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Narelle here. At ACW, we’ve always had a vision for being a place where we can help grow the Christian writing community, especially in Aust/NZ, and reach new writers and readers.
One of the best ways a new writer can protect themselves from being exploited and ripped off by unscrupulous people is to educate themselves on the publishing industry — and one of the easiest ways to do this is to join writing groups and participate in writing events.
For a new writer, and especially those of us who are introverts, the whole idea of connecting with other writers can be challenging and a little bit scary. I believe that networking and connecting with likeminded writers who not only understand our passion for writing, but who can also inspire and encourage us, is a true blessing in our writing journey.
When a publishing opportunity arises that seems too good to be true, we can ask for input from our writing friends and from more experienced writers. Over the years I’ve seen many situations where a writer in our Australasian Christian Writers (ACW) Facebook Group has asked a question about a publishing opportunity and received answers from the group that have saved them from making unwise financial decisions.
It’s heartbreaking to hear stories from writers who have quit writing altogether because they were burned by bad experiences and disillusioned because they trusted the wrong people.
In the Bible, Jesus warns us to watch out for the wolves in sheep’s clothing. Sadly, like most people, I’ve been burned by people in the Christian writing world who have said all the right things but didn’t have my best interests at heart.
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
— Matthew 7:15 (NIV)
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
— Matthew 10:16 (NIV)
I’d love to hear about your writing groups where group members have educated, inspired, and encouraged you in your writing journey.
Last week I finished watching the recordings from 2024 Faith, Hope, & Love Christian Writers Virtual Conference that was held in April. I took pages of notes from the workshops and gained helpful insights for my writing.
Wide for the Win on Facebook is a group that has encouraged me in my journey not to be exclusive to Amazon. I have learned heaps. I also like Christian Indie Writers. NB WftW is NOT a Christian group.
Hi Christine, yes, Wide for the Win has a vast range of searchable resources and expertise within their group. It’s a great group for indie authors to join if they want to learn how to maximise the benefits of selling wide ie. not having their books exclusive to Amazon and enrolled in KDP Select (Kindle Unlimited).
There are a few Christian Indie Author groups on Facebook. The one I’d recommend (known as CIA) is administered by Jan Thompson, Valerie Comer and Jennifer Spredemann. Like Wide for the Win, they also have a Rolodex of searchable resources in the group archives.
I’d recommend making sure you’ve turned off the ‘summarise comments’ option in your Facebook Profile settings. This means you should see all of the comments within each topic in the group.