Five Things Christian Writers Should Know

“Just because you have a computer doesn’t make you a writer,” said an editorial executive at a recent Book Expo of America.

The fact is, 81% of all Americans think they should write a book (according to Write & Publish magazine) and only two percent of that crowd ever complete a manuscript and publish it.

Real computers have made writing a book easier, and print-on-demand (POD) has made publishing easier. The problem is, there are about 150,000 new books a year and not all of them are selling!

So here are some simple things you can do to go from the book idea, the manuscript, to actual sales!

Learn to write. Taking writing courses. You can go to the American Christian Writers website and find out about their American School of Christian Writing, the Institute of the Writer, and / or the Writer’s Mini Course. Also subscribe to their newsletter (The Christian Communicator or The Advanced Christian Writer). Take the time to attend various writers’ conferences where you will meet editors, publishers, and other authors. You can even find a mentor at some of these events.

Getting a copywriting mentor is critical to your success, if you listen and heed their advice! There are tons of book coaches. Google Book Trainer.

Finally, read! Best-selling Christian fiction author Victoria Christopher Murray said on a recent Chocolate Pages show, “To be a good writer, you have to read good writing.” It amazes me so much when I talk to many Christian writers and ask them if they have read any of the “best-sellers”, at least the Christian or spiritual books. They answer “NO”.

Some have not even read “The Purpose Driven Life” (the best-selling book of all time), The Shack (a Christian publishing phenomenon in the book world) or The Secret (at least pay attention to how they have marketed the mega star of a book). Most Christian authors don’t even take note of any of the New York Times or CBA top 10 bestsellers.

Ughh! You have to know what the market is buying and read it to see why the book is so highly acclaimed. By doing a little homework, you can improve your writing. You have to move it from a hobby to a craft if you want a viable book.

Books that every writer needs at their fingertips!

– On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Knowlton Zinsser

The best book I’ve read on what, specifically, makes great writing

– Elements of the style of William Strunk Jr., EB White

Also subscribe to Writer’s Digest. Invaluable information every month!

Learn about desktop publishing and how the book industry works. I’ve had writers come up to me and tell me their “editorial nightmare” stories. They talk about how subsidy printers or publishers took advantage of them.

Yes, there are companies that will scam you. But, if you are well informed, you will decrease the chances that someone will scam you. Don’t trust a single source for all your information. Go Google and do some research! You must do your due diligence.

Know where to get an ISBN, how to get national distribution, where to find a cover designer, typographer, printer, etc. Ask other self-published authors what they have done and how it has worked for them. Follow the leaders. Do what they did to be successful.

Study what Kendra Norman Bellamy, Stephanie Perry Moore, Marilynn Griffith, or Kim Brooks have done. Most authors have their “publication testimonial” on their website or offer publication advice to new authors. Read their tips – you can learn from mistakes or mentors. Mentors are cheaper.

Learn about marketing and advertising. Build a platform. No book will be sold without telling others, over and over again. Not just once. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Creating “buzz” requires a solid platform and strategy. (See this podcast program)

Once the book is published, many authors believe that it will sell on its own. Many Christians lean the other way and are too humble to tell anyone about their book. They believe that if they post it on Amazon or tell some of their “yes friends,” it will take off. DO NOT! Like any product that is sold for cash, it must be marketed and promoted in order to sell it. It takes money to make money.

More information about the agents. Agents are not your “literary fairy godmothers.” They are in business to make money. And they make money selling “marketable” writers to publishers. In addition to having a great book, a decent platform, an audience, you must also have a good book proposal. The proposal is what your book sells. Part of that proposal is the marketing plan. Again, it’s about the bottom line.

Former Heart & Soul editor Stephanie Stokes Oliver took 25 years to publish her first book. And she had a platform and she was a professional writer. He had to find the right publisher. She says she went through 10 agents and finally got the divine connection and got three book deals.

More information about Web 2.0 podcasting, blogs, social networks. Did you know that you can blog on Amazon.com if you are an author? You can even post video reviews. How cool is that? You must embrace technology and keep up with the books on the go. Obviously, the best way to move books is to get people talking, and the more they listen to your passion and are curious about all the “buzz” they hear about you online, the more you’ll attract customers.

So, “get out there” by joining Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter. Make a Blogtalk radio show and get a YouTube channel. Post your blogs to RSS feeds and even do daring things like join or start a lot of nings. Join the Chocolate Pages Network (a new social network for Christian Authors). There are many ways an author can expose themselves online; hey, she might even do it on Oprah as part of her “Book Club.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Beetle Bug 3 Game Review

July 29, 2021