I judged a book by its cover.
And then I redesigned it.
A few years ago someone I know and respect recommended a book to me. It is called The Science of Getting Rich, it was published in 1910, and is considered by many to be the one of the very first books on metaphysics, self-help, and positive thinking for financial success.
The title made me feel embarrassed and queasy. But after my friend mentioned it, another person I respect recommended it. So I looked it up on Amazon and even the cover art was a turn off — either dull brown color palette or blunt representations of wealth: gold bars, stacks of coins. . . I rolled my eyes, sighed heavily — I judged a book by its cover — and then I decided to read it anyway.
It has some interesting ideas, but it continued to irk me that the cover art was so tiresome.
And, it bugged me that the author was so heavy-handed in his use of male pronouns — you know, like using the word “Man” to mean “all humans, regardless of gender identity.”
I get that it reflects the custom of the day. After all, it was written in 1910. But wouldn’t it be nice if there were another option?
And then it occurred to me: the book was published in 1910, which meant that it was in the public domain.
If I wanted to, I could actually create and self-publish an updated edition.
And so I did.
With the kind of sweet obsession that overtakes me from time to time, I found a free copy of the text online, copied it to a new doc, combed through it and changed out the pronouns — making it female pronoun dominant.
Why didn’t I make it gender neutral?
Two reasons.
First, there’s already a pretty good gender neutral edition that was released a couple of years ago. So I didn’t need to reinvent that wheel.
Second, it just feels different when presented with female pronouns. I think the reason why that’s true is because, for so much of our shared history, women have been specifically and intentionally prohibited from accumulating and distributing wealth.
Whether that means the “civil death” that women experienced upon marriage — they became legally merged within their husband’s legal status and existence — or prohibitions from entering into legal contracts, or inheritance laws that denied them the right to receive or direct family wealth, etc.
So to see the book presented as an address — an invitation, permission, an imperative — directed specifically to women — and in the most blunt terms — explicitly regarding wealth and money — it just feels different for the reader.
And while I was at it, I decided to redesign the cover, too.
What would make it feel good to me? Flowers! Peonies, in particular, because I love them. They feel so lush and beautiful to me. Calming. Better than images of gold bars, or stacks of coins.
Once the text was updated and the cover redesigned, I had to get it in the Amazon store.
But Amazon has a wonderful policy that says if a book is already in the public domain, and it’s already on Amazon, they won’t carry it. Because why? They don’t want to clutter up the store with content that doesn’t add value to the marketplace and to buyers.
However, if you can show that the new edition is significantly distinct in some way, then they’ll consider it
So, in addition to updating all the pronouns, I created a Study Guide — wrote new content to support the reader in accessing the material, creating their own Reader Salon, including notes on the history of women and money throughout time, and even some awesome facts about women, money, and Ancient Rome that I’d uncovered in the course of my research.
When I first submitted my edition to Amazon, it was rejected and blocked. “Sorry,” they said, “We already carry this book. It’s in the public domain.”
I had anticipated this, so I replied citing their policy and explaining how I’d met the requirements — both due to the new material, and making a case for why the change to pronouns was not trivial — and asking how we could move forward to get it into the marketplace and make this new and significantly improved edition available to readers for the first time.
And they said I needed to show XYZ and provide documentation to support my case.
And I did.
And they reconsidered. . .
And now it is live in the store.
It feels amazing. To have an idea, and to make room for it, to say, “You know, I really just want to make this happen and nothing will stop me. I want female pronouns and flowers and I want other people to have access to this.”
And you surrender to the energy and creative flow of it, and when you stop doubting yourself there’s so much energy for making it come to be. Sure, people will dismiss the project or raise an eyebrow or say “you should just get over the pronoun thing, it’s not a big deal.”
But you know what?
I wanted this book with flowers and female pronouns.
And so I made it happen.
And for those who still disapprove or look down upon the project — and there are always such people — it’s fine. For the last 107 years there have been plenty of other versions for their enjoyment.
Oh, and this insight:
✨ The road that brought you here is the perfect launch point for something new.
In fact, what came before can be a wonderful source of inspiration and springboard for more creativity and contribution. . .
. . . which, incidentally, is a core message of The Science of Getting Rich. I think that Wallace D. Wattles would appreciate the creative contribution of this new version of the book that is now available to the world, for the first time, ever, thanks to us both.
