Warren Buffet backs Kiwi author's book

A Kiwi author has gained the backing of billionaire Warren Buffett for a new children's book which has taken him five years to write.

Lucas Remmerswaal, a Whangarei-based author and former investment adviser, has spent the past 12 years seeking approval from his idol to write a series of 13 books based on the habits that made Buffett billions.

Now Remmerswaal has the sign off to use the phrase "inspired by Warren Buffet" on the front cover of his book Fireball's travels: The door to the temple of wisdom which is set for launch on August 30 - Buffet's birthday.

The book is aimed at young teens and centres around a character called Fireball who travels to ancient Egypt and learns about the power of mindfulness and meditation.

Remmerswaal said the book was designed to get teens thinking about their purpose in life and he hoped it would also help tackle New Zealand's high youth suicide rate.

"It's about awakening the genie to manifest what you want in your life."

It has been a long path towards making the book.

Remmerswaal initially travelled to the United States in 2012 arriving with just a quarter in his pocket to research the concept of an Aladdin-style story.

He drafted a first edition in January 2013 and met an Italian artist who agreed to do the pictures for the book without being paid until copies are sold.

Remmerswaal shared it with a teaching mentor in the US in 2014 and received a 40 point critique on how to make it better.

After another big polish of the story in 2015 he went to see his muse in Maryland for three months and was introduced to a literary agent in New York over lunch.

Not bad for someone living off a benefit, he says.

A charitable trust has agreed to publish the story he just needs $64,000 of pre-sales to make it happen.

All of the money invested in the book has come from him so far.

Remmerswaal is a big believer - he hopes to get the book out to 100 million children and to release the second book this time next year.

It's the second book Remmerswaal has done based on Buffett.

In 2010 he published an e-book called the The Tale of Tortoise Buffett and Trader Hare, an e-book written by Remmerswaal and illustrated by Australian artist Annette Lodge.