Ian Usher





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"A LIFE SOLD - What ever happened to
that guy who sold his whole life on eBay?"

is now available at Amazon!

USA Canada UK France Italy

Amazon Germany               Kindle version - Amazon US
Amazon Japan               Kindle version - Amazon UK


Be part of the story - help spread the word...

If you would like to know how you can be a part of the adventure, and help spread the word about "A LIFE SOLD", there are some ideas and suggestions on the promotional page. I am incredibly grateful for any help offered.
There are a couple of suggestions that literally take just a few seconds to implement, and would be of great assistance. (#2 and #5)
Help spread the word by clicking here:-
http://www.ianusher.com/ALifeSold_marketing.php


Book details

click to download hi-res picture

Paperback: 394 pages
Publisher: Wider Vision Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0980865301
ISBN-13: 978-0980865301
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches (21.6 x 14 x 2.2 cm)
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (500 g)
Table of Contents: Click here

Price:
US $ 14.99
UK £ 9.99
EU € 11.99


Book cover

(Click on any image to download a high-resolution version)
click to download hi-res picture          click to download hi-res picture          click to download hi-res picture


Rear cover blurb

What on earth would make someone decide to put their whole life up for sale… on eBay?

When Ian Usher decided that it was time to leave the past behind and move on to the next chapter of his life, that is exactly what he did. The results were surprising, entertaining and challenging.

However, the auction was only the beginning of the adventure. What does someone do when they have sold their life? Well, just about anything they like really!

Armed with a list of 100 lifetime goals, and a self-imposed timeframe of 100 weeks, Ian embarked on what could truly be described as the journey of a lifetime – a global adventure spanning six continents, two years, and almost every emotion.

From the amazing highs of achievement, happiness and love, to the terrible lows of disappointment, loneliness and despair, come along and enjoy the rollercoaster ride of life, as experienced by one traveller who is simply looking for a new start.


Book summary

The book tells the story of how, prompted by separation and ultimately my divorce from my wife of five years, partner for thirteen years, I decided to put my whole life up for sale on eBay! I didn't want any of the painful reminders of the past, or of the possible future that had been stripped from me. The whole experience was quite surreal, and resulted in a huge amount of worldwide press coverage, including many TV appearances, and a potential movie deal.

Asked many times in interviews what I would do once I sold my life, I eventually wrote a big list of all the things I had ever wanted to do, places I wanted to see, and experiences I wanted to have. This idea developed into "100 goals in 100 weeks", and led to the most incredible two-year odyssey.

I travelled the world on my "100goals100weeks" journey, and experienced life in ways I had never imagined. But as the journey unfolded it became less about the goals, and more about the people I met along the way, and the influence they had on my life. With no real idea where the journey was going to lead me, or whether I would find the answers to questions that I didn't even know how to articulate, I embraced the adventure.

The book "A LIFE SOLD" tells the story of this incredible adventure, as well as my more personal journey in search of answers and some measure of happiness. I am amazed at how it all ended.

The final goal on my list of 100 was to secure a book deal about the whole adventure. Although I came close, having a literary agent in London, and another person representing me in Los Angeles, unfortunately I didn’t manage to achieve this one. Undeterred, I decided to go ahead and publish the book myself through the rapidly expanding opportunities offered by the booming "Print On Demand" industry, and set up my own publishing company, Wider Vision Publishing.

But without a large international publishing house behind me, marketing a book becomes a little more of a challenge, and some creative thinking was needed. And once again that’s where my internet-marketing-genius buddy Evan White stepped in, with another brilliant idea. A couple of his comments during the build-up to the eBay auction in 2008 were the original catalyst for what eventually became “100 goals in 100 weeks”, and the idea of writing a book was also part of his suggestion. (See below for some further background on the inspiration for the original "100goals100weeks" idea).

Now here is Evan's answer on how to get word to spread about “A LIFE SOLD”! Thanks once again Evan.

$100,000 in prize money!! $10,000 each year for the next ten years!! Each year a lucky winner will be drawn from all prize draw entries, and will get to try to achieve their #1 goal!

Full details on the no-purchase-necessary $100,000 Prize Draw here:-
http://www.IanUsher.com/ALifeSold_PrizeDraw.php


Author biography

Ian Usher was born in 1963 in Darlington in the north-east of England. He grew up in the small northern market town of Barnard Castle, and went to college in Liverpool, gaining a teaching degree in Outdoor Education.

A varied and chaotic career followed, involving many jobs, locations and businesses. From 1992 to 1996 he ran Scarborough Jet Skiing in partnership with long-time best friend Bruce. It was on the beach during this time that he met his wife-to-be.

Laura and Ian married in 2000, and they moved together to Perth in Western Australia. The marriage ended five years later, and in 2008 Ian put his life up for sale on eBay!

Two years of travel followed, in which he tackled a list of 100 goals, aiming to achieve them all in a period of 100 weeks.

He currently lives in Whitehorse in Canada.


Some backgroud on Goal #100 - a book deal for the 100goals100weeks story!

During the "ALife4Sale" process, I was contacted by Publicity Representative Evan White, who is based in Los Angeles. Evan does publicity work for all sorts of odd, quirky, internet-based stories. He had heard about me from a friend, and we discussed publicity options for my forthcoming auction. (After all, what is the point of having an auction if nobody knows it is happening?)

Evan and I worked out an arrangement satisfactory to both of us, and over the next few months became quite good friends. One day Evan suggested that after the auction, when I came out to LA, we would go skydiving together, and he would show me what this city had to offer.

"Great," I said, "but I guess that depends on how the finances look, and where I am working at the time."

"Work?" said Evan. "No, no, no! You don't understand! This is your chance to never have to work again!"

"Well, I like your thinking Evan," I replied, "but I haven't got a clue what you're talking about! How would I do that?"

"Well, you have to come up with a follow-up project. Something internet-based, quirky, interesting, that follows on logically from what you are doing now, and most importantly, and this is where your income comes from, has a book deal in it!"

"Right. Sounds good. So what is it then?" I asked.

"I have no idea, that's up to you," said Evan.

"Hmm, okay, I will work on it."

This advice sat in the back of my mind for the next month or so. People continued to ask in interviews what I planned to do next, or where I intended to go, and I always answered that I did not know. One day, someone asked me on the "ALife4Sale" Forum if I had any sort of a "life-list", or set of goals. I did have an old list somewhere that I had written out. And not long after I went looking for that list, the 100goals100weeks idea came to me, almost fully formed.

As soon as I thought of it, I thought, "That's it!!" It perfectly filled Evan's criteria, and it would be incredibly exciting to do too. I knew immediately that this was what I would be doing next.

And so here I am, two years later, my journey at an end. In 100 weeks I completed 93 of my list of 100 goals. But the journey was so much more than just the goals! Sure, I had so many incredible experiences, saw alot of wonderful places and had quite a few fantastic adventures.

But the biggest part of the journey was the people that I met on the way, and the things I learned, both about myself, and about life in general.

I have tried to capture that whole incredible experience in words, and you can read about the whole adventure in
"A LIFE SOLD - What ever happened to that guy who sold his whole life on eBay?"


Amazon links


USA Canada UK France Italy

Amazon Germany               Kindle version - Amazon US
Amazon Japan               Kindle version - Amazon UK





        Reviews for "A LIFE SOLD" :-


"If you have ever dreamed of hitting the reset button on your life (and haven't we all?), this is a must read! ."
Russ M. (Oklahoma, USA)




   
    _________________________

    The book:-
    A LIFE SOLD

    is now on sale at
    Amazon sites worldwide
    and at other online retailers.
    Links here

    .... and ....
    $100,000 Prize Draw Giveaway

    .... there is $100,000
    on offer in a monster
    "What is your #1 Goal?"
    prize draw giveaway!!
 
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