How Does a First Time Author Publish a Book?

I spent several months researching a variety of different self publishers and I narrowed my choice to two, one a secular publisher that also did Christian work,  and the other solely a Christian publisher. There proposals were similar in  alot of ways but different primarily in editing and distribution. I felt passionate about the editing of the book, especially since one manuscript had to be divided into two books, and I felt that the Christian publishing company would do a better job of editing. 

The publisher I chose worked with a freelance editor who did a great job! She helped divide the book and edited each chapter as if it were her book and not mine. She was by far the best asset the publisher offered. As the book was being edited there was a significant, almost daily exchange between the to of us, both with the goal of glorifying the Lord.

At the same time the book was being edited, I worked with the publisher on; page and chapter layout, cover design, coming up with a title for the book, pre publication publicity ideas, plans for initial introduction of the book at the International Christian Retailers Show in Florida, type of paper, hardback verse soft cover and many other small but important details that go into publishing a book. It was an exciting time but at the same time a difficult time, my publisher was extremely rigid and I’m not use to that!

At the end of  an 11 month process that had it’s share of ups and downs, the book was ready for sale and I flew down to Florida to introduce it to the Christian book stores.

God Transforms an Outline into Two Books

When I began writing the book I had no idea of what the title would be or even what the content would be. I knew God wanted me to write and so I made a commitment to write as often as I could. I have a fulltime job as an insurance broker so all my writing took place in the evenings and on the weekends. I began by studying the life of Moses and his relationship with God, and making an outline of all my thoughts and studies, Being Jewish, I felt a connection with Moses since I had been hearing about him since my days in hebrew school as a young boy.

When I look back on the three and a half years it took me to write what was ultimately two books, even though I thought it was one, what stands out for me is that I had no goal for completion. I kept writng a little bit each day I could and I wasn’t conccerned how long it would take to finish. In fact, I didn’t have a planned end at all. Many of my friends would ask me when I would finally be done writing and my reply was always the same, I don’t know. I felt a peace about just writing and leaving the rest to God to sort out.

I wrote for three years before I even went back over my work to develop a theme for the book. In fact, after three years of writing I remember praying and asking God to help me put the book together in a way that flowed. Up until that time, it wasn’t a book at all, not in the least. Within a few months though, it all came together into one very long book! I did feel a sense of accomplishment once I submitted the book to a publisher, and I was happy it was done, but throughout the writing process I was very content to be patient and wait to see what God would do with my writings.

Since this was the first book I ever wrote, I decided to only approach self publishing companies, I felt my chances to get a royalty publisher to publish the book were very remote and would take much more time than if I self published. With a self publisher, the author pays all the expenses of getting the book published but retains full control and ownership of the work. A royalty publisher absorbs the cost of publishing, owns the rights of the book and pays a per book fee called a royalty to the author for each book sold. Within the first week of the publisher reviewing my submitted manuscript they told me that I needed to split my writing in two. I had submitted 193,000 words and they wanted the book to be about 80,000 words! Through considerable help from my editor, who did a great job, my original manuscript was carved into two books, the first one published in July, 2008.

With a commitment to writing almost everyday for an average of an hour or so each day and a passion to serve God in this way, two books were birthed and I was off to the races of getting the first book published.

The Motivation to Write

Jesus Take The Wheel is the first book I have written, published and am marketing. There is so much that goes into writing a book, getting it published and getting the word out about the book that I thought it would be a good idea to share my journey. I hope to be blogging on a somewhat regular basis about the trials, tribulations and joys of a first time author, at least that’s what I feel led to do right now. We all know how plans can change, so let’s see what happens!

Soon I want my blog to be real time, in other words what has happened today but I need to catch up first and that’s what I am starting to do today. So, let’s back up  a number of years ago to a time before I knew Jesus.

About 20 years ago I felt the desire to  write a book. I decided to write about my life but change the names of the people and places.  I spent a few nights a week for about a month writing about what was going on in my business world at a time when I was getting started in the Insurance business and experiencing the difficulties that come with starting any business, especially selling insurance. I was writng by hand and my wife , Jeanne would type the few hand written pages I’d give her twice a week. After about a month I lost interest but I still have those few pages sitting on the floor of my office, why I have saved them, I don’t know!

About 18 years ago I recognized Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, put my faith in Him and my life changed for the better in ways that I could never have imagined. What didn’t change was my desire to write a book. After I knew Jesus for about 6 months I sat down with my Pastor and told him that I wanted to write a book about how to be succesful God’s way. I told him that I had read so many self help books about how to be successful, none of which were written from a Christian perspective. I decided I was going to set the record straight! My Pastor politely but firmly told me that although that was a good idea, I should instead spend my time reading  The Book (the Bible) and get to know God better. I took my Pastor’s advice and for the next 12 years I read and studied the bible daily.

Then about 6 years ago I was sitting in my living room, having decided just two days before not to go to the Pastor’s conference I had signed up for, asking God what He wanted me to do, how I could be a better servant of His. Suddenly I felt the renewed desire to write a book. I knew it wasn’t going to be about my life as an insurance salesman and I knew it wasn’t going to be about success the way I would have defined it when I first came to know Jesus. I did however know that it was going to be about God and what He requires of his children. With a pad and pen in hand I started to outline some thoughts that came to mind.

Troubled times in the economy

The stock market has just ended its worst week ever. Fear is gripping investors all over the world and people are panicking. You can’t turn on the TV or Radio or pick up a newspaper without hearing or reading about the doom and gloom. 

Worry is rampant as we try and figure out what is going to happen next. Will the financial bailout work? Will the Republican or Democratic candidate win the presidential race and how will it affect world events? Are we headed for a recession or worse yet, a depression?

Many people are concerned about their jobs, their 401k plans, their homes, their investments; they are concerned about their future! People are feeling overwhelmed and are looking for relief from worry and anxiety.

Christians are crying out to God wondering what it is they should do. How should Christians react in the midst of this huge trial?

We can learn so much from the reaction of Job who suffered so much more than just financially. Not only did Job lose all his financial wealth but all ten of his children were killed when the house they were gathered in collapsed on them. This is a tragedy that seems like too much for anyone to live through. It’s a tragedy that would cause anyone to question God, right?

Let’s take a look at Job’s immediate response after hearing about his financial loss and the loss of his children. Job 1:21-22 says, “And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’ Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” 

It is through the difficult times in our lives, through the toughest trials, that God molds and shapes us into the men and women He wants us to be. It is in these tough times that we can tell the world about the great God we serve and they will be listening more intently! They won’t understand how we can find peace and rely on God when everything seems so bleak. They will, however, desire what we have and want to know more.

Please remember that God is sufficient no matter what our circumstances. He is enough and there is nothing more that we need. We can only truly understand this when we are living a life of self denial and acknowledging and glorifying God. We must learn to let Him take the wheel of our lives, when we do we will see that He will never let go!

 

God Bless,

Stuart Migdon

“Jesus Take The Wheel

7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God”

www.letjesustakethewheel.com

P.O. Box 62

Allenwood, NJ 08720

888-766-2431

In The Media

I am excited to let you know that there is a new feature on my website, www.letjesustakethewheel.com. The Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to do some TV and Radio publicity and I have some of the shows that I did on my website.

If you click on the media page, you will get right to it. I anticipate doing several more shows so if you’re interested, you can check the page from time to time.

http://www.letjesustakethewheel.com/inmedia.php

I am in the airport, heading home from a pastors conference I spoke at in California. I spoke on the importance of a life lived as a true disciple of Jesus. In Luke 9:23 Jesus says, “If you want to be my disciple, you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me”.

Counsel for a life lived for God  cannot be found in life enhancement  programs or self improvement plans. A life lived for God must be about following Him, letting Him take the Wheel of your life no matter what. We must decrease and He must increase. That’s where a true joy of the Lord can be found!

Take care and God bless you,
Stuart

Harvest TV Show: Live Monday

Couple of quick things I want to share with you…

First, things are really starting to get exciting with the brand new book,  “Jesus Take The Wheel, 7 Keys to  a Transformed Life with God.”

Since it’s release a few weeks ago, we’ve been blessed not only with some amazing stories from readers, but also with several radio and television interviews (many will soon be available on http://www.letjesustakethewheel.com for you to view.)

Before I forget, I do want to make you aware of a special television interview that I will be doing on August 25th. It’s on the Harvest TV show which is filmed in South Bend Indiana. The show is live and then replayed a few times throughout the day. To find out all about the show, go to www.harvest-tv.com.

Why it’s special is because the show will reach 46 million homes in the US and 73 million homes in Israel and 15 surrounding nations.  Again, you can find out more about the show at www.harvest-tv.com.
 
Second, I want to just say that I pray that you are letting Jesus take the wheel of your life, the place where He belongs! If you haven’t already, check out our free video series “How To Avoid The 9 Mistakes Most Christians Make When Attempting to Give Jesus Full Control of Their Life!” 

Get instant access at http://www.letjesustakethewheel.com
 
That’s about it for now. Have a great day and be blessed!

Stuart Migdon

Press Release

 Jesus Take The Wheel More Than a Song 

For Christian Businessman, It’s a Way of Life

 Enumclaw, WA  — Jesus Take The Wheel became a popular theme as the first single from Carrie Underwood’s debut album. The song spent six weeks as a number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, won many honors, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in April 2006. But why did this song resonate with listeners who don’t typically tune into “Christian” music? Christian businessman Stuart Migdon realized the answer to this question long before the song Jesus Take The Wheel became a hit. “People are searching for meaning in a world marked by turmoil, but they don’t know where to turn,” says Migdon.

Migdon says that early on he vigorously chased wealth but was surprised when he, like so many, felt empty in the end. He eventually realized the answer to the peace he sought lay in truly giving Jesus the wheel of his life. Now Migdon is making the same biblical principles he learned available to the public in his book aptly titled, Jesus Take the Wheel: 7 Keys to a Transformed Life With God.

The practical biblical instruction it contains takes readers on a two-month journey that will literally transform the way they live the Christian life. Rich insights from the author’s own life mixed with wisdom gleaned from the pages of Scripture combines to make reading this book an adventure that will be looked forward to each day.

Many in our world today know they need change, yet fail simply because they don’t know where to start. Jesus Take the Wheel is a practical resource that provides just the instruction they need to begin letting Jesus be the One in the driver’s seat every day. “It’s all about learning how to let God control our lives while becoming gracious passengers,” says Migdon. His new book will teach readers to:

·      Develop daily habits that will make God more real in their lives.

·      Identify godly goals and commit to achieving them.

·      Rely on God more and enjoy His rest and comfort.

·      Persevere through difficulties and recognize a joyful purpose in all situations.  Enjoy life more knowing the Driver is in total control of life circumstances.  

Raised Jewish, Stuart is now a successful Christian businessman and church elder. He and his wife Jeanne have two grown children and one grandson. 

For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview, please contact Adam Cothes by phone at 360-802-9758, by email at adam@winepressgroup.com, or by fax at 360-802-9992.