JOIN US: We are hosting a FREE one-day conference on July 20th, 2023 to help you unlock the full potential of your writing with the transformative power of prayer so that God can use your words to impact lives for eternity.
Register for free here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/prayer/
Overcoming Fear of Rejection
In today's episode, we delve into a topic that every author can relate to: the fear of rejection. Join us as we explore strategies and insights on how to overcome this fear and transform it into a powerful tool for growth and success in your writing journey.
Nika Maples is The Author's Coach, helping writers live a beautiful and balanced life as an author. She is a former Texas Teacher of the Year and the author of six books, including Page One to Page Done, a Step-By-Step Plan to Write, Publish, and Market Your Amazing Book.
Free WRITING WHEEL Download
Learn 5 proven writing strategies you can use today to get more writing done. Download it now here.
Your Book on Paper in Just 90-Minutes
Are you ready to get your book onto paper without the frustration of getting stuck or dealing with writers’ block?
Get your book out of your head and onto paper by the end of this 90-minute workshop using our 3 simple book writing formulas here.
How will you know and discover your target audience? In this episode, our special guest, Anne Watson, talks about the importance of knowing your audience and how you can help them through your own medium of communication.
Anne Watson is a business strategy coach and the host of the Swayology podcast. She helps coaches and communicators think like a business so they can inspire like a boss by getting crystal clear about their niche and creating a transformational offer that gets results. She currently lives in the Dallas, Texas area.
Connect with Anne and find out more here.
Why? 3 Possible Reasons We Experience Spiritual & Writing Drought
1.) We disobey God…An example from the Israelites – Deuteronomy 28:22-23 – “The Lord will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die. The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron.”
2.) We may be lacking nourishment in God’s Word and prayer – Psalm 63:1 – “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.”
3.) We might be going from one season to another – 1 Kings 17:5-9 – “So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land. Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”
Elijah was being prepared for his grand showdown with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel.
• 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 Talking to King Solomon – “At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
• Acts 3:19-20 (The Message) - “Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus”
See the pictures CJ referenced here: https://apnews.com/article/california-reservoir-levels-winter-storms-da455706e614b95fb49d98a211f788d3
The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God
Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.
Get access to the video and PDF download now here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/
Are you experiencing a slump in your book sales this season? Don’t get discouraged and don’t panic because you are not alone in this battle.
In this episode, Shelley talks about the importance of having a community and accountability to help you during this season.
Free: 27 Book Marketing Ideas
You have finally written and published your book. Yay! Now, it’s time to market and promote it to reach more people and inspire lives.
Get instant access to our FREE PDF on 27 Book Marketing Ideas to help you with your book marketing strategy here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/ideas/
Book Marketing Templates to Save You Time and Money
You’ve got a book you’re proud of. Now you’re looking for a simpler way to get it into the hands of more readers. One way you can do that is through social media. It's free to use...however, it can also take up a lot of your time.
Good news!
You can get your social media posts for the next month done in just 90 minutes so that you can reach more readers with your book (without being pushy or salesy) in the Mini-Marketing Messages workshop here: https://minimarketingmessages.com
When you publish your Kindle book to Amazon, you get an option to enroll your book in the KDP Select Program. In this episode, Shelley breaks down the advantages and downsides of enrolling your book in KDP Select.
Promote Your Book Successfully with a 99 Cent Sale
Join our 99 Cent Book Launch Workshop on June 22nd where you will learn and get all the tools and resources you need to successfully launch your book.
You can join the workshop by signing up for Christian Book Academy. We are an online membership that help Christian writers of all genres, like you, write words that outlive you, self-publish books that fulfill your calling, and reach more readers with your message.
Whether you’re writing your first draft or you’re already on your way to publish and market your books, it’s important to remember that we are called to be stewards of the gifts God has given us.
Remember, when you answer the call to write, God can unlock words for you to share with the message He has placed within you.
Unlock Your Writing Now
Do you want to see what God will do as you show up and allow Him to flow through you? Join us as we start the Unlock Your Writing program this June! This is a 4-week program during the month of June 2023 to help you move forward in what God has called you to do.
This will help you make progress on your writing or on your marketing materials like blog posts, emails, social media posts, etc.
You can join the Unlock Your Writing Program by signing up for Christian Book Academy. We are an online membership that help Christian writers of all genres, like you, write words that outlive you, self-publish books that fulfill your calling, and reach more readers with your message.
Join CJ in this Mentoring Moment as we focus on the word “Retreat.”
A couple meanings of the word retreat include,
“A place of privacy or safety; refuge.”
“A period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction.”
In Mark 6:30-32 (NIV) we read these words of Jesus,
“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “COME WITH ME by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”
Jesus is inviting us to “come with Him” by ourselves to a quiet place. Of course, there are certainly times when we aim to get lots of writing done but there may be times during these virtual writing retreats when Jesus simply wants us to meet with Him and get on board with the things He desires to do in and through us.
The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God
Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.
Get access to the video and PDF download now here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/
Have you experienced pitching on podcasts and weren't able to get any yeses? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. But what do you do if that happens? Listen to this episode to find out.
Kim Stewart is a book marketing coach and host of the Book Marketing Mania podcast. She helps Christian nonfiction authors build their platforms and market their books on podcasts. When she's not strategizing with clients, you'll find her in Dallas enjoying time with her family, and indulging in coffee, caramel and Friends reruns.
Connect with her at https://kimstewartmarketing.com/
Free: 27 Book Marketing Ideas
You have finally written and published your book. Yay! Now, it’s time to market and promote it to reach more people and inspire lives.
Get instant access to our FREE PDF on 27 Book Marketing Ideas to help you with your book marketing strategy here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/ideas/
As writers, we often have seasons of acceleration: doing a lot of behind-the scenes and preparation, and we need to rest.
In this episode, Shelley discusses the importance of rest in the writing process and knowing when it is the right time to rise again.
Download Your Publishing Map
If you want to write and publish a book but don't know where to start, this Publishing Map is for you. You will learn Shelley's 9 simple steps inside her publishing map that will help you gain clarity on your next steps.
Download it now for free here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/publishing-map/
Join Our Procrastination to Publication Workshop
With our simple 5-step system, you’ll be able to self-publish a quality Kindle eBook (without breaking the bank) in as little as 30 days.
Here are a few of the topics we’ll cover:
The 5-step method for editing, formatting, and designing a book cover so you can publish your Kindle eBook in as little as 30 days.
My go-to process for self-editing your manuscript (that writers rave about)
The formula I’ve used to easily price my books
The tools you can use to format your book (and who you can hire to do it for you)
The 5-minute hack to instantly know if your book cover will stop the scroll
Get started now here: https://procrastinationtopublication.com/
JOIN US: We are hosting a FREE one-day conference today, May 4th, 2023 to help you discover proven strategies that will empower you to confidently launch your book into the world so you can reach a wider audience and make a lasting impact with the message God has placed on your heart.
Register for free here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/launch/
Get Unstuck in Your Writing
Do you feel stuck at writing? Or are you an “unwriting” writer? In this episode, Shelley talks about how to get back to the basics of writing and how to move on into the deep work of it.
Free WRITING WHEEL Download
Learn 5 proven writing strategies you can use today to get more writing done. Download it now here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/writingwheel
Your Book on Paper in Just 90-Minutes
Are you ready to get your book onto paper without the frustration of getting stuck or dealing with writers’ block?
Get your book out of your head and onto paper by the end of this 90-minute workshop using our 3 simple book writing formulas here: www.BookWritingLab.com
JOIN US: We are hosting a FREE one-day conference on May 4th, 2023 to help you discover proven strategies that will empower you to confidently launch your book into the world so you can reach a wider audience and make a lasting impact with the message God has placed on your heart.
Register for free here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/launch/
1 Kings 19:1-9
Elijah has just been used by the Lord to win a mighty battle atop Mount Carmel against the prophets of Baal. The smoke on the altar was probably still smoldering when he found himself fleeing for his life into the wilderness. It seems Jezebel put a hefty price on his head and vowed revenge for the 400 prophets of Baal who were killed at Elijah’s command.
Now this mighty man of God is feeling drained-physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He was feeling so low that he even asked the Lord to take his life. Turns out he simply needed to eat something.
We as Kingdom writers cannot afford to go without spiritual nourishment daily. There is a real enemy who has put a price on our heads and is angry that we write words inspired by God. Without daily nourishment, we will soon grow weak like Elijah.
Connecting with God our Power source will give us fuel for the writing journey!
The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God
Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.
Get access to the video and PDF download now here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/
JOIN US: We are hosting a FREE one-day conference on May 4th, 2023 to help you discover proven strategies that will empower you to confidently launch your book into the world so you can reach a wider audience and make a lasting impact with the message God has placed on your heart.
Register for free here: https://kingdomwritersconference.com/launch/
Launching a book can be quite overwhelming, especially for introverted authors who may feel uncomfortable with promotion and marketing.
In this episode, we talk about 3 simple and effective ideas that can help overcome these barriers to help you launch and successfully promote your book.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Book Marketing Strategies for Introverts: https://www.trainingauthors.com/book-marketing-strategies
Publisher Rocket - a tool to help you discover what keyword phrases people are searching on Amazon and so much more. Find out more here: https://trainingauthors.com/publisherrocket
Free: 27 Book Marketing Ideas
You have finally written and published your book. Yay! Now, it’s time to market and promote it to reach more people and inspire lives.
Get instant access to our FREE PDF on 27 Book Marketing Ideas to help you with your book marketing strategy here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/ideas/
Whether you’re currently in the early stages of writing your book or in the final phase of your draft, it’s important to know how to properly format your book.
In this episode, Shelley walks you through the process of book formatting and discusses the proper way to use formatting tools as you write your book.
Download Your Publishing Map
If you want to write and publish a book but don't know where to start, this Publishing Map is for you. You will learn Shelley's 9 simple steps inside her publishing map that will help you gain clarity on your next steps.
Download it now for free here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/publishing-map/
Join Our Procrastination to Publication Workshop
With our simple 5-step system, you’ll be able to self-publish a quality Kindle eBook (without breaking the bank) in as little as 30 days.
Here are a few of the topics we’ll cover:
The 5-step method for editing, formatting, and designing a book cover so you can publish your Kindle eBook in as little as 30 days.
My go-to process for self-editing your manuscript (that writers rave about)
The formula I’ve used to easily price my books
The tools you can use to format your book (and who you can hire to do it for you)
The 5-minute hack to instantly know if your book cover will stop the scroll
Get started now here: https://procrastinationtopublication.com/
Having a Christian Writing Coach could be beneficial for you to take your writing to the next level. They will help you improve your skills while keeping an eye to share your story for God’s glory.
But how do you find one? Listen to this episode to learn more.
Get Coaching from CJ and Shelley Hitz
If you’re looking for a Christian Writing Coach, we can help! Christian Book Academy is our online membership where you can get access to us, CJ and Shelley Hitz, as your Christian writing coach online. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom writers here.
Publishing a new edition of your book can be challenging, but it is also highly rewarding. It can breathe new life into a book that may already have its moment along with other benefits as well.
In this episode, Shelley Hitz and Shae Bynes talk about Shae’s bestselling book, Grace Over Grind, and the process of publishing a new edition of her book.
Shae Bynes is a passionate storyteller, mentor, and strategist who equips leaders to be catalysts for transformation in the marketplace. Known as “Chief Fire Igniter”, Shae co-founded the Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur movement in 2012, and her most popular book Grace Over Grind: How Grace Will Take Your Business Where Grinding Can’t is shifting the way people live, work, and engage the world around them. Whether she is sharing on platforms publicly or consulting privately, you can expect Shae to deliver an abundance of truth with love, grace, and contagious joy.
Learn more about her book here: https://www.graceovergrind.com/
In the stories of Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, and Mary we see what was “inconceivable” become conceivable. Each of these women conceived against all odds. Each required God’s supernatural intervention in order to conceive and give birth to a child.
This is the same God who supernaturally touches the empty places in our lives in order to conceive something that blesses the world. Our books will bless the world if they’re conceived by God.
Genesis 21:1-2 - Sarah
Genesis 25:21 - Rebekah
1 Samuel 1:10-11 - Hannah
Luke 1:30-31, 35 - Mary
Do you believe God can help you overcome the inconceivable?
The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God
Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.
Get access to the video and PDF download now here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/
I’m letting you in on a secret: there’s an effective way to grow your audience using the power of collaborations with other authors.
What exactly is a solo email swap and how can it help you reach more potential readers and followers? Listen to this episode to find out more.
Solo Email Swap Toolkit
Are you looking to grow your author platform fast with a proven and effective strategy to get the instant trust of your audience? The Solo Email Swap Toolkit will help you do that exactly.
Get instant access to the Solo Email Swap Toolkit when you join Christian Book Academy and attend our live implementation session on 3/23
Click here to get this toolkit when you join Christian Book Academy.
Did you know that you can easily grow your audience and increase your engagement by including a free lead magnet in your book? Absolutely!
In this episode, Shelley talks about 3 reasons to do this and how you, as an author, will be able to expand your reach to a wider audience while saving you a ton of time and money.
Kingdom Writers Conference Email Marketing edition
Do you want to connect with the right readers so you can bring your beautiful message to the world without wasting your time on strategies that don't work? If so, this event is for YOU!
This FREE one-day conference will help you unlock the power of email marketing to effectively grow your audience, consistently sell more books, and free up valuable time for writing.
If you're in the process of writing or publishing a book, you already know how much hard work and dedication it takes to bring your God-given dream to life. However, the reality is that writing your book is just half of the battle. You also want to have an audience of readers who are ready and eager to buy your book.
In this episode, we talk about what it means to have your own author platform and how it will effectively help you grow your audience and sell more books.
Kingdom Writers Conference Email Marketing edition
Do you want to connect with the right readers so you can bring your beautiful message to the world without wasting your time on strategies that don't work? If so, this event is for YOU!
This FREE one-day conference will help you unlock the power of email marketing to effectively grow your audience, consistently sell more books, and free up valuable time for writing.
In Matthew 2, we read about some “wisemen” who traveled from the East to bring gifts along with their worship of this newborn King of the Jews. Scholars believe they came from Babylon (modern day Baghdad, Iraq) or perhaps Persia (modern day Iran). In either case, they would have traveled 900-1200 miles by camel and arrived when Jesus was anywhere from 6 months to 2 years old.
You can imagine how excited they would have been to finally arrive at their destination. We read these words in Matthew 2:10-11,
“When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
In hindsight, each of these wisemen would have said it was worth the trip to see this newborn King Jesus with their own eyes. As Kingdom Writers, we will also look back on our lives and say our writing journey was worth the trip, regardless of how arduous.
The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God
Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.
Get access to the video and PDF download now here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/
Did you know that podcasting is one of the most effective ways to help you grow your audience and sell more books?
In this episode, we are joined by Eric Nevins as we talk about podcasting for authors and why you should consider it.
If you are one of the many authors who wants to explore podcasting this year, this one's for you.
About Eric Nevins
As an experienced podcaster, Eric Nevins has worked with hundreds of podcasters to improve their podcast. After years of working in the financial industry, Eric launched Get Curious Media to serve Christian businesses and ministries launching their own audio content platforms. He holds a Master of Divinity from Denver Seminary and resides in Denver with his wife, four kids, and a wonder dog.
Resources mentioned in the interview
Christian Podcast Guest: https://www.facebook.com/groups/954080928312413
Christian Podcasters Association: https://www.facebook.com/groups/804999833009547
Want to get booked on podcasts?
If so, we've put together a toolkit so you can find, track, and reach out to podcast hosts and see opportunities begin to open up for you. Find out more here: https://bookmarketingshop.com/products/get-booked-on-podcasts-toolkit
Time flies so fast when you’re having fun, right?
Well time sure has flown for us since first launching Christian Book Academy with a beta group in February 2015 with 25 members. Over the years, God has blessed us and we've been able to help hundreds of authors write, self-publish, and market their books.
As we celebrate our 8 year memberversary, we hosted a group writing session called the 15-Minute Writer.
For some writers, there simply isn't enough time in the day to get all the writing done. This group writing session will help you improve your writing skills and if you haven't tried a group writing session, you'll be amazed at what you can get done in 15 minutes.
Your story needs to be told so here is your shot at getting those thoughts out of your head, into the world and onto paper. Not only will you get valuable writing tips but you'll have time to share with other like-minded writers.
So join us at the 15-minute writer group writing session and unleash your creative juices! This works for writing your marketing content as well as writing a book.
Get access to the replay here.
Publishing a book isn’t something that you can do overnight. It takes time, work and patience in order to finish it. But if you want to see your book become a reality and share it with the world, you may want to consider blogging it.
In this episode, we share 3 reasons to consider blogging your book and why many known authors are doing it as well and how you can also benefit from it.
SEO for Authors
Learn how to optimize your website, blog posts, and pages! As an author, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective ways to market your books. In this training, you will know the strategies and techniques to help your website rank higher on search engine results pages.
Whether you’re in the process of writing your book or you have already published one, repurposing your content is a great way to reach new audiences and increase engagement.
In this episode, we talk about how this method allows you to make the most out of the content you create while keeping in touch with your audience so you can reach more people.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Kingdom Marketing Mindset for Authors
We pray it encourages you!
Habakkuk was a prophet who had some complaints to air out to God. He wasn’t happy with the way his fellow Jewish people were living and he let the Lord know. The Lord replies to this minor prophet by telling him He indeed had a plan for His people and He would use the cruel Babylonians to accomplish His purposes.
Now Habakkuk has several questions regarding God’s method of discipline. After asking his series of questions, we read these words,
“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.” (Habakkuk 2:1 NLT)
We all have complaints and questions as we journey through life. Habakkuk gives us an invitation to go back and forth with God to see what He’s up to in the world. But like Habakkuk, we must also be prepared to wait patiently for the Lord’s reply. In the end, like this prophet, we will find ourselves amazed and ready to fall to our faces in worship before this God who knows what He’s doing.
The Power of Having a Weekly Business Meeting with God
Learn the simple steps you can take to implement a weekly business meeting with God. This is one of the most important actions you can take as a Christian writer to ask God for the strategies to write, publish, and market your books successfully.
Get access to the video and PDF download now here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/businessmeeting/