So You Want to Write a Book?
Advice on the platform dilemma from an acquisitions editor
This Weekly Edition of Inkwell features Rachel Joy Welcher
MY FRIEND JOY, for the good of her soul, stays off social media. She decided long ago that it wasn’t helpful, and has lived in blissful ignorance of many fleeting trends, online arguments, and Instagram reels about which homemade snacks she should be feeding her children. Instead, she listens to thoughtful podcasts, has conversations in person with real friends, reads luxuriously long books, and enjoys not knowing all the ways that Elon Musk has derailed what was formerly known as Twitter.
Joy is also a lovely writer. She cares about shaping language to explore the beauty of creation, the depth of human connection, and the intricacies of grief.
She wants to write a book.
I am an acquisitions editor. Finding authors is what I do.
You probably already see the dilemma. One of the first pieces of advice hopeful book writers hear is: You must develop a platform. And so, I must decide: do I invite my friend—the one with the rare self-discipline to buck cultural trends in order to suck the marrow of life—to get back online, the very place she saw was hurting her soul?
Another writer shared that he got off social media so he would spend less time on his phone and more time being present with his children. So do I encourage him to re-download the very apps that stole his focus from the happy chatter of his daughter? That made it difficult to look up when his son said: Dad! Watch this!
I wish I could tell you that selling Christian books is all about good writing and thoughtful content by devoted saints. I want to assure you that you don’t have to put your name after an @ sign in order to secure a book contract and share your words. I want to tell you that the Eugene Petersons and Henri Nouwens of our day would find it exceedingly easy to find an agent and publisher. I want to, but I can’t.
At the same time, publishers are noticing that followers on social media don’t always equal book sales. Just because someone watches your short video reels or reads snippets of your essays here and there doesn’t mean they want to read an entire book by you. Maybe they don’t want to read an entire book at all! In some ways, what sells and doesn’t sell is inexplicable; dependent on the right time, the right place, even the right title and cover.
It’s a guessing game. An educated guessing game, but a game all the same.
SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN for the writer with remarkable ability, whose practical theology cuts to the bone and reads like poetry, but who hasn’t spent time online, booking speaking gigs, or trying to go viral on YouTube? What about the older, wiser mother or father of the faith who has a book burning inside them but doesn’t know how to create an Instagram post? Do they have a chance at being published? Will we ever get to read them?
If we do, it will be by the effort of not only writers, agents, marketers, and publishers, but also of readers. Readers must demand the good, the true, and the beautiful and show their demand by purchasing such books, regardless of how famous the author is or is not.
While I cannot predict the future of Christian publishing, I can give you some of the advice I give to other good writers with small (or non-existent) platforms who want to write a book.
GIVE YOUR READERS A PLACE TO FIND YOU. I recently spoke with a book agent—a true legend in the industry—who suggested that aspiring writers should “consider one channel, or platform, to explore and communicate in, an avenue that naturally allows [them] to speak about their work and [begin] building relational equity.”
Instead of turning your nose up at the idea of “platform,” consider your readers. Consider the ways that building a platform could actually be a form of hospitality, where you intentionally invite them into a space where they can read your work, hear your thoughts, and engage with your ideas. Another book agent I interviewed wisely noted that some worry: “If I go down this path, I’ll be making an idol in my own image.” She continued: “They let that hesitation keep them from engaging at all. But how will a reader ever find their book if they’re not willing to talk about their message?” Her concluding advice was: “If your message matters to you, don’t wait for a book to share it.”
The truth is, most writers are introverted. We would rather maintain some degree of mystery and prefer the idea of writing in the woods under candlelight to a raucous event where we sit at the center. But I suggest that we consider the humility and kindness it takes to put ourselves out there, thinking of creative ways to invite readers to find our work and hopefully be blessed by our words.
You don’t have to get on every social media platform, book a speaking tour, or start your own podcast for readers to find you. If it’s not a natural fit, it will be obvious. Of course, if it’s between your well-being and yet another social media app, choose your well-being every single time. Finding the right place to share your voice is a little like picking out the best office chair. We all have different aches and pains, aesthetic leanings, and different heights. Pick the chair that you’re most comfortable in.
WRITE IN AND OUT OF SEASON. I’ll tell you a secret: there are acquisitions editors spying out good writing all the time, especially from people who haven’t been “discovered” yet. Whether you’re actively writing a book, working on a pitch, etc., the key task is to keep writing. Keep reading. Keep living. I wrote for years without being published. I was published in Christian magazines for years without ever being paid. I wrote and wrote, and the discipline of it shaped me. It prepared me. When the time came, I was approached to write a book rather than seeking out a deal myself.
The author Hunter S. Thompson is said to have typed out every word of The Great Gatsby just to feel what it was like to write at that level. Every time you read, you are making yourself a student of writing. Reading is never a waste of time for the writer, and writing is never a waste—even if it stays in a folder on your laptop for eternity.
The writers I love most are the ones who write for the joy of it—who try their hand at poetry one day just because—and are not simply sharing an essay or poem to promote a book. They genuinely care about their craft, beyond the money it might make them. You can see that in what they choose to write and share over the years. If you are truly a writer, you will write before and after, even without ever receiving the coveted book deal.
One acquisitions editor told me that his advice for writers is to “write what brings you joy, and if it brings you fame, so be it…” My favorite writing projects have been the ones that didn’t fit into any typical publishing mold, but pushed me, giving me the chance to develop my voice, my craft, and even my theology. If we are always writing to be published, we won’t take the risks necessary to grow as writers.
ENCOURAGE OTHER WRITERS. When my very first book—a chapbook of angsty poems entitled Blue Tarp—was published back in 2016 by a small but wonderful press, endorsements were still a thing. I remember taking a deep breath and pressing “send” on some Facebook and Twitter messages, asking some of my favorite writers if they would read the book and write a blurb. To my surprise, many wrote back and said yes!
Ever since then, I do my best to say yes when someone asks me to read their book and consider an endorsement (since having babies, I’ve had to break that streak) because there is much beauty in building a community of writers who genuinely celebrate one another and are not merely motivated by their own success.
You might be surprised to discover how many of your favorite Christian authors—your heroes of the faith—are not actually best-sellers, and they certainly aren’t rich. Whereas some newer authors, with the triple-threat of winsome writing, engaging content, and social media know-how, are the ones who sell enough copies for a down payment on a house. Because of this discrepancy, I have a dream of asking some of these new and trending authors to consider how they might use their platforms to amplify the voices of their mentors, and those writers who have words we need but whose names we do not yet know.
I love platforms (like Substack) that make it easy to “tag” others, share their work, and uplift their voices. We are never too old, too famous, or too far along in our writing careers to read someone else’s blog post and share it, noting: “This is worth your time.” We never arrive as writers, reaching a point where we don’t need community, feedback, or editing. There is always room to grow, and we do our best growing together.
PRAY THROUGH IT. Finally, my best advice to you faithful writers out there, bent over laptops or wrangling pen and paper, is to pray. Don’t assume that your writing aspirations are somehow separate from your spiritual life, or that God isn’t involved because it’s not directly related to your local church ministry. If God cares about the sparrow that falls from the tree, how much more does He care for us in every way, including our dreams, goals, and the ways we hope to use our gifts?
“My greatest hope,” one book agent told me, is that we get to publish “thoughtful, well-written, timeless books.” God is watering these seeds that we scatter late at night, in the early morning, and in the tired afternoon, over cups of cold coffee. Of course, we may not see a vast harvest field—we may only behold one small blade of grass. But let it grow and let Psalm 90 be our prayer: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands— establish the work of our hands!”
This may be your season to write in the dark. This may be your season to lift up the voice of another. Maybe this is the season to put your words forth and trust that the Holy Spirit will carry them exactly where they need to go.
I hope you get to read Joy’s book one day.
Rachel Joy Welcher
Author & Editor
Rachel is the author of three collections of poetry, Talking Back to Purity Culture, and a forthcoming children's book. She studied at the University of St. Andrews and now works as an acquisitions editor for Baker Books. You can check out more of her work at her Substack.
📚 Speaking of giving your readers a place to find you…
Join us for a special Inkwell Workshop with Griffin Gooch: Growing as a Writer in the Substack Era. Free access for all young storytellers & artists. Saturday, October 11, at 1:00 EST. Online via Zoom. Save your spot.
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I happen to think there is a beautiful swelling of good writing happening daily-- unseen in kitchen tables across the world. If Dostoevsky (and others) are right- that hidden goodness matters and ripples for the good of our neighbor in never-known ways. Hidden, good writing is also a pure "in your face" to the many de-formational assaults on our minds and the writing process. Our words will find the souls that need them. I'm happy to be the poster-child for this problem. And my only social media presence (finally, out of market pressures and risk-taking!) is this sorta okay chamber of Substack.
Thank you for writing this. As I read, I could almost feel the pressure lift from my shoulders—the burden of thinking I must always write for marketing rather than for joy. Your words freed me to remember why I love to write in the first place, and to embrace it as delight rather than duty. I’m grateful for the way this piece opened that space for me.