tom bird, tom bird retreat, ryan hightower,craigslist book

"How I wrote My Book in 4 Days.And How You Can Too"

An Un-solicited Testimonial and True Story

.By Ryan B. Hightower

12/14/09 5:07 am-6:38am 1 hour and 31 minutes.3903 words (2602words/per hour)


Have you ever had one of those nights when God woke you up with something to tell you? You knowwhere you go to bed after a long day or long weekjust as tired as can be.totally sure that you need your full eight.and then two or three hours in.you wake uptotally alerttotally wide eyed.and can't get back to sleep for the rest of the night? Last night.was one of those nights for ME.

What I'm about to share with you.may "rock your world". It did mine. It may change your life forever.it certainly did mine. I hope it changes yours too.

My name is Ryan Hightower. I'm 34 years old and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. I have 4 beautiful daughters. Im just a regular guywith a lot of great ideas. I have no college degreeno formal writing experience to speak of. I have been mostly self employed since the age of 14 (the last 20 years)mainly because I wasn't willing to settle for the wages and satisfaction that a regular job pays.and because I had little interest in selling out of my own dreams at the expense of helping someone else achieve theirs (the bosses). I figured, and still believe to this day, that win/win opportunities existed all around us.that there was always a way for ME to get EVERYthing that I wanted in my life.while helping everyone around me get what they wanted in theirs..and I was right.

I could probably tell you a lot of interesting things about meabout my life. Places I have traveled too.unique experiences and people that I have met over the years. Different businesses I have started, grown, run, sold ect ect. Different dreams and goals I have had.the list goes on. But for the sake of this short article.let me pick up about 3 years ago. I was 31 years old.in a little over a yearI had acquired (all legitimately and legally) about 70 properties.and a net worth of about 3 and a half million dollars. I was a millionaire.I could hardly believe itbut it was true. Then after 2005...our real estate market SCREETCHED to a halt.the market just stopped..I rushed to sell all of my properties for about what was owed on them.getting out of most of them in timebut 14 homes going all the way to foreclosure. I had the fricken' wind knocked out of me..at least financially. I had always made really good moneybut never like that. I took this one hard. As much as I wanted to be lieve that money just wasn't that big of a deal.it had afforded me a lot of nice thingsthings that I no longer wanted to live withoutmillion dollar homes.oceanfront property.private jet trips.travel ALL OVER the placeoften.usually 20-30 weeks per yearnew corvettes every yearnew motorcycles and other toys on a whim.steak dinners every nightor at least whenever I wanted them. And most importantlyit had given me the ability to give and give HUGE..things like donating 100 new bicycles when the church would do a bike drive.giving away cars to people in need (nice ones too) on a half a dozen occasions.sending people on vacations that needed it.tithing thousands of dollars each week.sending friends to the airport in limousines that had simply asked me for a ride to the airport.and the list goes on and on. My heart STILL longs to do these kind and helpful things again.to serve and love my fellow neighbors.

So when I lost it all.it hit me hardreal hard. I began spiraling into a deep depression.something I had never struggled with before in my life.I had always maintained a positive outlook about most things. At this timejust a few short years backI could hardly get out of bed for days on end. At one point I can remember my daughters (3, 9, 10 yrs old now) asking me to cook something for diner.and just staring into the kitchen cabinetsI could not for the life of me figure out how to actually cook dinner. The girls called their mom.she came overfed the kidsand then took me to the hospital. They locked me up for about 2 weeks. I couldn't leavetotal lockdown while they tried to figure out what was wrong with me. Bipolar disorder.deep depression.blah blah blah. Hospitals.a long string of different medsnone that seemed to worksome that made things worse then they were on my own. Counseling.therapists.

I decided that I didn't need the medsthat I was better off without them and figuring out things on my own. What I needed was a PURPOSE again. Friends and family assured me (mostly over the prison type monitored phone calls) that the hospital couldn't hold me forever.that a typical stay was about 2 to 4 weeks. I plotted with others there for ways to escapethere were guards to contend with locksbarbed wire.it was basically like an insane asylum or like you might imagine one to be.some of my fellow depresse-ees were confined to straight jackets.ugggghhhfortunately I didn't have to go thru that humiliation. I behaved the best I could and talked my best lines to the doctors and counselors each dayuntil finally one daythey said I could go home the next day.

I went hometried all their different meds for a few monthsthen decided I could do better on my own. That mainly I just needed a purpose again. All I knew (at least this is what I thought at the time)all I knew was real estateand creative finance. How to buy real estate with no money downwith bad or no credithow to raise capitalhow to buy foreclosures ect ect. And nownobody was buying ANYthing. Our economy was beginnnning to crumble.

About this time.I was turned on to Craiglsist. A real estate buddy of minewas unloading his remaining properties faster than I had been able toI had used it to do the same prior to my hospitalization.now I was using it purely for day to day survival..I was finding things that people had placed by the apartment dumpsters vacuums.acquariums.boxsprings and mattress setsdressersect ect to sell for daily cash to buy groceries and gas.I was using Craigslist to get advice and attorneys to delay an inevitable eviction at my apartment.stalling them with the legal process for over 8 months (something I'm not pround of to this daynever again). Craigslist had become a survival tool. I was meeting lots of new peoplefriends.sometimes more.

I moved a few more times over he next year or so. In December 2008 I moved into a house that I had bought new from the builder in 2005. It was already behind in payments when I moved inbut I needed somewhere to live.I continued to use CL daily.but had managed to harness its power to begin traveling all over.meeting some really great people.raising daily cash to live on.but the house was so far behindlosing it too.had become inevitable.about $200,000 more was owed on it then it was even worth. I am ashamed to admit that I was having to rely on food stamps.
I had accomplished some really incredible things with CL and had begun to turn things around.but it was too late to save the house. People were always impressed with my CL stories. Always seemingly pulling off the impossible. At least 100 people have told me"write the book". I tried for over a year to do it on my own. For whatever reason, I couldn't do it.
Then my brother, Neal Hightower, ( www.sixsimpletruths.com ) turned me on to Tom. Tom had just spoken at Emory University in Atlanta near where Neal lives. He spoke one night on how to write your book. And on the following night on how to become published. He said that Tom was by farthe best instructor to teach on any subject that Neal had ever hearda true geniusa guy that truly knew his shit.an expert. He encouraged me that if at all possible to check out these two college classes. He mentioned that Tom even lived in my home state of Arizona.

Neal forwarded to me a link in an emailTom was going to be speaking at Paradise Valley Community Collegejust a mile form my home.and for only $19 bucks for each night. I had a $40 visa gift card that I had received for my birthday.and thought and prayed about whether the right thing to do was fill up my gas tank for another two weeks.or use the visa gift card to register and pay for both of the classes. God said"the classes, Ry." The gas will show upsomehow. I went.and Neal was rightit was the best I had ever heard too. So glad I went.

Neal stayed in touch with me over the next few weeks.and said if there's any wayfor me to get to the Sedona retreatto do it. It was like four grand. I was in NO position to do it. StillI set my intention. I was gonna be there come hell or high water. After the 2nd night of class (the classes were a few weeks apart), I sent Tom and email thanking him for the incredible infofeeling that now I could actually do itwrite my book. People in this class were truly in the presence of greatnessbut based on the dumb questions they were asking TomI don't think they even knew what they had in front of them. It didn't matterhe was there for ME those two nights.they rest of them can have whatever experience that they want with it.

Tom emailed me backthanking meand inquiring about why wasn't I signed up for his retreat (October 2009)? I said simply an issue of moneybut that I so very wanted to be there. He emailed back with an appointment time for us to discuss the matter. I sweated and stressed for a week before that scheduled appointmentcalling all of my closest friends and supporters asking them allwhat the hell could I offer this guy so that he would let me in. I was DESPERATE. I had a car and a truckBOTH had broken down and broken down bad in the past two weeks.I was losing my house (and did lose it just last weekDecember 3, 2009) and both cars were out of commission..I was on foot anywhere I was going (yup just like Forest Gump, cept he had Bubba and Lieutenant DanI was on my own). No worriestransportation-wiseSedona was only about 100 milesI could get a rideor hitch it or whateverjust not that farI NEEDED to get to this write your book retreat. Tom calledand interviewed meand we both concluded th at this book of mineit was burstingthe book labor pains had long since begunand I was holding this book in for too long already.it needed to come out soon or there were gonna be some serious consequences. That interview lasted probly an hour. He was asking all the right questionsand apparently I was responding with all the right answers. Becausehe answered a prayer of mine. I can't tell you the details.but what I can tell youis that he extended to me great mercy and kindness.and worked out an arrangement that worked for both of usin order for me to get in. I was in!!! He made me promise that I would stay in Sedona not commute to the retreat.

Sedona rooms are $200-300 a nite and up. Even camping sites were $20 a nitetimes 8 nites$160bucksI didn't have it. But I would figure it out. Fast-forward three weeks. Show time. No room. No reservations. No money. I hopped in my truck. I used my foodstamps to buy a few bags (a week worth) of non perishable groceries.snacks mostly. I threw my sleeping bag in the truck. I filled the gas tankand I headed north. I was given the opportunity of a lifetimeat the absolute perfect timeI wasn't missing this for the world. My truck broke down on the way to the retreat.it both overheatedand I completely shredded a tirealmost losing control of the truck on the road. I was shakenbut was fine. I had allowed plenty of timehad in fact left 4 hours before the start timeand Sedona was only about an hour and a half away..but arrived 15 minutes late.

I was REALLY here!!! I didn't care about the stupid truck or where to sleep (I WAS worried about getting a couple of showers inand not being the stinky guy in class LOL) or what to eat . Tom assured mejust show up.and this babythis book of mine.was gonna come out. And it did!

The retreat lasted 8 days. It was AMAZING. I met 40 of the most loving caring supportive energetic people I have ever known. The group energy was phenonominal. We all had a common goal.to get our book written.

People have asked me how is it even possible to write an entire book in a week or lessmuch less a good one. Rest assured I had the same doubts. I wrote at a pace of about 2000 words per hour, by hand, on these huge artists pads that they give you at the retreat. The days were 8 to 10 hours long eachbut between collecting my thoughts and not writing the entire timespending much time on the rooftop patiojust prayingthinking.I managed about 10,000 words per day. Four and a half days in to the eight day retreatI was done! 45,000 words.just short of the typical 50,000 words that you might find in a typical non fiction book..all written by hand..all from my heart and passion.directly thru the pen to the paper. (some of my friends did bring and use laptops at the retreatfor me the handwritten was a better way to gono distractions checking emailspell checking ect ectjust WRITE WRITE WRITE!). I hadn't read any of it yet we weren't allowed to.

When I read itI was FLOORED. It was GOODREALLY, REALLY GOOD! Tom helped me query 990 literary agents at the retreat via email. 117 showed positive interest in what I had written. Talk about INSTANT results. Tom instructed us that if any of us received a phone call.that it was a HUGEmonumental signpretty much a direct sign from God.and that if such happenedto end the call quicklyget a name and numberand come find him IMMEDIATELY. He said in a group this size (about 40)that one of us might get a call. I got SIX!!! (3 at the retreat, and 3 since having left the retreat). I had poured my heart and soul and my passion for Craigslist and my passion to truly help and serve other peopleonto paperand it had paid off BIGor was about to.

Incidentally, Tom insisted that first night at the retreatthat I crash on his couch not in the bed of my pickup truck.I even got a hot shower each day that I was there (LOL). The truck overheated again on the way homethis timeI couldn't pull over quickly enoughand blew the engine in the truck.I made it almost all the way home..I walked about 6 or 7 miles that night to safety. Its kinda funnyI was so used to not having a dollar to spare for that entire weekthat I got all the way home (walking about 2 hours)when I realized emptying my pocketsthat a good friend of mine at the retreat had handed me several hundred dollars to put towards the book. I am pretty sure he would have been ok with me taking 20 bucks and calling a cab out of that money. Oh wellme and God had a nice two hour talk about a lot of things that nightat first just about how pissed off I was at Him regarding this cursed truckbut quickly turning it to all that I had to be grateful for and to look forward to. My li fe had changed forever!

Sothat was October 17 thru the 25th , 2009.just 7 weeks ago.today is December 13, 2009. Where am I at now? Im glad you asked. I am proud to share with youthat things are brighter and better than they have EVER been.

With the help of Tom and several in our group, as well as several other people.my book proposal (basically a business plan for your book) will be in the hands of about 80 of the 117 agents that are asking for it, by the end of this week. About a half dozen are HOUNDING me for more info on it. I have eliminated about 40 agents as not right for me or not right for this project. I have had two contracts already that are alsonot for me, and that I have had to respectfully and graciously turn down. I have a current number one pick agent that I REALLY like a lot. She is a 30 year literary agentand sold 18 books last year aloneseveral of them for multi-million dollar deals. She has called me three times expressing interest, and asking me if I needed any help in preparing the proposal for her. She has already stated that she would offer me a contract. One of these other 80 would have to really dazzle me to keep me from signing with this agent. But this agent selection process is oh s o important.it can be the difference between your book becoming wildly successful and only moderately successfulalso the difference can be many thousands of dollars in your pocket. The right agentwith the right bookcan get a bidding war going with the publishers with your bookTHAT'Swhat you want..drive that price thru the roof! The agent after allstands to gain more by getting you more too. So I am careful with the agent selection process but very anxious to sign and let them do their jobnamely.sell my book.

I anticipate being signed with an agent no later than the end of next week (this could take longer as some of these agents need some real time to review what you have sent them). I have done much research on these agents and on recent book sales and what prices are being paid ect. and am confident if I dot all my "I"'s and cross all my "T"'s.that I can get A MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE for this book!

I have a connection that I am trying to cut a deal with that will crank out 10,000,000 (ten million!) emails PER WEEK..to targeted, known, Craigslist usersto sell the eBook version of my book until a publisher pays me enough to stop (or if I can retain the right to continue selling the eBook versionthat would be even better). I am hoping for 1/10 of 1% sales on 10million emails sentor 10,000 eBooks soldper week.times 10 bucks each$100,000 per week in eBook sales70% to the email guy30% for myselfor $30,000 per week to me until the book is bought by a publisher. My planis to take this printed out, proven track record and rush it to my new agentfurther verifying the proven profitability and demand for my bookas well as quickly gather 100-200 testimonials from the first sales of my eBook and print those out toogiving both of those valuable tools as ammunition for my agent to go get the BIG MONEY for my book that it deserves. More importantly than all of thismy book HELPS people b ig timeit will change THEIR livesshow them how to work from home, start business, meet their soul mate, travel the country or the world, ect ect. You would have to actually read my book (how to get EVERYthing you want in life with Craigslist) to comprehend the magnitude of the things that are really possible with Craigslist.

I have 4 or 5 people working hard to edit my bookso that it is even more polished and refined by the time my agent or any of the publishers see it. I have made different deals with these folksmost just want a few copies of the book upon its completionand to be able to add it to their portfolio.
A few I am helping market their books and or their businesses via Craigslist in exchange for their help editing. Find a need ..and fill it.

I am in close email contact with our retreat group at least weekly sometimes daily. I speak to some of them on the phone weekly.and a couple of them almost daily. They are there for anything I need. And I hope they know that I am there for them for anything that they need too. The support is amazing. Tom continues to be a strong supportive role tooeven though the retreat has ended.

The housewellits gone.it went back to the bank December 3.last weekand I am approved for an apartmenthustling to get the $500 together in deposits to get out of there before the sheriff comes a'knockin. I anticipate my book being sold in January or February 2010 and paying CASH for a modest home in the next 3 to 6 months and never being in this financial jam again. The car?the car is repaired for now.and I anticipate paying CASH for a modest new car in the next 3 to 6 months as well.and that will be the end of car trouble for a few years at least.

And the retreats?.wellI wouldn't miss the next one for the world!

I wrote the above in a little over an hour. To this day, Tom has never asked me to write a testimonial (other than a short video interview that we all did at the retreat just asking about our experience while there). I wrote this on my own, unsolicited. Why, you may ask? I wrote this because I was compelled to share my story (as embarrassing as some of it is).maybe it will make a difference. I wrote it to give to Tomfor him to give it to anybody that is even thinking about writing a book or attending one of his retreats. Or maybe they are on the fence. I wrote it for me to do the same. You seeI am a man on a mission now.my missionis to spread the word. If they've got a book in them (and lets be honestdon't we all have at least one?).then my jobmy job is to get them in touch with Tom. What they discuss and decide is best for each other from that pointis up to both of them.

Tom has published 19 of his own booksand helped students publish over 2,000 books over the last 30 years. He is THE MAN on getting your book out of your headand getting it printed and publishedif that's what you want to do.

Have you got a book in you? Whats the next step? If Tom gave this to youthen get back in touch with him after reading this, and see if one of his retreats is right for you. If you have questions for me before or after you talk to him (or anytime for that matter)by all meanscontact me. You can reach me anytime at ryan.hightower@yahoo.com .email is easiest for nowas I am still on a day to day fight to keep a cell phone on. But if you email me and give me a numberI can call you and we can talk via the phone too if that is better or easier for you. If you got this report from me.then againask any questions of me if you have themor you may contact me and I can give you Tom's contact information so that you two can speak to each other and see if you are both a fit for what he has to offer. I can tell you thishe doesn't just take anybody into his retreatsHis deal with Godis that he will only work with folks that are READY.

Thanks for reading.and good luck in all of your endeavors! -Ryan.