An Interview with Vercie Lark: Author of Make it Rain

Vercie Lark, author of Make It Rain is a recently retired executive vice president and head of DST Systems Financial Services business with revenues of approximately $1 billion, was accountable for providing industry leading products and services to asset management, brokerage, retirement, banking and insurance investment firms throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

While working for several Fortune 500 firms over the past 35 years Lark also owned or invested in various small businesses including an online clothing business, investing in an early stage technology company, a restaurant, multifamily real estate, and a well-known gasoline and convenience store to provide additional income and increase his family’s wealth.

Lark has a passion for helping others through philanthropic gifts, volunteering, mentoring and serving on non-profit boards. Lark currently serves on the Kansas City, Kansas, Black Chamber of Commerce Board, Avila University Board of Trustees, and Wright State University Computer Science and Engineering Advisory Council. Lark previously served as a board member for Prodapt Americas, Boys and Girls Hope of Kansas City, Missouri, and The Family Conservancy.

Lark is an alumni member of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum and the Kansas City, Missouri, Chamber of Commerce Centurions program.

Tell us about your book.

Make It Rain is a personal finance self-help book created to provide career and investing advice that simple and easy to apply at any time to build more wealth and improve one’s financial security.

Why did you want to write a book?

Millions of people in America and around the world lack access to affordable personal finance and investing advice. After learning to successfully manage my own money and build great wealth I decided to help the people who need a simple way to improve their financial future. Millions of people can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars in fees to Financial Advisors and brokers and as a result they miss out on simple things to do at various stages of life to set them on a solid path to build wealth, earn more money, and retire with greater financial security.

Why did you choose to self-publish?

I wanted to create a book that is very affordable and accessible to people who need help. I felt that taking the self-publishing route was the best method for me to share the insights I’ve gained on my way to become a multi-millionaire. It was important for me to maintain provide control over process, cost and ensure the book truly helps people of all ages, income and education levels for a very low price.

What tools or companies did you use, and what experience did you have?

Balboa Press, a Division of Hay house helped me with developmental editing, publishing, design of the cover and initial marketing of Make It Rain. Their help to guide me after my first draft was complete has been invaluable.

Would you self-publish again?

Absolutely! This was a great experience and I’d recommend it for anyone who has a desire to help others by writing a book.

What do you think are the main pitfalls for indie writers?

I underestimated the cost after publishing to market the book. Even as a self-publisher there will be additional investment required online and offline if you want to reach millions of people and that is my goal for writing Make It Rain. Building a budget to market the book was something I hadn’t considered up front.

What tips can you give other authors looking to self-publish?

I focused on completing Make It Rain within 6-9 months. Writing a book will take focus and a willingness to listen to input of others who have done it before you. Just remember that ultimately the decisions on how you proceed rest with you. Make sure you are okay with the changes and advice given to ensure the book reflects your vision at the end of the process.

What was your steepest learning curve during the publishing process?

Figuring out how to organize Make It Rain as a self-help book and becoming comfortable to include my personal experiences along with those of my wife in the book. We are very private people but took the advice of folks at Balboa who helped me bring Make It Rain to life by sharing more of my personal experiences as concrete examples for readers to learn from.

As a writer, what is your schedule? How do you get the job done?

I was working full time when I started writing Make It Rain knowing that I was going to retire in a few months. Initially I invested about 2-3 hours on weekends writing the core of the book. After retiring in May of 2018 my time increased to 6-8 hours a day, researching information and bringing my experiences to life until publishing Make It Rain on August 30, 2018. Getting the job done required me to take the time to develop and have patience to receive feedback from my wife and others who were involved in reading and editing each manuscript revision.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I never experienced writer’s block with this, my first book. I generally just start writing to get my juices flowing rather than spending time trying to think too hard about writing the best passages or editing the errors up front.

Tell us about the genre you wrote in, and why you chose to write this sort of book.

Personal finance & investing self-help is the genre I decided to write my first book in and it fits with what I am comfortable doing. Developing content to solve problems for others is what I’m passionate about. Writing Make It Rain, a simple guide help people of all walks of life increase wealth and financial security, provided a great way for me to help people succeed in one of the most critical areas of life.

Who are your biggest writing inspirations and why?

I am awe inspired by writers like James Patterson. I am not a creative writer like him but love his works.

How do your friends and family get involved with your writing? What do they think of your book?

My family and friends played a key role in the creation of Make It Rain, from helping me create the title, reviewing and providing input on the cover design, to reviewing each edit to ensure the book truly helps people from ages 18 to 60.

Why did you write about this particular subject?

My mission in retirement is to help people who come from low and middle income communities, as I did, learn to improve their financial future. Even with the latest economic boom in America, millions of people are struggling to create the financial security needed now and after retirement. I want to help millions of Americans avoid ruin and Make It Rain is the first step in my journey to do just that!

What are your plans now your book is published?

Engage with schools, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to help them use Make It Rain as a book to teach others the basics of personal finance, investing and connecting with people online to learn from my experiences. Additionally, I share tips on investing and other important life skills via my personal blog at www.umakeitrain.com.

What did you learn on your journey as an author?

I was never a good writer in school. It was a challenge for me to summon the courage to take on this project. I learned and frankly reinforced my belief that most obstacles can be overcome if you remain passionate in the pursuit of your dreams. I took on the challenge of writing my first book, knowing I’ve never been good at it. Anything worthwhile takes effort and I feel I am a better writer today than I was when I started my journey to create Make It Rain.

What’s next for you as an author?

My next pursuit will create another self-help book based on the experiences of others with the goal of inspiring people, young and old, to achieve more than they believe possible.