My Exile Lifestyle, a short review

Hello!

Today I'm going to write a book review of Colin Wright's book entitled, My Exile Lifestyle.

For those of you who do not know who Colin Wright is, check out his About page here. But if you're lazy to click that link then here's a short introduction.

Colin Wright is a designer/writer/full time traveler. What makes him different from the usual digital nomad is the fact that he lets his readers choose (or vote) where his next destination would be.

Anyway, that's about it for an introduction.

My Exile Lifestyle is a book that chronicles Colin's adventures, well, not entirely as there are some essays/musings that are really fun to read...and were not actually related to his travels.

What really got me into buying this book was its book cover.

See what I mean?

I don't want to spoil you guys of a great reading experience, so this review will be short and concise. (Okay, maybe not really concise...sorry. I'm not really good with writing book reviews. And it doesn't help that I've read this one last month.)

Throughout the book, Colin gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to be a traveler. A minimalist traveler to be exact. (Speaking of Minimalism, please do check out The Minimalist by Joshua Millburn)

I've always labeled myself as a minimalist, but after reading My Exile Lifestyle, I realized that I'm not even close at being one. Actually, I thought that minimalism only applies to art. I never imagined that it could become a lifestyle.

Quick trivia: Colin only owns about 51 (I have to check if this is still the exact number.) items in the whole world.

Anyway, this book is filled with guides and some tips on travelling, life lessons, and Colin's adventure from different countries like South America, New Zealand and Thailand. I personally enjoyed his Thailand adventures, especially the fish ball incident. (To Colin, if you're reading this, I couldn't stop laughing when I read that entry.)

I have learned a handful of things with this book, not to mention the urge of packing up my stuff and go on a backpack travel. But then I realized that 1. I don't own a backpack, and 2. I'm not financially ready.

I'm not really a fan of travelogues, but I honestly enjoyed reading My Exile Lifestyle. With that, I'm going to end this post by saying that I'm giving it 5 stars and that you should check it out.

That's for now.

Ciao!

-Den

PS. AFAWFAY WEEK 16 is out!

Decreased tax withholding rate on royalties for Non-US

Hello!

I received a letter in my mailbox today from IRS regarding my EIN application. I actually got my EIN the day I called up the IRS Philadelphia office (which was a month ago,) but I still got excited when I read the letter.

Anyway, as you may have guessed from the title of this post, I will be sharing how I got my EIN number, and why you should get one if you’re earning some royalties from the US. I’m not good with writing tutorials, so please bear with me. (I’m more of a creative writer, in fact, my YA novel, PLEASE STAY is now available in digital formats at AMAZON and SMASHWORDS!)

If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you soon.

So to start…

I’ve been receiving some income from the US since 2008, and those income came from different streams like POD (print on demand business like Zazzle) and recently with self-publishing, (Smashwords and AMAZON KDP)

Since I’m not a US citizen, I am subjected to a 30% withholding rate. You’ve probably heard of this since you’re reading this post. So moving on, I’ve learned that I needed to submit a completed W-8BEN form indicating that I’m not a US citizen (I’m from the Philippines) and that an existing tax treaty between the US and my country states that I’m eligible to apply for a tax deduction. (in my case, my withholding rate decreased down from 30% to 15%, it depends on your country.)

Getting a W-8BEN form is easy, and you can download it from the IRS website here. But the tricky part is obtaining the ITIN that goes with your W-8BEN application. It’s a long process, and there are a bunch of requirements needed. Luckily, I learned that there’s a much easier way to do it. And this is how…

GET A US EIN INSTEAD

No, it’s different from ITIN since ITIN is a tax identification number, while an EIN is an employer identification number, but it will still get the job done.

SO WHAT DO I NEED TO OBTAIN AN EIN NUMBER?

1.       Download  an SS4 form from IRS here and fill it up.

SS4 form sample

(you don't have to print this)

2.       When you’re done, call the IRS office in Philadelphia. YES!! LONG DISTANCE!! It’s worth it, I SWEAR!

Internal Revenue Service

Attn:  EIN International Operation

Philadelphia, PA  19255

Tel # +1 267 941 1099 (I used my mobile phone and it took me about 15 min.)

Phone service available from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm (EST) M-F

You will then be asked some questions which are found in the SS4 form you just accomplished. And since this is a telephone exchange, you’ll have to spell out your name and address letter by letter.

You will then be asked for a reason why you’re applying for an EIN, in which case you’ll answer that it’s for online royalties. As for my own experience, I was asked for the kind of royalties I’m receiving and I said it was for e-books. (Though it can also apply for others such as selling shirts, apps etc.)

She then put me on hold for about a minute and she came back with my EIN number! Yes, that’s how fast it was!

After receiving your EIN, you will then proceed with filling up your W-8BEN Form.

W-8BEN form sample

(you have to print it)

Don’t forget to write “SELF” in the blank that says Capacity in which acting below beside the SIGN HERE portion and you’re done.

I haven’t yet submitted my form to Zazzle, but I already did with my Smashwords and Amazon KDP, and they already changed my withholding from 30% to 15%.

Again, the rate of your withholding depends on the tax treaty between your country and the US.

HOW DO I KNOW MY WITHHOLDING RATE?

Please visit. http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/International-Businesses/United-States-Income-Tax-Treaties---A-to-Z

So that’s it! I primarily wrote this post for people looking for a solution for the 30% withholding tax rate, and since there are a few of them, I thought that sharing my own experience would help a lot of people.

Again, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. :D

Thank you and good day!

-DEN

P.S Don’t forget to checkout my novel PLEASE STAY.

P.P.S I’m on twitter too! @denisewy

AFAWFAY 13 And Some Musings

I know that I've announced on an earlier post that I wouldn't post updates regarding AFAWFAY in this blog. But I just want to share this week's challenge. :)

Hello,

Having read some interesting blogs and books these past few days had made me realize something. I WRITE CRAPPY POST along with my weekly design challenge. I know that it’s not an unobvious thing, but I couldn’t help but be ashamed of myself. So that’s why, I’ve decided to write something that would somehow share things that happened to me this week. (Which is something I should’ve done with my earlier posts!)

My week started okay, I finished a project (at work) and went on starting a new one. For some strange reason, there was something about the project that felt uncomfortable to me. I don’t know what it was, but anyway, I was able to pull it off. Then yesterday (Friday) the design came back with A LOT of revisions. Apparently, I wasn’t paying attention to the details that were important to the project. AND I FELT FREAKING BAD.

I wasn’t reprimanded, but that didn’t stop me from feeling bad about myself (as stated above,) and I began asking myself, “What the hell was I thinking?” Which eventually had me thinking if I’m really right for the job I’m currently in. (I do tend to over think stuff.)

My friends think highly of me, and they always think that I’m likely to succeed in whatever endeavors I take. But at that moment, on my way home, I couldn’t stop thinking that I’m nothing but a dreamer, who does nothing to make that dream come true. And I felt like a big fraud.

As for my job, I’m happy with it. I mean, sure I’m not designing products that will change the world, but I’ve learned a lot things both related to design and well… marketing? But I feel that there’s something missing, or perhaps, the problem is just me. I know I can do great things, but somehow, I’m not giving my all. And with that, I think it’s time that I start changing the way how I look at myself, at the world.

Maybe I should start becoming an optimist for a change.

Okay, with that out of the way, let’s move along with this week’s design.

It’s a bench. Well, I kind of envisioned it as a public bench found on a city, but I guess I would have to make some adjustment for the material if that’s the case.

Materials:

Metal

Weaved Rattan

Noticed something? No bamboo. :D

I planned on designing something inspired from a salmon. (My mom made a killer salmon sandwich the other day.) I started playing around with an organic shape until I decided to change the material then SHAZAM!

It’s actually nice, right? Okay, this is my work so I’m biased, but I like how simple it looks and I love designing furniture that feels just like this.

Anyhow… That’s for now, I got a lot of reading and writing stuff waiting for me. See you next week!

Ciao!

-Den

PS I’m on twitter too! @denisewy

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ALL DESIGNS POSTED IN THIS SITE ARE OWNED BY DENISE KIM WY.

Identity crisis or just plain uncertainty?

Hello,

Okay, so I'm not sure why I'm even writing this.

For those people who are following my blog, you may know me as the industrial designer/aspiring writer who is currently working as a graphic designer and had somehow self-published an eBook. That sounds kinda cool isn't it? Well, at least that's what I think...but that's not how I feel.

I mean, I love design, I sure do. Though I can't say that I'm 100% happy with my current job. I mean, I'm an Industrial Design degree holder but I'm working as a graphic designer. But then again, I have no one to blame but myself for choosing this career path. I know I could've gotten a decent job related to industrial design if I just waited. But as I've said in a post I’ve written months ago. Industrial design careers in the Philippines are mostly (Take note that I used the word mostly not entirely,) limited to shelf design and handicrafts. And I don't find that stuff interesting.

As for being an author of a self-published book. Well, I have this not so secret dream of becoming a New York Times Bestselling author, and I realized that it won't happen unless I write and publish a book...or books. And now that I have done it, I realized that I'm happy, but I'm not yet fulfilled. (No, I’m not a New York Times Bestselling author. I have yet to sell a thousand of books to achieve that dream.)

So what's the problem?

I'm not happy. Right now, I keep on fantasizing about my dream job, which happens to be the one Colin Wright is having. (Do check him out. He's awesome. And no, I don't know him personally.) Sure, I could easily pack my stuff and travel somewhere away from home. But I don't think I have enough finances to survive a month in a foreign country.

Then, I also have this other dream of working as a full time author and publish lots and lots of books.

My friends told me, "why not do both?" and my usual reply were either a shrug or a wry smile.

I thought about how I should brand myself. Should I make another website separate from the one I currently have? Or should I just identify myself as designer/author? (If you're wondering what kind of books I write, its fiction. I don't do self-help stuff. Not when I couldn't even help myself decide what I really want to do with my career.)

In the end, I chose the latter and I'm trying to figure out what my next move is going to be.

Sorry for wasting your time. I promise to write something that makes sense next time.

Ciao!

-Den

I kissed self-publishing hello

Hello,

I've always wanted to publish my own books. As much as I love reading novels, I realized that I enjoy writing them as well. I'm not a great writer, but I'm proud to say that I'm improving. And also, I love telling stories. Actually, people tell me that the stories I come up with are awesome. Well, that or I just have some really GOOD friends.

I tried my hand in self-publishing two years ago, though it was more of an experiment and I didn't take it seriously. But as I began writing more stories, I realized that I really do want to become a designer/writer. For some of you who are new here in my blog, let it be known that I'm a designer by day. An industrial/graphic designer to be exact. And I also love furniture design. I'm actually good at it. If you have any doubts, please visit http://afawfay.tumblr.com and be amazed! (Sorry, I got carried away)

Anyway, back to the topic. The first story I ever wrote was a novella entitled 337 days. It's about this guy who was diagnosed with brain cancer, went into an I-don't-care-about-my-life-anymore sort of depression until he met the woman who would eventually make him love life again. Yes, I know it's a cliché but hey, I've written that story when I was eighteen! And I kind of enjoyed reading tear jerking books, which eventually inspired me to write my own. Now, 3 years later, I've been coming up with more stories that I'm actually having a hard time choosing which one to write first.

I have written a total of five novels. Among those five, two of them were my greatest work. Greatest in a sense that I've improved A LOT ever since writing the first three, and they were the ones I felt truly proud of. I've actually submitted them to some literary agents, and just like my fellow aspiring New York Times bestselling authors, the manuscripts got rejected. I was determined to try again until I came across successful self-published authors. Learning about their success stories greatly inspired me and I decided to take self-publishing seriously. That being said, I unpublished my crappy books (the ones from my experiment escapades) and I plan on publishing the really good ones I wrote.

My book Please Stay is now currently available for online purchase at $0.99 (and no, it's not a promotional gimmick. It shall stay at that price for as long as the book is available for download, which would be...forever?) And I'm currently working for a sequel.

If you are wondering if Please Stay is one of my so-called "greatest works," the answer would be, yes. And if you're asking about the "other" one, well, I've decided not to publish it just yet. Don't ask me why, I'm not certain of the reason either.

The truth is, I have some qualms about getting my hands on self-publishing full-time. I am aware that there are a number of people who look down on self-publishing authors, thinking they're not good enough. That no publishing house would want to take their books, thus they resolved to self-publishing, a.k.a vanity publishing for others. (While there are some who just want to self-publish for fun) As a writer myself, that hurts. I've actually read a lot of self-published works at feed books that are so great I kept on wondering why they're not published under big publishing houses. At the same time, I've also read books that are published traditionally yet they're...uhh, for the lack of euphemism...crappy. Seriously. Have you guys read the works of S.C Stephens? If you hadn't, you should! They're really awesome.

One of the good things about self-published works is the fact that since they're self-published, the books written by these unknown authors have some unique and individual style that's refreshing and entertaining at the same time. Since the manuscript had never fallen to the hands of an editor who would care more about the cash he/she would earn rather than the story itself, the manuscript would never be transformed into a so-called industry standard that might be categorized as something that would "sell." Don't get me wrong, but as I've said earlier, there are a lot of traditionally published books out there in the market that are so terrible they end up on the sale pile just to get rid of them. (And I'm talking about books with 50-70% off price mark!)

Anyway, that's for now. Sorry for the abrupt conclusion but I suddenly remembered that I should be working on something.

Ciao!

-Den

P.S. Please Stay is available at Amazon Kindle and Smashwords for $0.99. Don't forget to check it out. :D