Author Audience: Helping You Reach More People With Your Message | Writing | Self-publishing | Book Marketing | Business Grow

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” – Romans 5:8 (NLT) On February 5th, 2017, things looked pretty bleak for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl Fifty-One. By the middle of the third quarter, they found themselves down 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons. No team had ever come back to win a Super Bowl after such a deficit. But as can happen in sports across the spectrum, a swing in momentum can change things in a hurry. There would be no Falcons blowout that day. Instead, the Patriots would score thirty-one unanswered points to win the game 34-28 in overtime. As baseball legend, Yogi Berra used to say, “It ain’t over til it’s over.” When it comes to a momentum swing in life, two little words can change the outcome… But God. From Joseph to Paul, we see so many But God moments. There will be moments in our own lives when the odds seem overwhelmingly against us. Defeat is a foregone conclusion. A comeback? Impossible. But God.

Disappointment is part of every writer's journey but when used the right way it can help you find your target audience, clarify the message God has equipped you to share, and expand your platform. This was the first recording with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith for the Kingdom Writers Conference. We had some bizarre tech issues and so he graciously re-recorded his presentation. This one will be slightly different than what you heard at the conference. By the way, did you miss the conference?  If so, you can still get all 15 presentations as well as 13 bonus training in the all-access pass here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/battleplan/ We pray that this teaching blesses you today!  

Many people want to write and publish a book but feel they don't have the time to succeed. Learn productivity principles that will help you accomplish your writing goals regardless of how full your calendar is today. This was the first recording with Dr. Tim Riordan for the Kingdom Writers Conference. We had some bizarre tech issues and so he graciously re-recorded his presentation. This one will be slightly different than what you heard at the conference. By the way, did you miss the conference?  If so, you can still get all 15 presentations as well as 13 bonus training in the all-access pass here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/battleplan/ We pray that this teaching blesses you today!  

We are the Priestly Pens in the author of Life as we are writing our books. However, does your “pen” ever feel dry? If so, enjoy this encouragement today which is an excerpt from the kickoff presentation of the Kingdom Writers Conference. Did you miss the conference? If so, you can still get all 15 presentations as well as 13 bonus training in the all-access pass here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/battleplan/ We pray that this short encouragement blesses you today!  

“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT) In his classic book, Miracles, author C.S. Lewis gives us a wonderful illustration of Christ representing a pearl diver in search of hidden treasure. It’s a beautiful passage that your own eyes should read, “One may think of a diver, first reducing himself to nakedness, then glancing in mid-air, then gone with a splash, vanishing rushing down through green and warm water into black and cold water, down through increasing pressure into the deathlike region of ooze and slime and old decay; then up again, back to colour and light, his lungs almost bursting, till suddenly he breaks the surface again, holding in his hand the dripping, precious thing he went down to recover. He and it are both coloured now that they have come up into the light: down below, where it lay colorless in the dark, he lost his color too.” (Miracles, chap. 14).

What a fun month of celebration this has been!  This month marks 10 years since I took the big, scary step of faith of quitting my physical therapy job (and a regular income behind) to be full-time in our ministry and business alongside my husband CJ.  And we just finished our first-ever Kingdom Writers Conference. WooHoo! Thank you to everyone who joined us. What a fun week it has been! And right now our doors to Christian Book Academy are open. We only open a few times a year so if you've been wanting to join us now is the time to get in. Go to www.christianbookacademy.com and join us.  We have so many great resources for you including monthly two-day Virtual Writing Retreats to help you get your book done or your marketing finished for the month.  We also have a new Mini-Marketing Messages kit for you every month. These are social media templates and email templates you can use in your marketing to easily engage with your audience and sell more books.  We have so many trainings for you that go in the order

Can you believe it? This month marks a decade since I resigned from my physical therapy job. We have been working full-time in our business and ministry since that day.  Honestly, it hasn't been easy.  There have been so many times we wanted to give up. But God has provided what we needed and He has brought us to the place where we are today. One of the things we're doing to celebrate is hosting our Kingdom Writers Conference...and it kicks off today the 15th of September. WooHoo!  So if you have not joined us yet, make sure to go right now and claim your free ticket at www.kingdomwritersconference.com before registration closes.  You will not want to miss 15 speakers over the course of five days helping equip you to move forward in God’s call to write.  Today I want to introduce you to one of our Christian Book Academy members and one of our conference speakers, Ruth L Snyder.  She has been taking some action in her marketing and she's going to share how using a simple tool that we provide in Christian Book

If you haven't heard yet, September 2021 is an incredibly special year for CJ and me. It marks the 10th anniversary of taking that big scary step of faith for me to quit my physical therapy job and getting a regular paycheck. CJ was already working full-time in our business and 10 years ago I took that crazy step as well. We have been two full-time entrepreneurs since that day and it has been a wild and crazy ride.  We've been mentoring writers for over 11 years and also have had Christian Book Academy for 6.5 years. Therefore we wanted to celebrate! We're celebrating and kicking off this month with our Kingdom Writers Conference and we want you to be part of it. It's going to be 15 speakers over five days and starts September 15th. Join us for free at www.kingdomwritersconference.com and tell all your writing friends.  It's going to be a fun, inspiring, and amazing time to come together as Kingdom writers for such a time as this.  This month we also wanted to highlight some of our speakers. By the way, all o

This year we wanted to do something a little bit different for September it is the 10th year anniversary since I quit my physical therapy job and went full time in our ministry and business with my husband.  This is a significant milestone for us. We have been leading Christian Book Academy now for 6.5 years, mentoring writers for over 11 years and we have so many things to celebrate. We're kicking this month off with a bang by opening registration to our very first Kingdom Writers Conference. The theme this year is Battle Plan: equipping you to move forward in the writing God has called you to do. Make sure to get your free ticket at www.KingdomWritersConference.com and invite all your writing friends, it's going to be fun.  We are celebrating this month all that God has done not only in our lives but in your lives as well. Therefore we want to feature different members in our Christian Book Academy and in fact all of our speakers this year have been in our academy at one time or another and now they are als

Have you had failures in your life? If so, it’s a good indication that you’ve taken some risks along the way.  A few notable “failures” John Creasey received 743 rejection slips from publishers before one word was published. He eventually published 560 books and sold over 60 million copies  Michael Waltrip lost 530 races before winning his first NASCAR race in 2001…the Daytona 500 Abraham Lincoln lost 18 elections for various offices before being elected 16th President  We’re going to look at one of my favorite stories in the Bible about a man who took a big risk. - 1 Samuel 14:1-23 Saul & his troops were down to 600 men and only 2 swords among them (Jonathan holding one of the swords) Depressing situation under this pomegranate tree while the Philistines were wreaking havoc in every direction. Jonathan has had enough and decides to take a risk. Jonathan realized he couldn’t win a battle without entering a battle.  How about you & I? Have we reached a point where we’re tired of seeing nothing happ

Do you want to harness the power of partner promos by borrowing someone else’s audience? If so keep listening as this is one of the fastest ways to grow your audience and sell more books. My name is Shelley Hitz and I’m here with my husband CJ Hitz. We have been coaching authors for over a decade helping you reach more readers with your message by using our social media templates and bridge-building system so you can consistently market your books without feeling pushy or salesy.  In each of our trainings, we promise to share at least one thing that will help you write, self-publish, and market your books so that the message of your books can impact lives. In the next few minutes, we are going to talk about the power of partner promos. When it comes to partner marketing I recommend that you do something to give first. Instead of looking for ways you can benefit, how can you help that person first. "You Can Have Everything in Life You Want if You Will Just Help Enough Other People Get What They Want.” - Zig Zi

Would you like to get more done without exerting as much energy? That’s exactly what having a system will help you do and what we are going to talk about today. My name is Shelley Hitz and I’m here with my husband CJ Hitz. We have been mentoring writers for over a decade helping you self-publish your books in multiple formats using our publishing map and step-by-step system so that you can write words that outlive you and self-publish books that fulfill your calling. In each of our trainings we promise to share at least one thing that will help you write, self-publish, and market your books so that the message of your books can impact lives. Today we’re going to talk about how systems can be YOUR secret sauce. What is a system? In the simplest form, it is a checklist you create for a repeatable task. How does having a publishing system help? You save brain power because you don’t have to think about what to do next. You simply follow the checklist. What is the best way to start using systems? Start writing d

What could happen if you devoted just 15-minutes a day to your writing? Keep listening over the next few minutes to this encouragement that when applied can help you finish writing your book. My name is Shelley Hitz and I’m here with my husband CJ Hitz. We have been mentoring writers for over a decade helping you get your books out of your heads and onto paper with our book writing formulas so that you can write words that outlive you and self-publish books that fulfill your calling. In each of our trainings we promise to share at least one thing that will help you write, self-publish, and market your books so that the message of your books can impact lives. Today we’re going to talk about being a 15-minute writer. Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful novelists of the Victorian era. Over the course of 35 years, he wrote 47 novels. He did all of this while working a demanding job as a post office inspector. He committed 15 minutes of every workday hour to writing 250 words. This commitment could pro

What does it look like to worship God through our writing? Read: 1 Kings 7:13-22; 40-45 Huram was an “extremely skillful and talented” craftsman from the area of Tyre in Lebanon who was commissioned by King Solomon to help enhance and decorate the temple. After reading about the precision and detail of Huram’s work, we see that he was a man who glorified and worshiped God through his skills. There was thought, purpose, and intentionality in his work. Imagine all the worshipers who would journey to this magnificent temple which stood for over 400 years. Upon entering the temple, they were set in the right frame of mind to worship the Lord as they saw the beauty of Huram's craftsmanship. As Kingdom Writers, we have been given the wonderful privilege of being commissioned by God in our calling to write words that outlive us. Just as Huram was hired and appointed to furnish and magnify the beauty of Solomon’s temple, we as Kingdom Writers are called to glorify and magnify the beauty of Christ. Our writings can he

Email marketing is such an important part of a long-term marketing strategy for authors and yet one most avoid. In this training, Shelley shares 11 ways you can grow your email list as an author. Here’s the list: Option One: Strategic Partnerships Podcast Interviews Guest Blog Posts Social Media Takeover Social Media Swap Solo Email Swap Option Two: Gather Authors/Experts in Your Genre/Niche Collaborative blog post Top 10 Books in XX Genre Post Online Summit or Host Q&A’s or Coffee Chats) Anthology Group Giveaway Group Promotions The challenge? Choose one option from the strategic partnerships and one option from gathering authors/experts in your genre/niche. Then, implement them over the next two months. Let me know how it goes for you! Book Writing Lab Get your book out of your head and onto paper using our 3 proven book writing formulas ...and then create a writing plan to finish your first draft. We just launched our brand new workshop, Book Writing Lab, and you can get in today for just $27. WooH

Do you have a book that you’ve started but you’ve struggled to finish? If so, today we want to share with you three ways to renew your commitment to write so you can click the publish button.  Ready to dive in? 1. Remember the reason you write. What is your why? When you have a strong purpose behind your writing, it will help you overcome the resistance we all face as a writer and the difficult days. 2. Who are you writing for? Who is your target audience? I want you to picture one person who is your ideal reader. If possible, choose someone you know from real life. Write down who this person is and why your book would be impactful to them.  This will serve as a reminder of why you write and that your readers are waiting for you to finish your book. Start praying for your future readers and the impact your book will have on their lives. 3. Write out your commitment to God and yourself and your future readers. Write this out with pen and paper and post it where you can see it every day. I am committed to writi

Do you want to find peace in your writing? If so, CJ has some encouragement for you today from the Word of God that will help to bring calm to your chaos and peace to the panic when it comes to your writing. Kingdom Writers have access to a peace that can’t be manufactured through human means. It’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13 NLT Jesus confirms this with his words in John 14:27 - “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Have you been troubled or afraid regarding your writing? Afraid of failure? Afraid of what others will think? Afraid you’ll give up before your book is finished? Most of us can relate to those feelings. Jesus wants to bring calm to our chaos. Peace to our panic. If your heart and mind are feel

Zechariah 4:10a My small beginnings as a runner after reading a book by Dean Karnazes After coming out of an 80 year Babylonian exile and having the glorious temple that King Solomon built be reduced to rubble, it was now time for God’s people to rebuild a new temple where Yahweh would reside and be worshiped. To the younger generation, this was a huge milestone. But to the “old-timers” who saw or heard firsthand stories about the glory & splendor of the previous temple, this latest edition paled in comparison. You can almost hear the chatter among the seasoned veterans, “I miss the good-ole days” or “They just don’t make em like they used to.” “You call THAT a temple?” God had a message for Zechariah to pass along to both young and old alike… “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (Zech. 4:10a NLT) Sure, this latest temple 2.0 seemed modest compared to the previous version 1.0 but God still wanted them to celebrate

One way to launch a new book is by using Amazon’s KDP Select program.  This program launched in December 2011 and I first enrolled one of our books in the program in early January 2012.   The program is no longer as effective as it was in 2012, but we have still seen success with our books as well as the books of other authors. Why Free? When you are a new author it can give you exposure to new readers. We consider it a ministry and have given away over half a million eBooks on Kindle alone. For books that are part of a series, it may be beneficial to keep the first book in the KDP select program to gain exposure and interest in the rest of the books in your series.  Also, make sure you put an excerpt of the next book in the back of your book as well as links to the books from the entire series. Many authors find this is an effective way to promote the next book in the series. I also recommend having a call to action within your book for readers to join your email list so that those that do read your book cou

If you have published blog posts, podcasts, videos, or have given presentations; you may already have content you can use for your book.   Take a moment to look over the content you have already created to see if you can repurpose it and include it in your book.   For example: Podcasts and videos can be transcribed. Presentation slides can be used as part of your outline.  Deleted scenes can be fleshed out and used as a free gift for newsletter subscribers. Journal content can be used when sharing your own story or journey. Even social media posts and emails can be repurposed into content for your books. Here are a few of my personal examples: My very first book, “Mirror Mirror…Am I Beautiful,” was created from articles on my website.  The outline for our book, “Forgiveness Formula,” came from our presentations on the topics that were well received. I also used some of my journal content in this book. “Procrastination to Publication,” was transcribed from one-hour audio and then edited into a book. “Prolif