This afternoon, I am thrilled to be announcing the launch of Mark McGuinness's new ebook: "Freedom, Money, Time - and the Key to Creative Success."

Mark, as you may know, is one of the most respected bloggers in the UK in the field of creativity and entrepreneurship. I have been lucky enough to participate in events with Mark over the years and am proud to call him my friend.

He has a bit of a track record in writing fantastic ebooks - his Time Management for Creative People has been downloaded over 80,000 times and is a book I return to again and again for advice.

This new book looks at the three things creative people (not just artists but anyone who creates knowledge for a living) need to be happy: 

Freedom - to do what you want, when you want and how you want it. Not just in holidays and spare time - but also doing meaningful work, in your own way.

Money - to maintain your independence and fund your creative projects. Of course you want a nice place to live, but you’re not so worried about a bigger car than the guy next door. You’d rather spend money on experiences than status symbols.

Time - to spend as you please, exploring the world and allowing your mind to wander in search of new ideas.

As Mark rightly explains, usually, you’re lucky if you get two out of the three. But if one of them is missing, it compromises the other two.

Without money, you don’t have much freedom, because you have to spend your time chasing cash.

Without time off, money doesn’t buy you a lot of freedom.

And if you’re doing something you hate for a living, it doesn’t matter how big your salary is, or how much holiday you get.

This is a conumdrum I see all the time with my clients and one I fully relate to myself.

The ebook describes Mark's unconventional career journey, as a poet and creative coach, and the lessons he's learned the hard way about finding the right combination of freedom, money and time (even while juggling work with having baby twins recently!).

It's full of practical advice you can apply to your own situation, if you want to earn a living from your creative talent, or if you're a freelancer or small business owner and want to make your business less stressful and more profitable.

Mark and his partners have also prepared an in-depth training program to accompany the ebook, and I'm pleased to be an affiliate partner for the launch. But the ebook itself is free to download, with no need to even give your email address.

Click the link to download your copy of Freedom, Money, Time and the Key to Creative Success. 

Do let me know what you think and feel free to share the ebook with anyone who you think would find it helpful.

Today I am pleased to announce the launch of my free ebook From Apps to Zen: 26+ Ideas for Building a Business with Balance.

Packed full of what I hope is useful advice on how you can build a balanced business, the 26+ ideas, strategies and people in this book are ones that have changed the way I do business and have enabled me, most of the time, to achieve a more balanced working life.

It is available now to download from the 8fold website.

I hope you enjoy it!

Some thoughts for the new year by some of the world’s most influential bloggers and thinkers including Seth Godin.

I love the tagline ‘things to think about (and do) this year’. Take five minutes out of your day to absorb the messages in this presentation and start 2010 afresh. Thanks to Social Media Monday for the link.

Happy New Year from me!