Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
In 1959, I sold my outdoor advertising business in the Upper Midwest and moved with my wife and small children to the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa. Outwardly, I was a professional writer and photographer. Secretly, I worked underground in an activity that was at that time illegal under the regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.
In 1970 Franco yielded to intense pressure from the western world and moderated Spain’s laws, leaving me free to come in from the cold. By that time, however, privacy had become an ingrained habit. In the years that followed I started up a dozen one-person low-profile businesses, built them up and then sold them.
In 1997, I wrote “The Privacy Report” and advertised it for $297 via direct mail. When the orders came in—over 300 the first year—, I printed the report myself, punched the pages, and inserted them into a three-ring binder. Although I included a two-year money-back guarantee, only two percent of the readers asked for a refund—the other 98 percent apparently considered the $297 to be a fair price.
In 1998, I decided to abandon all the mail-order work so my agent sold the privacy report to Saint Martin’s Press. When it was published in 2000 as How to be Invisible, I was profiled in Playboy, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, and featured on the G. Gordon Liddy Show. The book climbed to number 37 on Amazon.com and stayed high on the list, year after year, as the bestselling book on privacy. The third edition was published a year ago—a completely updated international-oriented version that includes information on smartphones, facial recognition, and social networks.
In addition, I sell the following books on my website jjluna.com and also Kindle:
• Invisible Money, Hidden Assets, Secret Accounts
• FLAT BROKE? How to Get back on Your Feet, Fast!
• Dirty Tricks for Savvy Chicks
• OFF THE GRID: How to Live in a Van, Trailer, Truck or Motorhome
• Double Your Money with Abandoned Properties
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I am currently working on a revision of SKIP COLLEGE, first published many years ago. I dropped out of the University of Minnesota in my senior year. Looking back, I should have dropped out earlier!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am so busy with other things that I probably do not write more than eight hours each month.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Dale Carnegie
What are you working on now?
A revision of SKIP COLLEGE.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a list of 7,600 fans of my book How to be Invisible. Many will buy anything I recommend.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you want to make money, write non-fiction only.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From my father, when I left home in 1946″
“To make money, you must to go to where money is circulating. And never take a partner!”
What are you reading now?
Paul’s letters to the Corinthians.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Five new ebooks.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Bible (New World Translation)
Author Websites and Profiles
J.J. Luna Website
J.J. Luna Amazon Profile