As writers, there are things that can stand in the way of seeing the breakthrough of finishing our book.

Sometimes there's an absolute desperation on our part. There are times we can get a little crazy after exhausting all other options.

But when we encounter Jesus, breakthroughs are possible…

Mark 2:1-12

Imagine the testimony of this paralyzed man. He was lowered through a hole in the roof by his friends but walked out the front door under his own power after encountering Jesus.

Sometimes we have to get a little crazy as we find our way around the “crowds” of things that keep us from Jesus.

Desperation sometimes comes after we’ve exhausted other options that haven’t worked (example: woman with the blood issue touching the hem of Jesus’s garment - Mark 5).

This paralyzed man had 4 good friends who helped him. Can you think of 4 people willing to carry you and your book to Jesus in prayer?

“Stunned onlookers” were praising God in verse 12. Our books can have a similar effect as a testimony to God’s work in our lives

Have you felt paralyzed in your writing? Jesus brings life and movement to things that have long been paralyzed.

Here are some recommendations if you get desperate. Decide if you will:

• Turn off your phone or all the notifications so you won't get distracted.
• Take a social media fast for a month so you could finish writing your book.
• Reserve a hotel room or go somewhere so you have undistracted time to work on your book.
• Have a week's vacation and focus on writing your book.
• Form a small prayer team that will pray for you while you write.

So what might it look like for you?

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When you write a new book, one thing I want you to consider is how to set your book up for bulk orders.

What are bulk orders? Typically these will come from groups, organizations, or companies that will want to order multiple copies of their books for book studies, gifts, to include in a subscription box, etc.

Include a Reader’s Guide

I recommend creating a reader’s guide with discussion questions that book clubs can use. Typically you will add the questions to the back of your book. This applies to both fiction and nonfiction. If you’ve written a Bible study or book study that can be used with church groups, this is another avenue where your books can be purchased in higher quantities.

Personally, I have found that I sell a lot more copies of my print book, Broken Crayons Still Color, because women’s groups use it for their studies. 

Whether you are writing a fiction novel or a nonfiction book, consider how you can make it easy for groups to use it. You will have the potential to make more book sales and impact more people this way.

You can let your readers know that you have additional resources for book clubs on your website. This could look like a standalone page on your website or you can have them sign up to an email list to get the information.

Other Options

Think outside the box! Are there companies who could use your book for leadership training for their employees or as a gift for Christmas? Or maybe a company wants to give the books as a gift for their buyers. For example, real estate agents often buy gifts for their new homeowners.

Subscription box companies are also an option. For example, ourselves as well as several of our members have been able to work with God’s Glory Box.

Offer Discounts

Be willing to offer discounts to companies who buy your print books in bulk.

We offer discounts from our website here: https://www.bodyandsoulpublishing.com/print-discounts/ 

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There are so many reasons to write short Kindle eBooks.  Personally, I have been writing this type of book for many years and people enjoy reading shorter books.

We are all busy and we all have a lot to do.  Therefore, if I can find one book to read quickly, get my question answered, and move on, I’m a happy camper.  

A short book is easy for your readers to consume.  A lot of readers will read books over their lunch break or when they have a few minutes.  Some short books can be finished within a one hour lunch break

The best part about writing a short book?  It’s quicker to write!

It’s a quick win and can help us build momentum for the next book

The Book Length

A question I am often asked is how long should the book be?  For short Kindle eBooks, I recommend a length of about 10,000 words.  It equals out to about 60-70 print pages.  This is the length of most of our short eBooks.  However, your book can be anywhere from 6,000-20,000 words.  

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When you are in your writing zone, you are using the right side of your brain. This is the creative part of your brain. 

Whereas when you are outlining, researching, and editing you are using the left side of your brain. This is the logical part of your brain and also where your inner critic resides. 

Therefore when you try to write and edit at the same time, your inner critic can easily shut you down. For example, your inner critic might say, “You’re not spelling that right. Who are you to write a book when you don’t even know how to spell? This is horrible. You might as well stop now and not even try to write this book.” And on and on it goes.

We’ve all been there. So, let’s not let our inner critic get the best of us. Amen?

5 ways to quiet your inner critic and stay in the writing zone: 

1. Highlight an area that will need more editing or research later. You can do this by using a different color or highlighting the text. If you’re writing with paper and pen (or pencil) you can draw an asterisks or arrow next to it.
2. Turn off spell check. Spell check can be a constant distraction because it shows you where your potential spelling and grammar mistakes are as you write. It is important to self-edit your work, but I don’t recommend doing it when you’re in the writing zone. So if this distracts you, turn it off while you’re writing.

Here’s how in Microsoft Word: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/turn-spell-check-on-or-off-e2805461-77d4-4832-b006-061163c8d01a 

Here’s how in Google Docs: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/57859?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en 

3. Use a text editor or distraction free writing tool that doesn’t highlight potential edits like your typical word processor.
4. Turn off your computer screen. Yes, some writers say they actually do this when typing to avoid the distractions. I’m not sure I could write this way, but I wanted to at least mention it.
5. Talk to your inner editor. Let the editor part of your brain know that you will get back to the editing later. Right now you are writing and need to focus on one task at a time. 

“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.” Mark‬ ‭4:39‬ ‭NLT

We need to tell our inner critic “Silence! Be still!” - the Greek word here implies putting a muzzle on a dog. Put a muzzle on your inner critic

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