Want to Publish a Book? Review of “Independent Publishing for Christian Authors”

I don’t have “Write a Book” on my to-do list.

But after reading this newest book from Ed Cyzewski, I can entertain the idea.

“I certainly want to sell books, but that’s more of a side benefit of serving my readers rather than the large goal looming over everything I do.”
– Ed Cyzewski, Independent Publishing for Christian Authors

Maybe you’re not interested in writing a book, but you know someone who is. Or maybe you’ve already been published multiple times but are searching for new options.

Whatever your situation, this short book is a great resource of information about book publishing from someone who knows.

Independent Publishing for Christian Authors: A Guide to the Why, When, and How for Writers will help you answer these questions for yourself.

• Do you want to pursue independent publishing?
• Is commercial publishing a safer, although less profitable, option?
• Do you have to separate ministry and publishing?
• Is publishing books a viable way to earn a living?
• How would you distribute an independent book?

But don’t expect to be coddled as you read. Ed is honest.

“I hope to inject a heavy dose of reality into our misconceptions, expectations, and fantasies about the Christian publishing world.”

~ * ~

“If you’re hoping to make it to the top 5% as a commercial Christian author, you will most likely need a large event, website, ministry, or church to help you connect with enough readers.”

~ * ~

“The typical new author will most likely not make a full time income from commercial Christian publishing.”

Ed has published both independently and commercially (see his other great books here). And for the health of his soul and ministry, he is choosing independent publishing for now.

Granted, commercial publishing offers many advantages, which he lists: development editing, content editing, selecting a title, designing a cover, writing a product description, and managing a publicity campaign.

But with a little research and work, independent authors can get help for those issues, too.

You can learn basics online or through books to walk you through the process. Amazon has Word templates you can use. Programs like Scrivener help you not only with the actual writing, but also taking notes, sorting chapters, and formatting the final file.

Independent authors ultimately have more control of their books. After you publish your book (and face it, Amazon’s Kindle will be key) the book is still under your control. If it flops after release, you can take it down, edit it differently, and try again.

Publishing independently helps you escape sales goals, lets you do publicity your way, and allows you to receive much higher royalty rates per sale.

I learned many things I didn’t know about the publishing business just from this short ebook.

I still haven’t added “Write a Book” into my goals, but at least I don’t consider it out of reach if I want to.

Thanks for the encouragement, Ed. Through your books, blogs, and emails, I know you’re the real deal. Keep writing!

“Just as professional athletes invested countless hours into practice and development, professional writers need to write, even if that writing is never published.”

~ * ~

“I won’t say that there has never been a better time to write and publish books. . . .I will say that authors have more options today than ever.  If you believe in your book and you want to reach readers, there is nothing but time and hard work standing in your way.”

* * *

If you’re interested, Independent Publishing for Christian Authors is only $0.99 now at Amazon.

Have you ever written a book? Writing one now? Please share in the comments.

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