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Publishing: 4

Publishing: 4

Jim Continues His Thoughts. . .

Who Moved My Cheese?

The cover design of the book caught my eye as well as the title. “Who Moved My Cheese?” it asked. It was a slender volume, no more than 96 pages as I recall, and it told the story of a number of mice that had to face change in life. The longstanding supply of cheese from which they have helped themselves is no more. “What is to be done in securing more cheese?” is the challenge facing these four mice. Written as a parable that takes place in a maze, the story engagingly describes Sniff and Scurry, and their associates, Hem and Haw, and how they go about finding more cheese. Spencer Johnson’s intention is to introduce readers to the concept of positive change and how to cope with it.  The book makes for engaging reading.

Shifting paradigms are always interesting, especially when they involve adjusting to new ways. Just because something has always been done in a particular way is no guarantee that such a way will always work—or that it cannot be improved.

When I first purchased my AB Dick printing press in the 1990s (more HERE), there was really only one way to produce books cost-effectively: by printing quite a lot at a time. The prevailing philosophy in the printing industry was to find a sweet-spot—establishing a printing number that was high enough to enable unit price to be attractive but not causing the publisher to have to mortgage his house to pay for the print run and then take take forever to sell the books—and not too short a print run to sell all copies too quickly. Of course, the fact that I owned a printing press did give me a strategic advantage at least when it came to the printing of sales leaflets and catalogs, but book printing was really a larger and more complex operation than my press would be able to manage.

After I relocated to Britain, the first publisher I worked for in the UK operated on the principle of having access to a fairly big warehouse to keep all the books safely stored during the time they were being fed out to the marketplace. Paper and print does not accrue in value under those circumstances, and it can be challenging to keep a large warehouse tidy and functioning in an orderly way. Maybe that got my thinking going about whether there was a better, a different way…

Other publishing wisdom I encountered in the early 2000s went like this: “We’ll print books in large quantities, but first find publishing partners—that is, buyers with whom we can engage in a kind of strategic alliance.” I liked that. It meant that the financial load could be spread and shared between two or more parties, stakeholders in each instance, and created a strong and efficient force for buying print and then for moving it into the market. I do still very much favor this approach, and I think it works really well under the right conditions.

Enter Amazon

The “Big A” has changed a lot of things. At one time, nobody took Amazon too seriously, but not so anymore. Amazon’s ability to operate on a relatively low overhead and to have negotiated specially preferential, volume-related relationships with shippers has dealt the death knell to many vendors who had maybe become comfortable with the status quo. The reality is that people’s buying habits have changed and continue to do so. Most people today are quite relaxed in making online purchases.

So What About a New Author?

Where does a new author, someone not yet published, fit into this shifting paradigm? There are many variables, but it’s usually fair to say that the new author is relatively without connections and can offer no track record to a prospective publisher. Jack Canfield (co-originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books) records how he had to work exceptionally hard to find a publisher who was prepared to take the risk with his publishing idea. But that publisher was not unhappy with the outcome. (Canfield has subsequently had several New York Times bestsellers to his credit.)

It’s a hop, skip, and jump (at least in one sense) for an unpublished author to fly solo, and there is significant temptation to do so. The ease with which self-publishing can take place has given newbie authors a lot of rope. Some such authors make good use of the rope for hanging themselves, speedily finding an in-law to help with the editing, a friend to design the cover, and a teenager to help with the uploading of files to the printer; others are more cautious and with due circumspection do a better job. The point is that homemade usually looks homemade. I’ve seen enough to make me queasy!

But let me get back to my story and to tell you why I publish. . . and to address three important questions that need to be kept under consideration.

Below: Some of the books I have published so far

1. The Question of  Editing, Design, and Production Quality

It soon became apparent that I could easily help a new author (or an established one) bring a very presentable book into print. And that was gratifying for me as well as for the author! Editing and book design are closely related, and I found that even as I was working with an author, ideas were coming to me in terms of how we could develop the work to make it look like a nice project once it was in print.

Any would-be self published author MUST think carefully about how to achieve an outstandingly good result!

2. The Question of Financial Risk

So, now finding myself in the position of working with authors and others in the publishing realm, but without a full-time employer, my instinct was to push forward and to push hard in developing a new model, one that would facilitate the kinds of people who are gifted writers, but who, for whatever reason, are not able to achieve success with a mainstream or established publisher. One of the most likely things that will happen to a self-published author is that he or she will end up with numbers of cartons of a well (or badly) produced book in the garage. The first ten or twenty copies were relatively easy to sell (or give away as complimentary items); and then things just dried up. That can be an expensive mistake!

DSR Printing

So I reasoned that we could find a way around that by using digital short-run printing (costs have become much lower in recent years) so that only a small number of books at a time would need to be produced. Wow! That made such a difference to how people saw things! In fact, I coined the term “Perpetually in Print” (more info HERE). An author’s book never has to go out of print. And an author never has to face the sight of cartons of unsold print in the garage gathering dust!

Then I turned my attention to how I could help people promote (and therefore sell) their books. That was fun, if you find Facebook and such portals to be fun! This is all about enabling an author to use his or her voice and to achieve maximum amplification through low-cost or no-cost promotional portals. But that’s for another post I’ll write another time!

3. The Question of Distribution Efficiency

But that still did not quite solve the challenge of global distribution. I loved it that my US-based clients could enjoy success in selling their books in the States, but what about my clients in the UK? Well, I am happy to report that there turned out to be a solution—a very good solution to that, too, and one of the print-and-distribute models that I now use is highly efficient in making my authors’ books available anywhere in the world, usually available to ship within just a couple of days.

It was pleasing to be able to see good and reasonable answers to each of these challenging questions as I moved forward in my thinking.

Doing It the Right Way

One of my clients–a self-published author (in fact, he has since started his own imprint with my involvement)–was happy to report to me that when he made his book publicly available, one of his associates spoke these words to him: “Dewey, this beautiful book is self-published, and yet it does not look self-published.” And that is exactly the point! An author who has invested years and years, who has toiled tirelessly to produce a manuscript surely deserves the very best treatment and the prospect of getting a really pleasing outcome from such labors!

The “Either/Or” and “Both/And”  Relationship

There is something of a watershed emerging in publishing. One the one side, there is the traditional model, a model that I love and that continues to be effective. I work closely with established publishers, publishers who have been around for a long time and will continue to be so. But there is a new way of publishing, and it is imperative that established publishers recognize the new dynamic and, where appropriate, make use of it for some of their printing needs. Of course, for the newbies who are careful enough not to hang themselves on the long length of rope suddenly available, judicious use of new technologies and systems provide the enabling to bring them into new realms of effecitveness.

To one of my clients, I recently used the analogy of what the skies are like to aircraft. Her husband, a retired doctor, loves flying his single-engine, four-seater Cessna 182. A 182 is not a Boeing 747. But it flies in the same skies, and uses the same principles of thrust and lift in order to stay airborne, and has many of the same capabilities. And so it is that she, a self-published author who may be unknown to many, is able to appear side by side with the greats when it comes to platforms such as Amazon, and the public response to her writing (expressed in customer ratings and reviews) has much the same visibility authors who may be much better known.

Ask me whether I am an either/or person or a both/and person, and I will tell you immediately that I am the latter, especially when it comes to publishing. And the interesting thing is that the two can sometimes morph together in related projects. An author who is going to enjoy spectacular success will most likely have his or her books printed many at a time, and published and promoted by a publisher and distribution network that can accommodate the speed and urgency of demand, and where the cost of sale relative to the final selling price dynamic is in a satisfactory and realistic relationship. Supply and demand factors often determine this quite naturally.

But there is so much to be said for the author whose books are just quietly selling through key portals, and where the ongoing activity is sustained through quiet and unobtrusive means. You might not find such books in window displays or endcaps in bookstores, and the authors might not be doing public signings, but the reality is that the reader interest and demand is there, and it fuels the life of the book over a good length of time.

There is More to Come. . .

I cannot complete this cluster of posts without sharing a little about some of the books I have published, and introducing you to some of the authors and the fun we had in getting the books from concept to completion. So look out for the next post or two in this series!

 

 

Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Gospel, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Reflections, Technology, Worldview, Writing, 1 comment
Paul Tautges on Prayer

Paul Tautges on Prayer

Pray About Everything

One of the many things I get to enjoy is working with gifted authors.

My good friend, Dr. Paul Tautges (“Say my last name to rhyme with couches,” he quipped to me when I first met him some ten years ago) is hard working in the ministry, as well as being prolific in his writing and editing. It was my privilege to be involved in his first main publication, then called Counsel one another (published by the company I used to work for in the UK) and subsequently upgraded to Counseling One Another, and now available from Shepherd Press.

One of Paul’s subsequent books was also brought into print by the same UK publisher, but, for various reasons was released to Shepherd Press, too, and is now making its second debut as Pray About Everything. It was originally titled Teach them to pray, and had as its assumption that the primary users were church ministers and office-bearers.

One of the reasons for changing the title in the Shepherd Press edition is that prayer should not only be about everything, but that prayer is for everyone who is walking in a right relationship with God. Ordinary people, not just church leaders, should be praying people!

Extensively endorsed, Paul’s book carries recommendations from men such as Jerry Bridges (he contributed the foreword), Brian Croft, Joel Beeke, and Mark Dever. Dever calls it “one of my favorite books on prayer.”

The short description of the book goes like this:

An urgent call, with practical guidelines, for believers to commit themselves to regular and systematic heartfelt prayer as an essential spiritual discipline of the Christian life.

The Table of Contents is in itself an appetite-whetter:

Foreword; Preface
Part 1 Prayer and the New Testament Church
1 Common People in Constant Prayer
2 The Priority of Prayer
Part 2 Brief Meditations for Prayer Meetings
3 Praying in Jesus’ Name
4 Praying for Unbelievers
5 Praying for Government Leaders
6 Praying Constantly
7 Praying with a Forgiving Heart
8 Praying with Tears
9 How Stubbornness Kills Prayer
10 How Husbands Get Their Prayers Answered
11 Asking Your Elders to Pray with You
12 Keep Praying!
Part 3 Practical Helps for Cultivating God-Dependency
Appendix 1 Annual “9 Days of Prayer”
Appendix 2 Four Seasons of Prayer
Appendix 3 Monthly Missions Prayer Nights
Appendix 4 Praying Scripture through Trials
Appendix 5 Prayer Sermon Outlines
Appendix 6 Small Group Bible Study on Prayer

Practical Stuff

You may order the book from Shepherd Press HERE

View a downloadable PDF information sheet HERE

KEY DETAILS AT A GLANCE
Pray About Everything: Cultivating God-Dependency
Paul Tautges
Trade Paperback, 128pp, 7.8 x 5.06 inches
ISBN: 978-1-63342-114-1
Suggested retail price: $12.95

Enjoy listening to an interview and discussion between Paul Tautges and Kevin Boling of Knowing the Truth Radio.

Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Interviews, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, Writing, 0 comments
Evangelical Times Promotes “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

Evangelical Times Promotes “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

An Article Published in November 2016 of Evangelical Times

Reproduced with the kind permission of www.EvangelicalTimes.org

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas

 

Recently, Evangelical Times interviewed Roger Ellsworth and Jim Holmes about a new project they are working on, the publication, promotion and distribution of a small-format, 112-page book, The Twelve Days of Christmas: morning and evening thoughts on Immanuel — God with us. The book is by Roger Ellsworth (details from http://twelvedaysofchristmas.net).

 ET: Jim, tell our readers how the Twelve Days idea came about.

 Jim Holmes: Several years ago, Evangelical Press published Roger Ellsworth’s book The 31 Days of Christmas. I loved the title and the idea — short devotional readings that could be consumed by ordinary people in one month — but it went out of print. To cut a long story short, Roger and I have been able to rework some of the original content and make it available once again.

 ET: Roger, you have evidently preached a lot about Christmas over the years. Are people receptive to the gospel message at this time of the year?

 Roger Ellsworth: Yes, people do seem to be more receptive to the gospel during the Christmas season. There is such a sustained emphasis on showing kindness and goodwill to our fellow citizens, that even those who are opposed to Christianity are apt to be a bit more patient with Christians in general, and especially with those in their own family and among their colleagues.

It is also the one time of the year that some unbelievers are willing to attend a church service, perhaps to honour a family tradition or please a family member. Individual Christians should seize opportunities to invite unbelievers to attend services at Christmas, and pastors should be prepared to clearly and winsomely proclaim the gospel.

 ET: Jim, tell us why you chose the title The Twelve Days?

 Jim: There is something really catchy in the idea of ‘twelve’. And as everyone knows the song, it seemed such a good idea to pack some good, Bible-based content in bite-sized chapters into a book with this title.

By the way, we express the mission of the book thus: ‘It is intended to help the hearts and minds of believers to focus on the wonder of the incarnation, as well as to encourage unbelievers to come in repentance and faith to Christ’. The meditations are easy to read and include bulleted points for practical application.

ET: Roger, in a nutshell, how do you define Christmas?

 Roger: Christmas is the celebration of the Son of God coming to this earth in our humanity. The angel who appeared to the shepherds outside Bethlehem put it this way: ‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:11).

ET: What do you think many people greatly misunderstand about Christmas?

 Roger: While most still understand that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus, very few know why it was necessary for him to come. Many seem to think that Jesus only came among us to be an example to us. They do not connect the manger of Bethlehem with the cross of Calvary. They do not understand that Jesus came in our humanity for the express purpose of dying on the cross. And they certainly do not understand why it was necessary for him to die on the cross.

People do not realize the reality and enormity of their sins. They do not realize that our sins deserve the wrath of God and that Jesus went to the cross to receive that wrath, so that all who put their trust in him will not have to endure that wrath.

We must never think of Jesus’ death on the cross in terms of just another man dying a physical death. Jesus’ death was much more than that. It was a special death, in which he received the full measure of the judgement that our sins deserve.

When we view Christmas through the lens of the cross — assuming we truly understand the cross — Christmas will become exceedingly precious to us.

ET: Roger, over the years, ET readers have seen how your writing strongly directs them to apply what they read, in personal, practical ways, to their lives. How challenging is it to write like this?

 Roger: As far as I am concerned, the Christian author faces the most challenging of all tasks, namely, to put the glorious truths of Christianity into clear and understandable language without losing the glory of those truths.

ET: This is a devotional book, and yet it calls people not only to worship the one true, living God, but first to come to him in repentance and faith. How do you expect ordinary readers who may not yet be believers to respond to this emphasis in your writing?

 Roger: Repentance from sin and faith in Christ have never been popular topics. No mere man can produce repentance and faith in himself, let alone in anyone else. This always has been and will be the work of the Holy Spirit.

As I preach and write, I pray that the Spirit of God will use my feeble efforts to powerfully convince sinners of their sins and draw them to Christ.

ET: Jim, we understand that there are aspects of Roger’s book that can be personalised for the specific use a certain church. Please explain how this works.

 Jim: Yes, this is customisation: personalising a high quality book so that it is identifiable with a church or ministry. Poorly produced material used in the name of advancing the gospel can be a turn-off to unbelievers, but it is possible to print nice literature affordably and with its own unique look and feel.

Our method is simple: people may select the cover they prefer, and Bible text using the version they most like (AV, NKJV or ESV), and then place their order. If they wish to add their church’s name and contact information on the cover and inside page (to describe or promote their ministry or use the book as a giveaway), we offer this option too. What a great way to help churches connect meaningfully with their communities!

 ET: Isn’t this quite an expensive kind of project to undertake?

 Jim: No, it’s actually a fairly low cost, high value project, and it is a very well produced product. The book’s suggested retail price is £4.99. But, by producing it in a prepublication model that has low overheads, collects payment before printing and arranges for the printers to send the books directly to the user, we are able to give generous discounts. It is very affordable.

ET: So it’s really just one book (with the option of Bible texts quoted from three different versions) and with the choice of three different covers?

 Jim: Yes. The content is exactly the same in all three editions of the book — other than that Bible texts are quoted from a different version in each one. The covers reflect different tastes, ranging from modern to traditional designs. We’re really happy to accommodate people’s wishes.

If there is an ET reader who has a new and different idea to share, we’d love to explore this (visit the site http://twelvedaysofchristmas.net for contact details)

ET: Roger, as we close this interview, in one sentence what is your prayer for people who will read this book?

 Roger: I pray that unbelievers will come to faith in the Lord Jesus and that believers will have a greater sense of awe and wonder regarding the Lord Jesus.

 

Posted by Jim Holmes in Interviews, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, 0 comments

What They Never Told You About The Twelve Days of Christmas!

What You Never Knew about The Twelve Days of Christmas. . .

Every year the old song goes around—leaping lords, maids-a-waiting, and all that stuff, culminating in a partridge nesting in a pear tree. I’ve always liked the title, so when the opportunity came about earlier this year to do a special Christmas project with author Roger Ellsworth, I got things into gear and started work with him on an old, previously published book, selecting several of the readings and modifying them to fit into a small book under this title and subtitle:

The Twelve Days of Christmas–Morning and Evening Thoughts on Immanuel: God with Us

The book is highly intentional, and its mission statement is defined as follows:

“The Twelve Days of Christmas has been written in short sections and in an easy-to-read manner. It is intended to help the hearts and minds of believers to focus on the wonder of the incarnation, as well as to encourage unbelievers to come in repentance and faith to Christ.”

twelve-days-three-to-view-3d-vignetteI’ve written elsewhere about it, notably on the dedicated website and on my book ministry blog.

But I thought I would still share a few thoughts here, anyway, and give you a bit of the background.

I’m delighted that friends from Sermon Audio love the idea, and are helping to promote it. They kindly mailed out 100 copies to key broadcasting churches, and are featuring it as news item on the site. See HERE and enjoy some of the quite vigorous arguments for and against the opportunities that Christmas affords for sharing the evangel of God’s grace in Christ.

Elsewhere, I recently shared these ten special thoughts about the book:


Ten Great Reasons To Use The Twelve Days of Christmas!

It’s so exciting to be working on this promotion. Here are ten reasons for you and your church to use this little book:

1. It is a faithful presentation of the account of the birth of Jesus, the God-Man.

2. It is attractively produced, a small book that people will want to keep and to use.

3. It is intentionally affordable for use as a book-of-the-month or for a giveaway in neighborhood evangelism.

4. It is completely customizable and can include a message from your minister, a picture of your church, and your phone and web contact details.

5. It is easily understandable, with short readings for morning and evening of each day.

6. It is biblically rich, explaining and applying the text of the Bible to ordinary readers.

7. It’s highly applicatory, with points to think about at the end of each reading.

8. It is easily digestible, with headings and summary points to help understanding.

9. It is naturally sequential in moving its focus from the angels and the shepherds to ordinary people today.

10. It is all about Jesus–and His summons to everyone to repentance and faith.


On the Twelve Days site, you could also take a look at how the book may be customized and how it may be purchased inexpensively on scale. Check out links such as these:

Press Release

Customizing

Pricing

FAQs

I’ll end this short post with a short video I had fun generating using some of the software available from Powtoon—enjoy!

Posted by Jim Holmes in Gospel, Heritage, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, 0 comments

Fitness Is Fun!

Fitnesslineart

Holistic and Holy

I think physical fitness is a great idea! Being holy and taking a holistic view on life are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Ever since Sue began a keep-fit program several years ago, it has inspired me to do the best I can with my own health. A workplace injury sustained in my former employment prevents me from doing anything too strenuous for the time being, but I do the best I can. Sue does better, exercising usually each week.

Coach Lehman for back coverA few years ago, I first made the acquaintance of John Lehman. John is family and counseling pastor at a local church, Hampton Park Baptist Church, and he has written three books, two of which I have helped him publish, and the third is on the point of going to press.

The third book, titled Fit for the Master–Glorifying God in a Healthy Body, captured my imagination the moment John first told me about it. “This could be the book that people most pay attention to,” I told him. “I really believe you are on to something with this particular writing project.”

John has defined the purpose of the book in these words: “This book is intended to encourage everyone to be fit for the Master’s use. God created us, and therefore we should be as functional as possible, so bringing Him glory while being able to lead more efficient and effective lives.”

The editing and production process has been both interesting and enjoyable, not to mention stimulating! We’ve worked hard to sharpen it, and it covers a lot of really important points. Consider, for example, the chapter divisions below:

FFTM with DSGlorious Creator; Wonderful Creation
(Thinking about your place in God’s universe)

Health, and a Healthy Self-Image
(Enjoying being the “you” that God intends you to be)

You Don’t Have to Over-Strain!
(Understanding the place of exercise)

Exercise Guidelines
(Developing a practical strategy that suits you)

Food for Thought
(Getting your nutrition the way it should be)

Digest This!
(Considering what happens to your food after you have swallowed it)

Rest, Relaxation and Sleep
(Improving your efficiencies through wise sleep strategies)

Blessed Are the Balanced
(Maintaining body-soul equilibrium)

Go On . . . Just Do it!
(Putting the principles into practice)

Extensively illustrated with numerous well-drawn diagrams (see some samples at the head of this page), the book packs a lot of information very concisely into 144 pages, and is being produced as a handy-sized hardback. You can read much more about it by clicking or tapping so get to John’s site HERE, and also view a one-minute video below. And you can also read some typeset pages on this site HERE.

Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Friendship, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, 0 comments

Shepherd Press Catalog Online

Resources for the Heart

SP Mini-catalog web version p1It’s always an exciting matter to take what a publisher has on offer and to present the range in a systematized and visually appealing way.

The challenge any designer faces in a project such as this is to render a large number of items within the constraints of a relatively small space. So, the emphasis has to be on key descriptions, enough of a visual display to give a sense of what the items are like, and the power of written endorsements to encourage the pull of the “Buy Now” trigger. It was well said by Erasmus that he purchased books, and, if he had any spare money, he would buy less important items such as clothes and food!*

Shepherd Press Publications Are Excellent!

Shepherd Press offers a unique range of resources, all carefully designed and well branded. Included in its range of publications are the Lifeline mini-books (more details here). Here is the online version of a mini-catalog my editing and publishing operation, Great Writing, designed for hard-copy printing and circulation. You may view the PDF itself here if you wish.

*Erasmus quote: "When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes."
Posted by Jim Holmes in Gospel, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, Worldview, 0 comments

When You Are Called to Walk on Water

WAlk_on_water

A Welcome Email . . .

Jim_AlbrightWhen my in box notified me there was an email in from my namesake, Jim, (his last name is Albright–very appropriate!), I could not have imagined the delight his project would bring me in the months following. Jim had crafted a book, borne of his experience of God’s grace and calling to be obedient to serve Him in the ministry of the gospel, but felt it would be good to run it through an editorial process just to tidy up some aspects of it, and get it ready for a publisher.

The title? Uncareful Lives–aptly subtitled Walking Where Feet May Fail.

Don Whitney says:
“Warning: Reading this book can be hazardous to your health. And your wealth. And your plans. And more. Read it, and you may find that you begin to live a more ‘uncareful life’ for the glory of God.”

Jim has become a friend, albeit an unmet friend, during the course of our association. I asked to interview him online. Here is the script. The book is available from mid-July 2015.


Interviewing Jim

Jim Holmes: Jim, you first contacted me more than a year ago, and mentioned you had written a book. You had labored long and hard over the project, but you also communicated to me that you wanted to run it through an editing process. This proved to be the intersection of two Jims; my life has certainly been the better for meeting you. I enjoyed reading your sample chapters immediately I saw them, and I sensed how much of a passion you have for the topic—living a life of reckless abandon for the Savior. Tell our readers how it is that you first felt the burden to write this book.

Jim Albright: Quite simply… It’s what I’ve learned about God. He has taught me how utterly faithful He is as I have, with much trembling at times, simply obeyed Him. As I say in the book, “We can do all He says because He will do all He says!” It’s true. He is our license to live our faith as big as we dare! I wanted to say this about Him. I needed to say this about Him. It’s the life God has redeemed every Christian to live–a life of glad reckless joy obedience!

Jim Holmes: The title is an intriguing one—“Uncareful Lives” That seems to be almost a contradiction of everything we are taught in Western culture. The pundits tell us to seek secure jobs, not to risk ourselves, not to do anything that may cause embarrassment, to be sure that we have an emergency fund in our bank, to have life and medical insurance, a well-primed pension, and so many other earthly securities. Would you make a few comments to our readers about (a) why you called the book “uncareful” and (b) whether you really are encouraging your readers to live in ways that some may consider irresponsible? 

Jim Albright: The title came from the passage God used to change the trajectory of my life. I had been a businessman for twenty years when God called me to preach. I wanted to preach. It was burning in my bones to preach but I was just afraid to leave the security. It didn’t look like the responsible thing to do. God took me to Hebrews 11 and challenged me on what I professed to believe. And, of course, when you read God’s definition of faith in that great chapter and then look at the lives of the men and women listed there, you immediately recognize that real faith is never principally concerned with being careful but only with being faithful. Real faith will always take us beyond the commonsense life of conformity. Real faith always transcends the current resume. It’s one of God’s better gifts to us–an invitation to walk on the water with Him. Do we believe He’s God or not? Real faith says, yes! And then joyfully steps into the uncareful life of radical obedience!

“Real faith is never principally concerned with being careful but only with being faithful. Real faith will always take us beyond the commonsense life of conformity.”

Obviously, irresponsibility is in the eye of the beholder. There were people in my life who said as much as I left business to go to seminary at forty-two years of age. Was Abraham irresponsible to leave the security of what he knew? Was Moses irresponsible to stand before Pharaoh and challenge him? Was it irresponsible for David to step in front of Goliath? Well, from a strictly human perspective, most would say, yes. But this is what every born-again Christian knows and understands–if the Creator-God has put it in your heart to do it, it would irresponsible not to obey. Of course the true life of faith is never a careless, reckless, thoughtless or rash kind of life, rather, it is a bold, daring, courageous, and abandoned kind of life in obeying Jesus Christ.

Jim Holmes: In a nutshell, what is the message or burden of your book?

Jim Albright: Our God is God! He is breathtakingly awesome! We can live Hebrews 11 because He is who He is! If we really believe this, we must really live this. Life is way too short not to give all of ourselves away to Him! And here’s the deal–every born-again Christian desperately wants to go with Jesus. My book is simply an exhortation to get on with it!

Jim Holmes: Your life seems to have been a series of adventures, especially since you quit your job in corporate business. What is the greatest challenge that you encountered along the way?

Jim Albright: The biggest battle was the first step. It was leaving the commonsense herd-life. It was cutting the cord of career security. It was that first step out onto the water. The first step was the hardest, beyond that it’s been pure joy. As I say in the book, Karen and I love the surfing metaphor. All we have to do is keep our balance and stay on the board. All we have to do is take the ride. All the power, direction, force, speed, and timing are in the wave. God is our wave. We’ve learned that our job is simple: just maintain our equilibrium, and He does everything else.

Jim Holmes: You mention your wife Karen several times in the book; does she share the same passion that you do for living uncarefully? And what did she think of your putting pen to paper to write your story?

Jim Albright: Yeah…She’s hopelessly in love with Jesus Christ. She knows He’s God and she knows He’s good. She would follow Him anywhere. Karen is just a perfect wife in the most important sense; she is always “all in” with God. She has always been my biggest cheerleader. She was jazzed about the book and was indispensable in the editing process.

Jim Holmes: As I was working through the book from an editing point of view, I was struck by the number of OT and NT characters who lived by faith and who were called to do remarkable things for God; should we, as modern-day believers, expect to have to face the same kinds of challenges? Could you let us have some examples of how modern Christians might have to apply some of these principles?

Jim Albright: Yes, of course! If God-believing, Word-doing faith pleases God, which Hebrews 11:6 clearly says is true, certainly we can expect that He will perpetually bring us to crossroads of faith throughout our lives. God loves faith, and what every true Christian discovers as we genuinely begin to walk with Him, is that we love it too. It’s just one God-encounter after another. It’s addicting. Once you’ve tasted that kind of life, you can’t live small anymore.

God means for His people to bring Word-doing faith to bear in every circumstance of life. There is not one area of life exempt from radically believing and obeying Him. Christianity is pretty simple. Jesus says, “Follow Me!” And real believers get up every day and do just that.

Jim Holmes: Tell our readers—what was the trigger that put you into a writing trajectory?

Jim Albright: The Lord gave me the title five years before I ever started writing. I knew I wanted to say these things about Him; in fact, I needed to say these things about Him. It was my great honor and joy to give testimony to His faithfulness in our lives. I could not, not do it. I had to tell everyone what I’ve learned about Him. Radically going with Christ is just the best life available. Life is way too short to settle for anyone or anything else. His words in John 14:21 are true. In obedience He “discloses” Himself! It doesn’t get any better!

Jim Holmes: Now here’s a request that might be a hard one: Could you let us have a favorite paragraph from your book?

Jim Albright: What a terrible question to ask an author! [Laughter] Too many favorites to mention but I will share one of the closing paragraphs of the book as I challenge readers to embrace the uncareful life of walking intimately with Jesus Christ:

I know, some of you are looking at the wind and waves and feel you need to opt out on the water-walking thing for one very good reason or another. What is Satan telling you? Is he telling you it’s im­possible? He’s right. Is he telling you it’s risky? He’s right. Is he telling you it will be costly? He’s right. Is he telling you your life will radically change in unpredictable ways? He’s right. Of course he’s right! He’s merely parroting what God has already told you about discipleship. This is not new information! C. S. Lewis insightfully writes, “It is a remarkable fact that on this subject Heaven and Hell speak with one voice . . . What Heaven desires and Hell fears is precisely that further step, out of our depth, out of our own control.” Satan wants you in the boat. You’re no bother to him there. You pose no threat to him there. It’s those pesky water-walkers he hates. He knows they’re the most dangerous people on the planet! They’re the ones God uses to turn the world upside-down!

Jim Holmes: What other books do you have in mind to write?

Jim Albright: I have three more in my head right now. I’m actively working on one of them. I love the breathtaking power, genius and exuberance of God displayed in the created order. It’s in my heart to write about this. The project is intimidating but I feel Him leading me on.

Uncareful_Lives_Small_CoverJim Holmes: How can people get a copy or copies of your book?

Jim Albright: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes. Also, check out the links I’ll let you have at the end of the interview.

Jim Holmes: Are you open to special speaking projects, etc., as you get this book into the public arena?

Jim Albright: Yes of course…It would be a tremendous honor and great joy!

Jim Holmes: Do you have a special website or any way that people could see you and hear you speak?

Jim Albright: Yes, there various places on social media where I can be found. The key ones are these:

A dedicated site for the book itself, uncarefullives.com

The church where I am the pastor, International Church of Milan, icm-milan.com

Jim Albright sermon podcast

Facebook


Jim’s book is published by Ambassador Emerald International. A trade paperback of 160pp, the ISBN is 978-1620205303, and the suggested retail price $12.99. It has good endorsements from Lance Quinn, Don Whitney, Curtis Thomas and Jim Elliff.

The text of this interview is © copyright, blogspot52.com 2015 and may be reproduced in its entirety provided due acknowledgement is made of the copyright holder, with or without graphic or illustrative content.
Posted by Jim Holmes in Interviews, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, 0 comments

Tedd Tripp Talks about the Lifeline Mini-Books

Help!

Each title in the Shepherd Press imprint, Lifeline Mini-Books, begins with the word “Help!” And helpful is exactly what this series is intended to be.

In an earlier post, December 2014, I mentioned the release of some more titles. Subsequent to that, four more new ones have been published. Their details are linked below:

Help! I’m Being  Deployed

Help! My Anger Is Out of Control

Help! Someone I Love Has Alzheimer’s

Help! I’m in a Conflict

As I have previously expressed, the Lifeline Mini-Books are packed with biblical content, written with feeling and concern for readers in the issues covered (all the authors are in the trenches of ministry themselves–here is no ivory tower, distant academic theorizing!), written with personal application projects to help readers engage practically with the issues concerned, and, especially important, written with a call to turn from sin and trust the Savior. All this in just 10,000 words (that’s 64 pages of small-format reading) makes for an excellent resource to use and give away.

Consider this series of excellent resources in your ministry, your church, for your friends and family, and for your own use!

Two Minutes with Tedd Tripp

You may view a two-minute promotional of video of Tedd Tripp from the Lifeline Mini-Book website here, or click on the screen image below.

 

 

Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Gospel, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Worldview, 0 comments

Perpetually in Print

 Perpetually-In_Print_featured_image

Great Opportunities, but Challenges, Too*

“I have prepared a manuscript. I believe it has value, and that it should be in print, but all the publishers I have approached seem to think otherwise. What can be done to get it into print?”

It is not uncommon to hear words such as these. The good news is that it has never been as easy to publish a book as it is today! However, with the opportunity of doing so, there are also challenges that have to be met. It may be relatively easy to rush a book into print, but just as easily, the outcome can be quite unsatisfactory. Often, a well-meaning family member or friend takes care of the editing, and the friend of a friend looks after the cover concept, but the quality standards are just not high enough for professional publication and distribution.

Another scenario involves taking shortcuts with the book’s internal design. Maybe it looks OK on the screen of your computer, but in real life, what you end up with is a disaster in print.

Then there is the matter of the bar-code, Bowker registration, and establishing a realistic retail price. Without these matters being carefully considered and planned, your home-made efforts may just be an accident waiting to happen.

What about warehousing and distribution? Who takes care of that? How does your book get placed on Amazon and into the hands of key vendors such as Ingram? Is there any possibility that your book will make it when it gets out there in the real world?

Are you likely to end up with cartons of unsaleable books in your garage?

Well, here’s a solution you should think about!

Introducing Perpetually in Print©

Perpetually-In_Print_Icon_largeBecause of considerations such as these, we have developed a model we call “Perpetually in Print” or PiP for short. PiP is a unique way that explores, considers and harnesses efficiencies, minimizing all costs, maximizing quality elements, and ensuring a realistic set of production costs to get your book into print.

The PiP model allows you the best of everything. In short, this is how it works:

You present a manuscript or writing idea to us;

We guide you through the developmental aspects of it, ensuring that the outcome is a publication-worthy piece;

We prepare your piece for publication on a perpetually in print basis.

What Do You Get in the PiP© Model?

Typesetting to the highest professional standards

The option of eBooks, too

Cover concept and design from an artist well qualified in the industry

ISBN purchase and registration

Production, including a thorough copyediting and proofreading process of all internal pages and the cover

Placement of your book in a warehouse and distribution supply portal located in Tennessee. At this point, your book is a virtual entity, so the distributor is able to print any number of copies (one is the minimum order; each copy is always at the same cost) and ship them out to the customer in the USA on the same day the order is received. An ONIX feed ensures that your book’s data is always right up to date, and that it reflects as being currently in print

The distributor offers international distribution capability and also takes care of all sales and receipts; warehouse storage charges are minimal owing to the virtual nature of your book until such time as there are specific orders for it

A preferential discount is offered to you as the author; you may order as many or as few books as you wish, whenever you wish. Trade terms are made available to all prospective customers

Support of your own promotional initiatives via a social media and the related construct of strategic activities through other portals associated with Great Writing, including personalized website design and hosting

And here’s the best part of all: You avoid the heavy costs of conventional printing and yet your book never has to go out of print!

What Does It Cost to Be a PiP© Author?

Prices are assessed on considerations such as the scale and scope of the project, the need for editorial intervention, and such related considerations. Contact us to discuss your project, and we will come up with the best possible deal!



*This post is extracted from one of my editorial services websites, Great Writing, and introduces a new concept I am working on.

Are you an existing or first-time author? Is this something that might interest you? Then, why not go ahead and contact me, share your idea, and let’s see if this is a model that could work for you.

 

 

Posted by Jim Holmes in New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, Technology, 1 comment

More about the Secret!

Introducing Cheaper in Dozens

Cheaper_in_Dozens_square_small_logo_PNGA picture is worth a thousand words, or so the trite old saying goes. Therefore, if my math is correct, a video clip could be worth more like sixty thousand words.

My son, Matthew, aged eleven, has produced a one-minute video which introduces Cheaper in Dozens, a new initiative to make excellent books available on a sliding scale of discounted prices, with free shipping, sent directly to you from the publisher. There’s a long way to go, still, in this initiative, but the show is now, as people like to say, “on the road.”

View the one-minute video below, and also take a look at www.cheaperindozens.com. Then tell your friends about it, too!

 

 

Here’s an Approximate Transcript of the Video

I’m Jim Holmes. I love books, and because I love books and I’m passionate about reading, I’ve started www.cheaperindozens.com.

Cheaper in Dozens is a great new way for you to buy your books online. Everything on offer is faithful to the Bible. Everything on offer is at a discounted price. And everything on offer is sent to you shipping free!

How does it work? You just go online and see what’s available, and place your order. Your book gets shipped to you directly from the publisher.

My vision is to see people reading and enjoying books. So, if you are in a church or school, you can buy several copies of the same book at even greater discounts. Buy just one? That’s OK… Buy twelve? Well, the deal gets better. Books are cheaper in dozens! Buy 25, 50, 100 or 200? Wow, the individual prices just keep getting lower. Check out the table of discounts on each book and you’ll see what I mean.

This deal sounds too good to be true. So, what’s the catch?

There’s no catch. Just go online, browse, place your order, and get reading!

I’m Jim Holmes. Thanks for watching!

 


 

A Note about the Video Production

The video was produced using iPad technology, using the iMovie App, created by Apple. My son, who has figured out this technology, produced the video for me. I’m delighted with the result!

Posted by Jim Holmes in Family and Friends, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, Theology, Westminster Standards, 0 comments