Kingdom Writers: A Podcast for Christian Writers of All Genres

If you haven't heard yet, September 2021 is an incredibly special year for CJ and me. It marks the 10th anniversary of taking that big scary step of faith for me to quit my physical therapy job and getting a regular paycheck. CJ was already working full-time in our business and 10 years ago I took that crazy step as well. We have been two full-time entrepreneurs since that day and it has been a wi...

This year we wanted to do something a little bit different for September it is the 10th year anniversary since I quit my physical therapy job and went full time in our ministry and business with my husband.  This is a significant milestone for us. We have been leading Christian Book Academy now for 6.5 years, mentoring writers for over 11 years and we have so many things to celebrate. We're kickin...

Have you had failures in your life? If so, it's a good indication that you've taken some risks along the way.  A few notable "failures" John Creasey received 743 rejection slips from publishers before one word was published. He eventually published 560 books and sold over 60 million copies  Michael Waltrip lost 530 races before winning his first NASCAR race in 2001…the Daytona 500 Abraham Lincoln...

Do you want to harness the power of partner promos by borrowing someone else's audience? If so keep listening as this is one of the fastest ways to grow your audience and sell more books. My name is Shelley Hitz and I'm here with my husband CJ Hitz. We have been coaching authors for over a decade helping you reach more readers with your message by using our social media templates and bridge-buildi...

Would you like to get more done without exerting as much energy? That's exactly what having a system will help you do and what we are going to talk about today. My name is Shelley Hitz and I'm here with my husband CJ Hitz. We have been mentoring writers for over a decade helping you self-publish your books in multiple formats using our publishing map and step-by-step system so that you can write w...

What could happen if you devoted just 15-minutes a day to your writing? Keep listening over the next few minutes to this encouragement that when applied can help you finish writing your book. My name is Shelley Hitz and I'm here with my husband CJ Hitz. We have been mentoring writers for over a decade helping you get your books out of your heads and onto paper with our book writing formulas so tha...

What does it look like to worship God through our writing? Read: 1 Kings 7:13-22; 40-45 Huram was an "extremely skillful and talented" craftsman from the area of Tyre in Lebanon who was commissioned by King Solomon to help enhance and decorate the temple. After reading about the precision and detail of Huram's work, we see that he was a man who glorified and worshiped God through his skills. There...

Email marketing is such an important part of a long-term marketing strategy for authors and yet one most avoid. In this training, Shelley shares 11 ways you can grow your email list as an author. Here's the list: Option One: Strategic Partnerships Podcast Interviews Guest Blog Posts Social Media Takeover Social Media Swap Solo Email Swap Option Two: Gather Authors/Experts in Your Genre/Niche Colla...

Do you have a book that you've started but you've struggled to finish? If so, today we want to share with you three ways to renew your commitment to write so you can click the publish button.  Ready to dive in? 1. Remember the reason you write. What is your why? When you have a strong purpose behind your writing, it will help you overcome the resistance we all face as a writer and the difficult da...

Do you want to find peace in your writing? If so, CJ has some encouragement for you today from the Word of God that will help to bring calm to your chaos and peace to the panic when it comes to your writing. Kingdom Writers have access to a peace that can't be manufactured through human means. It's a fruit of the Holy Spirit. "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy...

Zechariah 4:10a My small beginnings as a runner after reading a book by Dean Karnazes After coming out of an 80 year Babylonian exile and having the glorious temple that King Solomon built be reduced to rubble, it was now time for God's people to rebuild a new temple where Yahweh would reside and be worshiped. To the younger generation, this was a huge milestone. But to the "old-timers" who saw or...

One way to launch a new book is by using Amazon's KDP Select program.  This program launched in December 2011 and I first enrolled one of our books in the program in early January 2012.   The program is no longer as effective as it was in 2012, but we have still seen success with our books as well as the books of other authors. Why Free? When you are a new author it can give you exposure to new re...

If you have published blog posts, podcasts, videos, or have given presentations; you may already have content you can use for your book.   Take a moment to look over the content you have already created to see if you can repurpose it and include it in your book.   For example: Podcasts and videos can be transcribed. Presentation slides can be used as part of your outline.  Deleted scenes can be fl...

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit ." - Romans 15:13 (NLT) Kingdom Writers have access to a joy that can't be manufactured through human means. It's something that we're given by the Holy Spirit We can follow Paul's example by praying that we are...

"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."...

Turn Your Passion into a Platform Are you one of the many people who long to ditch the cubicle and go to work for yourself, on your own terms? What's holding you back? Self-doubt, fear, technology challenges, the feeling that there are already too many other people doing what you want to do? It's time to face those things head-on and transform your passion into a thriving business. Why? Because  Y...

We talked about publishing short Kindle books last month. If you publish short books, I recommend creating a Kindle series around your main topic.  Your series title can be related to your main topic.  Then, each small book can focus on a specific problem within that topic.   Publishing a book series helps you build authority in that niche; people will eventually know that you know your stuff.   O...

Since taking up running over 13 years ago, I've (CJ) learned the importance of a proper warm-up. Whether I'm preparing for a key speed workout or long run, my rule of thumb is to keep the first two miles nice and easy. Rather than forcing my legs to move faster in the beginning, I simply put one foot in front of the other and allow my legs to gradually warm up and get acquainted with movement. I'v...

As writers, there are things that can stand in the way of seeing the breakthrough of finishing our book. Sometimes there's an absolute desperation on our part. There are times we can get a little crazy after exhausting all other options. But when we encounter Jesus, breakthroughs are possible… Mark 2:1-12 Imagine the testimony of this paralyzed man. He was lowered through a hole in the roof by his...

When you write a new book, one thing I want you to consider is how to set your book up for bulk orders. What are bulk orders? Typically these will come from groups, organizations, or companies that will want to order multiple copies of their books for book studies, gifts, to include in a subscription box, etc. Include a Reader's Guide I recommend creating a reader's guide with discussion questions...

There are so many reasons to write short Kindle eBooks.  Personally, I have been writing this type of book for many years and people enjoy reading shorter books. We are all busy and we all have a lot to do.  Therefore, if I can find one book to read quickly, get my question answered, and move on, I'm a happy camper.   A short book is easy for your readers to consume.  A lot of readers will read bo...

When you are in your writing zone, you are using the right side of your brain. This is the creative part of your brain.  Whereas when you are outlining, researching, and editing you are using the left side of your brain. This is the logical part of your brain and also where your inner critic resides.   Therefore when you try to write and edit at the same time, your inner critic can easily shut you...

This episode was originally recorded inside our Christian Book Academy group as live videos. However, we wanted to share these teachings with you. Today's topic is: 3 Lessons from Habakkuk We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational things is to have in place as a Kingdom Writer is a business meeting with God to seek His strateg...

This episode was teachings we did to begin our Virtual Writing Retreat in January. However, we wanted to share these with you. Today's topic is: Free at Last As Kingdom writers let us have a freedom mindset. It's time to move forward with our writing and the messages that God put on our hearts to share with the world. We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One o...

This episode was teachings we did to begin our Virtual Writing Retreat in January. However, we wanted to share these with you. Today's topic is: Big Brave Steps In order to write your book and then to market it and share it with the world, it requires a lot of really big, brave steps. We hope this episode encourages and inspires. We have a free gift for you. One of the most important foundational...