Update, Monday 5pm EDT: The giveaway is now closed. Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments and suggestions; I’m so grateful to have you as readers! Stay tuned—I’ll announce the winner in the next day or so. :)
A Milestone
I have some exciting news to share with you today: in the first year of publication, my book, The Joy of Less, has sold 20,000 copies! And I want to celebrate with you, my wonderful readers, because you made it happen.
You were the ones who bought my book, requested it from your library, and recommended it to your friends. You were the ones who reviewed it, blogged about it, and tweeted about it. You were the ones who embraced minimalist living, spread the word to others, and transformed it from a quirky lifestyle choice to a mainstream movement.
You were the ones who decided to dejunk, declutter, and live more lightly on this Earth—and used my book as a guide to do so. And for that, I’m eternally grateful to each and every one of you.
People are often surprised when I tell them I self-published The Joy of Less. Why did I choose the indie route? Because from the moment I finished it, I was so excited to share it with you—and the 12- to 18-month time frame of traditional publishing seemed a terribly long time to wait. Furthermore, minimalism was such an offbeat topic at the time, I didn’t think a publisher would touch it with a ten-foot pole (ironically, I’ve now heard from several interested in acquiring the rights). Finally, I wanted to make sure that the message stayed true—and wasn’t transformed into “buy more containers to organize your stuff.”
So this has truly been a grassroots effort. I haven’t had a public relations department, an advertising budget, or any of the marketing muscle of a traditional publisher. I’ve had virtually no coverage in major US media (just a brief mention in the Chicago Tribune). These sales weren’t driven by hype or promotional campaigns; they occurred quietly, one by one, by word of mouth (both online and off). I love that, and wish I could thank every one of you personally for your support!
Furthermore, it’s more than just the sales that make my heart sing—it’s the fact that 20,000 people are actually interested in minimalist living! 20,000 people want to reduce their clutter and consumerism, and are taking the steps to do so. How wonderful is that? It gives me great hope for a kinder, gentler, more sustainable future.
A Question
Now I have a question for you: what would you like to read next? Is there a particular aspect of minimalism you’d like to see covered in more depth? Or a topic related to minimalism that you’d love to learn more about?
If you could pick the subject of my next book, what would it be? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
A Giveaway
What would a celebration be without a giveaway? (Certainly not as much fun!) So if you haven’t yet read The Joy of Less, here’s your chance to win a copy (your choice of paperback or Kindle). Even if you’ve read it, perhaps you’d like to pick one up for a friend; it could make a great gift for the packrat in your life!
To enter, simply leave a Comment below (just one comment/entry per person, please!). If you’d like to leave a Comment, but don’t want to enter the giveaway, just note that in your post.
I’ll keep the giveaway open until this Monday, Sept 12, 5pm EDT. As always, I’ll use the random number generator at Random.org to choose the winner, and make the announcement next week. Please be sure to use a legitimate email address, so that I can contact you to obtain your mailing information.
Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. I never dreamed I’d be able to make such an announcement (my original goal was to sell 1,000 books!), and I couldn’t have done it without you. Here’s to growing this community, this movement, and this commitment to a beautiful life with less stuff.
Best of luck to all who enter the giveaway!
I absolutely love reading posts on your site. I have not had the pleasure of reading your book yet, but I would love to. I am especially interested in learning to be minimalist with kids!
Congratulations! I love your blog so am sure I would love your book. An ebook since I’ve already decluttered my books, please.
The minimalist challenge I am currently struggling with is food prep. Living in an RV means I have little space for cooking tools. Having physical challenges means I need to minimize food prep time and effort. So far, I’ve learned to pour premade salad dressings into bags of frozen meat so it can marinate while thawing. I need lots more tricks like that.
Minimalist cleaning tips would be welcome, too. I shouldn’t need such a wide variety of cleaning products, should I? Plus, the products need to be ones that won’t destroy my plastic waste water holding tanks.
Thanks for continuing to help us all learn how to minimalize our impact on our world.
I love your blog and would love to read your book one day.
I picked up your book via Kindle just 2 weeks ago – and love it! I’d love a paperback so I could pass it on to a friend!
Congrats on selling so many copies, that is indeed wonderful!
I’d love to win a copy (I enjoy your blog, but haven’t read your book yet) and donate it to the library where I work. There are no copies available in our library system, so that one little copy would surely circulate around.
Love your blog – looking forward to loving your book!
Congratulations on hitting such a milestone. I would love my own copy of the book!
i am new to your site..for a little over a month and so far just reading excerpts and your site encouraged me to purge a porch full of things before my trip home AND prevented me from dragging lots home from vacation!!thanks so much..i feel better, lighter and more able to focus. so far have been looking for used book (reasonably priced for part time worker) but not many want to give it up..and those who do won’t give it away!!
thanks soooo much!!
I love your eloquent way with words, you are very inspiring. I would love to read your book and also learn more about minimalism with children! Thank you!
So happy for you and the book sales!
Love your blog. I get excited each time I see a new posting on my e-mail! Have read your book once from the library and am on a waiting list for a second read.
For future book ideas, I need help with getting my husband on board, I would love to hear other’s stories and to be honest, anything you would write would be just great!
Congratulations! You’re the only blog that I read on a regular basis. It never fails to encourage, validate, inspire and motivate me to keep on going. If selected I would prefer a paper version. I know, I know. I have already done a mind numbing distribution of my books/friends that I’ve been collecting for well over 20 years. The few I keep are the ones that I reread to keep me on the path.
As for next book. There have been several great ideas in the comments. I like the idea of others stories too (however it would be great to read new ones), the cultural/historical snapshots of minimalism (by necessity or choice ie. Japanese/Great Depression) but I think the thing that I struggle with the most is the whole food/prep area of life. I’ve done a dozen different things and even spoke about them but it still is the most “messy/stressy” area of my life.
Thanks again for proselytizing minimalism,
Kelly
Hi Francine,
Congratulations on your fabulous success! Our local library purchased a copy of your book upon my request. I devoured it eagerly when it became available and would love a copy to pass around to friends. Fantastic book!
I already have and love your book. Just want to send a big CONGRATS your way!
Congratulations!! What wonderful and necessary information you are giving the world through your book!
I would love to see a philosophical book, not so much the how, but why and the beauty of taking a minimalist path. Along the lines of “Danshari” “Sophrosyne”, “108 Bells”, Chop Wood, Carry Water” ect. Or maybe a book that explores minimalist inspiration from around the world and you could tie in your travel experiences. Whatever you do, it will be wonderful and beautiful.
I would like that too!
I would love to have your book. I am working hard every day to cleanse my space of clutter. It’s difficult but feels good to find someone that can use what I don’t need anymore.
This blog is always in the top 3 in my regular reading. While I go to work if I can read this book which will be fantastic as I do an hour trip one way to work. Lastly, just trying to figure out how I can be a minimalist as I am about to jump into one of my life’s biggest commitment. A paperback would be a good choice :-)
Congratulations! I only recently discovered your blog but am finding a wealth of enlightening information here. I’d love the chance to read your book to help me incorporate minimalism into my life.
Many Congrats! I would love to read more about any multipupose items that really work for you….
I have just started reading your blog and your book and I love them both!
Hey Congrats on your success. Love your blog and I’d love to win a copy of the book!
Very happy for you. But would a minimalist not want to sell LESS instead of more? ;-)
Less is more sweetie.
And besides, even minimalists have bills to pay….
Congrats on your book sales! I would love to see a book on being a minimalist in a family of decidedly non-minimalists. You’ve touched on this in other posts, but I’d love more suggestions. I am married to a packrat, and we’ve had to designate his spaces and mine – but I still feel like his clutter’s in the way. And my extended family has absolutely zero interest in reigning in gift-giving, so I end up with a bunch of new stuff, and also end up buying stuff for them. All that STUFF is so stressful to me!
Great news! Thanks for the give away. Paperback for me.
I absolutely love your book. It has changed the way I view material things.
Since reading your book, I’ve done some major decluttering. I can’t wait for your next book.
Congrats to the success of your book! I’m fairly new to the ‘minimlist’ movement. So glad I found you website & would love to win a paperback copy of your book. 2 packrats in our house & I could sure use the help! Thank you.
Hurray for you! Congratulations! I love the indie route for publishing books. It’s often so much better to eliminate the middleman.
How inspiring is this!? Way to go!!!
Congratulation. You are really an inspiring person. I read all the posts on your blog (literally all). I would love to read your book as well.
I have not seen any blogger or author writing about minimalism from India. If I win your book; I will share it with friends and family to start the movement of minimalism here in India as well.:)
I have one question since long time; would appreciate if you answer.
“You inspired me and many others to walk on the path of minimalism; who is your inspiration?”
I’d very much like to win a copy (digital: though I love a hardcopy book, I’m trying to whittle down my poor bookshelf.) I’ve been RSS/Stalking your site a few months now and it’s honestly given me the motivation to declutter that a lot of other sites/books haven’t been able to! Thank you :)
congratulations! I would love to read your book.
That is great news about your book! I can’t think of any suggestions for your next book but I will say, I know it will be great. You have a way of posting just what I need to be reading at the moment.
Congratulations! I’m glad that the minimalist message is becoming more mainstream. A lot of people can benefit from having “less” rather than “more” in their lives. Since when did “more” equate better anyways?
Congratulations! I recently stumbled upon your blog (and I mean, recent…about 2 weeks ago) and I’ve been pouring over the posts trying to absorb all the information. Your approach to minimalism makes it an accessible option to those who may not have thought it was before. Thank you for this site; because of it I’ve been creating a list of all the things in my life that can use to be scaled back. :)
Congratulations! It’s an impressive achievement, for a self-published, non-fictional book to sell that many copies. I already have mine, but I would like to get my mother her own copy. I’m sure it would help her gain perspective. She’s embarking on the minimalist journey because of my nagging, but it’s difficult for a person of her generation to change. Your book has such a common-sense approach, though, and I know it would be much more helpful than my advice to her can ever be!
As for the next topic to cover – I trust your judgement. Whatever you choose, it’s sure to be great!
Congratulations! What’s really cool about selling so many books is that probably each book has been read by more than one person! Many of the commenters have checked out your book from the library, and many more mention that they have not even read your book yet! They are interested in minimalism, but haven’t yet read your book. So the number of readers will continue to grow and your message will spread even farther and faster than the 20,000 in sales indicates.
Hello,
I’m a french (Toulouse, France) reader of yours (so please excuse me if my english isn’t perfect). I purchased your book before finding you had a blog (so no need for me to win the book, especially since people around me don’t read in english), and I like them both. As you can guess, I’m interested in minimalism. What I find most difficult is the idea of minimalism versus a beautiful and warm home. When I feel like throwing out something to put something more beautiful instead, I feel guilty because I’m thinking of the impact on the environnement (waste, etc…). And I still feel like I want to have a beautiful place to live. When I think of Japan minimalism, I think of really beautiful places… And having very few and not very pleasing things doesn’t make me too happy! Well, maybe you can tell me your opinion about the link between beauty and minimalism. Apart from this question, I also agree with others readers about a philosophical book, and cleaning tips may interest me as well (I guess you will be able to make a choice between lots of ideas!).
I hope I was clear enough, I’m sorry if some things were difficult to understand :)
Thank you for your work and good luck for what’s next!
Congratulations!
I’ve been following your blog for a long time and alwsys find it so inspirational. Thank you!
Congrats on the 20,000 sold. Ive only just discovered this phenomenon called ‘minimalism’ but have embraced it wholeheartedly and LOVE your site. My home looks awesome and I feel free everytime I de-clutter useless ‘stuff’.
It is great that the message of less is spreading and read by so many! I would like to delve deeper into making do without/multi-purposing (eg: a ball jar is fine for storing left overs, freezing stock, canning pickles, as a drinking glass, or, as a measuring cup). The way people giveback to society, really freely giving, is a valuable wealth of information too.
I’ve become a minimalist since reading your blog. Would love to have a chance to read the book too!
Congratulations! I’m so happy that you have made your dreams possible and doing it in a way that is ethical and that stay true to your values. I follow your site every day so I look forward to seeing your next post :)
Hearty congratulations, Francine, on your admirable success! What an inspiring story! I’m still interested to read more about living with hoarders – there seems to be lots of advice out there for dealing with childrens’ mess, but not a partner’s – and somehow the advice applied to children’s stuff isn’t always transferable – I’m not sure my significant other would be too impressed if I tried to ‘make a game of tidying up’! :-D Particularly when he WANTS to keep his stuff, in a big circle around him, all the time. :-/
Congratulations! How wonderful to be helping so many people on your journey. I am making progress on my reduction of clutter but it is slow going. I would love a paperback copy of your book. I will donate it to the library once I finish it.
I am a minimalist wanna-be. Would live to have this book!
Congratulations Francine! Your success was never in doubt in my mind and I look forward to your book being picked up by a major publisher and given the promotion it deserves!
Hi Francine! 20,000 copies! Wow! If anyone would have asked me I would actually have thought you had sold way more than that. It’s excellent and should be a best-seller. Now I’m proud to say I have one of the 20,000 and it’s one of few books I’m keeping as I’m paring down. At least for a bit more. (I’d love to win one anyway!)
As to what I would like to read next, I have some ideas:
– I struggle with food prep and planning. I’m consistently trying to minimise my kitchen and the food I have on hand. I’d like not to keep a lot of food at home, and want to make sure I use it up before it gets old. I seem to forget what’s in my kitchen, so have started to plan my next few meals after what I already have. But when shopping I still end up with something I didn’t really need to buy just yet.
– I also like to read about how to get exercise to become a natural part of my life, as in walking, cycling, playing, moving. Not another stressful obligation (and expense) of going to the gym.
– Advice on how to live every-day-life with less stress. How to “be in the moment” even when working full-time, commuting, having kids, house work and so on. I know I’m on the right track and feel like the steps towards minimalism helps leading a less stressful life.
– Some more reading about the reason of simplifying. That it gives you more time and possibility to focus on that which is important in YOUR life (not your in particular). And maybe that when you begin walking the road towards a clutter-free life you may not even know what is important to you and how you really want to spend your time. (Sometimes I have no idea where I’m heading, but trust it will reveal itself..)
Francine, thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us! And I’m looking forward to reading your next book, no matter which subject you choose!
I love your blog, and would love to have a copy of your book! Keep up all the wonderful, inspiring posts.
Your website has helped me to simplify and declutter, and to give me a life of more peace and happiness. I am now helping a friend who is a borderline hoarder with your ideas and support. She is also so happy, as is her husband!
I would love a copy of the book, as we only have one computer for 6 people!
Thank you for inspiring us.
Porkchop
Many congratulations Francine – just shows that it can be done when the writing is good and the subject is one that interests people. Not everyone needs all the paraphernalia of agents, publishers, shops etc. all taking their share of the profits and you clearly don’t!
As for your next book I rather agree with Melissa and others who feel that a book more on the philosophical side of minimalism would be good; your blogs on these areas have always been very interesting and I have sometimes wished the ideas could be extended further than a blog really allows. People’s stories are always very inspiring and your own would also be interesting, especially as your parents produced not just one, but two minimalists and one of those is married to another! But whatever you do, just keep writing!