Site Update: October 2008

Greetings once again from Seattle, Washington. This past month saw the launch of a new product, the regular set of essays and posts, and a chance for me to catch up on a lot of things at home due to not traveling anywhere.

Each month I look back at what’s happened with ChrisGuillebeau.com in the previous month. If you’ve missed some articles, you can catch up here.

Writing

LIFE – I wrote about How to Fight Authority (and Win), The Link between Security and Complacency, and The First Day of Your Life

WORK – I wrote about Working from Anywhere on the Planet,
How to Create an Incredibly Convincing Satisfaction Guarantee, Trust and Authority, and Affiliate Marketing That Doesn’t Suck

TRAVEL – I wrote about 9 Overrated Tourist Destinations (and 9 Great Alternatives), Travel Hacking in an Unfriendly Environment, and 35 Hours from Kampala to Dar es Salaam

Travel

Wow – for the first time since February, I had no international travel this month! Instead, I stayed at home… but I was busy with a lot of writing and preparation for future projects.

The “Working for Yourself” Launch

On October 8, I launched my second information product, the Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself. By all accounts, the launch was a success. I sold 100 copies in the first 24 hours, and dozens more in the days following. I am really, really happy that so many people are getting value out of this project.

I now have a low-key, high-value affiliate program that pays 51% commission for a few carefully-selected partners who wish to offer my products for sale to their readers or customers.

If you have a blog, other web site, or newsletter list and are interested in learning more, read this here and then contact me.

What’s Coming Next

Travel – Like September, I expect to stick to a 20-mile radius over the next month, and my passport is safely tucked away in the filing cabinet. Rest assured that I’ll be dusting it off for some good trips in early 2009. I recently booked a Lufthansa awards flight that flies into Addis Abbaba (Ethiopia) and out of Asmara (Eritrea). My goal is to travel throughout the region, including Djibouti and Somaliand – but for now, I’m home in Washington.

Essays – The thrice-weekly essays will continue to be posted each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

This month I’ll write about the following topics, among others:

• The Hidden Messages of Passport Stamps
• Travel Hacking Part II
• The Power of the Amateur
• The first-ever AONC Writing Contest

I hope you enjoy my writing, and I always welcome your feedback.

The Next Unconventional Guide

My next Unconventional Guide will focus on advanced travel strategies, including Round-the-World travel and Awards tickets. I’ll detail exactly how I fly almost anywhere for an average of $300 per flight, and how I’ve learned (through much trial and error) to get ahead of the airlines.

This will be a follow-up to the first product, the Unconventional Guide to Discount Airfare. Stay tuned for the preview in about two weeks’ time.

Audience Participation

You can participate in the development of this project in several ways:

Leave a comment at the bottom of any essay. Feel free to add to the discussion at any time, and include a link back to your own site if you have one.

Join my newsletter announcement list or add me to your RSS reader.

Follow my real-time updates on Twitter.

Send other feedback. Use my contact form here to tell me what you think so far.

Tell your friends, or tell the world by submitting my essays to StumbleUpon or other social networking sites.

I appreciate the time you spend here. Don’t forget to change the world the way you think it needs to be changed.

-CG

Catch up on Previous Updates Here:

September 2008 (Seattle)
August 2008 (Seattle)
July 2008 (Karachi)
June 2008 (Amsterdam)
May 2008 (Vancouver)
April 2008 (Syria)
March 2008 (Los Angeles)
February 2008 (Seattle)

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Unconventional Guides:

Working for Yourself: Creating Personal Freedom
Discount Airfare: Surviving Stress and Maximizing Fun

Image of Fremont (Seattle) by SlightlyNorth