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Kingdom Writers: A Podcast for Christian Writers of All Genres

Welcome to Kingdom Writers where CJ and Shelley Hitz help you take a step of faith to finally finish your book. This podcast is filled with spiritual encouragement as well as prayers to help you overcome the resistance you face as a writer. Your story matters! We believe that you have a specific role to play in the kingdom of heaven to impact lives for eternity. And because of this, we will pour out our lives encouraging writers like you to not only tell your stories but to take the courageous step of self-publishing your stories in books that will outlive you and leave behind a powerful legacy. This podcast is sponsored by our membership Christian Book Academy where we help you give birth to your books. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom Writers!
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Kingdom Writers: A Podcast for Christian Writers of All Genres
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Now displaying: May, 2022
May 25, 2022

Jesus Shows Up – A few post-resurrection sightings


Jesus spent 40 days on earth after His resurrection. During this time, He eased His followers’ doubts and gave them direction for the future.


Like those original followers, we as Kingdom Writers sometimes feel like we’ve missed something along the way. We had high hopes for books that are currently in a tomb. Might as well just go back to our day job and forget about this writing thing. It was a nice 3 years of adventure we can tell our grandkids about.


It’s precisely in those moments when Jesus shows up…


1.) Walk to Emmaus – “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.” Luke 24:21


“Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:31-32


Jesus wants to open our eyes and restore hope that has been lost in us. He wants our hearts to burn again and spill over into our writing.


2.) Mary Magdalene weeping at the tomb (John 20:11-18) – This woman who Jesus once cast 7 demons out of would become the first person the resurrected Jesus would encounter. In a culture that demeaned women, Jesus gives his first post-resurrection message to a woman before instructing her to share with his “brothers.” Jesus not only redeems our past failures but now instructs us to share his message of new life as Kingdom Writers.


3.) Breakfast with Peter (John 21) – The man who denied he knew Jesus three straight times is restored by the “Great Shepherd” and instructed to feed his sheep. (Read 1 Peter 5:1-4). This same Peter would contribute writings that find their way into the best-selling book of all time. This rough fisherman would pen words that God has used to strengthen and encourage followers of Jesus for nearly 2000 years. One breakfast with Jesus can change the trajectory of a life forever.


Jesus continues to show up today! Perhaps he’ll make an appearance to someone halfway around the world through your writings and mine.


Prayer

Your Writing Battle Plan

Powerful things happen when you integrate your faith with your writing, publishing, and marketing.

Learn how to create your writing battle plan so you can move forward in God's call on your life to write in our Battle Plan All-Access Pass. You'll get 15 presentations plus 13 bonus trainings including our Priestly Pen bundle here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/battleplan/

May 18, 2022

One of the best ways to sell your book is to let your customers sell your book for you. Customer reviews and word-of-mouth referrals are powerful. Learn more in this episode of the podcast.

Next week we will publicly open the doors to Christian Book Academy. Something new we have launched is a success stories podcast which allows our members to share their results with you.

Listen to case studies and success stories from Christian Book Academy members here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/success-stories 

Join our community of Kingdom Writers! 

Get on the waitlist here: https://christianbookacademy.com

May 11, 2022

When it comes to self-publishing, is it possible to publish a quality book on a budget?

Yes, it is!

Here are 3 ways to consider…

1.) Hire the right people

Many companies will offer to publish your book for thousands of dollars. Typically it will cost $3000 - $10,000. When you remove the middleman and hire the right people directly, you can save thousands of dollars. Why not use some of the money you saved for other things like marketing your book once it’s published?

2.) Start small

Your main expense when self-publishing will be hiring a professional editor. Most editors charge by the word or by project. Therefore, when you publish a shorter book; your costs will be significantly less.

3.) Know where you can cut costs (and where you shouldn’t)

For example, one of the easiest ways to save money when publishing your book is with the formatting. However, you still want to use tools that are cost-effective and give you a final product you’re proud to share with the world.

Want to learn even more ways to self-publish on a budget (without compromising quality)? 

If so, join my workshop, Procrastination to Publication here: https://procrastinationtopublication.com/ 

You will get all the tools and recommendations you need to publish a short Kindle eBook on a budget and can apply what you learn right away.

In fact, I’m hosting a fun book cover reveal challenge inside the workshop right now. So make sure to join us and get your ticket here: https://procrastinationtopublication.com/ 

May 4, 2022

Self-publishing can be overwhelming and expensive. You've done some research and have been praying about the best way to publish your book.

However, you have some doubts and hesitations.

I’ve been there. We’ve all been there.

Don’t let paralysis of analysis keep your book as an unfinished project on your computer's hard drive or in your notebooks gathering dust. Instead, let’s breakthrough the myths that may be holding you back.

Myth #1: Traditionally published books are of better quality than self-published books.

The truth is that self-published books can have the same quality as a book published with a traditional publisher. There are certain things you can do to make sure that when someone picks up your book they won’t know it has been independently published. 

If you want to self-publish a book that has a quality interior design (on a budget), be sure to check out Dave Chesson’s presentation at our upcoming Kingdom Writers Conference!

Myth #2: It costs thousands of dollars to self-publish a book.

The truth is that you can get a high-quality book self-published without breaking the bank.

Many writers get confused between self-publishing and vanity publishing.

Vanity publishing is when a small publisher agrees to publish your book at your cost. They typically charge thousands of dollars for this service. Plus, in order for you AND your publisher to make money, you have to price your book so high that it’s difficult to sell. It often gets priced right out of the market. 

Professional editing will be one of your biggest costs with self-publishing. Therefore, if you want to learn 3 ways to cut costs with editing, be sure to check out Debra L. Butterfield’s presentation at our upcoming Kingdom Writers Conference!

Myth #3: Self-publishing a book is overwhelming

Yes, writing a book can be overwhelming. I get it. There are so many details. However, what if you start with a short Kindle eBook?

A short book is easy for your readers to consume.  Plus, it’s quicker to write! It’s a quick win and can help you build momentum for the next book. And when you publish as an eBook there are a lot less details to manage. You can always add other versions later.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of writing a short Kindle eBook (and the length I recommend), be sure to check out my presentation at our Kingdom Writers Conference.

Next Steps

Look back at the 3 myths we went over, choose the one that is currently affecting you the most, and take action on it!

And for a whole lot more help with self-publishing on a budget (without compromising quality), check out the FREE Kingdom Writers Conference, Count the Costs edition. We've got 8 seasoned writers and publishers lined up and ready to teach you everything from saving on book cover design to choosing the best formatting software.

Some speakers you might recognize include:

  • Dave Chesson
  • Matt Tommey
  • Shae Bynes
  • Thomas Umstattd Jr.
  • Heather Hart
  • ...and more!

We kicked off yesterday, on Tuesday May 3rd and this is one event that you can't afford to miss. Click here to learn more: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/  

Can't wait to see you there!

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