I came across this while doing some research and decided to share it with you because it has a wealth of knowledge for every aspiring Christian author.
Enjoy and learn! Lilliet
Publishing a Christian Non-Fiction Book
The Christian publishing market presents Christian writers with a large sub-niche in major publishing for which to write. The Christian book market represents a multimillion dollar chunk of the publishing industry with both Christian and non-Christian bookstores selling religious books. Additionally, the Bible provides a wealth of information to draw upon for book themes and to support your research. The aspiring Christian writer will never run out of inspiring themes about which she can write.
Getting the Ideas Down on Paper
Brainstorming for ideas is one of the best ways to help you to select a theme for your book. Let's say that you are interested in what the Bible says about friendship. You might select different Bible verses and stories about friendship. Take notes about your findings as you go; these ideas become the beginnings of your research. If you are really stuck for a theme, you might also consider asking your friends, family members and members of the clergy their thoughts on the subject to get the process going for you. Ask them what verses they like, ask them their perspectives on the subject at hand and use them for quotes in your book-with their permission, of course. Additionally, people can become the basis of a mailing list, which is important for the marketing aspect of your book. Using email to contact them is the most expedient, but you can try phone or a return mailer, too.
What are the Book's Themes?
Once, you've selected a theme for your book, you can start looking for Bible verses and stories that support your book's theme. If you've participated in Bible studies over the course of time, it's likely that you know a number of them already, but if not, helpful resources exist to help you locate them faster. All of this experience should help you to develop a Bible study based upon your research. To help you write your Bible study portions, you may find it helpful to read other Bible studies that have been written.
Getting Started Writing
Many writers find the challenge of writing begins with the blank page, so help yourself out by bypassing that; make an outline of your book once you have all your material, interviews, Bible study materials and quotes compiled. The act of making an outline helps you clarify your thoughts and see what might be missing in your information. Once you've done this, you'll be more prepared to write a rough draft following the outline of your book. In this stage, don't worry about making mistakes in your writing, just get the words on the page.
Revising your Rough Drafts
Once the draft is complete, let it sit for awhile so that you can look at it with fresh eyes. Once your eyes and your mind have had a chance to rest from your writing, go back and revise and redraft your manuscript. The simplest way to do this is to print out the book and read it page by page, making correction notes. Writers sometimes tend to correct as they go, but this isn't always the best practice. It's helpful to know what you originally wrote down in case you need to go back again to recapture a thought that was lost in the editing process, but you realize that you don't want left out. Additionally, you may find it additionally helpful to have a friend read the outline to determine if the material is understandable.
Final Thoughts on Traditional and Self-Publishing
Finally, you're going to want to decide how you're going to sell your book, whether by self-publishing or via a publishing house. Each has its advantages, but self-publishing requires that you do more of you own marketing and foot all the costs. However, going with a publishing house demands that you give up some of the control of your book. Regardless of the route that you take, you should develop a marketing plan. If you self-publish, you'll know the next step. If you go with a publishing house, you'll have a bit of clout coming into the book selling process, because you're giving the company a leg up in terms of making sure your book gets sold. In either case, this is where mailing lists, social media sites and passing out business cards comes into play. Below are some links to some helpful sites to help you market your non-fiction Christian book.
Moira Allen, Selling Your Non-Fiction Book, Part 1, Publishing World
April Wilson, How to Publish a Christian Non-Fiction Book, eHow
Jesus Journal, Tips for Christian Writers, Jesus Journal
Getting the Ideas Down on Paper
Brainstorming for ideas is one of the best ways to help you to select a theme for your book. Let's say that you are interested in what the Bible says about friendship. You might select different Bible verses and stories about friendship. Take notes about your findings as you go; these ideas become the beginnings of your research. If you are really stuck for a theme, you might also consider asking your friends, family members and members of the clergy their thoughts on the subject to get the process going for you. Ask them what verses they like, ask them their perspectives on the subject at hand and use them for quotes in your book-with their permission, of course. Additionally, people can become the basis of a mailing list, which is important for the marketing aspect of your book. Using email to contact them is the most expedient, but you can try phone or a return mailer, too.
What are the Book's Themes?
Once, you've selected a theme for your book, you can start looking for Bible verses and stories that support your book's theme. If you've participated in Bible studies over the course of time, it's likely that you know a number of them already, but if not, helpful resources exist to help you locate them faster. All of this experience should help you to develop a Bible study based upon your research. To help you write your Bible study portions, you may find it helpful to read other Bible studies that have been written.
Getting Started Writing
Many writers find the challenge of writing begins with the blank page, so help yourself out by bypassing that; make an outline of your book once you have all your material, interviews, Bible study materials and quotes compiled. The act of making an outline helps you clarify your thoughts and see what might be missing in your information. Once you've done this, you'll be more prepared to write a rough draft following the outline of your book. In this stage, don't worry about making mistakes in your writing, just get the words on the page.
Revising your Rough Drafts
Once the draft is complete, let it sit for awhile so that you can look at it with fresh eyes. Once your eyes and your mind have had a chance to rest from your writing, go back and revise and redraft your manuscript. The simplest way to do this is to print out the book and read it page by page, making correction notes. Writers sometimes tend to correct as they go, but this isn't always the best practice. It's helpful to know what you originally wrote down in case you need to go back again to recapture a thought that was lost in the editing process, but you realize that you don't want left out. Additionally, you may find it additionally helpful to have a friend read the outline to determine if the material is understandable.
Final Thoughts on Traditional and Self-Publishing
Finally, you're going to want to decide how you're going to sell your book, whether by self-publishing or via a publishing house. Each has its advantages, but self-publishing requires that you do more of you own marketing and foot all the costs. However, going with a publishing house demands that you give up some of the control of your book. Regardless of the route that you take, you should develop a marketing plan. If you self-publish, you'll know the next step. If you go with a publishing house, you'll have a bit of clout coming into the book selling process, because you're giving the company a leg up in terms of making sure your book gets sold. In either case, this is where mailing lists, social media sites and passing out business cards comes into play. Below are some links to some helpful sites to help you market your non-fiction Christian book.
Moira Allen, Selling Your Non-Fiction Book, Part 1, Publishing World
April Wilson, How to Publish a Christian Non-Fiction Book, eHow
Jesus Journal, Tips for Christian Writers, Jesus Journal
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