Every so often, in letters to the editor and posts on forums, you come across people who have “lost their shirt” in Bali.

Here is one such person in a letter to the editor in the Jakarta Post:

I am an American who has been living in Bali full-time for the past three-and-a-half years. I first came to Bali in 1997 and, like many other visitors, fell in love with the natural beauty of Bali and the seemingly simple way of life.

To date, I have made two agreements with my partner and have already given him more than half of everything I have in an effort to resolve this situation. I made these agreements in good faith yet I continue to have problems. I have been to many lawyers and notaries and have asked for help from the Bali Police (Polda) but from what I can see, the problem only gets worse.

On one hand I have sympathy for people like this, but on the other hand it is difficult to comprehend how someone would invest their life savings in a business without getting the proper legal advice and protection.

If you are planning on investing in any country, even if it is your own, it is important to understand the laws and how they pertain to your own situation. Not understanding the language is also a poor excuse. If you are not fluent in the language, you should get all legal documents translated by an independent translator into your own language.

Legal fees are relatively inexpensive in Indonesia and it is a good idea to speak to a few different notaries or lawyers until you can find someone you like and are comfortable working with.

I just received the proof of the printed version of my book “How to start a business in Bali”. I approved the proof, so it is now available for sale through Createspace and hopefully soon, through Amazon. My whole experience with Createspace has been fantastic and the printed book looks great.

It’s a weird feeling seeing a book with your own name on the cover. I now understand why it’s called “vanity publishing”. The printed book looks great and just like you would pick up in the bookshop. I don’t feel like reading it again though, because I am sure there are still typos and mistakes in it.

I expect that more books will be sold this way in the future. It’s great that you can buy almost any title and it will never go out of print.

My book is also available on the Kindle, but I am reluctant to promote it because of the large cut Amazon makes. I just read also that Google are launching their own ebook store and authors get to keep 60-something per cent for their sales.

The extra competition and increase in sales outlets is only good news for aspiring authors. I am pretty sure that if you can create a useful and informative book, have some expertise in marketing and are prepared to work hard, you could make a reasonable income from writing.

While sending out email about my business guide to Bali, I had a few comments from people that they are not interested in starting a business in Bali, because they are moving to retire!

It has given me an idea the idea to provide more information on this on my website and perhaps another guide.

If you are interested in retiring in Bali, I would love to know what kind of concerns you have.

As a reward to people who help answer my questions, I will be offering a free guide and response to the number one concern people have about retiring in Bali.

I have created an online survey with Survey Monkey which I suggested as a tool to use in my guide to starting a business in Bali.

I have received some fantastic replies so far. It’s great to be able to see what interests and concerns people have about retiring in Bali, which I can then hopefully put together a more useful guide.

I was looking for more places to get exposure for my guide to starting a business in Bali. After doing some research, I found that anyone can sell print on demand (POD) and ebooks on Amazon.

I think it is a fairly recent move that Amazon has started or they acquired a site called CreateSpace. CreateSpace allows people to sell books, DVDs, music and MP3s.

I am currently in the process of trying to get my ebook approved. People will be able to hopefully soon be able to buy my book from Amazon in either an ebook or paper book format.

You have to become a little familiar with publishing terms such as “bleed” and “trim”. The interface however to their site is very simple to follow. You can even create a cover for your book from one of their templates.

In terms of pricing, I priced my book at $25, of which I would receive $10.70. There is a PRO version available also and if you pay some money to join, you will receive a little more money.

I have heard of authors traditionally getting paid very little for their books, so I am sure even this amount is pretty good.

Another thing I like about this service is that there are no upfront costs to the author. They even supply you with an ISBN number if you don’t have one. I looked at the self publishing service of Lulu and their basic cost to get your book into their store was $300!

One more advantage is that once your book is online in the store, it should be there forever! It will never go out of print, so as long as your book is on a topic that won’t get dated, you will be able to earn royalties on your sales for the rest of your life.

About the only downside I have seen so far, is that you need create and submit a separate file to create a Kindle version for your book. It is something I will be trying to work out next.

I did read though, that 500 titles are being uploaded to Amazon everyday! It’s a very competitive marketplace, which is why you want to create something that targets a small but specific niche market.

Update: The book was approved last night. I had to order a copy to check it before it goes “live”. The cost was about $4 for the book and $10 for shipping.

I have just set up a business directory for Bali based and related businesses.

You can check it out here:

Bali Business Directory

I have added a couple of listings already and I think it is only really going to work, if I can get people to add their own or their friend’s businesses.

One thing I like about it, is that it is integrated with Google maps, so if you just enter the address in the listing, Google automatically creates a map for the business. It has worked so far for most of the addresses I put in.

Today I have great pleasure to announce the launch of my new eBook – How to start a business in Bali – A practical guide to setting up and running a successful business in Bali.

If you have ever thought of setting up a business in Bali, this guide is for you.

When I started researching it soon became apparent that I needed to hear from experienced expats who have set up businesses in different areas. I did five interviews with entrepreneurs all with completely different businesses in Bali – including a business consultancy, organic farm, translation and cultural service and a hotel.

Learn from experienced people and avoid making mistakes that could be costly down the road.

Need more information? – get a full run down of the eBook here.

I am probably one of the world’s worst shoppers, but I do like reading and being able to flip through guide books on Bali.

This book is more than just a shopping guide though, it also covers restaurants, day spas, bars and hotels in Bali.   The reviews are frank and to the point.

The shopping part covers Bali’s range of arts, crafts, furniture and accessories for the home.  I can see the book will be useful for people living in Bali, who like me aren’t into shopping, but are asked by visiting friends to take them to wood carvers, painters etc.

You can buy it in Bali from Periplus bookstores or online from Amazon

Since I moved to Bali, I don’t buy too many fancy electronic goods.  As much as I would love to have an iPhone, I kind of hate the thought of carrying around such an expensive gadget in my pocket.  I have one of the cheapest Nokia phones that you can own and it does the job.

Last year I was robbed and one of the things I lost was a little Canon IXY digital camera.  I have a DSLR but it is bulky to carry around, so I thought I would by something to replace my old little camera.

So while I was shopping Carrefour I saw a new Canon IXUS 105 for just over 2 million rupiah.  I thought it was a good buy for a 12.1 mega pixel camera and it has a sturdy silver metallic case.

I just wanted something to carry around with me and add some color to this blog and my flickr account.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take it with me outside today, so you will just have to wait to see how the camera performs.

It’s been a while since I posted to this blog.  I have been busy writing a guide to starting a business in Bali.  Before I launch the book, I wanted to give a new look to the site.

I am happy with the new look and for someone with no design skills, I think the logo looks reasonable.  I also changed hosts.  Moving the blog was easy enough, but I did a complete reinstall of Joomla which powers the front page of the site and the property section.

Unfortunately, for people who were already registered to the site to list their properties, they will need to do it again.

It is probably hard for people not living in Bali to believe, but sometimes life in Bali can actually be stressful. Not in the western 9-5 working week grind that most people are probably accustomed to, but trying to live in a different culture with a different language and values.

There is definitely a different perception of time. We ordered some custom furniture and it was only supposed to take one week, but we have been waiting now for more than one month for it to be delivered. I want to just cancel the order, but they stuff they make is really nice.

Earlier in the new year, we were robbed while we were sleeping. Fortunately not too much was taken, but the thought of having someone enter your home while you are asleep has been playing on my mind, even one month later. I tend to wake at the slightest sound.

I could go on, but if you are planning on moving to Bali and expecting it to be one long vacation, then think again. To be honest though dealing with these different kinds of “problems” is always a lesson in itself and you can always look back on the various experiences later and have a good laugh. Even when we were robbed, I was amazed at how the community and our friends came together to support us.

I love being able to take the dog for a walk in the cool, late afternoon, through the rice fields, along the beach, stopping every now and again having a chat to anyone who will talk to me and finally ending up in a restaurant to have a cold Bintang while watching the sun go down. Bali – the almost perfect paradise.