Francisco Colayco, Ph.D., an entrepreneur, financial advisor and author of the consistent bestseller ‘’Wealth Within your Reach: Pera Mo, Palaguin Mo!’’ never considered himself a writer.

"I had no background in writing, I only wrote business proposals and that was it," he looks back.

But all that changed when one day, he found himself pushing his advocacy of building financial independence among Filipinos, especially OFWs, through radio.

"OFWs and the ordinary wage-earner work so hard to earn money and yet don’t work as hard to keep it. I realized that in order to teach all these things I knew about how to unlock the key to every Filipinos financial freedom was to reach out to a wider audience," Colayco explains.

There was great feedback from radio listeners here and abroad, which spurred an invitation from OFWs in Hong Kong for him to give a talk there. He encountered good news but it was the bad news that most Filipinos here and abroad go through in their finances that led Colayco to write his first book which basically encouraged Filipinos to save and grow their savings.

"They owe this to themselves," he emphasizes.

His easy-to-understand book connected to the masses through its use of English and Filipino everyday language to drive home to his point. Selling over 100,000 copies to date, a phenomenal feat in local book publishing, the book inspired a sequel ‘’Making Your Money Work, Pera mo Palaguin mo 2,’’ a workbook (co-authored with Dr. Helen Valderrama), and recently ‘’Money for Kids, Pera mo Palaguin mo! A Parent Teacher’s Guide to Financial Literacy for Kids’’ (co-authored with Dr. Nina Yuson-Lim).

While Colayco never thought of writing a book in his life, Grace D. Chong, a bestselling children’s book writer and a prolific inspirational and devotional book author has always been into writing as a way of personal expression.

"I’ve always written on journals for as long as I remember. I even started as a copywriter in an ad agency, but I never thought that I would write for children, not until after I retired," she recalls.

On her first try into writing for children, Chong won first prize at the Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.

"It was such a surprise! Imagine winning on your very first try," she muses. She has won to date four Palanca Awards for her stories for children.

Writing intuitively and reading a lot of books, Chong found herself armed with more materials to share.

"In 2001, OMF Literature chose me to be their first local author under their inspirational books category. Thus, my devotional book Gifts of Grace came about," she says.

"The book is a collection of moving, inspiring and humorous essays about the blessings of lives, which touch our own. It gives you a glimpse of the many things that have touched my life-- a wife’s forgiveness, a lolo’s healing, a neighbor’s helpfulness, a mentor’s guidance, a mother’s generosity, while allowing my readers to recognize their own gifts of grace," she continues.

Just recently, Chong came out with daily devotionals for kids titled "What’s for Breakfast?" 1 and 2, One Year Daily Devotions for Children.

"There was a clamor from parents for their kids to have their own devotional guide book, it serves as a take-off point for parents to be able to talk to their kids about God," she shares.

Just as Chong relates to her readers by tapping their spiritual and emotional energies and inspiring them to be thankful for everyday graces and blessings, Colayco easily connects to his audience by his many anecdotes, speaking from his many experiences as a seasoned financial advisor.

"I prefer that the average person who reads my book relate to it because my authority comes from the many experiences I’ve been through. I tell them the realities that we all commonly go through and make them realize its relevance in their lives, rather than lecture hypothetically over their finances," he points out.

As their books become familiar local bestsellers, Colayco and Chong have branched out into other channels to further promote their advocacies and writing.

Chong has made her blog a continuing testimony for her love of writing. She also regularly conducts talks and seminars here and abroad to school children and shares her passion to fellow writers through workshops.

"This wasn’t like anything I ever dreamed at all. But through my books, I was able to inspire a lot of people to look at their fellowmen more kindly, seeking the goodness in everybody. Can you imagine if we all see the kindness in each other?" Chong gushes.

Colayco feels the same with the way his books have triggered change in a lot of people’s lives.

"Writing these books has created a new life for me. It gave me a new sense of purpose, knowing that my books touched the lives of many and opened their eyes to seek much better things for themselves and their families. This is my "psychic income", an affirmation that I have done something good for others, that I have left them a legacy through my books" he reveals.

With the launch of his interactive website, numerous stints in radio and television, his Pera Palaguin seminars and his establishment of the Kalayaan sa Kakapusan Service and Multi-Purpose Cooperative (KsK/SMP), all under the Colayco Foundation for Education, he plans to continue his advocacies and reach out to more Filipinos here and abroad.

Indeed, the books that inspire are the books that go beyond the words in between the pages. Chong and Colayco’s moving words have become catalysts for change and opportunities, the former to see the goodness and the grace of people and circumstances, the latter in seeking out a way to achieve financial independence.

The said books will be among the many bestsellers to be showcased at the 28th Manila International Bookfair to be held on August 29 to Sept. 2 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. corner Roxas Blvd.

With the theme "Inspire… Aspire… Read," this year’s MIBF highlights the importance of reading in building a healthy nation and an intelligent population.