SEATTLE - The recession may have just become official, but Jill Keto wrote her recession guide last spring.

Video: Seattle author pens recession guide for women

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The ex-Boeing engineer and business owner says she knew she had to get her book out quickly, but a traditional book deal could take too long.

Keto said the bulk of her book was written at Caffe Ladro in Issaquah. She settled at the coffee shop for several hours a week, writing her new book.

"It's called ‘Don't Get Caught With Your Skirt Down, A Practical Girl’s Recession Guide,’" she said.

The attention-getting name has its roots in real problems facing women.

"They're losing jobs at a faster rate. They have riskier mortgages as compared to men,” said Keto.

Keto wrote the book in spring and wanted it published before the economic crisis was in full tilt.

Since she teaches women how to live economically, she found a fast, economic way to publish her book.

She turned to Amazon's CreateSpace. For just about $40, it allowed her to self-publish.

The book was listed on Amazon.com and printed on-demand. Keto takes in 35 percent of the royalties.

"As soon as the economic crisis happened in September, my book shot up to the top of certain search terms for Amazon which really, really helped,” she said.

It also helped get the attention of Simon and Schuster; and Keto just wrangled a traditional book deal.

"It's really a dream come true," she said.

And she hopes her dream will help other women live theirs.

“In fact, if you know even a little bit about economic trends, you can position your money and your lifestyle so that you can sail through an economic crisis with ease instead of just being a victim,” she said.

Among other things, the book touts "four skills you need." They are:

- Learn a new language to expand your business and job opportunities. (Keto learned Mandarin)

- Be able to fix things in order to save and make money.

- Learn to negotiate.

- Cultivate a strong mind. Your attitude is the only thing you truly control

Keto has also included a lot of money saving tips in the book. The new revised edition will be available at the end of December.