Some of you may know that I am currently taking a free course called The Book Marketing Challenge this month. 31 days of learning various aspects of book marketing and promotion. The first week had been about building your platform, covering such things as having a Facebook author page, being on Goodreads and Shelfari, having a blog, and tips and ideas on using those to their full advantage. Last week discussed various ways to build your newsletter mailing list and this week has so far been about building a business around your book.
Today’s subject matter was talking about repurposing existing content. One co-worker has told me that she’d buy my books if they were turned into audio format, because she doesn’t find time to just sit and read. I recorded a segment last week and ran it past a blogtalk host who loved it! She even suggested my voice might be good enough to farm out to other authors’ projects, which means researching what I’d charge for such a service. In addition, I have my e-course being reviewed right now, and when it’s ready, it will be the content of my tiny ebook “Practical Thoughts on Becoming an Author” repurposed into course format. Look for an announcement on that front in coming days.
Needless to say, I found the information in today’s session to be quite timely! This discussion has reminded me of authors who have gone on to build entire ministries based around their book. Their book became the platform God used to reach others in significant ways. In a manner similar to Paul’s tentmaking to fund his own way through ministry, an author’s book and income streams built around it, can fund his or her way through the ministry God gifts them with as well.
Will my books become a ministry? Who knows. . . Only God knows the answer to that. But the validations starting to come in about various aspects of my writing are totally jiving with this week’s content in the Book Marketing Challenge. In the book of Exodus, God told Moses that the Egyptians would give in to their hands as the Hebrews fled Egypt. Sure enough, when that fateful night came, the Egyptians gave them the riches of Egypt as they left the land. The smart Christian who has been given a specific gifting, will use the bounty of the proverbial Egyptians to further their particular corner of the Kingdom of God. I am, therefore, quite encouraged this morning by what I am learning and the encouragement I’m getting, to move forward in areas I’d previously been hesitant about. I am learning that others appreciate my speaking voice as well as my singing voice. I am learning that there are other ways material I’ve written can be offered to those who would buy it one way but not another.
God has given me these giftings, and it is up to me to pay attention to how best to utilize them and then both learn and implement those lessons both for my own sustainability and that of the message God gave me to publish.
So I’m sitting here quite decidedly going “wow!” Once again I am sensing change in the wind, but for once, I am looking forward to it! I haven’t been able to say that for a couple years now, so it feels good to look into the face of change and feel excited for what’s coming down the pipe!
We’ll see how the rest of this free challenge goes. If you want to join in, you can. All previous days’ content will be available to you. There is a gold membership if you want it. It’s for those who want the content not otherwise available to us free silver members. Here is the link if you’d like to check it out for yourself. I know I’m benefitting from the content.
