New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 707

So You Want to Write a Book

Clint Clifton, Ed Stetzer & Christine Hoover

Episode 707

There’s so much to book writing that’s unknown and kind of mysterious to those who desire to write a book. Host Clint Clifton talks with Ed Stetzer and Christine Hoover about steps aspiring writers need to take.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • First steps to discovering the publishing industry
  • The importance of having a well-known agent
  • Ways to actually accomplish the labor of writing
  • The role deadlines play
  • How to evaluate if you’re any good at writing 

Helpful Resources:

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Writing a book is not just having the idea, not just having the desire. It’s putting your bottom in a seat and actually spending time doing it. It’s really an act of discipline. @ChristineHoover

Most books should be an article and most articles should be a Tweet. The expansion of ideas across chapters is a stunning amount of effort. If you want to write a book, you better start by writing some articles. @EdStetzer

I don’t read anything until I’m done and then I go back through and I re-read and edit myself pretty extensively. @ChristineHoover

Real writing is editing. Anyone can write something once. It’s your editing and re-editing where the pain comes, but it’s necessary. @EdStetzer

I have to go away for multiple days to get anything substantive done. Both of the major writing projects I’ve done were accomplished in two-, four- or five-day chunks of time. @ClintJClifton

You can self-publish and then be picked up by a publisher. That’s an increasingly common path as well. @EdStetzer

One way, especially for women, is using social media platforms to write and test things. When people resonate with certain topics, you realize, “Oh.” @ChristineHoover

Published on October 06, 2022

About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Authors

Clint Clifton

Clint Clifton passed away on January 12, 2023, as a result of a small plane crash. Clint and his wife, Jennifer, had been married since 2000 and have five children. He completed a B.A. from The Baptist College of Florida and an M.A. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Clint founded Pillar Church in Dumfries, Virginia, in 2005. He oversaw the fruitful church planting efforts of Pillar Church and served as Senior Director of Resource and Research Strategy for the North American Mission Board.

More Resources from Clint

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is a professor and dean at Wheaton College where he also serves as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center.  He is the incoming Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and he has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the Editor-in-Chief of Outreach Magazine, and regularly writes for news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. His national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates. He serves at his local church, Mariners Church, as a Scholar in Residence and Teaching Pastor.

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Christine Hoover

Christine Hoover is a pastor’s wife, mom of three boys, Bible teacher, and author of six books, including The Church Planting Wife, Messy Beautiful Friendship, and How to Thrive as a Pastor’s Wife, as well as a Bible study, Seek First the Kingdom. Her work has been featured on The Gospel Coalition, For The Church, and Christianity Today. Originally from Texas, she and her family live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they planted a church in 2008. Find Christine at her home online, www.christinehoover.net

More Resources from Christine