imagine a job that’s so much fun they’d keep doing it, even if they didn’t need the money any more.
Doing work that is so much fun you’d rather work than play is simply not what we imagine our lives to hold for us—so we find a good-paying job, buckle down to work, put in our time, and pray for some relief in the form of an occasional vacation—and retirement, if we’re not lucky enough to win the lottery but wind up being lucky enough to actually have a retirement waiting for us at the end of our careers.
We’ve all heard many of those horror stories about lottery winners, who wind up losing everything to greed and waste, then head back to the workforce, struggling day to day to make a living again, within just a few years of winning.
Their work didn’t create the wealth they had just fall into their laps, and they don’t love their work enough to understand that money is not about happiness, anyway. It’s about freedom and choice.

WE CAN ALL BE ROCK STARS

The truth is you don’t have to be a rock star to live like one. You don’t have to win the lottery to start enjoying more of what you enjoy doing most right now. You don’t have to be Bill Gates or Donald Trump or Hugh Hefner, either. All you have to do is change your attitude about the nature of work—then change what you already enjoy doing for fun into an activity that also earns you money.
From there, life gets really good!
However, it’s not just a matter of doing what you love. The money won’t somehow magically materialize just because you’re doing something you love. If this were how things really worked, there’d be no such thing as a starving artist. Last time I looked, I don’t think we had a shortage of out-of-work musicians and writers in the world today.
Instead, you have to follow a system. You must apply certain simple principles and start a business that involves what it is you love doing most. There is some work involved. But, it’s all very easy work. When you’re working on a business involving what you love doing most, the work is actually fun.
Follow my simple system, and you’ll enjoy every minute of the process.

INTRODUCTION: THE TRUE NATURE OF WORK
People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are
doing.
—Dale Carnegie
 
 
 
 
 
More than 12 years ago, I was in my basement office working on a deadline, when the phone rang. It was my brother.
I love my brother dearly and look up to him in ways he might never realize. That’s why, no matter how busy I am or how tight the deadline might be, I always try to pick up the phone when he calls.
“Hey, bro. What are you doing?” he would always ask.
“I’m working on a deadline—what are you up to?” I would always reply.
Another deadline?” he would then, without fail, reply. “Man! You’re always on one deadline or another. Don’t you ever take a break?”
He was dead-on with that zinger. It made me cringe every time I heard it because I knew where he was going with this line of questioning. I am always on one deadline or an other, most of the time. It seems that’s my life story. But, I almost never get anything done that doesn’t come attached to a deadline. I suppose that’s why I’ve always published newsletters, magazines, and newspapers. They all come with deadlines that force me to get the work done.
It’s not that I wouldn’t rather go out and enjoy some time with my brother. He’s one of my favorite people in the world. But, soon, I’d find myself spending all my time out doing something else if there were no deadlines attached to what I do.
At the time my brother called, I was still living in Topeka, Kansas, where I was born and raised. My wife at the time was a nurse who could earn real money in the outside world while I was basically a totally unemployable hopeful writer and publisher.
Finances at the time dictated that it was best that I stay home with our two children and raise them while mom worked. This allowed me to work on my writing and publishing projects on the side, in what spare time was afforded me after the children laid down for naps, went off to school, or went to bed for the night.
It was a perfect arrangement for a budding author/entrepreneur. I helped save our family hundreds of dollars per month in childcare expenses while my wife brought in a professional’s salary to cover our bills.
But this schedule didn’t leave much free time for hanging out with my brother, and I don’t think he ever fully understood. I hope he reads this and finally understands.
“So,” my ever-hopeful brother would say. “I was thinking about getting out of the house for a while. Could you get away for an hour? Maybe we could go grab a beer or catch a movie.”
As always, I would sigh and say, “I’m sorry, man. I have to finish this newsletter before tomorrow morning and I just got the kids to bed. I don’t see how I can take any time away right now. Maybe later?”
“Alan,” he would say, “you’re always working. All you do is work. Whenever I call, you don’t ever have time to get away because you’re always on a deadline, always working. You’re a damned workaholic!”
This dour proclamation always made me feel like I’d just had a Phillips screwdriver pushed into my chest—slowly. Primarily because what he said was true—at least on the surface. I’ve always worked 10-to 12-hour days, six and sometimes seven days a week. I still work a schedule that comes pretty close to that today.

ROUND-THE-CLOCK NON-WORKAHOLIC

Still—I absolutely do not consider myself a workaholic.
If you find this statement confusing, given my schedule, don’t feel bad. You’re far from alone. The vast majority of people have the wrong idea about work. Odds are, you do, too.
Like my brother, most people were raised to believe you have to work hard to make a living. Most of us translate this to mean that the work we do has to be hard. Or boring. Or both. As a consequence, we’ve also come to believe that work isn’t supposed to be fun. It’s something everyone has to do to live. If you’re extremely lucky, most people also believe, there might be some free time left at the end of the day, or on a weekend, or once a year—maybe during vacation—when we can do what we really enjoy doing—if there’s also enough money left over after paying bills to do it.
Short of that—there’s always retirement, isn’t there? If there’s enough money left over at the end of our working lives to actually retire one day; if we live long enough to get there.
The well-meaning people who taught us this had no idea that it was no longer true. Until just barely 12 years ago, it was true. Back when my brother would call, it was hard for anyone to imagine someone working round-the-clock and enjoying every minute of it the way I do.
But—I do enjoy every minute of the work I do. I enjoy it so much that it feels like I’m playing. My work is writing and publishing. I personally couldn’t imagine anything else that I could do to have more fun.
I love watching movies and the occasional beer, too. I love my family and friends and spend time with them whenever I can. But, I’m truly happiest when I’m writing and publishing.

WORK: A DIFFERENT VIEW

Chances are, you feel the way my brother does. It might be difficult for you to understand, but my job isn’t something I just do for the money. I’ve held regular jobs—years ago. When I did, I’d watch the clock like a hawk, counting the hours and minutes until I could clock out and race home, so I could do what I really enjoyed doing most—writing and publishing.
I don’t work all the hours I do because I love to work. I work all those hours because I love the work I do so much it doesn’t feel like work.
A workaholic, by my own definition, is someone who works round-the-clock at something he doesn’t enjoy doing, only for the money. Or—it describes people for whom money is the be-all and end-all of existence. These people work round-the-clock, killing themselves to get their hands on as much cash as they can, as if, somehow, someone else will manage to grab it all if they don’t get it first.
That most certainly doesn’t describe me or what I do for a living. What would you call someone who plays tennis professionally? They love the game. They work hard at it constantly, for hours on end every day. They’re on the road all the time, playing in tournaments or recording endorsement commercials, often working seven days a week, 10 or 12 hours a day.
If they truly love the game, if they would play it anyway—regardless of the money—they can’t possibly be considered workaholics. The only descriptive word I could use that fits is FUNAHOLIC.
The difference? Loving what you do so much that you can’t wait to get started and you hate to stop.
We all love doing lots of things that fit that definition. For most of us, however, that would not describe what we do for a living. I’m going to show you, in this book, exact steps you can take to turn whatever it is you love doing most into a profit-generating small business, fully capable of paying you a fat second salary that can, with the proper application of the steps I will show you, eventually earn you more money than you make now at a regular, less fun, full-time job.
Even better, you’ll be able to turn those things you enjoy doing most into a tax write-off through your new business. This can easily make your fun—the things you most enjoy doing—free.
I hear the skeptic in you rearing its ugly head and starting to howl in disbelief. I’m not offended. It’s just all those years of being taught differently, struggling to remain true to the erroneous vision of life that you were led to believe.
Don’t worry. It’s true. You don’t need to write anything to make my system work for you. If you do write, you’ll love the process I’m going to take you through—and you’ll finally start making money with your writing like you’ve never seen before—without ever receiving another rejection slip again.

A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR’S LIFE—WITHOUT WRITING A WORD

Of course, writing is involved in my process—it’s just not required that you do any of it to churn out loads of high-quality, interesting, and compelling information people will want to buy from you.
I’ve been blessed. I love to read and write. I’ve spent most of my life writing and publishing, applying both to my most passionate interests. The result has always been either free fun—or free fun plus FUN Money. Every time.
But, today, thanks to my system, you don’t need to enjoy or excel at either to have a blast doing what I’ve always done.
When I was sixteen, for example, I loved being the rebel. The turbulent late 1960s and early 1970s had a strong hold on me, and I was determined to spit in the face of “the man” any way I could. So—I launched a small underground newspaper for my school. In it, I pointed out the stupidity of the administration and encouraged other students to stop letting themselves be pushed around.
It’s odd, really. For some reason, I got to see the inside of the principal’s office a lot during that period of my life. But, I learned early on that the right to a free press is one of our most powerful, most protected rights as citizens of the United States. The administration screamed at me and threatened me. But they couldn’t legally force me to stop.
To an overly rebellious hormone-driven seventeen-year-old hippie wannabe from Kansas, the notoriety was heaven.
I never really made any money publishing that paper, but it was the most fun I ever had in school, and I caught the attention of a lot of girls—which was even better than money to me, at the time.
Later, I figured out I could apply writing and publishing to anything I loved doing and, eventually, turn it into money. At the very least, I found ways to turn my writing and publishing into all kinds of free stuff I couldn’t otherwise afford to buy for myself.

Free Video Games—And More

When Atari released the 2600—one of the first cartridge-based video game consoles, all I could say was—“Wow!” For the first time that I knew of, you could buy new games and take on challenges that were considerably more engaging than simply batting a square back and forth over an on-screen net. I loved those machines. But, I didn’t have much money.
At the time, I was married with children, playing househusband at home, and working on my writing and publishing whenever the children were taking naps, at school, or after they went to bed. Money to buy video game cartridges was out of the question.
I launched The Logical Gamer, a printed tabloid-size newsletter for people who loved these games like I did, but couldn’t afford to simply buy every new cartridge that came out. I wrote to the manufacturers of the games for all the game consoles, requesting review copies for the newsletter. They responded by sending box after box after box of new games—many of them prerelease. Some were mere chips soldered onto a board that would barely slide into the game slot—true prototypes.
This was pre-online. Before the dial-up computer bulletin boards that predate the World Wide Web by more than 10 years—and before word processors were affordable, I had to type out every issue on an IBM Selectric typewriter twice—once to count the letters in each column, then once again, to add spacing to create justified columns. Then, I had to coat the backs of each column with hot wax and paste them carefully on layout sheets, which were mailed to a printer.
Still, I loved every minute of it. UPS was pulling up to my door daily. It was like Christmas year-round, ripping those packages open to see what new toys had arrived. It was fun work—and the payoff, in my mind, was tremendous.
Lucky you! You’re discovering my process after all the work has been taken out of it. The system I’m going to show you in this book holds more power than what I did back then, with far less work that is much easier and much more fun to do. And the cost is minimal by comparison.
The Logical Gamer was my first attempt at making money doing something I loved doing for fun. I did make a little money—until the leading newsstand video game magazine of the time launched its exclusive video game review newsletter and killed mine in the process. But that’s another story.
Personal computers were just hitting the scene, and I needed one to manage the growing list of subscribers I was building for my newsletter.
That’s when I discovered all the other things a computer could also help me with—including word processing, typesetting, and connecting to the world.
Moving through the learning curve required switching from using a typewriter to using a word processor, I was at a Radio Shack one day and saw something called a modem. This modem thing, the clerk told me, enabled me to hook my computer up to a telephone line, dial out, and actually connect with another computer.
I told the clerk that sounded intriguing—unless no one else out there has modems on their computers to connect to.
That clerk changed my life forever. He told me, “There are hundreds of people running computer bulletin boards (BBSs) that you can dial into right now, to exchange messages with other people who dial in, download games and software. I think there are two or three right here in Topeka, Kansas.”
I bought the modem and discovered a fascinating “underworld” I never knew existed.
Soon, I launched a publication called INFO-MAT and started distributing it online, to the people who operated BBSs. Each BBS was connected to one or more telephone lines. You had to dial in over the phone lines to access them. You could do almost anything on a BBS that you’re probably used to doing on the Web today—but you had to dial your local BBS to do it, or rack up enormous long distance charges dialing BBSs outside of your local calling area to do them.
Again—lucky you! Now we have the World Wide Web, which easily takes the system I’m going to show you into the realm of possibility for anyone willing to follow the simple steps that are involved.
INFO-MAT was a weekly review of news of interest to computer owners. I sold it, syndication-style, to independent operators of BBSs (called sysops—short for system operator) with an exclusivity agreement that would lock out competitors in their local calling area—as long as the sysop continued paying his or her monthly bill.
Few ever missed a payment—and the network grew. I had finally discovered a way to start earning real money from my passion—technology, computers—through writing and publishing. I actually started paying myself a salary and could tell people this was now my job—even though I was still having a blast every minute of every day doing it.

Free Music, Too

Then, compact discs were born. I fell in love all over again.
I’ve always been a big fan of music—mostly rock and blues, but also almost every other category imaginable. Unfortunately, the more I listened to my albums, the more I destroyed them. CDs were amazing to me and I wanted to build a huge collection. Sadly, although I was now earning a salary from BBS Press Service, Inc. (the company I formed to publish INFO-MAT), I still wasn’t making enough to squander on anything but the occasional CD. I wanted more.
Online Digital Music Review was born.
I dashed off letters to all the major record labels, requesting that they put me on their review lists. About two weeks later, I got a call from Warner Brothers. The lady on the other end of the line worked in their publicity office. I thought, “Okay, here comes the letdown.”
Instead, she asked, “Did you really want to receive review copies of all the CDs we release, regardless of the category?”
I swallowed and, without hesitation, said, “Yes—I do. We intend to review all types of music.”
“You do realize we publish roughly 75 percent of all the music released in the world today?”
“I do now,” I said. “And I still want them.” I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable letdown I just knew was coming.
“Okay,” she said. “We’ve added you to the list.”
The other labels didn’t even bother to call—they just started shipping me all their new releases. UPS was back at my door daily, and I was in seventh heaven.
There is a lot more. I’ve now repeated the process countless times, for ever-increasing amounts of money—but I don’t want to bore you with all the details here. Instead, I know you want to focus on setting up your FUN Money system. The point is, I now realize that, barring a short stint in the job market, I’ve always looked to my own passions and interests and created a source of revenue out of them, through publishing. In short, I’ve always been a hopeless FUNahaolic!
And I haven’t held a “real job,” working for someone else, since I was 25.
I hope you can see clearly now that, regardless of your interests, whatever it is that “turns you on” and sets your creative juices flowing can be turned into cash, thanks to the system I’m going to spell out for you in this book.
Luckily, you live in an age where the Internet makes it possible to create a business built completely around the things you find most fun—and make money doing them, spending very little money to get started and seeing results almost right away.
I can’t guarantee that following the steps in this book will ever earn you rock-star money—but I do guarantee you’ll discover how easy it is to live a rock-star life, enjoying what you do for fun so much you never feel like you’re working to make money again.
I can also guarantee it’s much easier than you think it is. All you need is access to a computer, a rudimentary understanding of the Web, and some experience with word processing or a willingness to learn—and you can do it.
You don’t even need to know how to write.
Even if you’re an accomplished writer, I’m going to encourage you to start thinking like a publisher because this is where the real money is. This is what will pull you out of the “do what you love and hope the money follows” mode, and take you straight to the “turn everything you love doing most into money” mode, the quickest, easiest way possible.

PUBLISHERS MAKE THE REAL MONEY

Think about it: Publishers, generally speaking, always make more money than the authors who actually write what they publish.
Renowned science fiction author Isaac Asimov, who still holds the unchallenged Guinness World Record for the most books written by a single author, couldn’t churn out as much material as a publisher can because publishers don’t have to actually write the works they publish. The number and variety of books a publisher can churn out each year is limited only by the market’s desire to buy what they publish. Isaac Asimov still had to operate within limits that publishers simply don’t have. He was a virtual writing machine in human form—but he was still limited to the number of words he could write in any given day.
A publisher can work with hundreds of authors. Some authors make huge money—but their publishers get a cut of all of the author’s earnings. To make more money, they simply have to find more authors. While there are only so many books a single author can create in any given year, there are an almost infinite number of books that can be published.
I’m going to show you how to become an online publisher and launch an online business that erases those limitations for you, too. Then, in the process, we’ll use your newfound skill to erase all the limitations from your life.
Prepare yourself. You’re about to become a FUNaholic. After reading this book, you’ll be fully loaded up and ready to start enjoying all the hours of fun you can imagine, living a life that’s so profitable you’ll wonder why you waited so long to get started. The good news is: It’s never too late to get going.
My name is Alan, and I’m a FUNaholic.
Say “Hello, Alan,” and let’s get rolling!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You’re going to get to know me very well by the time you’ve read this book. I don’t want to risk boring you twice, so I’ll keep this short.
I’ve had publishing in my veins ever since I was in the third grade. I’ve also developed a love of writing—but it’s information publishing that I’ve always enjoyed most. I’ve developed and discovered dozens of shortcuts through the years. These shortcuts led me to my simple three-step system.
I’ve tested the system repeatedly with great—often stellar—results almost every time. Every time the results were off even slightly, I adjusted my system. For more than 23 years.
You now hold that system in your hands. I’m pleased you purchased this book. So is Carol. Also the BBS Press Service, Inc. staff—and the IRS. It might sound trite for me to say, but it’s honestly more important to me that you apply what I’ve provided to you here. I’ve always turned what I love doing most into money. I haven’t held a full-time job for 30 years, but I still vividly remember the experience of working for someone else. It’s much worse if what you’re doing for someone else isn’t what you truly enjoy spending your time doing.
The system you now hold in your hands has been honed and refined through many years of hard trial and error. The result is a method that works. It’s stood the test of time. And it’s been simplified to the point of connect-the-dots adaptability.
It’s very simple to follow the simple three-step formula as it stands today. Now there is no reason you should avoid giving it a try. Let me hear about your results. I’m always on the lookout for more FUN Money people to profile.
If you benefit from this book and would like to know even more of what I know and continue to learn, please check out my Ticket to Wealth Gold Level program on www.FUNdamentalYou.com.

CHAPTER 1
THE SITCOM AS LIFE
Unless each day can be looked back upon by an individual
as one in which he has had some fun, some joy, some real
satisfaction, that day is a loss.
—Anonymous

WHY YOUR LIFE NEVER MATCHES WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN—AND HOW EASY IT IS TO CREATE A LIFE THAT DOES

Close your eyes and imagine along with me.
Wait a minute. I just remembered. You’re reading this. You’d better keep your eyes open. It’s kind of hard reading with your eyes closed.
Back up. Rewind and edit.
Read along and imagine with me. Ask yourself as you read—does the following scene sound familiar?
 
Fade in.
The office is humming with activity. Everywhere you look in the large, overly lit room, people sit in cubicles, industriously typing, talking on the phone, and examining computer screens.
Quickly, we swing into one cubicle for a close-up. The rest of the office blurs and fades away while the sound of office activity softens to a background hum.
In the cubicle that comes into view, a young, slender, cherry-blonde woman sits looking at eBay on her computer. She snaps her chewing gum while she does her nails. In her cubicle, every surface but the desk and two office chairs is covered with Barbie dolls, Barbie doll posters, Barbie doll books, and Barbie doll accessories.
As we watch, she tries without success to match the rhythm of her gum chewing to the strokes of her nail file. She tries alternating the beats, then tries to match the rhythm.
Suddenly, she takes the gum out of her mouth. Clearly frustrated, still holding her gum in one hand, she looks around on her desk for a place to put it. Her desk is covered with paperwork. Frowning, she starts to stick the gum first on one stack of papers, then on another.
Finally, she shoves several stacks of paper aside, places her gum firmly on the desk, then quickly shuffles some papers back over it.
She taps something on her computer keyboard. Then she clenches her fists, staring intently at the screen.
“Damn.”
She types quickly again. Then she sits, staring in anticipation.
“Damn.”
“Jenny?”
The voice catches her by surprise. Jenny jumps a good foot out of her chair, spins, and sees her friend, Tom, standing in the doorway to her cubicle. He’s smiling mischievously.
“Don’t you ever knock, Tom?” Jenny asks, wide-eyed. “You scared the living daylights out of me.”
“There’s no door on these cubicles, Jenny. C’mon. What good would knocking do?”
Tom steps into Jenny’s cubicle and plops down in one of the two empty chairs, swinging his feet up to rest on the seat of the unoccupied chair. “Are you still looking for that Barbie you’ve been blathering about for months?”
“Yeah,” Jenny says. “I’m still lookin’.” She stares intently at the screen again. Then, she taps a few keys and sits, watching the screen.
“Damn. I can’t believe it, Tom. This is the first time I’ve seen a genuine side-parted bubble-cut Barbie on eBay in months—and somebody out there keeps outbidding me the moment I bid it up. Crap. I’d gladly give a month’s salary for that Barbie.”
Tom laughs. “I’d give a full year’s salary to anyone who can explain why you’d want another Barbie at all.”
Another voice pipes up at the cubicle door. “Me, too.”
Jenny and Tom both jump nearly a foot, in unison, snapping their startled attention to the doorway. It’s Jenny and Tom’s mutual friend, Albert.
“Why don’t you just make your top bid a full month’s salary?” Albert asks. “Then the system will place the next highest bid for you automatically. That’ll make it tougher for anyone to outbid you so quickly.”
Wearing thick-rimmed glasses, a white shirt not all the way tucked in, and a black pencil-thin tie, Albert laughs nervously, ending with a loud snort.
“Albert,” Jenny says, composing herself. “I can’t afford to spend a month’s salary, no matter how badly I’d love to add that Barbie to my collection. That was just a figure of speech. Besides—it’s more fun actually bidding on them.”
“Either way, I’m with Tom,” Albert replies. “I can’t imagine why any adult would want one Barbie, let alone hundreds.”
Jenny looks perturbed. “I don’t have hundreds of Barbies. For cryin’ out loud. Everybody knows Barbie’s special. She was a part of my childhood. I grew up with her. She’s—like—my role model. And the side-parted bubble-cut Barbie is one of the only truly rare Barbies I still don’t have.”
As Albert enters the cubicle, Tom sits up, taking his feet off the only other chair in the cramped space. Albert slumps into the now-open chair, his posture slouched.
Smiling again, Tom says, “There, there, Jenny. We understand. I’m sure your life won’t be complete without her.”
Jenny stares solemnly at Tom for a minute. “You’re mocking me. You really don’t understand. After all the time we’ve worked together and known each other, you still don’t get it, do you?”
Both Tom and Albert speak in unison . . . deadpan serious. They shake their heads back and forth in unison. “Actually . . . we don’t.”
Tom says, “I have to admit it, but Matchbox cars were my favorite toy when I was a kid. I’d even have to say they were important to me during that time. But, I still don’t feel the slightest pressure to have every Matchbox car ever manufactured during my childhood today.”
Albert chortles, pushing his glasses up, which slide back down on his nose with each shoulder-shaking snicker. “Hah. That’s the truth, Tom. Now you collect live Barbies instead.”
Tom smirks at Albert. “What’s your point, smart-ass? I’d much rather have a living, breathing Barbie in my room than something made out of plastic. And—no—it doesn’t count if she’s inflatable.”
Albert waves Tom away, blushing.
Jenny scowls at both of them. “You two are so clueless. Barbie means everything to me. I collect her. I care about her and think about her all the time. I can’t wait to clock out and spend time with my collection. I’m happiest when I’m trading online with other collectors, and looking for the few missing dolls that I still need.”
“You’re right—we’re clueless.” Tom and Albert speak in unison again. Laughing, they throw up their hands in mock exasperation.
Jenny snaps her attention around, back to the screen, then points at it. “Damn. See? You two pop in here, distract me, and I lost the auction.” She turns to look disapprovingly back at the two young men, still sitting in her cubicle. “You guys made me miss it. It’s your fault.”
Another voice breaks in from the cubicle doorway. “I understand completely, Jenny.”
This time, Jenny, Tom, and Albert all jump at the sound, snapping their heads in the direction of the doorway in unison. Their mutual friend, Gloria, a slightly pudgy brunette with long, flowing hair and a pretty face, stands there, leaning against the glass.
“It’s like my Corvette fetish, Jenny. I love Corvettes. I’d do anything to get one of my own.”
Tom gives an exaggerated nod. “I know, Gloria. You’ve been known to do anything just to ride in one.”
Albert and Tom laugh uproariously. Jenny suppresses a chuckle of her own behind a hand. Gloria frowns disapprovingly.
“No—really,” Gloria says. “Jenny loves Barbies. I love Corvettes. Tom loves easy women. Albert loves . . . whatever it is Albert loves. So what? It gives us all something to work toward, something to look forward to. It gives us a reason to come in here, work nine-to-five, struggle to please a stupid boss, and put up with all the hassles of life. That’s good—right?” She nods, smiling, at each of the other three in unison. Jenny smiles back. Tom and Albert wave Gloria away, skeptical.
“You guys will never understand,” Gloria says.
“You got that right,” Jenny chimes in.
Gloria changes the subject. “So—what are you guys planning to do tonight?”
Another voice booms from behind Gloria, almost growling, “How about all four of you getting some work done before you worry about what you’re doing tonight?”
Jenny, Tom, Albert, and Gloria all jump in unison at the sound. Behind Gloria, a tall, balding, heavy-set fellow stands, hands on hips, a scowl planted on his face.
Tom and Albert jump up instinctively, then bustle around the cubicle, bumping into each other as they try to get through the door Gloria is still blocking. They stop moments before colliding with her.