I want to think with you a bit about starting new ventures, and what it's really like.
My own journey toward being a writer is what I have in mind, but you may be thinking about something else.
Here's a very rough timeline for me:
In 2009, I published my first book (an earlier version of From Slavery to Freedom) through a traditional publishing house. In one sense it was the realization of a long-held dream for me. In other ways it was deeply disappointing. I did not pursue other books through traditional publishing.
That same year, I started a blog. Long story, but that became the main outlet for my writing for several years.
In 2017, my personal and professional life went through a major upheaval. In the wake of that chaos I went back and reassessed a lot of my own goals. One of the major goals that resurfaced during that time was that I wanted to be a writer. I wasn't so much concerned about income at that point, I just felt the drive to create books. I started educating myself, joined a few online writing groups, dusted off a bunch of old ideas and manuscripts that had been mouldering in the recesses. One key is that I started listening to podcasts by other authors. I learned a ton about how the world of publishing was changing. If you're interested in writing, I highly recommend Joanna Penn's podcast, The Creative Penn. If you sign up for her email list (I recommend) she'll send you a free book she calls her "Author Blueprint." That's a good summary of what it takes these days to be a writer. Very helpful.
In 2019 I independently published a commentary on Luke's gospel called New Wineskins. Hard on the heels of that project, in 2020 I published a second, expanded edition of From Slavery to Freedom. (I had requested and received the copyright back from the traditional publisher a few years before.) Neither of these books sold much beyond a few copies among friends and acquaintances.
In the fall of 2020 I bought some land (the farm where Lisa and I now live) and shortly after that lost my job. 2021 saw me adjusting to a new career and trying to make this farm a livable place. (That included all the civilized accoutrements like a well, septic system, and oh, a house of sorts.) The necessaries of life were all-consuming for a couple years.
I had continued to write in my spare moments. I polished a fantasy novel I'd started back in college. I finished a modern day novel that had been rolling around in my thoughts for a couple decades. But I wasn't pursuing publishing.
In 2023 I published that modern day novel as Death on Disappointment Mountain. It sold enough copies (so far) to cover the costs of publication, and a little more. THAT was an amazing feeling. I also figured out (with the help of my daughters, and a few others) how to do things like publish e-books, design covers, and the like.
Also in 2023 Lisa and I got married. To my great joy, Lisa has been an enthusiastic partner in this writing venture. We talked about it a lot during 2023 and agreed that I should pursue writing not only as a source of self-expression but eventually as a source of income. (We're talking about a five year plan.)
That changes the learning curve.
In 2024 I'm launching a Kickstarter campaign around Wait for the Lightning, which is a look at the first few chapters of Genesis. For the first time I'm working with KDP on the ebook, while still publishing paperback through Ingram Spark. I'm also doing a hardcover for the first time, and investing a few dollars in commercially produced artwork for the cover and marketing materials. I'm continuing to promote Disappointment Mountain. That's teaching me a ton about marketing. I'm about halfway through writing the first draft of the sequel, and I hope to have it out this summer. I've also committed to writing a book about the biblical book of Revelation. There are several other projects waiting in the wings.
I'm learning a ton about websites (major upgrade coming soon!), marketing, time management, writing well, and the business of publishing. It's very challenging, and very fun. And sometimes very frustrating.
From the outside, little in my life has changed. I'm still working the same job, living in the same house, driving the same pickup. Lisa and I are enjoying life together. We still worship with our home church and get together with friends and family members.
Little by little, though, I'm putting more weight on this business of not only writing, but publishing my writings and promoting them into the world. I've decided I not only want to be a writer, but I actually want people to read what I've written. It's a slow process, and a humbling one. Lisa and I often talk about an illustration we heard in a podcast along the way. It's like the flywheel on an engine. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to get that flywheel to turn. That's what we're doing, day after day. We're turning the flywheel one little tick each day. But as we keep applying effort, it turns a bit faster and a bit faster. Eventually the idea of a flywheel is that it has a momentum of its own that keeps the engine running when things get challenging.
If you are considering a new venture, or perhaps in the middle of one, be encouraged. It might seem like a slow process. Yesterday, addressing my momentary discouragement, Lisa quoted to me the Old Testament prophet who said, "Do not despise the day of small beginnings." It's good advice.
Looking back, it looks like we've come a long way. Because we have. And I'm eager to see where things go from here. It's a long road, but an exciting one.
