Publishing Perils

by Fran Geiger Joslin

If writing a book ever crossed your mind and you investigated publishing, you know all about publishing perils. I spent some time this last month reading about the perils of traditional Christian publishing. The number one peril, it appears, is the necessity of a platform. Understandably, for-profit Christian publishing houses must sell books to make a living. A book needs to sell—and it needs to sell well—or it won’t make a profit. That’s basic business 101. Understandable.

A time existed long ago when a publisher believed in a well-written book with a great message, and they spent money advertising it to be sure it sold. Somewhere along the line publishers started expecting writers to also be great marketing execs.

That said, amazing authors exist out there who will likely never turn the eye of a publisher. Why? They aren’t public enough, celebrity enough, or have a large enough following. No huge numbers exist to translate into sales. They get tossed to the curb even if their book may make a huge difference to the Kingdom.

That leads us to the next peril: self-promotion. It seems one must promote self—or hire someone else to promote you—to build the needed platform. And then the question becomes, “Is it godly behavior to promote self in an effort to promote Jesus?”

This poses a huge conundrum. If God gives us a message, how might we get that message out without crossing the line by promoting self instead of promoting Jesus? I struggled with this when I wrote my first book, Widowed: When Death Sucks the Life out of You. I wanted to encourage and help widows, but I didn’t want to praise self. I also didn’t have the time required to work at marketing the book full time. I had a job. “Lucky” for me, I run a publishing house myself. Mine just happens to exist as a non-profit publisher which provides books to rural pastors and church leaders around the world.

So, what might we find as an answer to the platform and self-promotion conundrum?

We must look at—and pray through—several factors:

1. What is God’s plan for your life? Honestly ask God what he wants for you and your writing. Wait for him to make the answer clear to you.
2. What is your personality and your gifting? Honestly look at whether you are cut out for the promotional stuff. Do you have the time, energy, and desire to do it? Is it worth the time and effort for you?
3. How might you use your writing gift to honor the Lord even if you don’t publish a best seller? Research other options. Maybe you can publish in a magazine or in a smaller scale publication.
4. What is the goal of your book? Consider your audience, your message, and your financial needs and goals.

Honestly listen to God’s direction. Can God use your book in smaller settings? Can you afford to give it away? Would you be satisfied to sell it on Amazon as a self-published book? Would you feel honored if it changed only one life?

If you could find satisfaction in getting your message out and changing lives without making money on your book, ABH could fill the publishing need for you. Platform isn’t an issue for us. The message, the writing at a junior high reading level, and the usability in other cultures are the issues for us. Although we pray this changes over time, we make very little money on our books ($50.00 in 2023). We raise money to give them away. The satisfaction level for me, though, far outweighs the loss of income. When I hear that my book changed one life, I rejoice that God knows who needs the book, and he uses my experience to change lives.

Maybe that can also be your story.

Contact us at ABH: abhinfo@abhbooks.com