But those days seem to be over.  Amazon offers Kindle Direct Publishing and Barnes and Noble offers Pubit so that independent authors can publish their own books.  Typically, writers can just upload a word document, design a cover, fill out their applications, and their books will be online for sale within 48 hours.

A few months ago, my wife recommended that I read Tim Keller’s “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness” from Amazon/Kindle.  It cost $2.99 (presently it is $.99) and was 48 pages long.  I didn’t mind its brevity or its cost because the message was powerful, gospel-filled, and immediately applicable.  I was also able to read it in one sitting which is about the attention span I have sometimes.

As the days passed and I recommended the book to others, I began to think that it would be nice if many other books like this were available, and I also wondered how great it would be if godly pastors and friends could publish their books like this as well.  Secretly, I also dreamed of publishing my own writings.

I don’t think we need fewer books by fewer authors; instead, I think we need more.  Several of the pastors in my area are quite brilliant, yet no one may ever know about their sermons or writings because the publishing industry is so mammoth and so difficult to tackle on one’s own.

But those days seem to be over.  Amazon offers Kindle Direct Publishing and Barnes and Noble offers Pubit so that independent authors can publish their own books.  Typically, writers can just upload a word document, design a cover, fill out their applications, and their books will be online for sale within 48 hours.

Of course, advertising and getting the word out is up to you, but in the age of Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon, and Pinterest, telling people about your books is not that hard.  Building a tribe of readers is, but if you publish quality works consistently, you’ll find people who want to read what you write.  And we have a host of talented, Reformed authors that need to be read.

To stick my toe in these waters, I published a collection of essays (essentially blog posts) about how the gospel impacts certain aspects of culture.  I then took a portion of my series on James and published a book on how God enables us to persevere.  Just last week, my thoughts on trials from the Book of Ruth were published.

Since I write my sermons in manuscript style, I start with a solid basis for books.  I just edit out the specifics of my congregation, bind them into a narrative, and then give them to my wife to edit.  Right now, I’m publishing smaller, affordable books from $.99 to $6.99.  I also make them available in paperback at Lulu.com.

What these new industries provide for us is an opportunity to communicate effectively, skip the mountain that is the publishing industry, make a little bit of money (30% – 70% of cost), and most importantly, speak of the gospel of Christ on a larger platform.

You might only sale 5-6 books, but those books might make a huge impact on people who read them.

If you have thoughts or questions, or would like to find out more on publishing or letting people know you publish, you may contact me at [email protected] [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.] or check out my Amazon author page.

Gordon Duncan is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and is the church planter in Spotsylvania, VA.