Author Evans offers thoughts on economy, books

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 25, 2009 | by Cynthia Kimball Humphreys

Best-selling author Richard Paul Evans recently spoke with the Deseret News about the economy, his latest books and other efforts.

Deseret News: In this current economy, many people don't have a lot of money, many don't have jobs. Are there any solutions or hope to offer?

Richard Paul Evans: Well, the first thing I would tell them is to find joy where they're at. Some of the things that are being shaken by the economy are things that really weren't that important on one level. We create false securities; we create false gods, so to speak. When, you know, the reality is that my dad used to always say to me this country could use a good depression because during the Depression we'd sit around and talk to each other and feel like we have each other; we had time for each other. So, that's the first thing, but that doesn't seem very comforting when you're losing your home, but all things in the past I've lost homes in my life, growing up we lost three homes ... you know, I understand.

DN: This is a time, especially with people out of work, when many are working to become authors. What advice would you give them?

EVANS: You know, it's a soulful time to write. It's probably a good time to write, but a bad time to be an author. It's really tough in the book industry, just like other industries. Mainly the major publishers are not taking new authors or they claim not to be. They're very selective about who they'll publish right now. It's a matter of money so the average book is selling fewer copies. They're doing smaller runs so it's kind of a tough time to break into it especially if your idea is to make money at it. It's almost a better time to self-publish; that's if you want to make money to self- publish. If you have the kind of book that you can speak about it. If it's a topic that people can come and listen to you can probably make more money.

DN: Do you think anyone can become an author?

EVANS: Can anyone become an author? No, no. That's so broad. No, I think a lot of people have stories to tell. I think everyone should, as a matter of action in their life, they should write their story. They should bear witness of their life and I think there's something very beautiful about capturing that; what happens to us when we write our own story.

DN: So it could even be like someone writing a journal, not necessarily publishing a story, something like that?

EVANS: Yeah, certainly not everyone should be published anymore than everyone should be a singer. Believe me, you don't want me on "American Idol."

DN: Your "The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me for Women" came out this year. How is it different from your "The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life & Wealth" that was published in 2004 other than it's specifically targeted for women?

EVANS: First of all, all of these stories and examples are based on women because people want to see people they can relate to and so by turning all these stories on women and sharing women's stories that makes it really important. And second, I deal with five issues that women seem to have (different outlooks than men), the problems that women have with money that men don't have. But outside of that, there's part of it that's also kind of a maturity of the book. I've talked to thousands and thousands of people about the five lessons since it came out and met with many women and I've heard their comments from all around the world and what it's done is given me an advantage point I didn't have when I wrote the first book. So, there are parts that I highlight a little more and a little more forceful about some parts and that's the value of the book to actually see it in real life and also to see life's changing. I love it when people come up to me at book signings and tell me they have no debt because of my book.

DN: I love your, "Is that the best you can do?" question.

EVANS: The seven golden words, yes.

DN: Any great short story about how that phrase has helped you?

EVANS: Actually, it helps me all the time. I use it all the time. My staff uses it all the time, but actually the best stories aren't mine. The best story I know of is of a woman who adopted a little Cambodian baby and when the baby came -- there were medical bills that came close to $20,000 and they accepted this as part of the deal -- but after reading my book the woman thought, 'You know I'm going to try this. I'm going to try this' so she calls the hospital and thanks them for the care of her baby and asks the seven golden words. The administrator, the woman she's talking to, says, 'I don't know. Let me go ask' and she comes back a minute later and she says very happily, 'If you can pay off the balance this month, we can give you 80 percent off.' So this woman saves nearly $16,000 based on the seven golden words.

DN: I'm sure you hear stories like that all over when you travel.

EVANS: I actually do. In fact in every crowd I'm in, I'll ask about using the seven golden words, and there's always a group no matter where I am in the country. People know the seven golden words and every time I ask very confidently, "Do you have a story to share" and they throw their arms up and just want to share. Last night a woman told me that she asked her boss -- he was talking to her about her bonus and he asked her what she thought about it. She said she was very grateful, but asked, "Is that the best you can do?" She said she actually ended up making an extra $2,000.