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.. - Patricia L. I took a quick read of the report yesterday and will focus in today. It appears I have a lot of work to do to create a book people will buy. Appreciate the honesty. Patricia - Patricia L.Read Moreread less - Mark M. Hi Declan, what can I say? I'm thrilled and flattered by your response to the book, and I can't thank you enough for your thoughtful commentary. The report was so well structured and insightful, extracting multiple examples and delving deep into the complexities of the characters and plot and themes and subject matter... I don't know how you were able to process everything so quickly but I'm beyond impressed. I almost wish I had more work for you! So please feel free to weigh in on the other aspects! 😉 As you know, I was hesitant to get into the report... partly because you turned it so quickly I assumed you had a miserable experience! but mainly because it's difficult for me to anticipate or accept any form of praise after so much rejection (even more difficult to actually feel authenticity from someone you *hire* for their feedback). That said, and at the risk of overusing superlatives myself, I am appreciative of your work and your in-depth attention to the story---for both what was on the page and not. [...] I digress. In short, thank you for giving me a bit more confidence in what has so far been a soul-bruising journey. Looking forward to your thoughts. Cheers, Mark - Mark M.Read Moreread less - Phil P. Thanks for the detailed report and the prompt turnaround. I don't have any questions about the report - it's all pretty clear. I appreciate the great feedback. Thanks, Phil Preckler. - Phil P.Read Moreread less - David J. Thanks for that, your reviewer made some pretty encouraging comments and I can see the sense in the bits they criticised. I've made notes of a few things I'm going to modify or even remove. I hope you are also well. Kind regards, David. - David J.Read Moreread less - Thomas M. Hi Declan, I am, in a word, speechless. This is not at all what I expected from your beta read. Just to be clear, I'm thrilled! First, you pointed out a lot of things that got me thinking and realized I agree with you. I will make all or virtually all of your suggested changes in the next revision. You have made what I consider vital suggestions that will smooth out some of the rough edges still to be found in the book. Second, regarding your thoughtful commentary. I'm very happy that you found that the plot, characters, dialog, etc., worked well. As you know, the kind of praise in your evaluation is not something writers get to hear too often, if at all. - Thomas M.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 - Mitchell L. just wanted to thank you for your feedback when reading Last Man’s Last Stand. I found your feedback very fair and helpful. I especially appreciated all the examples you gave me in the notes sections. I am a new writer and I found those examples to be very helpful when studying how to improve my writing. I just wanted to write this up to show you my appreciation. Thank you. Mitch. - Mitchell L.Read Moreread less - Geoff M. Thank you very much for the comprehensive review, Declan! I very much appreciate it. I am going to see if I can combine the first three chapters into two in order to get things moving more quickly. Thanks again! - Geoff M.Read Moreread less - Kathryn H. Thank you very much for returning this so quickly. I appreciate the kind words and support. That gives me the courage to try to get an agent for this story, although I haven't had luck finding an agent in the past. Best wishes, Kathryn. - Kathryn H.Read Moreread less - AJ F. Please pass on my sincere thanks to the reader. Some generous and kind comments along with some solid pick ups. I’ve not yet had the ms proofread in case it needed some serious work, hence the typos. - AJ F.Read Moreread less - Marlane A. Thank you for your feedback. I’ll work through your editing recommendations, which I found helpful and encouraging. Sincerely, Marlane - Marlane A.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 - Bob L. Thanks for the insightful comments. Beautifully written critique and I will use it to polish the manuscript. Regards, Bob Levey. - Bob L.Read Moreread less - Luke J. Thanks for your time! I really appreciate the feedback and your willingness to slog through. I’m going to spend some time ruminating on your observations and hit it with an overhaul. Thanks again! - Luke J.Read Moreread less - Jenni J. You are currently my new favourite person after saying such positive things about my writing. I was quite taken aback with your appreciation of ‘Boundary Lines’. I’m really pleased you enjoyed reading it and were able to connect with it on a personal level. Thank you for your comments and editing. I look forward to playing around with the passages you highlighted. All of your comments are valued by me. Your honest and personal response really touched me and perfectly explains why you did not make an initial comment on the assessment regarding this passage of writing. Thank you for clarifying this. Although unsettling, my heart desires to create hope for the reader – a thought you did express in the initial manuscript assessment - so thank you! - Jenni J.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 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