My TOP 10 Tips to Writing a Great Christian Book

00:44:28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu9J8Z9tUjg

Summary

TLDRIn this teaching by Joel Hughes, aspiring Christian authors are guided through the process of writing and publishing a book based on his 20 years of experience. Joel shares his journey from failure to success, emphasizing the importance of passion, consistency, and overcoming fear. He stresses that writing a book does not require perfect grammar, vast free time, or being well-known. Key tips include knowing your audience, finding your unique voice, and being authentic in your writing. Joel focuses on having a sound theology and the dangers of relying on "magic Jesus" – idealizing Jesus as an easy fix for life’s problems without depth. He outlines the importance of beta readers for feedback and provides practical advice on creating outlines towards solutions, aiming for small but powerful books to engage readers effectively. Joel introduces his ‘newbie book writer’ course, designed to guide writers from concept to publication efficiently, offering insights on planning, outlining, writing, designing, and editing. He emphasizes that anyone can become a published author with dedication and support, breaking down the process into manageable steps.

Takeaways

  • 📘 Embrace your passion for your book’s topic to fuel your writing.
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Know your audience deeply to tailor your writing.
  • ✍️ Write with authenticity and avoid using overly religious language.
  • 🏃‍♀️ Overcome the 'marathon in the middle' to complete your manuscript.
  • 📚 Start small with your first book – aim for impact over size.
  • 🗣️ Utilize beta readers for genuine feedback before publishing.
  • 🧠 Ensure sound theology to maintain correct doctrinal integrity.
  • 🔗 Connect your topic with genuine personal insight or experience.
  • 🛠️ Use strategic outlining to guide your book towards solutions.
  • 📰 Avoid portraying Jesus as a simple fix-all without context.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Joel Hughes introduces himself and explains his journey in writing, highlighting his early struggles and how fear and lack of knowledge hindered his progress. He shares his background in ministry and philosophy as well as his passion for writing Christian-themed books. Hughes has vast experience in ministry and writing, emphasizing the challenges he faced due to self-doubt and lack of guidance.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Hughes shares how personal adversity reignited his passion for writing, as he faced familial health crises. He used writing as a tool for coping and fighting back by publishing a self-help book on dealing with cancer. This venture led him to discover the world of self-publishing, eventually getting picked up by a traditional publisher, and this success paved the way for his publishing company and further publications.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Hughes desires to guide others who have the intention to write a book, detailing what is not needed to begin as a writer and what is essential. He points out common misconceptions about writing and publishing and stresses the importance of having heart and passion for the writing project. He establishes the need for a solid team for publication success and the essential drive to help others through writing.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Hughes begins to outline his top tips for Christian writers, starting with having heart and passion. He emphasizes the importance of being emotionally invested in the topic and wanting to help others. He encourages writers to find their unique voice and avoid copying others. Understanding the target audience and having a message to convey are crucial elements.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Continuing with his tips, Hughes advises writers to be authentic and 'real,' cautioning against projecting false persona or spirituality. He emphasizes the importance of knowing one's theological stance to avoid inadvertently promoting heresy and suggests employing knowledgeable beta readers and editors who share the Christian faith to maintain theological integrity.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    Hughes stresses the significance of having a well-structured outline aimed at providing solutions. He encourages writing small, powerful books rather than lengthy ones, and advises leveraging personal experience and knowledge to engage readers effectively. He underscores the necessity for precision and the avoidance of Christian jargon that might alienate or confuse readers.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    Hughes encourages writers to avoid portraying Jesus as a 'magic genie' who provides simple solutions to complex problems, emphasizing the need for realism in Christian writing. He points out the importance of filling theological language with proper biblical content and ensuring authenticity in the portrayal of faith and solutions through writing.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:44:28

    Hughes promotes his course 'Newbie Book Writer,' detailing the benefits of his program which guides aspiring writers from idea conception to publication. He offers different course packages, including one with additional personal coaching and professional editing services. Hughes positions his course as a cost-effective solution for those serious about becoming published authors in the Christian genre.

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Mind Map

Mind Map

Frequently Asked Question

  • Who is the presenter of this teaching?

    Joel Hughes, a Christian author with over 20 years of ministry experience.

  • What are the two main reasons books don’t get published?

    Fear and lack of knowledge.

  • What is the ‘marathon in the middle’?

    A phase where writers doubt themselves, common during the writing process.

  • What is key to writing a great book according to Joel?

    Having heart and passion for the subject and the audience.

  • What should writers aim for in terms of book length for their first project?

    Start small but aim for power, small books can be very impactful.

  • What is meant by "avoiding Christianese" in writing?

    Avoid using overly religious or specialized language that may alienate readers.

  • What does the ‘magic Jesus’ tip warn against?

    Avoid portraying God or Jesus as solutions to all problems without realistic context.

  • Why are sound theology and being real important in writing?

    Ensures authenticity and correct theological representation suited for Christian books.

  • What role do beta readers have according to Joel?

    They provide honest feedback on your manuscript before publication.

  • What does Joel’s ‘newbie book writer’ course offer?

    Guidance from initial idea to publication, insight on plans, outlining, writing, and more.

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  • 00:00:00
    hi you made it I'm stoker here um I've
  • 00:00:03
    packed this teaching with 20 years of
  • 00:00:05
    learning
  • 00:00:06
    experience and I hope some wisdom um if
  • 00:00:09
    you're here then it's likely you are a
  • 00:00:11
    Christian with a book idea living in
  • 00:00:14
    your heart and if so uh you're somewhere
  • 00:00:16
    between a raw idea all the way to a
  • 00:00:19
    finished manuscript or somewhere in
  • 00:00:21
    between wherever you're at I'm glad you
  • 00:00:23
    found me and I hope to make this worth
  • 00:00:25
    your
  • 00:00:26
    time let me tell you where we're going
  • 00:00:29
    in this teaching
  • 00:00:30
    first I will tell you who I am how I
  • 00:00:33
    initially failed at writing a book and
  • 00:00:36
    then how I eventually learned how to do
  • 00:00:39
    it and I believe how to do it well next
  • 00:00:41
    I want to surprise you by telling you
  • 00:00:43
    what you don't need to write a book and
  • 00:00:47
    then what you do need to write a great
  • 00:00:49
    book uh in the meat of this teaching
  • 00:00:51
    I'll share with you my top 10 tips to
  • 00:00:54
    writing a great Christian book whether
  • 00:00:56
    that's a story of some life experience
  • 00:00:59
    you've had whether it's an applicational
  • 00:01:02
    study on the book of Romans a book about
  • 00:01:04
    starting a business or simply just a
  • 00:01:06
    book about gardening all books can be
  • 00:01:09
    written from a distinctly Christian
  • 00:01:11
    worldview and can be used by God finally
  • 00:01:15
    I want to share with you what my program
  • 00:01:18
    is and how it works it's called newbie
  • 00:01:20
    book writer so first who am I my name is
  • 00:01:23
    Joel Hughes and I'm a Christian Author
  • 00:01:26
    I've walked with the Lord for over 20
  • 00:01:28
    years now and I I love books at one time
  • 00:01:31
    I had a personal library of about 2,000
  • 00:01:34
    books I have degrees in graphic design
  • 00:01:37
    Christian Ministry and philosophy I was
  • 00:01:40
    a teaching pastor at two churches in
  • 00:01:42
    Southern California I've done missions
  • 00:01:44
    overseas I spent several years doing
  • 00:01:46
    open a street preaching and evangelism
  • 00:01:49
    I've spoken at Christian conferences and
  • 00:01:51
    I've even done a few large scale formal
  • 00:01:53
    debates with those who oppose the faith
  • 00:01:56
    I've taught adult level courses in
  • 00:01:58
    hermeneutics coin
  • 00:02:00
    evangelism and presuppositional
  • 00:02:02
    apologetics or basically
  • 00:02:05
    worldviews my passions as you can guess
  • 00:02:07
    are theology apologetics evangelism
  • 00:02:11
    philosophy history and Christian Living
  • 00:02:14
    and over those 20 years of
  • 00:02:17
    ministry I was always writing in one way
  • 00:02:20
    or another from my early days as a
  • 00:02:22
    Christian a newbie I always dreamed of
  • 00:02:25
    becoming a published Christian Author
  • 00:02:28
    now this was in my early 20s I actually
  • 00:02:30
    did write two complete manuscripts and I
  • 00:02:33
    spent a solid year writing one of those
  • 00:02:35
    books but nothing ever happened with
  • 00:02:38
    them and the farthest I got with them
  • 00:02:40
    was to print them out when I was done
  • 00:02:42
    feel some pride over my accomplishment
  • 00:02:45
    But ultimately they ended up in a shoe
  • 00:02:47
    box under my bed about I'd say 10 years
  • 00:02:50
    later while I was moving I found that
  • 00:02:53
    old box under the bed it was covered in
  • 00:02:55
    dust and so the question is why what
  • 00:02:58
    happened to those manuscript RTS so as I
  • 00:03:01
    think about it I see two main reasons
  • 00:03:03
    why those manuscripts ended up in a
  • 00:03:04
    Dusty grave under my bed the first was
  • 00:03:07
    fear or a lack of courage in myself and
  • 00:03:10
    if you're a writer you know what I'm
  • 00:03:12
    talking about it's all those voices in
  • 00:03:14
    your head and my head that told me I'm
  • 00:03:16
    not good enough I'm a nobody my writing
  • 00:03:19
    is not that good no one's going to take
  • 00:03:21
    me seriously you're too young you don't
  • 00:03:23
    have the right degrees Etc all you know
  • 00:03:26
    on and on and on and because of this
  • 00:03:28
    fear I never showed those men
  • 00:03:29
    manuscripts to anyone the second reason
  • 00:03:32
    I never did anything with those
  • 00:03:33
    manuscripts was a lack of knowledge you
  • 00:03:36
    see I just I had no idea what to do with
  • 00:03:39
    those manuscripts I didn't know any
  • 00:03:41
    other book writers I didn't know any
  • 00:03:43
    editors designers you know I had no I um
  • 00:03:48
    and since I had I had a background in
  • 00:03:49
    graphic design you know I figured i' i'
  • 00:03:51
    DIY my own cover and the covers that I
  • 00:03:54
    made at the time they seemed cool but as
  • 00:03:56
    I you know I look at them now and
  • 00:03:57
    they're embarrassing so I knew nothing
  • 00:03:59
    nothing about any of it traditional
  • 00:04:01
    publishing versus self-publishing and I
  • 00:04:03
    could go on and on but the only thing
  • 00:04:05
    that I knew how to do was write I had
  • 00:04:07
    good ideas I had a passion and I could
  • 00:04:10
    write but that's it and as I later
  • 00:04:13
    learned it takes a lot more than a good
  • 00:04:15
    idea and a knack for writing to make a
  • 00:04:18
    good book I'll share more about those
  • 00:04:20
    things later on in this video um but
  • 00:04:22
    then now if you you know you may have
  • 00:04:25
    seen my other video um at the time this
  • 00:04:27
    is when when I was in my Prime my
  • 00:04:29
    marriage fell apart and my then wife
  • 00:04:31
    wanted out and she filed for a divorce I
  • 00:04:34
    was a broken and lost man for several
  • 00:04:36
    years I struggled with fear and
  • 00:04:38
    depression and alcohol and feeling like
  • 00:04:40
    a total loser I lost everything in my
  • 00:04:43
    youth I had always prayed God use me you
  • 00:04:46
    know use me use me but what I didn't
  • 00:04:48
    realize then was at that time was that
  • 00:04:51
    God Was preparing me through the
  • 00:04:53
    Brokenness to paraphrase aw toer he said
  • 00:04:55
    before God uses a man or a woman he will
  • 00:04:58
    first need to break that man and I still
  • 00:05:01
    remember while I was in my prime a wise
  • 00:05:04
    old Pastor once pulled me aside after
  • 00:05:06
    hearing me preach with his arm around me
  • 00:05:08
    in his old way he whispered in my ear
  • 00:05:12
    you did well but your knowledge is Way
  • 00:05:14
    Beyond your sanctification be careful my
  • 00:05:17
    boy of course I agreed with him but I
  • 00:05:20
    basically blew him off and so God had to
  • 00:05:22
    take me to school well after some years
  • 00:05:25
    of getting involved again with church
  • 00:05:27
    and support groups and couple therapist
  • 00:05:30
    uh the pieces of Life came back together
  • 00:05:32
    again and that's when I met my new wife
  • 00:05:34
    Rebecca I call her The Good Wife seven
  • 00:05:37
    minut months seven months into this new
  • 00:05:40
    marriage my dad was diagnosed with stage
  • 00:05:42
    four stomach cancer a month later
  • 00:05:45
    Rebecca at the age of 26 was diagnosed
  • 00:05:48
    with stage four breast cancer you can
  • 00:05:50
    imagine our world just turned upside
  • 00:05:52
    down and everything went black and
  • 00:05:55
    that's when the urge to write came back
  • 00:05:57
    you see I hadn't written for I hadn't
  • 00:05:59
    written anything for years up until that
  • 00:06:01
    point I didn't see I didn't lose my
  • 00:06:03
    faith but I gave up all that academic
  • 00:06:06
    and Ministry type stuff but in this new
  • 00:06:09
    chapter of Life writing was one way I
  • 00:06:12
    could fight back and so I wrote my first
  • 00:06:15
    little book titled help someone I love
  • 00:06:17
    has cancer how you can really make a
  • 00:06:19
    difference it's not a big book but I was
  • 00:06:22
    stinking proud of it okay it's it's a
  • 00:06:24
    good feeling but it took me 2 years from
  • 00:06:27
    the idea to its ual publication and I
  • 00:06:31
    think it only took four or five months
  • 00:06:33
    to write the manuscript but there was so
  • 00:06:36
    much I had to learn to get that rough
  • 00:06:38
    manuscript into a professionally
  • 00:06:39
    published book just to clarify this is
  • 00:06:41
    all self-publishing now my little book
  • 00:06:44
    did later get picked up by a traditional
  • 00:06:45
    publisher but I still prefer
  • 00:06:47
    self-publishing for all of my books and
  • 00:06:50
    the quality and look of my books will
  • 00:06:52
    stand up next to any other book in
  • 00:06:55
    pretty much any bookstore but that one
  • 00:06:57
    little book changed our lives in many
  • 00:06:58
    ways it's spawned the idea to start our
  • 00:07:01
    company Rebecca's hope it's opened doors
  • 00:07:03
    to speak at events and be featured on
  • 00:07:05
    blogs and in magazines I've since
  • 00:07:08
    published uh five more books and um you
  • 00:07:12
    know more on the way and I keep learning
  • 00:07:14
    more and more about how to write and
  • 00:07:16
    publish high quality Books Okay so
  • 00:07:19
    enough about me let's talk books and
  • 00:07:21
    about you and why you're here you've
  • 00:07:24
    either written a manuscript you've
  • 00:07:26
    started one or you have an idea for one
  • 00:07:29
    or or maybe all you have at this point
  • 00:07:32
    is a desire to write a book but you're
  • 00:07:34
    not even sure exactly how that will look
  • 00:07:37
    and that's okay um if you were to take
  • 00:07:40
    my course I would help you find your
  • 00:07:42
    topic and show you how to formulate it
  • 00:07:44
    and take that initial idea and turn it
  • 00:07:47
    all the way and go to a beautifully
  • 00:07:48
    published book so let's shift gears here
  • 00:07:52
    and what you don't need to be a good
  • 00:07:55
    writer to write a book so before we get
  • 00:07:57
    to my top 10 tips uh you know for
  • 00:07:59
    Christian writers I want to encourage
  • 00:08:02
    you first by telling you what you don't
  • 00:08:04
    need to write a great book and I know
  • 00:08:07
    this because I can show you top selling
  • 00:08:09
    books that contradict all these common
  • 00:08:12
    assumptions so here they are you don't
  • 00:08:15
    need to be a great
  • 00:08:18
    writer you don't need great grammar and
  • 00:08:22
    style you don't need lots of free time
  • 00:08:27
    you don't need to be a Bible master
  • 00:08:30
    and you don't need to be known or famous
  • 00:08:34
    now of course those things help but
  • 00:08:36
    they're not necessary so what do you
  • 00:08:39
    need to write a book at the most basic
  • 00:08:42
    level you need two things number one you
  • 00:08:44
    need a topic to write about and number
  • 00:08:47
    two
  • 00:08:48
    consistency but while that is enough to
  • 00:08:52
    write a book I didn't say it's enough to
  • 00:08:55
    write a good book in addition to a topic
  • 00:08:58
    and consistency to write a great book
  • 00:09:01
    you need a few more things you need
  • 00:09:02
    heart you need passion in fact that's my
  • 00:09:06
    number one top tip so I'll talk more
  • 00:09:07
    about that in just a little bit but uh
  • 00:09:09
    you need heart and passion you want to
  • 00:09:12
    have a message that you believe in
  • 00:09:14
    something to
  • 00:09:15
    say you need a desire to help
  • 00:09:19
    people you need a proven guide who's
  • 00:09:23
    been there done that and can show you a
  • 00:09:26
    clear path to success and finally you
  • 00:09:29
    know and ultimately you're going to need
  • 00:09:30
    a team to help you see what you can't
  • 00:09:32
    see and help you bring it all to
  • 00:09:34
    completion got it good okay so let's
  • 00:09:37
    jump into my top 10 tips for writing a
  • 00:09:40
    great Christian book so as I just
  • 00:09:42
    alluded to number one is heart I think
  • 00:09:45
    the most important thing you need to
  • 00:09:47
    write a great book is heart or passion
  • 00:09:51
    for your subject and for the people that
  • 00:09:54
    you're trying to reach I mean I guess
  • 00:09:56
    there's some exceptions like a textbook
  • 00:09:58
    or if you're writing a guide book for
  • 00:10:00
    something but most any other book if
  • 00:10:02
    you're not captured by your topic or at
  • 00:10:05
    least captured by the idea of writing
  • 00:10:07
    and Publishing a book uh you probably
  • 00:10:10
    won't make it to the Finish Line let
  • 00:10:12
    alone write a book that people are going
  • 00:10:13
    to enjoy reading right there's a concept
  • 00:10:16
    that book writers speak of called the
  • 00:10:18
    marathon in the middle it's that point
  • 00:10:20
    where you've been writing for a few
  • 00:10:22
    months page after page and somewhere in
  • 00:10:25
    the middle you start to question
  • 00:10:28
    yourself what what am I
  • 00:10:30
    doing what was I thinking this is a pipe
  • 00:10:33
    dream I'm just wasting my time and
  • 00:10:37
    that's the place where most manuscripts
  • 00:10:39
    go and die so to avoid this burnout in
  • 00:10:43
    the middle you want to have three
  • 00:10:45
    qualities in that go with this idea of
  • 00:10:48
    heart and passion okay your topic you
  • 00:10:50
    number one you want to write about
  • 00:10:52
    something you care about something that
  • 00:10:54
    grips you um I like to say you're
  • 00:10:57
    captured by your topic
  • 00:10:59
    it's something that's really important
  • 00:11:01
    to you uh the second thing is your take
  • 00:11:04
    on the topic ideally you want to have a
  • 00:11:07
    take on your topic that you care about
  • 00:11:10
    and so what it means is you take a stand
  • 00:11:12
    on something or for something and it can
  • 00:11:15
    be a strong stance on a controversial
  • 00:11:17
    issue but it doesn't have to be it
  • 00:11:19
    simply means that you believe in what
  • 00:11:22
    you're writing about and you're willing
  • 00:11:23
    to stick out your neck a little bit for
  • 00:11:25
    it and the third quality you need to
  • 00:11:28
    fight through that marathon in the
  • 00:11:30
    middle is your goal and by this I mean
  • 00:11:33
    your driving goal in writing a book is
  • 00:11:36
    or it should be to help people in some
  • 00:11:39
    way um the good thing is it it's not
  • 00:11:42
    really difficult for us Christians it's
  • 00:11:44
    kind of built into the fabric of our
  • 00:11:46
    faith but if you're really convinced
  • 00:11:48
    that what you have to say is something
  • 00:11:51
    other people need to hear and that can
  • 00:11:53
    really help them then you're setting
  • 00:11:55
    yourself up to write a really strong
  • 00:11:57
    book okay so number one
  • 00:12:00
    tip is to have heart and passion for
  • 00:12:02
    what you're doing number
  • 00:12:04
    two tip number two is to know your
  • 00:12:08
    audience ideally you are that audience
  • 00:12:12
    okay you're in it but to drill down a
  • 00:12:15
    little more um you want to know your
  • 00:12:18
    particular genre you also want to you
  • 00:12:21
    know drill down more and know your sub
  • 00:12:23
    genre audience so are you a woman
  • 00:12:25
    writing for other women great are these
  • 00:12:28
    both Christian and non-Christian women
  • 00:12:30
    or just Christian women Christian women
  • 00:12:32
    okay uh is it for all Christian women
  • 00:12:36
    you say no well let's say you want to
  • 00:12:37
    write a book about postpartum depression
  • 00:12:40
    for Christian women have you been
  • 00:12:43
    through that and do you have some unique
  • 00:12:45
    insights or unique take on that topic
  • 00:12:48
    see now we're getting somewhere and I'm
  • 00:12:50
    feeling uh potential book titles in that
  • 00:12:53
    unique Insight or that take and that's
  • 00:12:56
    that's very specific right that's good
  • 00:12:59
    you want to try to Niche down and um
  • 00:13:02
    they say that the N the riches are in
  • 00:13:04
    the niches so tip number two is to
  • 00:13:07
    really understand who your audience is
  • 00:13:09
    who you're talking to because that leads
  • 00:13:11
    to our next tip tip number three is to
  • 00:13:16
    find your voice we all have authors and
  • 00:13:20
    we have teachers that we love it's okay
  • 00:13:22
    to learn from them uh to even emulate
  • 00:13:25
    them but don't try to be them seriously
  • 00:13:28
    people will sniff you up out and
  • 00:13:29
    reviewers will say so if you're not a
  • 00:13:32
    funny person don't try to be super funny
  • 00:13:35
    if you're not academically minded don't
  • 00:13:37
    try to sound smarter than you are um and
  • 00:13:40
    here's a big one for Christians if
  • 00:13:42
    you're not a super spiritual person
  • 00:13:45
    intimately in tune with God don't write
  • 00:13:48
    in a manner that communicates you are
  • 00:13:51
    that person I'm not that person so I
  • 00:13:53
    don't write that way um the power is in
  • 00:13:57
    you just being you and finding your
  • 00:13:59
    writing voice is not that difficult it's
  • 00:14:01
    just like I said you being you just
  • 00:14:03
    pretend you're sitting with a good
  • 00:14:05
    friend having coffee and you're telling
  • 00:14:07
    them something you're really excited
  • 00:14:09
    about that's your writing voice for most
  • 00:14:13
    non-fiction books it's just one friend
  • 00:14:15
    talking to another friend and just throw
  • 00:14:17
    in a little touch of
  • 00:14:19
    enthusiasm tip number four is similar to
  • 00:14:22
    the last one but I have a special word
  • 00:14:25
    for Christians here tip four is to be
  • 00:14:29
    real okay I'm speaking to the family
  • 00:14:32
    here now look think about this when we
  • 00:14:34
    go to church on Sunday or wherever you
  • 00:14:36
    go whenever you go what's one thing most
  • 00:14:39
    of us do when you look at many if not
  • 00:14:41
    most churches on Sunday morning what's
  • 00:14:44
    one common picture you see people
  • 00:14:46
    dressed up everyone puts on the extra
  • 00:14:49
    effort or you know time to do their
  • 00:14:51
    makeup and their hair guys you know
  • 00:14:53
    they'll put on a button-up shirt it's
  • 00:14:56
    all the beautiful people this is church
  • 00:14:59
    after all right this is a place um full
  • 00:15:02
    of you know where there's no unwashed
  • 00:15:05
    sinners like the
  • 00:15:06
    world now why do most of us do this the
  • 00:15:11
    spiritual answer is that we do it out of
  • 00:15:13
    respect for God in the house of God that
  • 00:15:16
    may be true for some but for most of us
  • 00:15:18
    I just say no we do it because we're
  • 00:15:21
    afraid we're afraid of the Judgment from
  • 00:15:24
    other Christians we're afraid of looking
  • 00:15:26
    like we don't have it all together one
  • 00:15:28
    author said that we all come to Christ
  • 00:15:31
    because we recognize we're Sinners but
  • 00:15:34
    then we spend the rest of our time
  • 00:15:35
    pretending like we're not so do you see
  • 00:15:37
    what I'm saying here unfortunately
  • 00:15:40
    there's a lot of fakeness at church
  • 00:15:43
    right now in our culture there's a lot
  • 00:15:46
    of talk about Millennials right good or
  • 00:15:48
    bad whatever that's not my point one of
  • 00:15:50
    the defining qualities of the millennial
  • 00:15:53
    is their drive for authenticity
  • 00:15:56
    genuiness and that drive and that desire
  • 00:15:59
    has changed the fabric of our culture
  • 00:16:02
    there is less tolerance for fakeness for
  • 00:16:05
    people who pretend like they've got it
  • 00:16:06
    all together for the used car salesman
  • 00:16:08
    all polished up or for the know-it-all
  • 00:16:11
    who just preaches at people I think in
  • 00:16:13
    many ways it's kind of a positive move
  • 00:16:15
    forward in that sense the point here is
  • 00:16:18
    to be real be you vulnerability is one
  • 00:16:23
    of the most powerful tools you can use
  • 00:16:26
    because it communicates you're a real
  • 00:16:28
    person person living in the real world
  • 00:16:31
    struggling with real crap just like your
  • 00:16:34
    reader is so if you come off like a no
  • 00:16:36
    at all most people will just tune you
  • 00:16:39
    out now of course there are some
  • 00:16:42
    exceptions we don't want to be too
  • 00:16:44
    vulnerable and air out all of our Dirty
  • 00:16:46
    Laundry we see now through a glass dimly
  • 00:16:49
    for a reason sharing too much private
  • 00:16:52
    information rushes people into a deep
  • 00:16:55
    relationship that normally takes years
  • 00:16:57
    to build or the other turn off is that
  • 00:17:00
    you come off you know whiny like a whiny
  • 00:17:02
    victim looking for sympathy we don't
  • 00:17:04
    want to do either of those the other
  • 00:17:07
    exception is that some books simply
  • 00:17:08
    don't need or call for much personal
  • 00:17:10
    information or vulnerability like for
  • 00:17:13
    example a Bible study book or a book on
  • 00:17:16
    business but even with a business type
  • 00:17:19
    book most people would read that book
  • 00:17:22
    because they want to learn how to get
  • 00:17:24
    where you are at tell them where you
  • 00:17:27
    started you know fired from your job
  • 00:17:30
    broke and on food stamps the reader will
  • 00:17:33
    connect with you on an emotional level
  • 00:17:35
    and then say to themselves you know if
  • 00:17:38
    they can do it I can do it too so tip
  • 00:17:40
    number four is to be real you are a
  • 00:17:44
    sinner saved by grace you're still a
  • 00:17:46
    sinner so don't try to sanitize yourself
  • 00:17:48
    and give the impression as though you've
  • 00:17:50
    arrived your Authority comes from your
  • 00:17:53
    honesty your knowledge of the subject
  • 00:17:56
    and the fact that you found a solution
  • 00:17:59
    or learned how to grow through whatever
  • 00:18:01
    it was God was taking you okay get it
  • 00:18:04
    got it good all right tip number five is
  • 00:18:08
    about having a sound theology now I know
  • 00:18:12
    for many of you don't let that overwhelm
  • 00:18:14
    you sound theology is just correct or
  • 00:18:17
    right theology basically avoid heresy
  • 00:18:21
    okay so let's drill down a bit more on
  • 00:18:24
    this you don't need to be a Bible master
  • 00:18:26
    or no Greek to write an amazing
  • 00:18:28
    Christian book but you want to be
  • 00:18:31
    consciously aware of your own worldview
  • 00:18:34
    on the big picture you want to make sure
  • 00:18:37
    you're not mixing elements from
  • 00:18:39
    different worldviews this is called
  • 00:18:42
    syncretism uh for example mixing
  • 00:18:45
    Christianity with conceptual ideas from
  • 00:18:48
    Eastern mysticism or secular humanism we
  • 00:18:51
    don't want to do that let me give you
  • 00:18:53
    some examples uh for example saying that
  • 00:18:56
    the Bible is the word of God but then
  • 00:18:58
    you Elevate personal experience to a
  • 00:19:01
    place of ultimate autonomy or authority
  • 00:19:04
    that allows you to interpret the Bible
  • 00:19:07
    however you feel a simple and helpful
  • 00:19:10
    Paradigm to understand the Bible and the
  • 00:19:13
    Christian worldview is to think of
  • 00:19:15
    everything in terms of creation fall
  • 00:19:19
    Redemption and restoration so using that
  • 00:19:23
    grid let's see some common errors or
  • 00:19:26
    heresies creation
  • 00:19:29
    it's common to hear that history is you
  • 00:19:31
    know history always works in cycles and
  • 00:19:33
    repeats itself no that's not what the
  • 00:19:36
    Bible teaches except maybe the Book of
  • 00:19:38
    Judges the Bible I mean it happens in
  • 00:19:41
    judges the Bible teaches creation exilo
  • 00:19:44
    out of nothing and is progressing
  • 00:19:46
    towards a final end cyclical views of
  • 00:19:49
    History are all Pagan okay um the fall
  • 00:19:54
    it's common in our culture to hear that
  • 00:19:56
    we're all born with good hearts with
  • 00:19:58
    just make mistakes sometimes no that's
  • 00:20:01
    humanism the Bible teaches we are
  • 00:20:04
    sinners at Birth and we have corrupt
  • 00:20:07
    Hearts how about Redemption it's common
  • 00:20:10
    for people to say salvation is attained
  • 00:20:12
    when we finally realize our true self or
  • 00:20:16
    um you know that God has many ways to
  • 00:20:18
    him and Jesus is just one of those ways
  • 00:20:20
    uh the Bible does not teach that you
  • 00:20:22
    know I trust that you know that so let
  • 00:20:24
    me here's a trickier one I want you to
  • 00:20:26
    see if you can spot the problem in this
  • 00:20:29
    prayer imagine you're reading this
  • 00:20:30
    prayer in a
  • 00:20:31
    book dear father thank you for
  • 00:20:34
    everything you do for us thank you for
  • 00:20:36
    today and for life today thank you for
  • 00:20:39
    your grace and provision and guidance
  • 00:20:41
    thank you for making all things work
  • 00:20:43
    together for good thank you for dying on
  • 00:20:46
    the cross for us and making salvation
  • 00:20:48
    possible thank you in Jesus name
  • 00:20:52
    amen now did you see any problems
  • 00:20:56
    anything stand out to you there it's one
  • 00:20:58
    thing to say that in a you know a
  • 00:21:00
    private prayer but it's another thing to
  • 00:21:03
    etch it in stone when you go to print
  • 00:21:06
    the problem is that that prayer thanks
  • 00:21:08
    the father for dying on the cross I've
  • 00:21:11
    heard people pray this before and it's
  • 00:21:13
    always just a slip in thought but this
  • 00:21:16
    is a heresy known as patri passionis I
  • 00:21:19
    know I know you're like I thought you
  • 00:21:21
    said we don't have to be theologians or
  • 00:21:23
    Bible Masters you don't uh my point is
  • 00:21:27
    just be aw aare of how important
  • 00:21:30
    theology is be aware of your own
  • 00:21:31
    theology now this is where good
  • 00:21:34
    Christian beta readers and editors come
  • 00:21:36
    in to help us and that leads to our next
  • 00:21:40
    tip tip number six to write a good
  • 00:21:43
    Christian book you want to have a good
  • 00:21:45
    or good Christian beta readers on your
  • 00:21:48
    team a beta reader is someone who reads
  • 00:21:51
    your manuscript before it goes to print
  • 00:21:53
    and even before usually it goes to the
  • 00:21:55
    editor they offer helpful suggestions
  • 00:21:58
    feedback and even criticism ideally you
  • 00:22:02
    don't want your beta readers to be
  • 00:22:03
    people in your inner circles like your
  • 00:22:06
    mom or your best friend you want people
  • 00:22:09
    who will be you know as objective and
  • 00:22:11
    honest as
  • 00:22:13
    possible remember what the Bible teaches
  • 00:22:16
    you know for example in 1 Corinthians
  • 00:22:18
    2:14 it says that the person without the
  • 00:22:22
    spirit does not accept the things that
  • 00:22:24
    come from the spirit of God they don't
  • 00:22:26
    accept it but considers them foolishness
  • 00:22:29
    and they cannot understand them because
  • 00:22:31
    they are discerned only through the
  • 00:22:33
    spirit or they're spiritually understood
  • 00:22:36
    so this of course it's not to say that
  • 00:22:37
    unbelievers are dumb it's far from that
  • 00:22:40
    but they do not possess the spiritual
  • 00:22:42
    eyes to see God's word as truth and so
  • 00:22:46
    when looking for beta readers especially
  • 00:22:48
    if your book is directly Christian
  • 00:22:50
    there's no
  • 00:22:52
    comparison um to finding someone who
  • 00:22:55
    knows God and knows the Bible Well the
  • 00:22:57
    same is true of the person or some cases
  • 00:23:00
    the people who will edit your manuscript
  • 00:23:02
    you can find tons of people editors to
  • 00:23:04
    hire on websites like Fiverr but to find
  • 00:23:06
    a solid Christian editor it's like gold
  • 00:23:10
    uh it's even more critical than your
  • 00:23:11
    beta readers because your editor will be
  • 00:23:13
    far more invested in your work than a
  • 00:23:15
    beta reader will and your editor will be
  • 00:23:19
    your best friend through the publishing
  • 00:23:20
    process and uh you want someone who not
  • 00:23:23
    only understands you but also shares the
  • 00:23:26
    faith you know the same faith that you
  • 00:23:28
    share
  • 00:23:29
    tip number seven is to outline towards a
  • 00:23:33
    solution okay two points here first do
  • 00:23:36
    an outline okay for most non-fiction
  • 00:23:39
    books you will help yourself and your
  • 00:23:42
    reader most importantly your reader if
  • 00:23:45
    you take the time to till the soil
  • 00:23:48
    before you start planting imagine if you
  • 00:23:51
    hired Builders to build you a house and
  • 00:23:54
    they didn't use the plans and the
  • 00:23:55
    blueprints you had made uh they' they'd
  • 00:23:58
    say we're just going to wing it right or
  • 00:24:00
    imagine you're lost deep in a forest and
  • 00:24:02
    two people emerge you know they they
  • 00:24:04
    come out of your group as the guides
  • 00:24:06
    promising to lead you out to safety one
  • 00:24:09
    person says he will follow his instincts
  • 00:24:11
    while the other person has a map a
  • 00:24:14
    compass and experience who would you
  • 00:24:17
    follow your outline doesn't need to be
  • 00:24:19
    crazy detailed but you should know where
  • 00:24:22
    you're going and where you're going to
  • 00:24:24
    end up before you start writing so this
  • 00:24:27
    entire presentation you're watching here
  • 00:24:29
    is outlined and if the thought of
  • 00:24:31
    outlining an entire book freaks you out
  • 00:24:34
    uh not to worry there's different
  • 00:24:35
    methods and I cover all those in my
  • 00:24:38
    course if you were to take my course um
  • 00:24:41
    but my tip here is not just to outline
  • 00:24:45
    but as Christians we want to outline
  • 00:24:46
    towards a solution Christianity is about
  • 00:24:50
    Redemption remember creation fall
  • 00:24:53
    Redemption and restoration so as a
  • 00:24:55
    Christian you want to write with the
  • 00:24:57
    goal of redemption and restoration this
  • 00:25:00
    doesn't always mean getting saved it
  • 00:25:03
    could uh you know it could be how you
  • 00:25:04
    found sobriety or as simple as how you
  • 00:25:07
    finally learn to grow your vegetables
  • 00:25:10
    without weeds and bugs salvation in
  • 00:25:13
    biblical terms is far more than
  • 00:25:15
    justification and getting a ticket to
  • 00:25:17
    Heaven it's about a reversal of the fall
  • 00:25:21
    in all areas of life remember the gospel
  • 00:25:24
    only makes sense if there is bad news
  • 00:25:27
    first so problem then solution so tip
  • 00:25:30
    number seven is to outline toward a
  • 00:25:33
    solution or with a Redemptive goal tip
  • 00:25:37
    number eight is not so much Christian
  • 00:25:39
    but I do think it will encourage you in
  • 00:25:41
    writing your first book it's to aim
  • 00:25:43
    small but powerful your first book
  • 00:25:46
    doesn't need to be 300 pages and 17
  • 00:25:49
    chapters as most of us know reader
  • 00:25:52
    attention spans are way down and smaller
  • 00:25:56
    paperbacks and ebooks sell like crazy
  • 00:25:58
    czy online right now some of the best
  • 00:26:00
    books I've ever read and those that have
  • 00:26:03
    transformed my life and my thinking were
  • 00:26:06
    little books some even a 100 Pages my
  • 00:26:10
    advice if you feel overwhelmed in
  • 00:26:12
    writing your first book is to aim small
  • 00:26:15
    but powerful it doesn't have to be your
  • 00:26:18
    one and only book uh get one under your
  • 00:26:21
    belt and then make your next one more
  • 00:26:23
    ambitious also I'd say start with the
  • 00:26:26
    lwh hanging fruit
  • 00:26:29
    uh the low hanging fruit in your life so
  • 00:26:31
    write about what you know you don't need
  • 00:26:33
    to do tons of research or even any
  • 00:26:36
    research if the book doesn't call for it
  • 00:26:38
    I like to follow the kiss principle keep
  • 00:26:42
    it simple stupid just use what's in your
  • 00:26:45
    head and from your experience tip number
  • 00:26:48
    nine is to avoid Christian you know what
  • 00:26:52
    I mean Christian is that secret lingo we
  • 00:26:55
    use when we're with the family or when
  • 00:26:59
    we want to sound more spiritual than we
  • 00:27:01
    really are okay here are some examples
  • 00:27:04
    of
  • 00:27:06
    christianese quiet time uh a hedge of
  • 00:27:10
    protection Washed by the
  • 00:27:13
    blood speaking into
  • 00:27:16
    that
  • 00:27:19
    backslidden ask Jesus into your
  • 00:27:22
    heart okay that's we don't think like
  • 00:27:25
    that huh but remember the New Testament
  • 00:27:27
    was WR written in Co Greek not classical
  • 00:27:30
    Greek Co was the Daily Language of the
  • 00:27:34
    people it's the street language they
  • 00:27:36
    didn't speak in King James reverence so
  • 00:27:39
    just talk normally and use Universal
  • 00:27:42
    vocabulary that we know if you knew
  • 00:27:45
    Greek you'd see some of the words Paul
  • 00:27:47
    uses are pretty slang and even offensive
  • 00:27:50
    to some modern Christian sensibilities
  • 00:27:53
    so I write with a lot of the same
  • 00:27:54
    language and slang words I use in daily
  • 00:27:57
    life like stinking crap jackass Etc
  • 00:28:01
    things like that now for my purposes I'm
  • 00:28:03
    trying to reach unbelievers with my book
  • 00:28:05
    so I try to talk like every day talk um
  • 00:28:08
    but you know obviously such would not
  • 00:28:09
    work well in a Bible study but just
  • 00:28:12
    speak normally one final point on this
  • 00:28:15
    it's something I've grown out of I think
  • 00:28:18
    hopefully with maturity and something
  • 00:28:20
    I've alluded to already but it drives me
  • 00:28:23
    crazy when I see it now don't try to
  • 00:28:27
    sound over overly spiritual or Godly I
  • 00:28:30
    mean unless you are okay then that's
  • 00:28:32
    fine uh my point again is just to be you
  • 00:28:36
    be real and be honest my final tip for
  • 00:28:40
    aspiring Christian authors is this tip
  • 00:28:43
    number
  • 00:28:44
    10 avoid the magic Jesus avoid writing
  • 00:28:50
    up about God and Jesus as though they
  • 00:28:52
    are magic Genies that solves all
  • 00:28:55
    problems gives all comfort meets all
  • 00:28:57
    needs
  • 00:28:58
    I know that by just saying that I can
  • 00:29:00
    that can horrify some Christians but as
  • 00:29:03
    much as I pleaded with God for a
  • 00:29:05
    Redemption story that would bring him
  • 00:29:07
    glory my ex still divorced me I lost my
  • 00:29:11
    family and my life fell apart my new
  • 00:29:14
    wife the good one still has incurable
  • 00:29:16
    cancer even the Apostle Paul pleaded
  • 00:29:19
    with God to remove that thorn in the
  • 00:29:20
    flesh and God did not again we are
  • 00:29:24
    aiming for realness and honesty in our
  • 00:29:26
    writing so we use the magic Jesus and
  • 00:29:29
    magic god when when everything is Jesus
  • 00:29:32
    Jesus Jesus and God God God you know
  • 00:29:35
    these are the magic words that the kids
  • 00:29:36
    in Sunday school learn when they don't
  • 00:29:38
    know the answer to something just yell
  • 00:29:39
    out Jesus right if you do this too much
  • 00:29:43
    in your writing it will come off as fake
  • 00:29:46
    and your readers will begin to distrust
  • 00:29:48
    you so obviously God and Christ are the
  • 00:29:51
    answers to all of our problems and the
  • 00:29:54
    source of all reality so I'm not saying
  • 00:29:57
    we don't don't talk about God just be
  • 00:29:59
    careful how one of my heroes of the
  • 00:30:02
    faith is the late Francis schaer he
  • 00:30:04
    pointed out that one of the most
  • 00:30:07
    meaningless words in the human language
  • 00:30:09
    is the word God as you know um you know
  • 00:30:12
    many
  • 00:30:13
    people in our culture mean many
  • 00:30:16
    different things when they talk about
  • 00:30:17
    God the same it goes for Jesus uh the
  • 00:30:21
    words are meaningless until you put the
  • 00:30:24
    right content in them into them which
  • 00:30:26
    comes from the Bible
  • 00:30:28
    so what I recommend is to make sure you
  • 00:30:30
    present God in Christ as the answers to
  • 00:30:33
    Life's problems if that's what your book
  • 00:30:35
    calls for um but make sure you define
  • 00:30:38
    explain and give examples how does Jesus
  • 00:30:42
    transform you and how is that related to
  • 00:30:44
    the gospel remember that whole gospel
  • 00:30:47
    thing the Incarnation Life Death
  • 00:30:50
    resurrection and Ascension of Christ
  • 00:30:54
    so yes believing in the true and living
  • 00:30:57
    God makes all the difference in the
  • 00:30:58
    world but how and why in my book epic
  • 00:31:02
    hope I make a you know I make big deals
  • 00:31:05
    about God's Transcendence and about his
  • 00:31:08
    imminence when it comes to finding true
  • 00:31:10
    hope and I show I show how and why those
  • 00:31:14
    attributes make it so I connect the dots
  • 00:31:17
    for the reader well that's it for my top
  • 00:31:19
    10 tips for Christian writers I have a
  • 00:31:22
    few more thoughts I want to leave with
  • 00:31:24
    you over the last 20 years I've read
  • 00:31:27
    probably hundreds of books I try to make
  • 00:31:29
    it a a personal goal to always finish
  • 00:31:32
    the books I start but there's many books
  • 00:31:35
    that I just can't somewhere in the
  • 00:31:37
    middle I just can't go on I try over and
  • 00:31:40
    over and the book dies there you
  • 00:31:43
    probably know what I'm talking about why
  • 00:31:45
    do you think that is why are some books
  • 00:31:47
    page Turners or at least finishable
  • 00:31:50
    While others die in the middle and here
  • 00:31:53
    it is in most cases it's because the
  • 00:31:56
    author is serving me nothing but mashed
  • 00:31:59
    potatoes the whole book is unflavored
  • 00:32:02
    mashed potatoes and that gets old pretty
  • 00:32:04
    quick so then what makes a great book
  • 00:32:09
    it's easy a full plate of variety of
  • 00:32:11
    spices of delight of unexpected
  • 00:32:14
    blessings a great book helps me in some
  • 00:32:17
    way that I need now your job is to make
  • 00:32:21
    the best meal you've ever made for your
  • 00:32:23
    guests and remember you were not cooking
  • 00:32:26
    for you you are cooking or writing for
  • 00:32:30
    your guests write for them and you will
  • 00:32:33
    succeed um and that's a freebie that's
  • 00:32:35
    number 11 now if all this up to this
  • 00:32:39
    point has got you revved up to start
  • 00:32:41
    writing then I'm stoked okay I did my
  • 00:32:44
    job um and I want to share with you
  • 00:32:46
    really quick about how I can help you or
  • 00:32:49
    help your journey be faster easier and
  • 00:32:53
    more successful to getting that book
  • 00:32:54
    done it's my course newbie book writer I
  • 00:32:57
    like to to think of it as the ultimate
  • 00:32:59
    online course for aspiring authors we
  • 00:33:02
    work from your initial idea all the way
  • 00:33:04
    to publication and Beyond from A to Z
  • 00:33:09
    it's the very course I wish I had when I
  • 00:33:11
    started the perilous journey of my first
  • 00:33:13
    book now remember that little book took
  • 00:33:16
    me two years to write and publish
  • 00:33:18
    because I had to learn everything on my
  • 00:33:20
    own new be book writer will it'll
  • 00:33:23
    literally save you hundreds of hours of
  • 00:33:25
    time when I started writing that first
  • 00:33:28
    book I did see some other book writing
  • 00:33:30
    courses and coaching programs but I
  • 00:33:33
    couldn't believe how expensive they were
  • 00:33:35
    I'm talking well over $1,000 just for
  • 00:33:38
    the online video uh portions or classes
  • 00:33:42
    and if you wanted personal coaching to
  • 00:33:43
    go with it you're like you're you know
  • 00:33:45
    you're looking at like
  • 00:33:47
    $22,000 they outside my budget again
  • 00:33:50
    that's why I've created and priced
  • 00:33:53
    newbie book writer as the exact course I
  • 00:33:55
    wish I had at the time
  • 00:33:58
    with my course I cut out all the fluff
  • 00:34:01
    and I teach you exactly what you need
  • 00:34:03
    each step of the way we follow a plan
  • 00:34:05
    that I created that I call the powder
  • 00:34:08
    plan I know it's a bit corny but it
  • 00:34:10
    works uh powder stands for plan it
  • 00:34:14
    outline it write it design it edit it
  • 00:34:17
    and release it so are you a little foggy
  • 00:34:21
    on your topic on how to get started or
  • 00:34:24
    how to stay motivated we cover all that
  • 00:34:26
    in the planet phase are you say freaked
  • 00:34:29
    out about outlining an entire book not a
  • 00:34:32
    problem we break it down into bite-sized
  • 00:34:34
    tasty Marcels on the outline phase are
  • 00:34:37
    you worried that your writing skills are
  • 00:34:39
    Rusty or not up to par I got you covered
  • 00:34:42
    there too okay I share with you how
  • 00:34:45
    professional authors write what to do
  • 00:34:48
    what not to do and a lot more in there
  • 00:34:51
    are you wondering where on Earth to find
  • 00:34:53
    beta readers editors cover designers the
  • 00:34:57
    design it and edit it phase go into
  • 00:35:00
    great detail uh about how to navigate
  • 00:35:02
    those Waters and then are you bewildered
  • 00:35:06
    about how you will publish and launch
  • 00:35:09
    your book out into the world to make a
  • 00:35:10
    big splash I've been there and I've done
  • 00:35:13
    it a number of times and I will show you
  • 00:35:15
    how I'll show you how I was able to
  • 00:35:17
    launch my books and reach number one
  • 00:35:20
    bestseller in multiple categories on
  • 00:35:22
    Amazon and elsewhere so we'll work at
  • 00:35:24
    your pace once you sign up you get
  • 00:35:27
    lifetime access to the course
  • 00:35:30
    material and if you do coaching also um
  • 00:35:33
    it doesn't expire okay uh I will
  • 00:35:36
    motivate you and I'll help you stay
  • 00:35:37
    accountable but I'll do so with Grace we
  • 00:35:41
    will set goals and I'll help you stay on
  • 00:35:43
    track I want to say a final word about
  • 00:35:47
    being Christians together if we decide
  • 00:35:48
    if you decide to work with me uh if you
  • 00:35:50
    decide you want to work with me I want
  • 00:35:52
    you to know that I don't expect our
  • 00:35:55
    theology or our views to align at all
  • 00:35:57
    points as the saying goes in Essentials
  • 00:36:01
    unity in non-essentials Liberty in all
  • 00:36:05
    things charity is Jesus going to Rapture
  • 00:36:08
    the church soon and then a seven-year
  • 00:36:09
    tribulation will begin or is that a past
  • 00:36:12
    event and we're now in the millenum can
  • 00:36:14
    women be pastors or should we baptize
  • 00:36:17
    infants or just confessing adults for my
  • 00:36:20
    purposes and helping people write a
  • 00:36:22
    compelling Christian book I don't care
  • 00:36:24
    if you're one of my students I won't
  • 00:36:26
    debate you on non-essentials that's not
  • 00:36:28
    my job it's not the
  • 00:36:30
    point um but we may have issue if you
  • 00:36:33
    are writing and defending blatant heresy
  • 00:36:36
    like Mormon theology okay just saying
  • 00:36:40
    okay so how does it work how do you get
  • 00:36:42
    started how does it how does it work
  • 00:36:45
    well I offer three options you can take
  • 00:36:47
    the online course by itself and that
  • 00:36:49
    includes 30 no fluff video lessons
  • 00:36:53
    there's six modules you get access to
  • 00:36:55
    all future newbie book writer cont
  • 00:36:57
    content totally free uh you get direct
  • 00:37:00
    email access to me you get the Newbie
  • 00:37:03
    book writer ebook that I wrote it's 27
  • 00:37:06
    page ebook you get a 30-day money back
  • 00:37:09
    guarantee and lifetime membership
  • 00:37:12
    forever you get all of that for a
  • 00:37:14
    one-time payment of
  • 00:37:16
    $298 that's it most courses I see online
  • 00:37:21
    are um for $1,000 or more so remember I
  • 00:37:25
    created the exact course I wish wish I
  • 00:37:27
    had and that includes the price tag with
  • 00:37:29
    it now the second option uh that I offer
  • 00:37:33
    it takes a leap farther by adding
  • 00:37:35
    personal one-on-one coaching with me so
  • 00:37:38
    along with all the goodies I just
  • 00:37:40
    mentioned before you will also get six
  • 00:37:43
    30 minute coaching calls with me we can
  • 00:37:45
    do it by phone or by Zoom it's totally
  • 00:37:47
    up to you you can schedule those calls
  • 00:37:50
    for whenever you want um I chose six
  • 00:37:53
    because the course plan the whole course
  • 00:37:56
    has six phases remember the whole powder
  • 00:37:58
    plan thing but it's totally up to you
  • 00:38:01
    how you want to do it and if it happens
  • 00:38:02
    to take you two years to write your book
  • 00:38:05
    that's fine all right because life
  • 00:38:07
    happens but we'll work together to we'll
  • 00:38:11
    try to make that happen faster now the
  • 00:38:13
    total price for option two with the
  • 00:38:15
    coaching is
  • 00:38:17
    $798 you can pay that all at once and I
  • 00:38:19
    do offer an option of a payment plan to
  • 00:38:22
    break it in half so it's $3.99 each now
  • 00:38:25
    the third option is the full Arsenal for
  • 00:38:28
    those deadly serious about becoming a
  • 00:38:30
    published author this option includes
  • 00:38:33
    all the goodies before the online video
  • 00:38:36
    course email access to me at any time
  • 00:38:39
    the book uh lifetime membership the uh
  • 00:38:42
    six coaching sessions with me the
  • 00:38:44
    one-on-one time but you also get direct
  • 00:38:47
    access to my team so what does that
  • 00:38:49
    include so first you get my top beta
  • 00:38:52
    reader to read your manuscript and offer
  • 00:38:55
    careful but helpful feedback helping you
  • 00:38:58
    fine-tune your manuscript will be his
  • 00:39:01
    top priority this is the guy that helped
  • 00:39:03
    me cut 13,000 unnecessary words out of
  • 00:39:06
    one of my book um okay so this man is a
  • 00:39:10
    gifted writer and an expert in the Bible
  • 00:39:13
    so he will be your beta reader second
  • 00:39:15
    you will get to work one-on-one with my
  • 00:39:18
    copy editor who by the way has worked as
  • 00:39:20
    a professional editor for over 30 years
  • 00:39:23
    and worked for all the major christian
  • 00:39:25
    book publishers like xervon zervan uh
  • 00:39:28
    Baker and Harvest House you ever heard
  • 00:39:31
    of that little uh book called Boundaries
  • 00:39:33
    it's actually a series of books yeah she
  • 00:39:36
    was one of the editors on that project
  • 00:39:38
    she's also a master at communication and
  • 00:39:41
    at teaching the Bible I call her my word
  • 00:39:42
    ninja she will take your rough
  • 00:39:45
    manuscript and polish it into a
  • 00:39:47
    professional work all while keeping your
  • 00:39:50
    original voice it's like magic okay
  • 00:39:54
    third you will get to work one-on-one
  • 00:39:56
    with my amazing cover designer who makes
  • 00:39:58
    his living designing Christian book
  • 00:40:00
    covers just for Christians okay uh he
  • 00:40:03
    can take a rough and the raw cover idea
  • 00:40:06
    that you have in your head and turn it
  • 00:40:07
    into something that will blow your mind
  • 00:40:10
    and it'll help you make sell more of you
  • 00:40:12
    know sell more of your book the two
  • 00:40:15
    areas in book creation that you don't
  • 00:40:18
    want to skimp on is your editor and your
  • 00:40:21
    cover designer please don't try to
  • 00:40:23
    design your own book cover or have your
  • 00:40:26
    Uncle Jimmy do it he may be good in
  • 00:40:28
    Photoshop and all but book cover design
  • 00:40:31
    is its own special Niche the way I see
  • 00:40:34
    it is that these are one-time
  • 00:40:36
    Investments that will then pay me for
  • 00:40:40
    life and that's everything you need
  • 00:40:42
    right there you won't have to go out and
  • 00:40:44
    find these people know negotiating
  • 00:40:46
    prices with them you won't have to worry
  • 00:40:49
    if they're you know really qualified to
  • 00:40:51
    do whatever it is edit your book um
  • 00:40:54
    before I tell you my price for all this
  • 00:40:57
    what would the market value of all this
  • 00:40:59
    be right now how much do you think all
  • 00:41:01
    that would cost out there as I said most
  • 00:41:04
    full-fledged bookwriting courses like
  • 00:41:05
    mine sell for around
  • 00:41:08
    $1,200 I don't know if you've priced
  • 00:41:10
    coaching programs lately but it's like
  • 00:41:12
    the hot thing right now and people are
  • 00:41:14
    charging between you know anywhere from
  • 00:41:16
    $1,000 up to
  • 00:41:18
    $10,000 from what I'm offering you in my
  • 00:41:20
    coaching the amount of time I'm offering
  • 00:41:24
    I could easily charge $1,500 maybe some
  • 00:41:27
    I will but I'm cool with where we're at
  • 00:41:29
    right now but let's say $1,200 okay now
  • 00:41:33
    a professional beta reader at the level
  • 00:41:35
    I'm offering would be 400 bucks easy a
  • 00:41:38
    professional editor these days is
  • 00:41:39
    somewhere between 3 to 5 cents per word
  • 00:41:43
    so a regular size book would range
  • 00:41:45
    between ,000 to $1,500 to edit it and a
  • 00:41:50
    professional cover designer not some
  • 00:41:51
    online template Factory ranges between
  • 00:41:54
    $800 to $1,200 now if we add all that up
  • 00:41:59
    the full course the coaching the beta
  • 00:42:02
    reader the complete manuscript editing
  • 00:42:05
    and a complete cover for both paperback
  • 00:42:07
    and ebook if you were to go out and pay
  • 00:42:09
    for all of that today you're looking
  • 00:42:12
    somewhere between $4500 to $5,000 for
  • 00:42:16
    that I'm offering my third option here
  • 00:42:19
    all that I just said to you for
  • 00:42:22
    $2,398 that's half the price you would
  • 00:42:25
    normally pay for all these professional
  • 00:42:27
    on the market today and my team will be
  • 00:42:29
    ready for you whenever you're ready now
  • 00:42:32
    I know some of you are like my good
  • 00:42:34
    friend Ed Ed is a professional writer
  • 00:42:37
    he's a theologian he has two master's
  • 00:42:39
    degrees he decided to write a book and
  • 00:42:42
    do it all on his own including editing
  • 00:42:45
    and his cover design well he did this
  • 00:42:47
    all back in 2015 okay he called me I
  • 00:42:51
    don't know four or five months ago
  • 00:42:53
    lamenting about how bad it all turned
  • 00:42:55
    out and he was asking me
  • 00:42:57
    how my books look so good he said dude
  • 00:43:00
    your books look so good they could stand
  • 00:43:02
    up next to any book in any bookstore so
  • 00:43:05
    don't be an ed to try to save a few
  • 00:43:07
    bucks but I know that $2,300 you know
  • 00:43:10
    $98 is a lot of money so I also offer
  • 00:43:13
    the option to do it in four payments of
  • 00:43:16
    $5.99 um that's it friends writing and
  • 00:43:19
    Publishing books is the main way I seek
  • 00:43:22
    to fulfill the Great Commission I Don't
  • 00:43:24
    Preach from the streets or from a Pulpit
  • 00:43:26
    anymore but I can still preach from my
  • 00:43:29
    books and this time I can reach people
  • 00:43:31
    around the world and you can do the
  • 00:43:33
    exact same thing you can totally do this
  • 00:43:36
    if we just work it step by step so I
  • 00:43:39
    encourage you if you want to write and
  • 00:43:41
    publish your first book uh check out the
  • 00:43:44
    three plans I've laid out find the right
  • 00:43:46
    one for you and then say today is the
  • 00:43:50
    day all right you know the difference
  • 00:43:52
    between a okay you know the difference
  • 00:43:55
    between you and a published
  • 00:43:58
    author you are still saying I will do it
  • 00:44:01
    tomorrow that is the mark of the
  • 00:44:04
    procrastinator okay the person who wrote
  • 00:44:07
    and published a book was that same
  • 00:44:09
    person but at some point they said today
  • 00:44:13
    is the day and they made a commitment to
  • 00:44:16
    take it all the way to the end and if
  • 00:44:18
    you want I will help you do that all
  • 00:44:21
    right thanks
  • 00:44:27
    was
Tags
  • Christian Writing
  • Self-Publishing
  • Book Writing Tips
  • Overcoming Fear
  • Passion in Writing
  • Beta Readers
  • Sound Theology
  • Outlining Techniques
  • Audience Engagement
  • Writing Authenticity