Recently I read that if you publish a book with a traditional publisher, it will be 9-18 months from the time they receive your manuscript to when it will be published. That's about one book every 1.5 to 2 years. Whereas, in the world of self-publishing, authors are releasing new books 3-4 times a year. Why so many? Well, it's a competitive business, so you want to stay relevant as an author, and for many authors, it's a full-time job, and releasing that many per year will increase your income.
But for readers, how do you keep up with reading so many books? You typically don't! But for us in grace circles, buying them to read shouldn't be our main motivation.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I love reading, but most of what I purchase sits unread on my bookshelf until I can find the time. So why do I buy every new book we publish here at TWS? Two reasons... promotion and legacy! For so long, there have been only transactional, mixed messages of law and grace books that flooded the marketplace, but now TWS is publishing books that are Trinitarian, Christocentric, and grace-based. Books about our identity as the image and likeness of God, the radical grace of inclusion, and the finished work! These are books worth promoting and making noise on Amazon! I love seeing our books hit #1 on Amazon's best-seller list, outranking books by authors like John MacArthur, Timothy Keller, and others who write about an "if and then" and "do to become" gospel.
The other reason is legacy. I won't be here forever, and someday, when my family is going through my things, all of these beautiful grace-filled books will be on my shelf for them to read and pass on to future generations.
We are the body of Christ and are called to support one another in our endeavors. Purchasing so many books may seem costly, but it's easy enough to do by reprioritizing... one less coffee at Starbucks, on less dinner out... you get the point. It's money well spent... an investment in promoting the Gospel of grace. One of the best ways to further the Trinitarian, Christocentric, grace-based message is to buy books every time they are published... buy them for yourself and others! Create noise on Amazon! Even if you don't have time to read them right now, confidently put them on your bookshelf, knowing someday one of your future generations will read them and grow in grace!
~ Robin
