Inspire the World: A Christian Writer’s Guide to Writing and Self-Publishing a Book Writerful Books, 4 November 20244 November 2024 Are you a Christian with a message to share? Do you have a heart for God’s Word and a passion for inspiring and uplifting others? If so, you have the potential to write a powerful book that can impact countless lives. But the journey from a spark of an idea to a finished manuscript can be challenging. That’s where we come in with a step-by-step guide to writing your Christian book and self-publishing it. With years of experience in Christian publishing, we are dedicated to helping budding writers like you bring your vision to life. Our team of experienced editors will guide you through each step of the publishing process, from crafting a compelling outline to helping you create a stunning book cover and getting it into the hands of fellow Christians. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, we’re here to support you and help you achieve your Christian writing goals. Organize Your Notes Categorise: Sort your notes into thematic categories that align with your book’s central message. Digitalise: Scan or type your handwritten notes and organize them digitally. Pen to Print is a useful service for deciphering handwriting and converting it to text. Cross-Reference: Identify connections between different topics and create a visual map or mind map to visualise the flow of ideas. Develop Your Draft Outline a compelling introduction that hooks the reader and a conclusion that summarises key points and leaves a lasting impact. Central Thesis: Clearly articulate the core message or doctrine you want to convey. Main Points: Break down your thesis into 3-5 main points that support it. Sub-Points: For each main point, develop 2-3 sub-points to provide further detail and background material. Conclusion: Once you have a clear understanding of your book’s content and structure, you can work on an impactful conclusion. Tips for writing a strong conclusion for a Christian nonfiction book: Recap the Main Points: Briefly summarise the key arguments and themes discussed in the book. Reinforce the Central Thesis: Restate your core message in a powerful and memorable way. Call to Action: Encourage readers to apply the book’s teachings to their own lives. This could involve specific actions, prayers, lifestyle changes or even joining a local church. Offer Hope and Encouragement: Remind readers of God’s love, grace, and power to transform lives. End on a Positive Note: Conclude with a hopeful and inspiring statement that leaves a lasting impression. Here’s a sample conclusion for a Christian nonfiction book about overcoming adversity to give you an idea of what is required: The journey of faith is often marked by trials and tribulations. Yet, as we have explored in these pages, God can use our struggles to shape us into His image. Remember, adversity is not a roadblock but a stepping stone. It is in the midst of our challenges that we discover the depths of God’s love and the strength of His grace. As you continue your own journey, may you trust in the Lord, cling to His promises, and embrace the hope that only He can provide. Craft Your Writing Process Dedicated Workspace: Create a quiet, distraction-free space for writing. Daily Writing Habit: Set a realistic daily writing goal. For example, it could be 1,000 words per day. Free Writing: Start with a free-writing session to generate ideas and overcome writer’s block. Focused Writing: Once you have a clear direction, switch to focused writing, adhering to your outline. Book Editing Process Developmental Edit: Focuses on the big picture: structure, content, premise, and overall discourse. Line Edit: Refines sentence structure, word choice, and clarity. Copy Edit: Correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Seek Feedback & Critiques Writing Groups: Join a writing group to receive constructive feedback from fellow writers. Beta Readers: Share your manuscript with trusted readers for honest opinions. Why Hire a Beta Reader? Professional Assessment: Consider hiring a professional editor for in-depth feedback. What is a Manuscript Assessment? Professional Editing Developmental Editing: A developmental editor will help you strengthen your book’s structure, content, and overall argument. Line Editing: A line editor will focus on improving sentence structure, word choice, and clarity. Copy Editing: A copy editor will correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Our Christian Book Editing Services Self-Publishing Process Choose a Platform: Select a self-publishing platform like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or SmashWords. Format Your Book: Ensure your manuscript is formatted correctly for your chosen platform. Design Your Cover: Create an eye-catching book cover that reflects your book’s content. Set Your Price: Determine a fair price for your book, considering factors like length, genre, and target audience. Market Your Book: Promote your book through social media, email marketing, and book reviews. Recommended: Why Work With Us? How to Get Your First Book Published Additional Tips Pray: Seek God’s guidance and inspiration throughout the writing process. Be Patient: Writing a book takes time and effort. Don’t Give Up: Persist through challenges and setbacks. Celebrate Your Accomplishments: Take pride in your hard work and the finished product. By following these steps and seeking professional guidance, you can effectively transform your words into a powerful and impactful Christian book. Here’s what our authors had to say.. - Rebecca A. Thank you very much for your work. It is clear to me you have read the manuscript thoroughly and I appreciate your direct feedback. I already feel excited about the potential for improvement you have outlined that I wasn't able to see on my own. What's more, I've also seen clear evidence that I made the right decision in deciding to get a manuscript assessment from your detailed comments alone. This is exactly what I needed. Thank you again. Rebecca - Rebecca A.Read Moreread less - Lauren B. Thank you very much for your critique, I appreciate it. This is exactly what I've been looking for! All the best, Lauren. - Lauren B.Read Moreread less - Amelia N. Thank you for the report! The beta read was very helpful to let me know what to edit and work on next. Pass on my thanks to the reader. Regards, Amelia - Amelia N.Read Moreread less - Graham W. I have read your feedback. It said what I thought it would and more. I am again exited about the novel and will delve in again in December for the second go, with your notes in mind. I have a lot of story written in history of the characters, I will now blend the two to make a much more whole story-line You mentioned editing, which I think is gonna be a necessity. Is this genre something you can do? I will finish off the 2nd draft and maybe treat myself to an editor. Once again thanks for the feedback and the well thought out explanations. Graham. - Graham W.Read Moreread less - Mel K. Thanks for your feedback. Its quite critical, but better to get it now than later. Mel. - Mel K.Read Moreread less - Alessandro S. Thanks so much for the essay and the editing, it's all very encouraging and it has gotten me back into self-editing at full speed! [...] Sorry for babbling a bit, but I felt inspired! Thanks again for this, and by all means feel free to ask anything you like. If you or the reader want to talk about it face-to-face (digitally so to speak) I am also very open to it, I don't have much opportunity to speak about my writing with people in the industry so it would be a great experience for me to chat about it. Kind Regards, Alessandro. - Alessandro S.Read Moreread less - Jodi L. I just read your comments and am feeling deeply grateful. You've given me a new confidence that the subtleties I was hoping to convey are coming through to a caring and thoughtful reader. I will certainly work on the few words you suggested reconsidering. One one of them ("knacker") I was wondering about myself ... whether it had too many other meanings to be clear in that context. Indeed I struggled with hating to use the language of the era, but knowing it was how the characters would speak. I am glad you felt that was a reasonable choice. Also, as this was a new epilogue (after several tries that weren't working all that well), I am quite grateful that you've given it a stamp of approval. I do feel that I'm finally ready to send this book to agents... to let it out of my own little world. It's been a very long road of discovering this challenging craft, and readers like you make it worth it. Many thanks to you, and I quite expect I'll get back in touch for the next one. Rinse and repeat.... that's a writing life! - Jodi L.Read Moreread less - Jeffrey M. I totally get why it took longer to read. I feel a little goofy pestering you so much, I just wasn’t sure. You have nothing to apologize for. You were right, this was a top notch reading which will greatly help my revisions. - Jeffrey M.Read Moreread less - Sean C. Thank you so much for your report. And I agree with, say, 95% of it. I always wanted to better describe the technical aspects of the business and I could have written 200,000 - 300,000 words, but I learned as I went along that that was not the route to take. I’m happy now to say hello again to the text and begin to revise it pretty much in the manner you suggest. I must say that it’s the journey of writing the book that is so satisfying – I suspect I will be lost when it’s actually finished (although I have an idea for another one). Good luck with Heart of Darkness, one of my favorites; you’ll easily breeze through it since it’s so short, then think, “what was he actually talking about”? Enjoy! - Sean C.Read Moreread less - Sonya S. Thank you for your professional feedback. I really appreciate your advice and your ability to be direct. You have given me a lot to think about. I look forward to the challenge. Warm Regards, Sonya. - Sonya S.Read Moreread less - Maia F. Thank you so much, Declan. I’m actually going to submit the manuscript (after editing and polishing as much as possible) to a contest. Then, I’ll see what feedback I get and will go from there. I’m not sure if it’ll be a traditionally-published novel or I’ll self-publish it, but either way…it’ll happen 😊. I really appreciate your help. - Maia F.Read Moreread less - Barbara R. Thank you so much for your thorough and conscientious review of my manuscript, and for your honest feedback and suggestions. I have already made several suggested edits. - Barbara R.Read Moreread less - Penny F. Thank you for your detailed report..work life has got in the way sadly. I appreciate your many recommendations.. many, no real surprise. As a new writer I felt I needed another opinion even though the MS was incomplete to help me clarify strengths and weaknesses. I had set my book aside deliberately for almost a month and now have two solid weeks to devote to it - and will attempt to address your concerns. I know I have a long way to go to develop good novel writing skills ....I'm hoping practice will get me there!! Once again thank you for your guidance. Penny - Penny F.Read Moreread less - Janene W. Thank you for these timely reports. Please pass on my thanks to the beta reader for his or her report. It was extremely helpful and I think I've gained a much better insight into my manuscript from his/her useful and honest comments. I have read them and have been chewing on the comments. There are many points listed in the reports that align with my instincts regarding the manuscript. These give me areas I can directly attack as I head into my next draft, and I appreciate that. - Janene W.Read Moreread less - Pat K. Thank you for the valuable feedback on both the strengths and weaknesses of Windshift. I'll be working on those improvements during the weeks ahead. Thanks again, Pat. - Pat K.Read Moreread less - Chris How fast you work! Thank you for your beta-reading and yes, your revisions. I feel privileged. Your comments are quite encouraging. In light of what you have written, I will only send you the completed work. It will take a few months. Your feedback tells me this: 1. I am in the right direction, the pace is well set, my English grammar and style are adequate, but will need to be revised by a professional. 2. The story summary is enticing. 3. Judging the first chapter, the book has good marketing potential. All that galvanizes me. If I got it wrong, by all means, tell me. I am looking forward to contacting you when the first draft of the Great Inversion will be tweaked and ready, but not professionally revised. Most cordially, Chris. - ChrisRead Moreread less load more Contact a Christian Book Editor Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Service Required *Beta ReadingCopyeditingDevelopmental EditingLine EditingManuscript AssessmentManuscript EvaluationSensitivity ReadingOther ServiceCountry / Currency *Australia (AUD)Canada (CAD)Ireland (EUR)United Kingdom (GBP)United States (USD)OtherWord Count *Brief Synopsis *Any Questions? *For example: specific areas to request the book editor focus on.Submit Your Manuscript Click or drag a file to this area to upload. WebsiteSubmit * We respect your privacy and will always protect your copyrighted work. We accept manuscripts from authors in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. Articles How to Get PublishedSelf-Publishing