The Line Between Commercial Success and Spiritual Integrity
Writing a book is easy. Selling books is hard. That is the consensus of anyone who has written a book.
Writing a book takes time, talent, and determined focus to complete it. It is no trivial task. Yet, even the best books die a lonely death because they lack distribution. Selling books is hard.
Most Christian writers believe the Lord has commissioned them to write a book. Then, why do most Christian books fail to achieve even modest commercial success? Are we destined to give our books away while trivial non-Christian books reap profits?
Christian authors can sell their books without selling out. Here are ways to do that.
Align Your Calling with Market Needs
Where do Christian authors get the idea for the book they intend to write?
Some say they got it in a dream. Others say it is in response to something they experienced. Yet others refreshingly admit they had a wild idea they thought was good.
Yet, all tend to say their idea came to them from God in a flash of divine inspiration. It is an attempt to sanctify their book idea. That’s fanciful thinking, but it does not compel people to want to read your book.
Many Christian books fail in the market because their message is disconnected from the needs or interests of potential readers. It’s essential to marry your divine calling with practical market needs.
Want the Lord to bless your book with success? Find a need and meet it.
Do research to find:
- The pain points people are actually experiencing.
- Gaps in current literature.
- Trending topics.
You may have a passion for a particular topic. You may even think God has called you to write on it. You can test the value of both by confirming the need for the book on the topic you intend to write.
Do not base your final choice on your own pain points or interests. Do actual market research to discover the needs of others. Never depend on anecdotal guesswork or superstitious Voodoo-style market speculation.
By meeting an unmet need, you can draw attention to your book without compromising your core message, which, for Christians, always embodies the message of redemption.
Invest in Professional Services
Christian authors sometimes rely solely on their inspiration and spiritual conviction to carry the book, overlooking the craft involved.
Investing in professional services like editing, cover design, and marketing shows you take your calling seriously and heightens your book’s appeal. As I often remind my clients, their completed book is a product and needs to be packaged like one.
Look at the packaging around you, like your tube of toothpaste or food in the cupboard. None was designed by your brother-in-law or someone from Nigeria on Fiverr—a professional designed it.
Packaging is more than a pretty picture on a cover. The cover must have a psychological impact, just as your content must have a spiritual impact. That is why you never want to use an “offshore” person to do your work. They are cheap, but they do not have the linguistic or cultural nuance to communicate effectively. Communication is far more than being able to speak a particular language.
No, I am not slamming these people. My skills would not be effective in their culture either.
Your book needs professional editing and packaging. A well-crafted book has a greater chance of achieving commercial success and reaching more people with its God-commissioned message.
Embrace Ethical Marketing
“Selling out” often carries a negative connotation, especially for authors who feel their work is a form of ministry. However, there’s a difference between marketing and selling out.
Ethical marketing is about connecting your book with people who will benefit from it, not compromising your message for broader appeal.
Ethical marketing is not about sales hype. It is about sharing the benefits of your book with potential book buyers. Highlight what sets your book apart from others in the same genre. Clearly state how reading your book will benefit the reader, whether it’s gaining knowledge, finding inspiration, or experiencing entertainment.
Utilize platforms and methods that are in line with Christian ethics and values.
Build a Community, Not Just a Customer Base
In today’s digital age, an author’s relationship with their readers extends far beyond the book itself. Social media, newsletters, and blogs can be instrumental in forming a community around your writing.
This is especially true if you intend to be more than a “One-book wonder.” You want to build a community if you intend to write and sell more books.
Offering valuable, free content, generally via your author website, can attract a loyal following who are more likely to invest in your book at full price when it’s released. This community will be your biggest advocate, helping to organically promote your book to their network without compromising its integrity.
Financial Success is No Sin
Addressing why so many books written under the guidance of the Lord fail to gain commercial traction is complex, but it’s not an insurmountable challenge. At the same time, we cannot afford to be so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good.
Christian authors can achieve the dual goals of fulfilling their divine calling and reaching a broad paying audience by approaching it with both spiritual integrity and commercial savvy.
In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus shares the Parable of the Talents. A Talent was a unit of measurement for weighing precious metals, usually gold and silver. By application, we can suggest it is a natural aptitude or skill. The Parable has been subject to many different interpretations. A meaningful interpretation is that the Lord wants us to invest our talents rather than bury them. There is risk involved, but also blessing.
Seeking a fair profit can be an exciting and fulfilling journey. It offers as much spiritual growth as it does commercial success.
Sources cited:
Unless otherwise noted, Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
