2021 Year In Review

What a year! I always find it easy to focus on what is undone, but look what we accomplished at this small press for big voices this year! Our authors and interns work so hard (and I work pretty hard myself, I have to say). Together, we gave a pandemic year trying to keep us down a pretty good run for its money:

• Published four books (Children’s books From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair by Crystal C. Mercer and Cartwheels: Finding Your Special Kind of Smart by Tracy Peterson; Nonfiction anthology Truths We Tell: Stories From The Yarn Stage curated by Hilary Trudell; and Memoir/Relationships book Invitation to Intimacy: What the marriage of two couples therapists reveals about risk, transformation, and the astonishing healing power of intimacy by Dr. Judy Tiesel-Jensen;

• Celebrated the highest number of sales in the press’s history with Cartwheels, representing the book’s helpfulness in the lives of kids, families, therapists, and teachers experiencing or working with those experiencing dyslexia and other learning differences;

• Earned numerous awards: But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez (Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs)Bronze in the Self-Help Category) and The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Journal by Jennifer A. O’Brien (Nautilus Book Awards Silver in Death & Dying/Grief & Loss; Indie Book Awards Winner in Relationships; International Impact Book Awards winner in Book Interior Design; and Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs)Bronze in the Gift/Specialty/Journal Category).

• Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez and her Save10 Movement, co-founded with Stephanie Matthews, created a partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas through which SC (aka Ladysplaining Money) did an Arkansas College Campus tour of six campuses, delivering essential lessons on saving and preparing for retirement early to hundreds of women before they enter the workforce. Copies of But First, Save 10 were provided for 500 registrants;

• Produced our first card pack, Money Talks Conversation Cards, including 70 questions from Ladysplaining Money and personal finance thought leaders to spark empowering, change-making money discussions among women;

• Ran two successful Kickstarter campaigns (175 backers pledged $9,528 to fund From Cotton to Silk at 129% of our goal; 120 backers pledged $7,170 to fund Truths We Tell at 102% of our goal);

• Provided manuscript editing and publishing advice for dozens of authors;

• Donated or worked with a donor to provide copies of Cartwheels and Butterfly Dreams: A Friendship Takes Flight by Carol Dabney to dozens of children at Our House for their summer programming, accompanied by two days of readings, activities, and live music by Tracy Peterson and Carol Dabney;

• Et Alia authors appeared on numerous podcasts, on the news, in dozens of articles (including Ladysplaining Money appearing in Real Simple and The Wall Street Journal), on the radio, live on stage, and even in a documentary film (The Mud & The Lotus author Courtney Robinson);

• Signed contracts for three 2022 and 2023 books, including a second children’s book by Cartwheels author Tracy Peterson;  

• Celebrated countless connections of books and readers.

THANK YOU to our readers and supporters for the vital role that you continue to play in the life of Et Alia!

RealSimple Magazine Features Sarah Catherine Gutierrez (aka Ladysplaining Money)

Heading to mailboxes nationwide in print and online in the April issue of Real Simple Magazine is an article about retirement featuring Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez (aka Ladysplaining Money), author of But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life.

“How to Stay Focused on Saving for Retirement, No Matter Your Current Financial Situation” by Kara Cutruzzula, author of Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal, says that it’s possible to feel good about retirement, whether you have a nice nest egg or not even a fledgling fund.

As Gutierrez tries to hammer home in But First, Save 10 and reiterates in this article, “automation is key.” Relying on behavioral science, Gutierrez says that we can get a leg up on our wily brains by setting savings amounts to automatically transfer so that our retirement builds while we go about our daily lives thinking about other things. Meanwhile, our savings are compounding, and when we are ready to retire, we can have the freedom to do so. Many may find that they don’t miss the 10% (or more) they dedicate to retirement if they commit to it early enough, and that it can be the ticket to financial freedom that allows them to leave an unhappy work situation, start a new business, or retire on their own terms.

In the article, you’ll also glean expertise from says certified financial planner Barbara Ginty, host of the podcast Future Rich, and Gina Zakaria, founder of Saving Whiz, a financial education platform.

BetterInvesting Magazine Calls But First, Save 10 "A Perfect 10"!

Angele McQuade of BetterInvesting Magazine calls But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez (aka Ladysplaining Money) “A Perfect 10,” going on to say “If 2020 hasn’t made the importance of saving clear enough, this book will lead you the rest of the way.”

But First, Save 10 Now Available in Ebook!

As the new year approaches, we hope you’re busy setting your vision boards and laying plans to empower yourself in the coming year. Without saving for the future so that you are prepared to make necessary moves toward your personal goals, is whatever you hope to achieve possible? Ladysplaining Money and loads of financial experts would say good luck.

In good news, you can do this by yourself but you don’t have to do it alone! Now you can read But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life in paperback or in ebook format. You can find the ebook by clicking here, and if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you can get it free! If you prefer paper in your hands, click here, where you’ll also find bundles to help you on your way.

Part of building the pile of cash that will be your ticket to lifelong freedom is getting the conversation started. Perhaps you were raised to save money, but never given the tools for how. Or perhaps, you were raised never to talk about money at all. Whatever your situation, understanding your relationship with money and the lessons (good and bad) that have been passed down to you is key to breaking taboo. That’s why we created Money Talks: Conversation Cards from Ladysplaining Money.

About the cards, Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez (aka Ladysplaining Money) says: “What do you believe is the question that young women today must be asking themselves about money and talking about amongst their friends?

This is the question I asked women leading the finance industry today and whose opinions on money I deeply value. These cards are the result. Along with those you choose to play them with, you’ll delve into how you personally negotiate money in your relationships, career, and daily life as well as how you perceive money, dreams, and retirement.”

Ready to get the conversation started? Click here to order your cards with free shipping.

But First, Save 10 Named in Top 11 Personal Finance Books by TIME Next Advisor!

TIME’s Next Advisor released it’s list of top Personal Finance books of 2020, and, drumroll….

But First, Save 10 is Number 7!

The incredible Farnoosh Torabi of the “So Money” Podcast made the selection. To read the full list, Click Here.

Torabi says:

If there’s a single mantra that can be applied to everyone this year, it’s this: Save, save, and save some more. As the founder of financial planning firm Aptus Financial and the breadwinner in her family, Sarah Catherine Guitterez experienced firsthand the struggles many women can have with money, particularly when it comes to saving and investing. But First, Save 10, encourages saving at least 10% of every paycheck before doing anything else. It’s another way of saying “pay yourself first,” which is one bit of financial advice that Guitterez says she can’t preach enough.

“I realized we have got to demystify this … because women don’t engage with financial services in confident ways. There is a lot of avoidance when it comes to signing up for that retirement plan,” she told me. “My life’s career is going to be in being this translator. This person who can bring women to the table and actually say, ‘Hey, it’s not nearly as hard as it sounds. We make it hard, but it’s really not.’”

Congratulations for this well-deserved recognition, Ladysplaining Money, and for helping every reader learn the most important ways to empower herself!

Launch of But First, Save 10 by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez!

Thank you!

Thank you for making the launch of But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez (aka Ladysplaining Money) a smashing success!

10% of author royalties from book sales will be donated to SAVE10, co-founded by Gutierrez and Stephanie Matthews (pictured above in blue), supported through a partnership with The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas.

More than 50 cars pulled through the BYOB (Bring Your Own Bumper) launch, with shouts and promises to “Save 10%.” We found ways to adapt to the unexpected . . . launching during the pandemic and still celebrating while doing our best to keep everyone safe.

Launch Speech Shared Ahead of Event

At noon on launch day, Gutierrez shared the speech she might have otherwise made in person. In it, she shares the process of writing and publishing the book, as well as why she is driven to make “SAVE10” the battle cry of generations of women.

Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez shares the video book launch speech.

Festive Signage

As drivers pulled through the event line in the semi-circle driveway of Gutierrez’s parents’ home, they crossed paths with signs explaining how to pay for any books that were not preordered, as well as these:

Join Us for the Drive-Thru Launch of But First, Save 10 by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez

Ladysplaining Money and Et Alia Press invite you to join in the launch of

But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life!

Click here to link to the Facebook Event Page

Enjoy a video invitation from Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez, below.

Book contract announcement: Sarah-catherine gutierrez!

EXCITING BOOK CONTRACT ANNOUNCEMENT!

Women, have you felt the finance industry leaves you out, drawing a curtain of confusion between you and your money with lots of incomprehensible jargon? Do you worry about saving for retirement, but feel so frustrated and overwhelmed that you keep putting it off, or feel ready to do something but aren’t sure what? Do you look around for financial advice, and find that it is all coming from men telling you what you’re doing wrong and how they can fix it for you instead of helping you take charge of your own money? What if, instead of putting your hard-earned dollars into financial products that you, for good reason, have trouble understanding, in an effort to “beat the system,” you first focused on saving? What if the financial industry isn’t built for us and it’s time to consider rebuilding it together, by means that aren’t as complicated as you may think?

Perhaps you’ve already felt empowered by Sarah-Catherine Phillips Gutierrez through one of her speaking engagements or movements (SAVE10, Ladysplaining Money). Now, her work to transform the finance industry by helping women draw back the curtain of unnecessary confusion and demand control of their financial futures will continue through her first book, Et Alia’s spring 2020 title: But First, Save . . . subtitle TBD! Mark your calendar for its March 10 release date, and meanwhile find SC at Aptus Financial and ladysplainingmoney.com.