One Reason Christian Authors Resist Marketing

Why are some Christian authors hesitant to market their books?

In this training, I share one reason why Christian authors resist marketing their books. It’s time to let your light shine!

Listen Below:

Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

Click here to leave an iTunes review and subscribe to the show. Read my step-by-step tutorial and find out all the details here. If you have a specific question, I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a message here.

Don’t Hide Your Light

Last weekend I was a keynote speaker, and I led a workshop at the Writers on the Rock conference for Christian writers. It was amazing and so fun.

I gave my workshop Amplify Your Message. If you are interested in going through that workshop, you can get it at TrainingAuthors.com/Amplify.

I was in the middle of this presentation, and I’m talking about this whole concept, why Christian authors resist marketing, and all the sudden something new came to my mind. I often talk about my key verse, my theme verse from my business come from Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl, instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven.”

Those verses say that we’re not to hide our light, instead, we are to let it shine. We’re to let our good deeds shine. The word “good deeds” means the work of our hands – it’s the things that we create, any products that we create.

So, that means the books and other things that we create.

We’re to let them shine so that people can “praise us”? Is that what it says? No!

What does it say? So that people will do what?

Praise our heavenly Father in heaven.

We are to let our good deeds shine. We’re to do the marketing, get the word out, and let people know our books exist so that they can praise our heavenly Father in heaven.

The root of Pride, Self-Centeredness, and Greed

I was asking the authors in the workshop last weekend, why do you think you resist marketing?

Why do you think Christian authors resist marketing?

It was interesting that at both times it was the same answer.

We’re afraid that we’re going to be prideful. We’re afraid that all of the sudden the marketing is going to become all about us, and that we’re going to sin with pride and self-centeredness.

The other thing that I heard from authors is that it might turn out to be all about greed, the money, and what we can make. We might end up being in the center of it, and for sure, we need to be aware of that.

It is a big temptation whether to be drawn towards materialism, the money, and the greed, or humanism, where you put yourself at the center. It is a huge temptation, and I talk about that in the workshop on Amplify Your Message.

But we’re not to hide either. That’s not an excuse just to publish a book and to never let anyone know that it even exists. It’s not an excuse to never talk about our book, never mention it at all.

We need to let our light shine so that people will praise our heavenly Father.

What Will People Think?

What I realized though, as I was presenting this last weekend is that it’s not even just the fact that we’re concerned that we’re going to be led into pride, greed, or self-glorification. I really believe part of the issue and the reason so many Christian authors are hesitant to market their books is because they’re afraid of what other people will think.

We’re afraid to do the things that God calls us to do, to get the message to more people, to reach more people with our testimonies, with the gospel, is because they’re afraid of what other people will say about us.

Ouch.

We’re afraid that other people are going to assume and think that we’re prideful. We’re afraid that somebody is going to think that we’re all about the money because we’re marketing it. We’re afraid of what other people will think.

But you know what? We are only responsible for our actions, and for what we do.

I’ve had people actually come up to me and say, “Shelley, I’m praying for you, and I’m praying that you do not become prideful.”

And I’m thinking to myself, “You already think that don’t you?”

You know what? They don’t know my motives. They don’t know my heart, and if they’re judging me, and that’s on them. They are responsible for their thoughts, their actions, and their judgments. I am only responsible for what God has given me to do.

In Matthew 25, we can read about the parable of the Talents. Now, that’s a very familiar passage if you’ve been in church any amount of time or read your Bible.

What does it say that the person with one Talent did? What did they do with that one Talent?

It says, “I was afraid, and so I hid.”

I truly believe, and God gave me an even deeper revelation of this last weekend. I truly believe many Christian authors are afraid of what other people will think of them, and so they’re hiding.

You’re hiding that gift, that light, that book, that God has given you because you are afraid of what other people will think.

Yes, we need to guard our hearts. Yes, we need to make sure that we are staying plugged in with God and that we have prayer and accountability partners. And yes, we need to make sure that our hearts are right.

I can tell you from my experience. There was a time that I got pulled in a couple of different directions, and the Lord has had to line me back up again.

But you know what? That’s life, and sometimes we overeat, you know what I mean? Sometimes we overspend, sometimes we do stuff.

We have sin that comes into our lives every day. But it’s all about confessing that sin, getting right with the Lord, and moving forward. If we live our lives in fear if we live our life based on what we think other people are going to think of us, what is God going to say when we meet him face to face one day?

I want him to say, “Well done good and faithful servant. I gave you these many Talents, and you multiplied them. You did the things that I gave you to do.” Are you asking God? Are you seeking Him?

One God Idea

I have a podcast all about one God idea. It’s all about the idea that God can give you. He will give you the best marketing ideas, and He will give you the plan. He will give you what He wants you to do.

Maybe that doesn’t mean you’re going on live video like I do, but He will give you the ideas and the plans if you will just press in and ask him. There are so many times when we are just stuck in fear, and we are hiding.

Someone, right now, is waiting for the message you have to share. Will you stand up and say, “No more! No more will I resist marketing.”

Marketing is about relationships – that is the foundation of marketing. The foundation of all of it is relationship – getting to know people, sharing your story, and getting to know theirs.

It doesn’t have to feel sleazy and slimy. If you want more information on this, I encourage you to sign up for my free training. It’s the same workshop I gave last weekend – Amplify Your Message. You can sign up for free at TrainingAuthors.com/Amplify.

Renew Our Minds

If this is you, I just want to encourage you. If you’ve been stuck and you’ve had that mindset that marketing is prideful or it’s going to lead you to greed, I want you to get unstuck. If you keep on thinking that other people are going to think that’s what you’re all about, I want you to be freed from that today.

What happens is our thoughts lead to our actions. And what will happen if we have these thoughts?

“I don’t want to market.”

“I don’t want to put myself out there.”

“I don’t even want to publish my book.”

“What will people think of me?”

“I hate marketing; it’s just sleazy and slimy!”

If we’re having these thoughts all the time of negative things about marketing, we’re probably not going to market our book. We’re probably not going to click the publish button, and we’re probably not going to take those actions because our thoughts lead to our actions.

Does that make sense?

So, it starts with renewing our minds. It starts with identifying what is the stinkin’ thinkin’. What is the fear? What is the root?

I honestly believe that a lot of us are stuck because we’re afraid of what other people will think. That’s on them. The only thing you are responsible for is your actions. If your heart is in the right place, let that light shine! Don’t hold back and be who God has created you to be.

Prayer

Let me pray over you.

“God, I thank You so much for every author that is listening to this right now. I pray right now for a breakthrough for them, in their minds, from this stinkin’ thinkin’.

I command any fear to leave in Jesus’ name. I pray that You would help each one of us and show each one of us what it is You have for us. We know that it’s going to be different for every single one of us – how we market our books, depending on our personality, our resources, and our experience.

It’s going to look different for every single one of us, but Lord show us what we can do. Give us the ideas and the courage to let our light shine, to multiply the gifts and abilities You’ve given us, and to be such an amazing force for the Kingdom of God.

I just pray that You would work powerfully in each one of our lives, and I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

EndNote

Thank you so much for being here. If you found this helpful, please share it with other authors, your friends, and even with business owners and entrepreneurs. Please make sure to share this message and be an encouragement to someone else today.