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

“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) Kingdom Writers have access to a joy that can’t be manufactured through human means. It’s something that we’re given by the Holy Spirit We can follow Paul’s example by praying that we are filled with this joy. Read John 16:20-24 We should expect some pain and struggle in the process of writing our book Pain and anguish eventually give way to joy as our books are birthed into the world. Jesus tells us to ask in his name - what are the requests of our hearts regarding our writing? As we ask and see the prayers of our hearts answered, abundant joy follows. We should approach our writing with relaxed, open hands, not clenched fists. When we’re open to the Spirit’s leading, a beautiful melody of words can follow. Book Writing Lab Get your book out of your head and onto paper using our 3 proven book writ

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:8-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ God is creating weakness in our lives in order to drive us to Him. Our weaknesses are meant to create dependence upon Him alone. He’ll spend decades cultivating weakness in our lives.  There is only one hero in this story we find ourselves and that hero is Jesus Christ  Brother Lawrence gives us a picture of almost pathetic weakness and dependence during his time as a cook and dishwasher for a monastery in the 1600s. “He was a great awkward fellow, who broke everything.” “When he had failed in his duty, he simply confessed his fault, saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if Thou l

Turn Your Passion into a Platform Are you one of the many people who long to ditch the cubicle and go to work for yourself, on your own terms? What's holding you back? Self-doubt, fear, technology challenges, the feeling that there are already too many other people doing what you want to do? It's time to face those things head-on and transform your passion into a thriving business. Why? Because  Your Message Matters. His most recent book is Your Message Matters: How to rise above the noise and get paid for what you know. Get a free copy of the book and just pay shipping at: https://www.yourmessagemattersbook.com/ 100+ Places to Market Your Christian Book Want some recommendations on where to publish your Christian book? Check out our list of over 100 places to consider here:  https://www.trainingauthors.com/100-places-to-promote-christian-books/

We talked about publishing short Kindle books last month. If you publish short books, I recommend creating a Kindle series around your main topic.  Your series title can be related to your main topic.  Then, each small book can focus on a specific problem within that topic.   Publishing a book series helps you build authority in that niche; people will eventually know that you know your stuff.   One of the first series that I created was my vegetarian cookbook series.  There were seven books in the series and they sold really well.  Each book in the series then promoted the others.  Instead of having one cookbook with ALL the recipes, I broke it down by topic as follows: Breakfast Recipes Lunch Recipes Main Entrees Appetizer Recipes Salad Recipes Soup, Stew, and Chili Recipes The Ultimate Guide to Vegetarian Cooking with ALL the recipes By now, you should be getting the idea. What seems to work best is when you have six or seven books in the series.  That seems to be the sweet spot, where Amazon starts prom

Since taking up running over 13 years ago, I’ve (CJ) learned the importance of a proper warm-up. Whether I’m preparing for a key speed workout or long run, my rule of thumb is to keep the first two miles nice and easy. Rather than forcing my legs to move faster in the beginning, I simply put one foot in front of the other and allow my legs to gradually warm up and get acquainted with movement. I’ve had many days where I wanted to bail in the first couple miles of a run due to “not feeling it.” But if I stick with it, the legs and body usually turn a corner and I’m rewarded with a delightful run. Some might call it tapping into the “runner’s high.” As a Christian writer, I’ve also learned the value of a good warm-up. It can sometimes take 30 minutes to allow our spirits to calm and the outside noise to quiet down. Just as an athlete needs a proper warm-up, Christian writers can also benefit by easing into a writing flow.  Rather than coming out of the gate charging hard, why not play some peaceful music while

As writers, there are things that can stand in the way of seeing the breakthrough of finishing our book. Sometimes there's an absolute desperation on our part. There are times we can get a little crazy after exhausting all other options. But when we encounter Jesus, breakthroughs are possible… Mark 2:1-12 Imagine the testimony of this paralyzed man. He was lowered through a hole in the roof by his friends but walked out the front door under his own power after encountering Jesus. Sometimes we have to get a little crazy as we find our way around the “crowds” of things that keep us from Jesus. Desperation sometimes comes after we’ve exhausted other options that haven’t worked (example: woman with the blood issue touching the hem of Jesus’s garment - Mark 5). This paralyzed man had 4 good friends who helped him. Can you think of 4 people willing to carry you and your book to Jesus in prayer? “Stunned onlookers” were praising God in verse 12. Our books can have a similar effect as a testimony to God’s work in our

When you write a new book, one thing I want you to consider is how to set your book up for bulk orders. What are bulk orders? Typically these will come from groups, organizations, or companies that will want to order multiple copies of their books for book studies, gifts, to include in a subscription box, etc. Include a Reader’s Guide I recommend creating a reader’s guide with discussion questions that book clubs can use. Typically you will add the questions to the back of your book. This applies to both fiction and nonfiction. If you’ve written a Bible study or book study that can be used with church groups, this is another avenue where your books can be purchased in higher quantities. Personally, I have found that I sell a lot more copies of my print book, Broken Crayons Still Color, because women’s groups use it for their studies.  Whether you are writing a fiction novel or a nonfiction book, consider how you can make it easy for groups to use it. You will have the potential to make more book sales and imp

There are so many reasons to write short Kindle eBooks.  Personally, I have been writing this type of book for many years and people enjoy reading shorter books. We are all busy and we all have a lot to do.  Therefore, if I can find one book to read quickly, get my question answered, and move on, I’m a happy camper.   A short book is easy for your readers to consume.  A lot of readers will read books over their lunch break or when they have a few minutes.  Some short books can be finished within a one hour lunch break The best part about writing a short book?  It’s quicker to write! It’s a quick win and can help us build momentum for the next book The Book Length A question I am often asked is how long should the book be?  For short Kindle eBooks, I recommend a length of about 10,000 words.  It equals out to about 60-70 print pages.  This is the length of most of our short eBooks.  However, your book can be anywhere from 6,000-20,000 words.   Download Your Publishing Map If you want to write and publish a boo

When you are in your writing zone, you are using the right side of your brain. This is the creative part of your brain.  Whereas when you are outlining, researching, and editing you are using the left side of your brain. This is the logical part of your brain and also where your inner critic resides.  Therefore when you try to write and edit at the same time, your inner critic can easily shut you down. For example, your inner critic might say, “You’re not spelling that right. Who are you to write a book when you don’t even know how to spell? This is horrible. You might as well stop now and not even try to write this book.” And on and on it goes. We’ve all been there. So, let’s not let our inner critic get the best of us. Amen? 5 ways to quiet your inner critic and stay in the writing zone:  Highlight an area that will need more editing or research later. You can do this by using a different color or highlighting the text. If you’re writing with paper and pen (or pencil) you can draw an asterisks or arrow nex

This episode was originally recorded inside our Christian Book Academy group as live videos. However, we wanted to share these teachings with you. Today's topic is: 3 Lessons from Habakkuk We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members of Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ This series is sponsored by Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom Writers here: http://christianbookacademy.com

This episode was teachings we did to begin our Virtual Writing Retreat in January. However, we wanted to share these with you. Today's topic is: Free at Last As Kingdom writers let us have a freedom mindset. It’s time to move forward with our writing and the messages that God put on our hearts to share with the world. We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members in Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ This series is sponsored by Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite

This episode was teachings we did to begin our Virtual Writing Retreat in January. However, we wanted to share these with you. Today's topic is: Big Brave Steps In order to write your book and then to market it and share it with the world, it requires a lot of really big, brave steps. We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members in Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ This series is sponsored by Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite you to join our community of King

Welcome to this month's Expert Interview. This episode is an interview with Alisa Keeton on how to market your book in a God-honoring way. Today's topic is: Tips for Marketing Your Book in a God-Honoring Way We are thrilled to have Alisa Keeton. She is a wholehearted pursuer of God’s love. As a more than twenty-seven-year fitness professional, Alisa felt God leading her to bring fresh meaning to the world of health and fitness. At first, she resisted, but eventually, she got on her knees, rolled up her sleeves, and followed His call. In 2011, she launched Revelation Wellness. This nonprofit ministry uses fitness as a tool to spread the gospel message, inviting participants to become whole and live well through various on-line events and in-person retreats. The Revelation Wellness instructor training program equips and sends out “fitness missionaries” throughout the United States and around the world while RevWell TV brings faith-based, at-home, online workouts, and resources to anyone with access to the inter

This episode was originally recorded inside our Christian Book Academy group as live videos. However, we wanted to share these teachings with you. Today's topic is: Pray Hard, Work Hard: A Jumpstart for 2021 We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members of Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ This series is sponsored by Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom Writers here: http://christianbookacademy.com

This episode was originally recorded inside our Christian Book Academy group as live videos. However, we wanted to share these teachings with you. Today's topic is: Darkness has an Expiration Date “Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever...The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” - Isaiah‬ ‭9:1a-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members of Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ Thi

This episode was teachings we did to begin our Virtual Writing Retreat in August. However, we wanted to share these with you. Today's topic is: Staying on Mission People may be very persuasive to try to get us to do what they want us to do. That's why we need to spend time w/ God alone and hear from Him. He will let us know what our purpose is and which steps to take next. We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members in Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ This series is sponsored by Christian Book Acade

Welcome to this month's Expert Interview. This episode is an interview with Thomas Umstattd on how to grow your author platform with podcasting. Today's topic is: How To Grow Your Platform With Podcasting We are thrilled to have Thomas Umstattd. He has helped authors for over a decade as a literary agent, marketing director, and radio show host. He started his first podcast in 2007 and currently hosts the Novel Marketing and the Christian Publishing Show. Shownotes: 00:36 Prayer 02:03 Get to know Thomas Umstattd 05:23  How can authors use podcasts to grow their platform? 16:32 Tips on how to know if your audience are listening to a podcast 18:15 Recommendations to target your audience 21:58 All about podcast advertising 25:39 What mistakes do authors make when guesting on podcasts? 36:42 What mistakes do authors make when starting their own podcast? 39:33 Q&A 51:45 Message for authors 54:36 Connect with Thomas We hope this episode encourages and inspires you in building and growing your author platform.

This episode was teachings we did to begin our Virtual Writing Retreat in August. However, we wanted to share these with you. Today's topic is: Preparing Our Hearts to Write Many times, we feel like a jar of dirty water after it’s been shaken. We need time to settle and become still before the Lord. We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members in Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ This series is sponsored by Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite you to join our co

This episode was originally recorded inside our Christian Book Academy group as live videos. However, we wanted to share these teachings with you. Today's topic is: God Uses Underdogs and Our Weakness for His Glory God uses underdogs. He's in that process of using our weaknesses for His strength and glory. We are blessed when we realize and embrace our places of weaknesses and brokenness where we need God. We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strategy for marketing your books. We have free training for you on how to get started! In this training, you will learn the steps we recommend when having a weekly business meeting with God. The members of Christian Book Academy LOVE it and we want to share it with you too! Just click the link below to watch my short video and download the PDF: http://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/ This series is

Welcome to this month's Expert Interview. This episode is an interview with Saundra Dalton-Smith, a Board-Certified internal medicine physician, speaker, and author. Today's topic is: PR on a Budget for Authors We are thrilled to have Saundra Dalton-Smith, an international wellness expert featured in numerous media outlets including Prevention, MSNBC, Women’s Day, FOX, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and as a guest on Dr. Oz show. She is the author of numerous books including her new book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, including ground-breaking insight on the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase your overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live your best life. Shownotes: 01:51 - How she get started in Public Relation 08:20 - The mindset shift 12:!9 - Tips for marketing Evangelism on a budget 17:43 - Ways to convert your audience to leads 23:54 - How to effectively put a call to action 25:37 - Sandra talks about freebies 27:41 - Why do au