Do It Now Part 8: The Benefits of Self-Publishing as a Christian Author

04/07/23 • 9 min

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

The benefits of self-publishing for aspiring Christian authors
Opportunities that make self-publishing quick and easy
How self-publishing gives you greater control over your book and its distribution
How to get a FREE Ebook and audiobook copy of a book that will change your life!

Benefits of Self-Publishing

In recent years, self-publishing has become increasingly popular among Christian authors who are looking to get their messages out into the world — and with good reason! There are a number of benefits to self-publishing, especially for Christian authors who want to get their message out as quickly as possible.

Here are some of the benefits of self-publishing as a Christian author.

It’s Quick & Easy

These days there are so many opportunities for budding authors to self-publish. With services like Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, you can quickly and easily upload your book file, create a cover design, write a description of your book, set up pricing options, hit a few buttons, and voilà — your published book is out there for the masses!

That’s one of the biggest benefits of self-publishing: it allows you to bypass the traditional publishing process and get your book out into the world quickly and easily. Instead of waiting around for years for your manuscript to be accepted by a publisher — and possibly rejected multiple times along the way — you can get your book published almost instantly and start making money from it right away.

Plus, when you self-publish your book, it will be available on major sites like Amazon, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble, allowing people from all over the world to access your work with just a few clicks.

You Can Stay True to Your Vision

Self-publishing isn't just about getting your work out into the world. It's also about creating something lasting that can make an impact on others’ lives. As a Christian writer, you have an incredible responsibility to share your story with readers in a way that speaks truth while inspiring and uplifting them.

And that’s another one of the huge benefits of self-publishing: you don’t have to worry about going through a publisher or agent who doesn’t understand your message.

By taking control over your own publishing process via self-publishing, you can ensure that your book reaches an audience who will appreciate it without needing approval from any external sources first. This makes it easier to stay true to the vision God has given you, while reaching people who might not otherwise hear your story or be exposed to your message of faith and hope.

You’re in Charge of Distribution

The benefits of self-publishing aren’t limited to just getting the book published — it also gives you greater control over what happens after your book is published.

When you go through a traditional publisher, it's very difficult — if not impossible — to distribute your work outside of their approved platforms. However, when you self-publish your book, you are free to distribute it however you choose.

For example, you might sell physical copies on your own website, or offer digital versions of the book as an exclusive reward for members on your email list. The options are limitless! And since there are no restrictions on where and how you can distribute your work as a self-published author, you can reach more potential readers and have more sales opportunities.

You Control Pricing

Beyond the actual publishing and distribution, the benefits of self-publishing also have to do with how much you can earn from your book.

When working with a traditional publisher or literary agent, authors are typically limited in terms of how much money they can make from their work. This is because publishers often take large cuts of royalties in exchange for handling distribution and marketing tasks for authors.

But when authors choose to self-publish their books instead, they keep 100% of the profits, allowing them to maximize their earnings from their hard work.

And here’s the thing: whether you go the traditional route or you self-publish, you are still on the hook for marketing. You are the only person that can really market your message effectively, so why not keep more of the profits?

Plus, when you self-publish, you also get to have complete control over pricing decisions. If you want to offer discounts or bundle deals, you're free to do so without having to worry about publishers taking too big of a cut or telling you that you can't do it. With self-publishing, you are in the driver's seat.

You Don’t Have to Wait

For all these reasons and more, self-publishing has become increasingly popular among Christian authors over the last few years. There are so many benefits of self-publishing that simply aren't available through traditional pu...

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

The benefits of self-publishing for aspiring Christian authors
Opportunities that make self-publishing quick and easy
How self-publishing gives you greater control over your book and its distribution
How to get a FREE Ebook and audiobook copy of a book that will change your life!

Benefits of Self-Publishing

Here are some of the benefits of self-publishing as a Christian author.

It’s Quick & Easy

You Can Stay True to Your Vision

And that’s another one of the huge benefits of self-publishing: you don’t have to worry about going through a publisher or agent who doesn’t understand your message.

You’re in Charge of Distribution

The benefits of self-publishing aren’t limited to just getting the book published — it also gives you greater control over what happens after your book is published.

You Control Pricing

Beyond the actual publishing and distribution, the benefits of self-publishing also have to do with how much you can earn from your book.

But when authors choose to self-publish their books instead, they keep 100% of the profits, allowing them to maximize their earnings from their hard work.

You Don’t Have to Wait

Previous Episode

Do It Now Part 7: Outlining Chapters — The Key to Writing Faster & Better

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

How outlining chapters streamlines the writing process and boosts your book’s quality
Important steps to take before you start writing
Why you should consider writing a shorter book
An interview with Christian Authors Network partner John Stange about making money with shorter books (link below!)

Start by Outlining Chapters

Instead of trying to write a longer book with, say, 25,000 words, try focusing on writing fewer words that are well-written and powerful in the mind of your audience. Start by taking the time to create a chapter outline first. Once you’ve created an outline, all you have to do is fill in the blanks and come up with the content for your book. This streamlines your process, allows you to finish faster, and usually produces a better book.

Yes, outlining chapters requires a bit of a time investment on the front end. But it saves you time in the long run, because you don’t have to sit there staring at a blank page with the cursor blinking on your computer, and you don’t have to spend hours rewriting and editing your work later on.

Even more importantly, remember that this isn’t just about getting words on a page — it's about creating something meaningful and inspirational. As a Christian author, you’re not only sharing your personal stories and lessons learned; you’re also writing to reflect God’s message and convey it in a way that resonates with readers.

This is important stuff! So you want to approach it in a way that will have the biggest impact on your audience. That means you need to do things in order.

1. Get Clear on Your Book’s Target Audience

Before you begin writing — or even outlining chapters — it’s important to determine who you’re writing the book for. For starters, are you writing for Christians, or for people who don’t yet know Christ or who may be a little distant from Him? That's important to think about, because knowing who you’re writing for will help you craft your message in a way that resonates with them.

If you're writing for non-Christians, or people who may not have a close relationship with God, you may want to consider introducing topics in an approachable, informative manner, rather than using religious jargon or terms that they may not understand. If you're writing for Christians, you’ll want to think about how to best address their spiritual needs.

2. Choose Your Main Theme

What is the main theme or idea for your book? Making this decision up front will automatically focus your writing, helping you stay on track as you’re outlining chapters and avoid going off in all kinds of different directions with no clear message.

You might choose something from scripture, such as God's love or grace, or something related to your faith walk, like prayer and forgiveness.

Then, once you've chosen your main theme, consider ways you can explore that concept throughout the course of your book by introducing relevant stories. These could be stories from Scripture highlighting a particular biblical figure, or they could be personal anecdotes from your own life, as well as thoughtful reflections on experiences that you or people you know have had.

3. Do Your Research

Once you've come up with a theme, it’s time to do some digging. Get online or visit a library or bookstore, and search for books, blogs, videos, and articles related to your theme. This will help give you deeper insight into the topic and what your audience may be looking for, and it will also help you refine the topics that you’ll use when you start outlining chapters.

Taking all this time to research and plan on the front end will save you heartache and frustration in the long run. Plus, you’ll likely find that as you research, you’ll be inspired by what you read — and that will also help make your writing process shorter.

4. Start Outlining!

Now that you’ve determined your target audience, selected your theme, and done your research, you're ready to start actually outlining chapters. To do this, take your overall theme and break it down into smaller chunks that can be easily addressed with individual chapters.

Consider what Scriptures, biblical lessons, or experiences will best support each chapter topic. Then think about how you will build on each topic throughout the course of the book. This really doesn't have to be a complex process! And you don't even have to have a lot of chapters — you could have as few as four or five quality chapters.

Take some time to really think about the most important things your audience needs to know about this subject, and then make sure you're focusing your book on those things. This will help your audience feel as though they got exactly what they needed.

Consider the Power of Short Books

Of course, outlining chapters like this ahea...

Next Episode

Do It Now Finale: Yes, You CAN!

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

4 Reasons to embrace the “I can” mindset
The power of sharing your story in a compelling way
Why your story matters — and why you shouldn’t let fear stop you from putting it out there

Too often, fear holds aspiring authors back from sharing their stories. Too many people tell themselves, “I can’t do this!” when the writing and publishing journey gets difficult. But your story is too important for you not to share it. And here’s the thing: no matter why you think you can’t succeed as an author, with God on your side, yes, you CAN! But you have to start if you’re ever going to finish.

So here are four reasons why it's important for you to embrace the “I CAN!” mindset and share your story.

Your Story Has the Power to Change Lives

As a believer, this is huge. The words we write may literally serve as a beacon of hope, a source of healing, and an inspiration to those who are in need. Part of our Christian responsibility is to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have, and writing a book is a powerful way to work towards this goal.

Think about the impact you could have on someone's life — and not just one someone, but literally hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of people! Your words could be the light that guides someone out of darkness, the strength that lifts them up, and the hope that empowers them to keep going. Yes, YOU can have that impact on other people! Your words are powerful.

Stories Allow Us to Relate to One Another on an Emotional Level

The impact stories have on our lives goes beyond facts and figures. A good story draws readers in until they feel as though they are living it themselves, as if they are a part of the narrative unfolding before them.

When you write a book and do a really great job of making an emotional connection, it's not uncommon for the reader to think, “Wow, how did she know? It's like she has walked the same path that I have!” (And yes, you can inspire this kind of response in readers!)

Stories allow us to connect in ways that other mediums just can't touch. It's no wonder Jesus often used parables or stories when teaching His disciples about spiritual truths. Stories help bring abstract concepts into focus so we can better understand them and apply them to our own lives. Sharing your story through a book allows you to effectively convey truth in an engaging way that resonates with readers from all backgrounds.

Your Book Is a Gift to Others

Writing a book isn't just about putting pen to paper, or typing away at a computer, or even reaching a personal goal. It's about expressing yourself, writing down your thoughts and feelings on a particular subject or experience. And who knows — you may be able to capture something in that process that is really special.

Whether it's through the “click-clack" of a keyboard, or by writing in a notebook, writing is a way of capturing a piece of your soul and sharing it with the world. It's a gift you give to others, allowing them to literally peek into your heart and mind. And it's a gift they will treasure forever.

Writing is a Transcendent Act

Yes, you can create something bigger than yourself by writing a book. A book is a piece of art that defies time and transcends space. It's a tangible medium that enables your thoughts and ideas to live on long after you're gone.

Writing books can inspire future generations, allow them to learn from your experiences, and evoke emotions that transcend decades. Your written words can resonate with people from different cultures, connect them through shared human experiences, and offer them a profound piece of wisdom that they will cherish for a lifetime. You — yes, YOU! — can literally make the world a better place and leave a lasting impact through a book.

Yes, You Can!

Don't let fear keep you from unleashing your story as an author, because the story within you is eagerly waiting for you to tell it. That story could change someone's life for the better, if only it’s given the light of day.

So put aside your doubts about sharing your work with others. Remember that God gave you these special gifts for a reason. Take action today by writing down some ideas for your book. You never know where this might lead! Even if you think you can’t possibly write it all down and get it into a finished, published book — yes, you CAN!

Now is the time. Seize the opportunity today. unleash your potential — write, and publish, now.

BIO:

My name is Tamara "Coach Tam" Jackson and I am a published author, Facebook© Certified Digital Marketer, host of the Top 100 Publishing Secrets podcast, and founder of The Christian Authors Network (C.A.N.) Facebook© community. I specialize i...