Advertiser Disclosure: rich & REGULAR is a member of affiliate marketing programs and may receive commission in exchange for promoting products and services.
In the summer of 2019, while Kiersten was downstairs with Beau and I was upstairs making dinner I heard her yell out “Baaabe”!
Normally, when she does this, it’s because she see’s a bug or wants me to bring her something and is too lazy comfy to walk upstairs to get it. But this time it felt different. Just as we’d learned to translate our son’s cries; we’ve also learned to interpret each other’s tone over the years. And I could tell from the flutter in her voice she was giddy.
She was reacting to an email from an editor at a large book publishing house who was inquiring if we’d ever thought about writing a book. The answer to that question was yes— of course.
Both of us had been writing creatively since we were children. Our mutual appreciation for books and storytelling was just as much of a key ingredient to our relationship as food. The only problem was, writing one wasn’t actually in our immediate plans. We were in the early stages of building our blog, we were beginning to have conversations about our future as real estate investors, Kiersten was still employed in her old corporate role and we had a two-year old vying for our attention. Adding a project like writing a book to our plates seemed completely unreasonable.
But as we gave it more thought and allowed ourselves to entertain a life and business different from the one we were planning , we realized this was a great opportunity. More importantly, we felt like it was needed. As we thought about the community we serve, the [lack of ] relatable stories they’ve been equipped with, the value of the perspective we could share and the far-reaching impact it could have…
writing a book felt less like a project and more like a purpose. Click To TweetOver the next twenty months, we’d go on to write a book proposal, sign with a literary agent and agree to a book deal with Portfolio Books [an imprint of Penguin Random House]. And as of February 2021, hundreds of thousands of words later, we’ve officially submitted our manuscript.
When authors refer to their books as their book babies, we know exactly what they mean because the process has been one of the most challenging we’ve ever experienced. Between the two of us, we’ve renovated homes, been landlords, paid off a mortgage, survived corporate America and more, but…
nothing has challenged us more than the process of writing this book together. Click To TweetIn part, this is because we are first time authors. But it was also tough because we were writing a book about Black life and money during a global pandemic, social uprising and explosive presidential election. Years from now, when our son asks us what we did during the shit show that was 2020, we’ll be able to tell him we wrote a book! And you can rest assured we incorporated learnings and feelings in real-time into the thousands of words we captured.
There are so many lessons we could share from the creative and business experience but for now, we want to provide a bit more perspective on the book itself. Quite honestly, this is because we’ve received a lot of questions from readers and followers about it; so answering them in one place makes our life a little easier.
Here’s what we can share.
When will the book be available for sale?
We don’t know. Nobody knows for sure. But as of today, we’re aiming for Spring 2022. This is completely normal in the world of traditional publishing as it takes about 2-3 years from agreement, writing, editing, design and printing until books appear on shelves. The book will be available for pre-sell long before the official publishing date and as soon as we know more, we’ll share that information here and on all social media platforms.
What is the title of the book?
Well, we’re hoping the book will be entitled rich and Regular: the Anti Excellence Guide to Financial Freedom. But the operative word here is— hope. To us, it allows us to utilize a phrase we know, love and want to introduce into the broader cultural lexicon, but it all depends on what the book morphs into after a few rounds of editing. In a sense, books aren’t that much different from a cocktail. No two are the same and right at the end, you may decide to add a little spritz of something that fundamentally changes it’s identity.
Is a Manhattan still a Manhattan if you add two maraschino cherries? Should you torch the orange zest and rim the glass or just drop it in with a twist? You don’t really know until the moments before it’s time to take that first sip so we’ll just have to wait and see.
What does anti-excellence mean?
Well, perhaps you’ve heard of the book “How to Be an Anti-Racist” by Dr. Ibram X Kendi. In recent years, it’s become the single most referenced and celebrated body of work in helping people understand what is needed to make real racial progress in America. Dr. Kendi’s big idea is— it’s not enough for us to shun racism like a dog that just keeps chewing on your shoes. We need to forcefully and systemically oppose it.
Well, we’re taking that same energy and applying it to the idea of Black excellence. Why? Because in and of itself, the idea of Black excellence is a byproduct of racism. Sure, it’s also a casual-cultural mantra we throw around to celebrate when one of us is doing big things. But it’s also a reaction to the persistent double standard we know shouldn’t exist.
We shouldn’t have to be excellent while others thrive in mediocrity. We shouldn’t have to be experts in all things, pioneers in enterprise, breakers of glass ceilings, endless reservoirs of emotional resilience, well-versed in our own tortured history, inspirational pillars of our community, cool and grateful for pennies on the dollar. The only thing more exhausting than reading that sentence is trying to embody it.
Especially for Black working professionals, the commitment to embodying this impossible ideal is harmful. We know who you are because we’ve been where you are. So we’re challenging you to admit to your fatigue, forgive your short-sightedness and open yourself up to a new, simpler way of thinking about money, careers and life. We’re challenging you to judge your employers on their actual track record; not their employee marketing. And we’re asking you to put your own mask on first for once.
The pending retirement crisis and persistent racial wealth gaps we know exist today are all evidence the status quo doesn’t work for most people, so there’s little incentive to double down on the practices and beliefs that got us… Click To Tweet
The book is written by people of color [us] FOR people of color. But that doesn’t mean others can’t relate to the messages, stories and lessons woven into it. If you can wrap your head around cringing and laughing along with Dave Chappelle then you can understand why this book may be insightful and maybe even a little entertaining.
How can you support the book?
Well, this is an easy one— buy it. More specifically, buy it as soon as it’s available for pre-sell. The pre-sell orders are a huge indicator of public interest and dictate how much the publisher distributes to retailers [e.g. Target, Amazon, Bookstores etc]. So if your interest [by purchasing] suggests they should print a gang of books…that’s exactly what they’ll do.
It also helps tremendously if we have bulk book orders. In the spirit of transparency, this is partially why we’ve been excited about some recent speaking engagements with large companies like Zoom, because many of these organizations have budgets allocated to diversity efforts and employee resource groups they can use to make bulk book purchases. And, many of the Black professionals who work in tech, finance and other high-paying industries are precisely the target for this message.
The process of ordering in bulk is pretty easy to do and as soon as that form/portal is available, we’ll be sure to publicize it as well. In the interim, if you’re interested in bulk purchases, please don’t hesitate to send us a note at hello@richandregular.com.
Did you receive an advance for the book?
Yes, we did receive an advance and it was an amount we were very happy with, despite the horror stories we’ve heard. Here’s how it works.
We agree on an amount in tandem with our agent and the publishing house. We’re issued payment immediately upon signing, another when our manuscript is approved, another upon initial publication and another shortly afterwards. After that, we receive future royalty payment after a sales threshold is met which essentially pays back the advance. Beyond that sales milestone, we transition to a tiered royalty payment so that we earn $X for every book sold and $x+ for every book sold beyond certain tiers. Basically, the more it sells, the more we earn per book sold.
This type of agreement is standard and we’re sure it will likely trigger conversations about traditional vs. self-publishing. All we can say is, we chose this path for a reason and as of today, we’re very pleased with the decision.
So what’s next?
Well, you didn’t think we’d just curl up on the couch until we hear back from our editors did you? We did take a much needed weekend getaway but we have a handful of big projects we’re working on.
For starters, we’re having early discussions about Money on the Table Season 2 and are looking to kickoff production by early summer. Assuming we can get vaccinated, we’ll be getting out of the house and sharing meals with some of our favorite people.
We’ve also connected with two business partners and are in the early stages of launching an entirely new online venture in the financial, tech and education space that we’re very excited about. One of the benefits of having met so many people over the years is we have a pretty good understanding of the pain-points people experience along their financial education journey. Hopefully, this endeavor makes that process a bit easier.
Lastly, we just agreed to an amazing partnership with a media brand that will challenge us creatively and elevate our platform even further. If our early discussions are any indication of the possibilities, it puts us in a position to help significantly more people than we do today.
To say we’re excited about what the next few years will bring is an understatement. Our entrepreneurial experience has been nothing like we thought it would be and at times, has felt like it’s slowed down our journey. But the truth is, we’ve been planting seeds in fertile soil over the last two years and its starting to bear fruit— big fruit. These days, instead of yelling “Baaaaabe”, Kiersten’s new favorite phrase is slow, then sudden. And I think I like the sound of that much better.
J
11 Comments
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Advertiser Disclosure: rich & REGULAR is a member of affiliate marketing programs and may receive commission in exchange for promoting products and services.
In the summer of 2019, while Kiersten was downstairs with Beau and I was upstairs making dinner I heard her yell out “Baaabe”!
Normally, when she does this, it’s because she see’s a bug or wants me to bring her something and is too lazy comfy to walk upstairs to get it. But this time it felt different. Just as we’d learned to translate our son’s cries; we’ve also learned to interpret each other’s tone over the years. And I could tell from the flutter in her voice she was giddy.
She was reacting to an email from an editor at a large book publishing house who was inquiring if we’d ever thought about writing a book. The answer to that question was yes— of course.
Both of us had been writing creatively since we were children. Our mutual appreciation for books and storytelling was just as much of a key ingredient to our relationship as food. The only problem was, writing one wasn’t actually in our immediate plans. We were in the early stages of building our blog, we were beginning to have conversations about our future as real estate investors, Kiersten was still employed in her old corporate role and we had a two-year old vying for our attention. Adding a project like writing a book to our plates seemed completely unreasonable.
But as we gave it more thought and allowed ourselves to entertain a life and business different from the one we were planning , we realized this was a great opportunity. More importantly, we felt like it was needed. As we thought about the community we serve, the [lack of ] relatable stories they’ve been equipped with, the value of the perspective we could share and the far-reaching impact it could have…
writing a book felt less like a project and more like a purpose. Click To TweetOver the next twenty months, we’d go on to write a book proposal, sign with a literary agent and agree to a book deal with Portfolio Books [an imprint of Penguin Random House]. And as of February 2021, hundreds of thousands of words later, we’ve officially submitted our manuscript.
When authors refer to their books as their book babies, we know exactly what they mean because the process has been one of the most challenging we’ve ever experienced. Between the two of us, we’ve renovated homes, been landlords, paid off a mortgage, survived corporate America and more, but…
nothing has challenged us more than the process of writing this book together. Click To TweetIn part, this is because we are first time authors. But it was also tough because we were writing a book about Black life and money during a global pandemic, social uprising and explosive presidential election. Years from now, when our son asks us what we did during the shit show that was 2020, we’ll be able to tell him we wrote a book! And you can rest assured we incorporated learnings and feelings in real-time into the thousands of words we captured.
There are so many lessons we could share from the creative and business experience but for now, we want to provide a bit more perspective on the book itself. Quite honestly, this is because we’ve received a lot of questions from readers and followers about it; so answering them in one place makes our life a little easier.
Here’s what we can share.
When will the book be available for sale?
We don’t know. Nobody knows for sure. But as of today, we’re aiming for Spring 2022. This is completely normal in the world of traditional publishing as it takes about 2-3 years from agreement, writing, editing, design and printing until books appear on shelves. The book will be available for pre-sell long before the official publishing date and as soon as we know more, we’ll share that information here and on all social media platforms.
What is the title of the book?
Well, we’re hoping the book will be entitled rich and Regular: the Anti Excellence Guide to Financial Freedom. But the operative word here is— hope. To us, it allows us to utilize a phrase we know, love and want to introduce into the broader cultural lexicon, but it all depends on what the book morphs into after a few rounds of editing. In a sense, books aren’t that much different from a cocktail. No two are the same and right at the end, you may decide to add a little spritz of something that fundamentally changes it’s identity.
Is a Manhattan still a Manhattan if you add two maraschino cherries? Should you torch the orange zest and rim the glass or just drop it in with a twist? You don’t really know until the moments before it’s time to take that first sip so we’ll just have to wait and see.
What does anti-excellence mean?
Well, perhaps you’ve heard of the book “How to Be an Anti-Racist” by Dr. Ibram X Kendi. In recent years, it’s become the single most referenced and celebrated body of work in helping people understand what is needed to make real racial progress in America. Dr. Kendi’s big idea is— it’s not enough for us to shun racism like a dog that just keeps chewing on your shoes. We need to forcefully and systemically oppose it.
Well, we’re taking that same energy and applying it to the idea of Black excellence. Why? Because in and of itself, the idea of Black excellence is a byproduct of racism. Sure, it’s also a casual-cultural mantra we throw around to celebrate when one of us is doing big things. But it’s also a reaction to the persistent double standard we know shouldn’t exist.
We shouldn’t have to be excellent while others thrive in mediocrity. We shouldn’t have to be experts in all things, pioneers in enterprise, breakers of glass ceilings, endless reservoirs of emotional resilience, well-versed in our own tortured history, inspirational pillars of our community, cool and grateful for pennies on the dollar. The only thing more exhausting than reading that sentence is trying to embody it.
Especially for Black working professionals, the commitment to embodying this impossible ideal is harmful. We know who you are because we’ve been where you are. So we’re challenging you to admit to your fatigue, forgive your short-sightedness and open yourself up to a new, simpler way of thinking about money, careers and life. We’re challenging you to judge your employers on their actual track record; not their employee marketing. And we’re asking you to put your own mask on first for once.
The pending retirement crisis and persistent racial wealth gaps we know exist today are all evidence the status quo doesn’t work for most people, so there’s little incentive to double down on the practices and beliefs that got us… Click To Tweet
The book is written by people of color [us] FOR people of color. But that doesn’t mean others can’t relate to the messages, stories and lessons woven into it. If you can wrap your head around cringing and laughing along with Dave Chappelle then you can understand why this book may be insightful and maybe even a little entertaining.
How can you support the book?
Well, this is an easy one— buy it. More specifically, buy it as soon as it’s available for pre-sell. The pre-sell orders are a huge indicator of public interest and dictate how much the publisher distributes to retailers [e.g. Target, Amazon, Bookstores etc]. So if your interest [by purchasing] suggests they should print a gang of books…that’s exactly what they’ll do.
It also helps tremendously if we have bulk book orders. In the spirit of transparency, this is partially why we’ve been excited about some recent speaking engagements with large companies like Zoom, because many of these organizations have budgets allocated to diversity efforts and employee resource groups they can use to make bulk book purchases. And, many of the Black professionals who work in tech, finance and other high-paying industries are precisely the target for this message.
The process of ordering in bulk is pretty easy to do and as soon as that form/portal is available, we’ll be sure to publicize it as well. In the interim, if you’re interested in bulk purchases, please don’t hesitate to send us a note at hello@richandregular.com.
Did you receive an advance for the book?
Yes, we did receive an advance and it was an amount we were very happy with, despite the horror stories we’ve heard. Here’s how it works.
We agree on an amount in tandem with our agent and the publishing house. We’re issued payment immediately upon signing, another when our manuscript is approved, another upon initial publication and another shortly afterwards. After that, we receive future royalty payment after a sales threshold is met which essentially pays back the advance. Beyond that sales milestone, we transition to a tiered royalty payment so that we earn $X for every book sold and $x+ for every book sold beyond certain tiers. Basically, the more it sells, the more we earn per book sold.
This type of agreement is standard and we’re sure it will likely trigger conversations about traditional vs. self-publishing. All we can say is, we chose this path for a reason and as of today, we’re very pleased with the decision.
So what’s next?
Well, you didn’t think we’d just curl up on the couch until we hear back from our editors did you? We did take a much needed weekend getaway but we have a handful of big projects we’re working on.
For starters, we’re having early discussions about Money on the Table Season 2 and are looking to kickoff production by early summer. Assuming we can get vaccinated, we’ll be getting out of the house and sharing meals with some of our favorite people.
We’ve also connected with two business partners and are in the early stages of launching an entirely new online venture in the financial, tech and education space that we’re very excited about. One of the benefits of having met so many people over the years is we have a pretty good understanding of the pain-points people experience along their financial education journey. Hopefully, this endeavor makes that process a bit easier.
Lastly, we just agreed to an amazing partnership with a media brand that will challenge us creatively and elevate our platform even further. If our early discussions are any indication of the possibilities, it puts us in a position to help significantly more people than we do today.
To say we’re excited about what the next few years will bring is an understatement. Our entrepreneurial experience has been nothing like we thought it would be and at times, has felt like it’s slowed down our journey. But the truth is, we’ve been planting seeds in fertile soil over the last two years and its starting to bear fruit— big fruit. These days, instead of yelling “Baaaaabe”, Kiersten’s new favorite phrase is slow, then sudden. And I think I like the sound of that much better.
J
11 Comments
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on March 5, 2021 at 3:31 PM
Very cool guys! Congratulations for finishing the book during the middle of the pandemic while raising children!
Maybe we can trade notes off-line sometime? I was approached by Portfolio to write a book as well. It’s a different take on things and I think I should probably do it. But I’d love to hear about your book writing process because I self published a severance negotiation book and that was a big butt kicking.
Now, with two kids under 4, and no preschool, time is crunched.
Thanks!
Sam
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on March 5, 2021 at 3:43 PM
Sure Sam. And congrats to you on all you’ve accomplished in recent years. Just send us an email and we’ll arrange a time to meet/chat. Hello@richandregular.com.
-
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on March 7, 2021 at 1:40 PM
I just continue to be grateful and impressed by the consistency of your particular “voice and vibe”. Y’all, we need it. And my hope is that these new endeavors create more exposure to the particular audience that you resonate with the most. Please don’t lose that rich&Regular vibe. You can count on me for an advance book copy!
-
Thank you so much Shauni! Our vibe is simply who we are…flaws and all. And we hope we never lose it either. Keep in touch.
-
-
on March 8, 2021 at 12:07 PM
HUGE CONGRATS! One of the highlights of 2020, was watching your Youtube series with the wife. It allowed me to use a different voice, to have the same conversations I had been trying to have with her. It worked, and we are much better off because of it.
-
Wow. It makes us so happy to hear that you and your wife were able to make a breakthrough. Best of luck to you along your journey
-
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on March 16, 2021 at 1:52 PM
This is so inspiring! Can’t wait to buy the book! Excited for season 2!!!
-
[…] now that our manuscript is complete, we look forward to pouring this newfound creative energy into our podcast. The best part is the […]
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on April 19, 2021 at 7:16 AM
I came to your site today to find out when you might be writing a book, so glad to hear it is coming! It will help my discussions with family about these topics.
-
Yes! We have our fingers crossed that this time next year, it will be on shelves. Thank you for your support!
-
-
on January 8, 2022 at 7:13 PM
Congratulations. I’m ready to pre-order the book and share the announcement on social media.
Very cool guys! Congratulations for finishing the book during the middle of the pandemic while raising children!
Maybe we can trade notes off-line sometime? I was approached by Portfolio to write a book as well. It’s a different take on things and I think I should probably do it. But I’d love to hear about your book writing process because I self published a severance negotiation book and that was a big butt kicking.
Now, with two kids under 4, and no preschool, time is crunched.
Thanks!
Sam
Sure Sam. And congrats to you on all you’ve accomplished in recent years. Just send us an email and we’ll arrange a time to meet/chat. Hello@richandregular.com.
I just continue to be grateful and impressed by the consistency of your particular “voice and vibe”. Y’all, we need it. And my hope is that these new endeavors create more exposure to the particular audience that you resonate with the most. Please don’t lose that rich&Regular vibe. You can count on me for an advance book copy!
Thank you so much Shauni! Our vibe is simply who we are…flaws and all. And we hope we never lose it either. Keep in touch.
HUGE CONGRATS! One of the highlights of 2020, was watching your Youtube series with the wife. It allowed me to use a different voice, to have the same conversations I had been trying to have with her. It worked, and we are much better off because of it.
Wow. It makes us so happy to hear that you and your wife were able to make a breakthrough. Best of luck to you along your journey
This is so inspiring! Can’t wait to buy the book! Excited for season 2!!!
[…] now that our manuscript is complete, we look forward to pouring this newfound creative energy into our podcast. The best part is the […]
I came to your site today to find out when you might be writing a book, so glad to hear it is coming! It will help my discussions with family about these topics.
Yes! We have our fingers crossed that this time next year, it will be on shelves. Thank you for your support!
Congratulations. I’m ready to pre-order the book and share the announcement on social media.