Decorate Your Empty Nest with that Novel You’ve Always Wanted to Self-Publish 

Do you have a manuscript collecting dust? Self-publish that manuscript and watch your novel come to life.  

The last five years of refining a novel, facing rejection, and choosing to indie publish has provided me with insights I believe can help others who are learning about Christian publishing. 

DECIDE.

This part for a Christian comes with prayer. Is writing something God wants you to spend your time—His time—doing? There are, even for an empty nester, plenty of Kingdom ministries where you can use your biggest resource. Once you have the “yes,” you need to know how God wants to use your writing. You probably already have some ideas but delve further. You may feel your strength is in motivational writing, but one anecdote may be the perfect springboard to build a fictional world around. Early on, my plan was to write a novel that would straddle the secular and Christian markets. A book with Christian morality and worldview without specific mention of Jesus. As I wrote, though, I was convicted that I needed to be clear (but not preachy) that the only way to peace for my protagonist was through her surrender to Jesus.  

START.

You are a great writer. You have your manuscript, at least the bones of it. It should be smooth sailing from here. Ah, technology, my nemesis, I hear you cackling. “You Can Design Your Own Website in Less Than 30 Minutes” is a nice article title, but a lie straight from the pits of Sheol. I struggled with the tech. My first Word Press website—one page for a blog—took so long. Domain names. Web hosting. Themes. Images. Sheer discipline got me through this along with one trick that worked for my psyche. For every new account that required one, I created a password that motivated me. My mister thought I had lost my mind. Tears streaming down my cheeks as I logged into a site that had kicked me out multiple times, I started laughing as I had to type in my password, which is something like “Don’tGiveUpNowGirl!!!!”  

FIND YOUR GENRE; FIND YOUR PEOPLE.

These two go together. I paid for a course from a respected Christian organization geared toward helping women writers. After several weeks, though, it was evident that their courses and systems were geared more for non-fiction. I did learn some valuable lessons and finished the course. After all, I would get paid for it, right? I have learned more since from seeking wisdom from those in my genre. Get as specific as you can as you look for writers with whom you can get your iron sharpened. Amish Romance? Speculative? Systematic Bible Study? There is a group for you. I love my in-person Word Weavers chapter, which focuses on critique. With online groups now, choices are limitless. If you join a group and find it is not for you, learn what you can then try another.  

LEARN.

I found my Word Weavers group through a Christian Writer’s conference I attended five years ago with my totally reworked, completed 80,000+ word novel. I had designed a one-sheet, practiced my elevator pitch, and printed business cards. Even though my sample received an honorable mention in the contest there, I learned to my chagrin that my story needed a lot of work. Deep POV? What was that? Through the breakout sessions and keynotes, my knowledge base expanded. Industry professionals encouraged me to pursue my calling. My Word Weavers friends have poured their knowledge into my life and introduced me to valuable resources like Christian Indie Publishing Association, whose library of helpful articles and blogs and discounts on services like book cover design have more than paid for the membership fee. 

HIRE PROFESSIONALS.

Speaking of cover design . . . unless you are a professional graphic designer, you need to hire someone to do this. I know that every time you turn around, you see someone selling their sure-fire course or product to skyrocket your writing career. I have had to be very judicious about spending and I have still spent money that I wish I could have back. In addition to book cover design, I recommend spending money on: 

1. Christian Writer’s Conference. At least one that is within your budget and has multiple breakout sessions addressing various aspects of writing, marketing, and publishing. Here are Five Reasons to Attend.
2. Website Creation. A professional in one week made a beautiful, fully functioning website for me. My self-made site looked like third-grade macaroni art compared to her masterpiece.
3. Editor. As with every other aspect of this writing game, there are many different types of editing. Choose wisely and get the most in-depth editor(s) for your genre that you can afford. At the very least, you will want a copy editor/proofreader who will find typos and grammar issues. At best, hire a developmental/content editor who will help you with the complete structure. 
4. Professional photographer. Your headshot for your social media, book covers, and all kinds of promotional material is important. Your best friend’s smartphone is not going to do you justice. This is probably more affordable than you think. Just search “headshot photographer near me” to come up with dozens of options.

SELF-PUBLISH.

Should you have a contract with a mainstream publisher, celebrate! There is still a lot of work, of course, but this is a tremendous achievement. I did find an agent, a go-getter who was solidly in my corner. She placed my manuscript with seven different major publishers, who declined. After all of the years honing and learning and praying, I knew it was time to self-publish. This meant more learning, but the forward movement energized me.  

There is something about having your book succeed on your own shoulders. As a Christian writer, there is also the responsibility of being a standard bearer. Jesus said we would all be witnesses, it is on us to be a shining witness. We need to write high quality work and deliver it with excellence.  

Drink from that fire hose of refining your craft. Take your machete of discipline and chop through that publishing jungle. Dream that not-so-impossible dream. 

AUTHOR BIO: 

Renée Hodges is Mississippi-raised and transplanted to North Carolina, so writing Southern things comes easily. With her three children out of the nest, she is concentrating on completing her first two novels, Ona Mae’s Deli and Bait Shop and Caragin Farm. She and her husband enjoy serving in their church, traveling, and hanging out in their easy pants watching cop shows and cooking competitions. Join her journey at reneehodges.com.