When I signed up to attend SheSpeaks there was one session that I just HAD to attend. I was fortunate enough to get into Writing Out of Your Passion with Tom Davis.
If you don’t know who Tom Davis is, well you should! (Really…he’s an amazing writer!) Tom Davis is the CEO of Children’s Hope Chest and is passionate about orphan care and adoption. He has written many books about his passion, and they are all amazing reads. (May I suggest that you read his novel “Scared”)
I went to the session with Tom Davis right after one of the biggest Christian publishers told me they would have published my book had my platform been bigger – they’re the ones who told me to build my platform and then email them.
As I sat down, ready to glean as much from Tom Davis as I could, I was shocked when he shared that his first book “Fields of the Fatherless” was SELF PUBLISHED!
He had no platform. He had no publisher backing him. He wrote what he was passionate about, self-published, and Compassion International eventually backed the book. Then BOOM he had a platform!
My head started to spin. What if I self-published my book. Should I self-publish? I decided I would go up and talk to Tom Davis after his session was over.
I raced up to the front of the room, only two people in line in front of me to speak to him. When it was my turn I told him about my publisher appointment prior to his session and asked for his opinion.
He said if he were me he would really consider self-publishing. He said even if I got some big organization backing me it wasn’t a guarantee that the publisher would publish my book. He believed I could self-publish and build a platform and have the same kind of success that he had had with “Fields of the Fatherless.” Talk about encouragement.
Tom Davis said a few other things during his session that also encouraged me:
“Nobody has an excuse! You don’t have to have an agent or a book deal. Start! Self publish and build your audience.”
“Self publishing is one of the greatest tools God can use to build your platform.”
“The places you’ve been wounded the deepest is where God will use you to touch others – write from your passion!”
“Many of heavens resources don’t get to us because we don’t take the first step of faith.”
“God put this kingdom assignment in your heart for a reason.”
More than likely I won’t hear back from any of the publishers I met with for several months. Until then, I will be praying about whether or not I should self publish my book! I feel very encouraged knowing that Tom Davis’ best-seller was self published. I feel like I have options for getting my book published.
This was very encouraging to me as well. I heard at She Speaks over and over again that sometimes self-publishing helped give you platform. I’ve been thinking about it as well.
Jamie – Have you considered doing an Ebook? That’s another thing I am considering…there really are a lot of options! We just have to pray and trust that God will show us the right one 🙂
Oh, and I am in the middle of fields of the fatherless. It is such a good book. The book I want to write would be similarly themed. Me up against Tom Davis – I don’t know… 🙂
LOVE that book! LOVE all of Tom Davis’ stuff! Maybe Tom can endorse your book or write the forward??? I bet he would!
I was in that same session. WOW!!! What an incredible speaker he is. God really used him to speak to my heart!! I could have listenned to him for hours. I wish I would have gone up and talked to him but after his talk the room was spinning. I went directly to the prayer room.
Joy – SO glad you found my blog and SO excited to see where God leads you! Adoption is the most AMAZING journey!