Part of a series of interviews with experienced Christian writers—of academic and popular theology, fiction, and those writing for a non-Christian audience.
How did you decide to take writing more seriously? Did someone encourage you to do so?
The first thing I had published was a set of Bible studies on 1 Samuel with Matthias Media. No one encouraged me to do it. I’d already written some studies for church because there was nothing on the market, so I thought, ‘Well, why not put these in for publication so no one has to do that again?’ To my surprise, they were accepted, and it went from there. Since then, every time I’ve had to write a new set of studies because I couldn’t find something pre-packaged, I’ve then had them published.
Having said that, once I started publishing studies—and my one mini-book, The Cheerful Giver—people encouraged me that it was worthwhile and to keep going. So early on, I decided to make writing a regular part of my ministry.
How do you think about your explicitly Christian writing? As a ministry? A hobby? A vocation? A side hustle?
It’s a ministry, but a small one. I think of my vocational ministry as three concentric circles: my local church (easily the biggest); the network of churches of which I’m a part (the next biggest); and then whatever small work I can do for the gospel nationally (speaking at the occasional conference, writing, etc). My writing is part of this third concentric circle. But as I say, it’s a tiny contribution, and I’m never going to quit my day job to do it!
Where do your ideas and inspiration come from?
Whatever I’ve just preached on or written about at church. Everything I’ve written has been a recapitulation of either studies I’ve written for church or, in the case of The Cheerful Giver, a series of sermons.
Do you have any advice for those starting to seek publication? What insights can you give into the mysterious publication process?
Have a go. When I thought of publishing my 1 Samuel studies, my first instinct was to reprimand myself for impudence: ‘Who am I to think these will be any good?’ But then I thought, ‘Well, no one else has written them that I can see, so if I don’t, who will?’ And then I just took a punt and submitted them. So I would say to anyone who has not published before, if you think you’ve got something good, just submit it and then let the publisher decide. The worst they can do is say no.
Once you get accepted and have begun the publishing process, expect lots of help, but also expect it to take a long time. Once I’ve got a manuscript in the pipeline, I’ve got several people at Matthias Media looking over it, helping me with edits and so on, so I feel very supported. On the other hand, mine is not the only manuscript they’re developing. They’ve also got to think of lots of other processes, like design and printing, so it can take much longer than I think to get my work on the shelves. Be patient with your publisher!
How do you think and feel about getting feedback and editorial input? Has that changed over time?
I’ve learned to be less precious about my original manuscript than I was at first. Not every sentence or idea is a hill to die on. Other people will be right about things you are wrong about. And editors are there to help you, not make your life hard. Don’t be a pushover: if you’re really committed to a particular idea or way of expressing it, then say so. Good editors will listen. But also, don’t get too bogged down, and remember that only hundreds of people will read your work, not millions; budget your to-and-fro time wisely.
What are your coping strategies for rejections, or not hearing back from people you share your work with—whether editors or friends and family?
I’ve only had one manuscript reject by a publisher, and it was for a rather unusual proposal: a children’s Bible written in rhyming couplets (!) One publisher rejected it because they were small publisher, and the book was outside their ambit. That didn’t sting at all. Another, bigger publisher, who could have published it, said no because it wasn’t good enough (this was an English publisher, so they said this in a very nice, English way… but it was still clear!). That time I was a little miffed, because I thought it was good, but I quickly got over it. I was not that invested in the project, I could see why it was a niche proposition, and maybe it wasn’t as good as I thought, after all.
That speaks to rejection coping strategies more broadly: remember that not everything is everyone’s cup of tea; maybe your work is not as good as you think (looking back at in in a year sometimes shows this); or maybe the publisher just got it wrong and should have published it, but oh well.
Is it difficult for you to promote yourself and your work?
Yes, excruciatingly! When I was still on Facebook, I would always post a link to my latest work. I would also let other pastors in my network know I’d written something they might find helpful. But other than that, I’ve found it very hard to push my work. I haven’t even told my church that I’ve written a book on giving!
What are particular temptations for writers? What are some strategies to resist them?
There’s the temptation of self-importance. For me, this manifests as getting miffed when I see other people in my church network write studies on books I’ve already published on, rather than buy my work, as if it’s the last word on that Bible book. The best way to get over this is to get over yourself. You write to help people, not move units, so if they don’t find your work helpful, no harm, no foul.
Another temptation is writing for the sake of it, rather than because you’ve got something genuinely new and helpful to offer. For example, I’d never write a study on Romans because there are already so many good ones out there. ‘Of making many books there is no end’ (Eccles 12:12). Amen to that.
How can friends support Christian writers?
By not saying, ‘Why would you bother writing? It seems such a waste of time’ (no one actually says this, but they can give those vibes). Rather, if you think your writing Christian friend has something good to offer, encourage them to persevere. It can be lonely, boring, thankless work, and certainly is no way to make money. But it’s also valuable: good books and other resources can have an impact far beyond what the spoken word ever will. Imagine if one of Augustine’s friends said, ‘Why are you bothering to confess all this, anyway?’! (Not that any of us is Augustine).
How can ministry leaders support Christian writers?
By supporting the writers and ‘content creators’ (horrible phrase) in their churches. By buying and using their products. By recommending their products to their people (which will often save them time as well—like using pre-prepared Bible studies rather than writing their own (seems like I’m not so bad at self-promotion after all!).
What do you recommend to those who want to work on their writing?
Keep doing it: practice makes perfect. Don’t be afraid to show it to other people for comment, even if that’s difficult. Know that it’s worthwhile: the written word will always have a place, and good writers are surprisingly thin on the ground; so if you’re one, don’t think you’re being presumptuous and, ‘Oh there must be a million people out there who could do this better than me.’ There probably aren’t. And even if there are, some of them are not doing it, so you might as well fill in for them until they pick up a pen.
