5 Things Most People Don't Know about Writing Books (and How Readers Can Help)
A sneak peek at the challenges book writers face today
The burning heart of the Trinity
Is giving gifts we cannot see.
As we age, our capacity for gratitude grows. We begin to see the hand of Providence in every breeze. Where we once saw scarcity we now see abundance. Where deserts roamed now rivers flow . . . because God is a giver. None of us knows why God gives so many gifts. “Love” is the ultimate answer, but that’s still deeply mysterious. At least I am old enough to know that every good thing I have experienced has been an act of reception, not an accomplishment. In all of that reception as a writer, I’ve learned many things I think readers would benefit from.
I have written or been the editor for almost 30 books since 2018. Some have gone through traditional publishers; others have been independent. I’ve seen the book publishing world from the outside and the inside. I’ve been around the block enough times to know what difficulties many writers face. And I want to give readers a small window into that exciting but challenging world.
Why? Well, aside from wanting to inform people of what goes on inside a writer’s world, I think it’s good for readers to know how they can help and pray for writers (trust me; we need prayer). As an avid reader, I do my best to help the authors I’ve read over the years—spreading the word about their work, writing notes of encouragement, asking how I can pray for them. That whole experience has been a blessing to me and (I think) to them. It has shown me that one of the main blessings of being a writer is learning not just how to give your words to others, but to lift up those who may be trying to give their words to you.
Let me set out five of the biggest challenges book authors confront today. Other writers would add to or subtract from this list based on their own experience. I invite that sort of interaction. The more we communicate, the better positioned we are to meet our challenges faithfully. My aim in doing this is to welcome readers into the community of writers, for writers would be workless without readers to serve.
5 Challenges
So, what are five things that readers might not know about the book writing and publishing ecosystem? For each item, I’ll suggest how readers can help.
Writing a book is hard. That’s obvious but, depending on the author, “hard” can apply to different facets of writing and publishing, but I’ll just mention two. First, “hard” can apply to writing itself. For me, writing a book is easy and invigorating. It energizes me. It’s the thrill of discovery and the search for words that give me wings. But for other writers, putting a book together is painstaking; it enervates them, like a maple tree tapped too long for sap. Second, “hard” can apply to the effort that goes into having the book make an impact. It is hard simply to get a book noticed in today’s market. Did you know that there are around 200,000 new books published every month? For some of us, publishing a book feels a bit like throwing a prized penny in a fountain the size of a Walmart. Will anyone see it? Will it help even a handful of readers? Remember that the vast majority of authors are not on bestseller lists or drawing thousands of Amazon reviews. Those are the exceptions, the situations authors dream of. In today’s world, it is hard to release a book that has a broad impact. And yet “impact” is often one of the main metrics authors and publishers measure to determine “success” (more on that below).
How can readers help? First, pray for the authors you know and love. They are under more pressure and strain than you realize. Their hearts are full of hopes that may never be realized and aspirations that may never materialize. (That’s okay, since most of us love the craft anyway.) Pray that their hearts would trust the God who gives good gifts, amidst a loud and chaotic world of information and entertainment. Second, support them by ordering (and even pre-ordering) their books. When I buy a book, I may even get two copies—one for me and one to give to a friend. Third, for any book you read, write a concise and candid review that can be posted on Amazon of Goodreads or Barnes & Noble. It’s hard to overstate how powerful customer reviews are in the contemporary world—both for books and for products at large. Many purchasers make decisions solely based on the number and quality of reviews they see. Writing a review of an author’s book is a gift. Speaking of which, if you’ve read Our Hope Is in Help, consider leaving a concise review to let others know what you think. For Amazon, all you have to do is scroll down the product page and click a button (“Write a customer review”).
It takes less than five minutes and makes a huge difference—trust me. Leaving an author a review is one of the biggest compliments you can give them.
Writing a book can be lonely. This might be one of the most under-appreciated truths in the writing world. Writers live large swaths of life inside their own head. Sometimes we spend months reading and studying before we even get to writing. That’s a lot of internal processing! I experienced that recently with a new David Powlison book I edited and annotated, coming out with Westminster Seminary Press. It took me over a year to read most of David Powlison’s other books and listen to a number of lectures. It was an amazing learning experience, of course, and hugely formative. But it also meant I spent a lot of time by myself. It felt a bit like traversing miles and miles of open country on my own. I get back from a year-long journey like that, and it seems impossible to communicate where I’ve been and how I’ve grown. As a writer, you realize there’s a distance between yourself and others, which you now have to bridge by speaking. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find listeners.
How can readers help? Again, pray for the authors you know. Pray that they would find and maintain friendships with those who can direct and encourage them. Second, if you’ve read something they’ve written, send them a note. I can’t tell you how uplifting it’s been to receive a kind note or email from a reader when I least expect it. It’s a reminder that words are always working, even when we’re blind to it.
For book writers, comparison is easy and dangerous. Social media is designed to breed envy. Do you know what sort of content I see on social media as a writer? Other writers doing amazing things. There’s always an indirect draw to compare yourself to them. “Wow—look at his book! That cover is fantastic.” “She won that award? That’s . . . amazing.” “I can’t believe his book sold that many copies.” Comparison is easy and dangerous. Writers have many opportunities to do it everyday, and the danger that lurks behind it is a heart-corrupting egoism and a blindness to God’s grace. The only ones writers should compare themselves to are their yesterday-selves. Are we growing? Are we learning how to serve readers better? Sadly, we live in a world where comparison and competitiveness (especially in a capitalist society) run rampant. It’s a scary environment in which to write a book.
How can readers help? First, pray for the spiritual health of the authors you read and their commitment to Christ and his kingdom. Pray that they would be protected from comparisons and egoism. The Spirit can and does do that protective work in many of us, thank God. I don’t dare to think of where I’d be spiritually without the prayers of those who know and love me. Second, encourage people to read broadly. We all have our favorite authors, but I often tell people that I refuse to decide on “my favorite book/author.” Why? Because God’s kingdom is diverse, and it is beautiful because it is diverse. Read many authors. Find new ones. Expand your horizons. One fun way to do this is to ask the authors you enjoy whom they like to read. Every writer is happy to talk about the books he or she is reading. Here are some of my favorite writers:
“Success” is hard to define for authors. What does it mean for a book to “succeed”? How you answer that question determines a lot. Some authors focus on book sales and reach (and publishers need to focus on that to some degree). Success, in that case, can be represented with numbers. Others focus on how readers use their book. The number is less important than the quality of engagement. In other words, some writers just want to know their book is changing the world in some small way. How a writer defines success determines how a book launch will go—for better or worse.
How can readers help? Readers can help by asking the authors they read what “success” means to them for a given book. That may sound strange (just imagine writing the email), but I’ve always enjoyed thinking through that question as a writer. “What would it mean for this book to ‘succeed’?” If nothing else, that question reveals any lingering vanity inside me! But it also reminds me that the purpose for which I write is deeply personal and rooted in the triune God of Scripture. “Success” for any book I write really means, “This book has pushed someone closer to Christ.” Or, “This book has helped people get excited to commune with God as they read the Bible.” If I start to define success primarily by any other means, I’m going astray. Readers can remind writers why they’re doing what they’re doing.
Writers depend a lot on others. Ask any author. We depend so much on other people—whether that’s our families, or editors, or our mentors. I don’t know if I ever would have begun publishing articles and books if I hadn’t been recommended to some publications by Carl Trueman, my church history professor at the time. He didn’t have to do that. And that kindness opened doors for me to write more articles, and then to write books. Friends and mentors such as Vern Poythress and Tim Challies have also been great encouragers for me. Where would I be without their kindness and prayer? But depending a lot on others can sometimes make a writer feel like a burden. I still struggle with this, especially in a family context. My wife has to juggle a lot, and adding her husband’s book writing (and a book launch) into the mix is never easy. I often tell her that I couldn’t write any of the books I write without her quiet and steady support. Even my kids bear some of the burden in hearing me talk about what I’m writing.
In my case, asking for endorsements with my non-fiction books is always uncomfortable. “Hey, uh . . . would you mind reading these two hundred pages and saying something complimentary about them? But, no pressure.” Most endorsers I’ve asked have been very gracious, even when saying “no” to doing an endorsement. But the asking always feels a bit like laying a burden on someone else’s back.
What I’m saying is that writing a book is never a solo effort. It demands much from other people besides the author.How can readers help? Pray for the families of authors, who are (sometimes unknowingly) making sacrifices so that their spouse or father or mother can work on a book. Pray for the friends and encouragers who may meet authors with unlooked for grace.
Writing books is one of my favorite things. But the challenges that come with it are real and persistent. One of the themes in this article is the call for prayer. That really is a foundational help for writers. Pray for wordsmiths. They need all the help they can get. Praying for them will lead, in unseen ways, to their giving more gifts to readers.
And to those readers who have been an encouragement and friend to writers such as myself, THANK YOU. Your camaraderie is deeply cherished. Keep fighting the good fight with us.
New Media
TWR UK Radio Interview: Why We Need Help
The Daily Grace Company Blog Post: “Beware the Good Times”
A World Gone Mental: A Christian Response to the Mental Health Crisis
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This was great