Self-Publishing as a Christian

My journey and advice for others!

My journey to self-publishing (or independent publishing) began in the early months of 2021, when I attended my first-ever writer’s conference online through the Catholic Writer’s Guild. Up until this point, I had been writing stories independently since my graduation from college in 2019. I had a book idea that had begun forming in 2018 to write a devotional prayer journal for those struggling with stress and anxiety, as I had experienced while in college. I was deeply moved and comforted through praying the Rosary with my mother on weekends when I came home to visit—particularly the childhood stories of Jesus in the Joyful Mysteries, and I wanted to write a book to share my experiences and spiritual growth with others.

Tip #1: - Don’t write alone! Join a writing community to gain support, mentorship, and comradery with other Christian writers. Groups I have joined presently or in the past and found helpful are The Catholic Writer’s Guild, The Fiat Self-Publishing Academy (now Catholic Business Buddy on Substack), Legend Fiction, Word on Fire writing community, and Catholic Creatives on Facebook.

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

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At the conference, I learned there were pitch session opportunities to traditional publishers in order to pursue getting my book idea picked up by a publisher. I was thrilled! How else would I get my book actually created and into the hands of readers if not for working with an actual book publisher? So, I prepared my pitch and presented it. I don’t even recall which publisher, but I was asked to send in my proposal and some sample chapters. I waited with eagerness…and nothing. I followed up, and the book just wasn’t for them. Whether it was the topic/content, my lack of much of a social media following/presence, or something else, I don’t recall. But after that rejection, I dove head-first into sending book proposals out to all the Christian publishers I could think who might be interested in my book. Crickets and rejections followed. I was frustrated. It seemed my dream of becoming a published author and seeing my book in print was an impossible reality!

For lack of better words, I was a “nobody” in the eyes of the book publishing industry. I wasn’t an influencer, I wasn’t famous, I wasn’t overly educated on a particular topic. In other words, why would they take a chance on me? Sure, they are in the industry to publish good, true, and faithful books, but they are also in the industry to make money. Someone like me, just starting out with no published works behind them was a loose cannon. Now, I don’t want to discourage anyone from applying to a traditional publisher, but I want to paint the reality that it’s competitive, niche, and a highly selective process, even with the Christian publishers. The publisher is the ‘gatekeeper’ if you will, on whether your book is likely to fit with what they publish, and likely to make them money. That’s just the reality, and this certainly works for some people, but for the rest of us, it means closed doors.

Tip #2: - All that glitters isn’t gold. Don’t be afraid to pursue what doesn’t naturally glitter at first—self-publishing. While the idea of being granted a contract and advance from a well-established publisher sure glittered, it didn’t end up being my gold mine, and that’s okay! The beauty of the technological world we live in is that independently publishing your book is not only possible, but it is gaining credibility in the eyes of readers. And in contrast to the words “self” and “independent,” the publishing process doesn’t have to be!

Photo by Johnny McClung on Unsplash