Once Upon a Balance Sheet International Book Awards Finalist
- James C Foo Leong
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Can an independently published book stand alongside titles from Harvard Business Review Press, Penguin Random House and Wiley?
I am grateful to discover that the answer is yes.
Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits has been named one of six finalists in the Business: General category of the 17th Annual International Book Awards.
The winning book was published by Harvard Business Review Press, while other finalists included titles from Penguin Random House, Wiley and Penguin Viking.
And there among them was my little yellow book from Singapore, independently published through Visions.One Consulting.
Why This International Book Awards Finalist Recognition Matters
This recognition adds another chapter to a journey I could never have planned.
Once Upon a Balance Sheet became an Amazon bestseller and a No. 1 Hot New Release.
More than six months later, the book continues to rank strongly on Amazon Singapore, recently returning to the Top 10 in its category.
In May 2026, Once Upon a Balance Sheet was also named Winner, International Impact Book Awards, in the Business category under Management Accounting.
Together, these milestones represent continuing support from readers, recognition within the book’s specialist field, and now a place in the broader world of business books alongside titles backed by major international publishers.
The Publishing Journey Behind the Book
That matters because this was not the publishing journey I had imagined.
I spent close to four years writing, rewriting, testing ideas and finding ways to make finance less intimidating, and perhaps even enjoyable, for people without a finance background.
The result was Once Upon a Balance Sheet, a book that helps non-finance professionals understand financial statements through storytelling, visual frameworks and practical business examples.
Then my original publisher went bankrupt and disappeared from the process, leaving me with a virtually uneditable flattened PDF and a manuscript that was still not fully edited.
For a while, the future of the book was uncertain. I could accept that the journey had ended, or take responsibility for bringing it across the finishing line myself.
So I took over the publishing process through my own company, Visions.One Consulting. I learned what needed to be learned, solved one problem after another and kept going.
There was no major publishing or marketing machinery behind the book. There was only a belief that it still deserved the chance to reach the readers for whom it had been written.
What This Recognition Says About Independent Publishing
That is why this recognition feels so significant.
Sometimes, credibility does not come from the size of the organisation behind the work.
Sometimes, it comes from the work itself.
For an independently published book from Singapore to stand alongside titles from Harvard Business Review Press, Penguin Random House, and Wiley is deeply encouraging.
It reminds me that meaningful work can travel when the message is clear, the purpose is strong and readers find value in it.
Thank You for Being Part of the Story
Above all, I am grateful to every reader, friend, colleague and supporter who has walked with me through this journey over the years.
Every word of encouragement, every recommendation and every person who chose to read
Once Upon a Balance Sheet helped the book travel a little further.
Thank you for believing in the book, and for being part of its story.
James C Foo Leong
The Financial Storyteller and Creator of Financial Storyverse®
Adjunct Associate Professor, National University of Singapore
Amazon bestselling author, International Impact Book Awards winner and International Book Awards finalist
Ready to turn financial confusion into clarity?
👉 If Once Upon a Balance Sheet resonates with you, we can change the way you see numbers.
