Here is a short piece by George Guthrie that all authors who are Christians should read. A taste:
In the life of an author of books there comes such a moment on the brink of a book’s release. The frantic rush to get words on the page, edits done, design-decisions landed, and final page proofs read (again), is past. The thing is out of your hands until of course it flies back to your hands as a finished product.
The book arrives in the mail. Elation. You like the feel of the book, the dream having become waking reality. The freebies sent by the publisher are distributed; friends and family celebrate. They assure you that your book will change the world (but will they really read it?). And now, now in this moment of the deep breath, you wait. You wait to see if anyone in the wider world will take up and hold this baby you have birthed and thrown out into the world, vulnerable; will anyone at all be drawn to it with affection? Will they share that affection with others (say, on Amazon, blessing your baby with 5 stars)? Surprisingly, in this moment of birth, which should be all joy and hope, the storm clouds of war loom on the horizon. For it is not the book that is vulnerable; it is you. The book, solid paper and ink, can last for years on dusty shelves in obscure used bookstores. You are flesh and blood and raw emotion…
So the Christian author is confronted with a spiritual challenge in this war, a clarion call to come over the ravine and face Goliath; for in the quiet of this moment before the plunge or plummet, a still small voice reminds you that this work cannot be summed up with numbers but rather has to do with individuals and ministry and integrity, has to do with gifts given and gifts opened with joy, and a different set of measurements altogether. Hopefully, you followed the Lord into the pages of this book, and the Lord is with you here in this moment of crossing the ravine, in the gibbering insecurity you feel. The angst of rising and falling rank on Amazon, of the number of twitter followers and blog posts read, must be crucified with Christ, must be resurrected in a clear-eyed, authentic living, day by day, moment by moment focused on the advancement of the Kingdom that lasts.
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