• Home
    Home 

  • Articles
    Articles 

  • Happenings
    Happenings 

  • Eksentriks
    Eksentriks 

  • Community
    Community 
  • Home
  • Asian Arts Magazine  ▾
    • News
    • Arts
    • Culture
    • Films
    • Literature
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Photography
    • Poems
    • Stories
  • Artist Registry
  • Arts Community
  • Happenings

  • Sign In
  • Submit Stories & Poems
  • List Your Events
  • Be On Artist Registry

  • What Is Eksentrika?
  • Get In Touch With Us
  • FAQ
  • Join Our Monthly Newsletter
  • Eksentrika Facebook
  • Eksentrika Instagram
  • Eksentrika Twitter
  • Eksentrika Linkedin
  • Eksentrika Telegram
  • Start Writing
  • Asian Arts Magazine
  • Artist Registry
Arts & Culture Malaysia | Eksentrika
Eksentrika Login
How Suraya Zainudin’s Love For Finance Gave Birth To Money Stories
Eksentrika

Written by Eksentrika

How Suraya Zainudin’s Love For Finance Gave Birth To Money Stories

Share this article via


Ringgit Oh Ringgit started out as a humble chronicle of a Malaysian millennial’s journey into personal finance.

Since 2015, the website has gained a sizeable niche following, and founder, Suraya Zainudin has carved a reputation as a finance blogger, often quoted on subjects related to money and personal finance.

Finance might seem a boring subject, but for Suraya, it’s her passion and she expresses it eloquently through Ringgit Oh Ringgit.

 

Suraya Zainudin’s birth of Ringgit Oh Ringgit

Even on holiday at historical locations, the 30-year-old communications consultant finds more interest in the financial portfolio of olden day kings and the capital it took to build a grand palace than the more obvious spectacle of architectural grandeurs.

“There I was at a walking tour in the UK, wondering how the royal families managed to fund their extravagant lifestyles – was it through taxes? Borrowed money? If yes, from where and whom? Did they wage wars to get more resources?

“In contrast, the couple beside me were happily discussing the beauty of the building’s aesthetics and my friends who came with me were keener to know about the religious history of the place,” Suraya tells Eksentrika.

In exploring her favourite topics, Suraya became among the rare female pioneers, filling a digital content void on Malaysia’s bread and butter money matters.

She is the only woman amidst a handful of Malaysian thought leaders in the online financial literacy circuit.

Now, after making a mark in the cybersphere, Suraya is charting into the material world of publishing through her debut book, Money Stories from Malaysians: Volume 1. 

 

suraya zainudin ringgit oh ringgit
Suraya Zainudin is the beautiful face behind the personal finance content website, Ringgit Oh Ringgit. IMAGE: Suraya Zainudin.      

 

Suraya Zainudin publishes personal finance stories through Ringgit Oh Ringgit

The anthology is a close collaboration between 10 finance nerds, including Suraya, to share 10 unique tales that offer advice in short story form.

The endeavour mimics the approach of classic finance literature, George S Clason’s The Richest Man in Babylon.

Classon’s 1926 publication has been regarded as an insightful guide for wealth seekers and investors. Its unusual structure, which dispenses financial advice through parables surrounding a fictional Babylonian character has also inspired many modern works.

“Our book provides a local context that we believe would strike a chord with our fellow Malaysians.

“It’s also in line with the very reason I started my blog, to provide more localised perspectives on spending, savings, and investing,” Suraya explains to us via email.

While Suraya’s debut book could still be deemed insightful for financial awareness, she is quick to dismiss the idea that it puts a price on financial advice.

“After all, I am already providing free financial advice through my articles in Ringgit Oh Ringgit.

“Think of this book more like an edutainment take of personal finance, a creative spin on a stereotypically ‘dry’ topic,” she says.

Suraya also considers her latest labour of love as a combination of three favourite elements; delving further into her the realm of personal finance, learning the ropes of self-publishing, and monetising a product, to add to her passive income stream.

The project itself was turned into an experimental investment vehicle when Suraya offered the other nine writers a proposition in return for their involvement.

They could choose to be paid a single, upfront payment of RM100 for their contribution or a percentage cut from the book sale royalty within a year.

“If we manage to sell all 1,000 copies of the first print, each of us would get between RM500- RM1,000. (initial estimates; figures may change)

“Those who decided the royalty option understood the risks, while those who needed immediate cash took the one-off payment,” Suraya said.

 

54437398 2102633213361412 8169895535004614656 o
Suraya Zainudin is one of Malaysia’s prominent thought leaders when it comes to personal finance. IMAGE: Suraya Zainudin.

 

Suraya invested some RM10,000 in initial capital in hopes of creating a worthwhile product, that readers could appreciate.

These mainly funded aspects of the book design including illustration, professional editing, proofreading, layout, printing, marketing, and miscellaneous fees required in self-publishing.

It would seem like Suraya has been embarking on one brilliant idea after another but she admits that each adventure she undertakes presents its own set of challenges.

“First, I suffered from writer’s block. Then I wasn’t sure whether I should self-publish or go with a traditional publisher.

“I learned the hard way about what I could have outsourced from the start instead of doing everything myself.”

“While it has been stressful, I value the learning process and the experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn while doing.”

After mulling on whether to release the project as a purely digital ebook or print, she decided on a combination of both.

In the spirit of sharing knowledge and being transparent, Suraya has also produced a guide to self-publish a book in Malaysia and a case study based on her project.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Showing off the custom-printed thank you card with personalised note, included in every Gold/Platinum order for #MYMoneyStories book ❤️ . Total sales during the 10-day preorder period – RM8.5k. THANK YOU UGH I SAYANG GILER KAT KORANG 🙏❤️🙏❤️ . #malaysianwriters #writersofmalaysia #sayajualbuku #malaysianbloggers #bloggermalaysia #selfpublished

A post shared by Suraya (@surayaror) on Mar 11, 2019 at 9:14pm PDT

 

You can expect to discover familiar yet varied narratives in Money Stories from Malaysians: Volume 1.

We hear it entails encounters of battling Ponzi schemes, benefits of quitting cigarettes to ideas of transitioning into a system of universal basic income.

These stories were written in close collaboration with writers Jouhari Ali, N.T. Cloever, Sarah Anne, Eu Leon, Sumi S, Aina Izzah, Juntaki, Jonathan Kam, Chan Ai Sin, and of course, Suraya herself.

As of the time of writing, Suraya shared with Eksentrika that she has managed to recoup more than RM10,000 of her initial capital within the first month of the book launch. She has also launched Volume 2 of the book.

 

Purchase Money Stories from Malaysians Volume 1 & 2 here. Follow Suraya Zainuddin here. Read more articles:

How did Nazri Noor top Amazon bestsellers lists through self-publishing?

Useful Tips To Silence The ‘Inner Editor’ To Write Your Story Now

6 Clever Ways Malaysian Publishers Are Selling Books On Twitter Spaces

All images in this post were provided by Suraya Zainudin of Ringgit Oh Ringgit.

Suraya Zainudin
  1. Ista says:
    April 4, 2019 at 7:27 pm

    4.5

  2. Anonymous says:
    April 7, 2019 at 12:53 pm

    5

Contribute to Us

We accept short stories, poems, opinion pieces, and essays on a complimentary basis.

SUBMIT

Other Stories You May Like

indie musicians internet radio selector british council

5 Ways Indie Musicians Can Rise With The Internet Radio

Ista

3 Must Attend Sessions At 2022's George Town Literary Festival

4 Sessions Not To Be Missed At 2022’s George Town Literary Festival

Sukhbir Cheema

Ratu Kuning Istana Budaya

How To Improve Malaysia’s Dance Dramas With Sabera Shaik

Jennifer Rodrigo

How To Create Low Budget Theatre Physically And Virtually

How To Create Fun Low-Budget Theatre For Physical And Virtual Audiences

Sukhbir Cheema

How The British Council's 'Culture Connects' Helps Creatives

Here’s Why Cultural Exchanges Among Creatives Around The World Are Important

Sukhbir Cheema

Alice Ng Art Workshop Safe Spaces

How Artists And Arts Organisations Can Do More To Create Safe Spaces

Ista

About Eksentrika

Eksentrika is an arts community and an online Asian arts magazine with an artist registry. Join us to get inspired and find Asian artists here!

Quick Links

  • About Eksentrika
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.

Join Our Newsletter

 


All Rights Reserved © 2021 Eksentrika | By eJeeban Web Design Company

  • Eksentrika Facebook
  • Eksentrika Instagram
  • Eksentrika Twitter
  • Eksentrika Linkedin
  • Eksentrika Telegram