By Caroline A. Shearer
Over the years, I have seen two distinct incarnations for those who embark on a spiritual journey: 1. those who interpret their journey as a sign to start a spiritual practice as a career, and 2. those who want to become spiritual teachers via authoring books. Both motivations spring from a positive place. In those early days of exploration, it’s as though the universe has opened up, revealing all we couldn’t see before, and this new reality we are experiencing is oh, so magical. Self-creation. Law of attraction. Ascension. Masters of our own destiny!
Exciting, yes?
But as I teach my readers, as amazing as this all feels—and it is amazing—we are still living in this world, in this time, and we’re here to learn these lessons. Having an expanded perception does not automatically mean we’re expected to chuck our lives and only do “spiritual things.” For some of you, that extreme might be part of your life lessons. But for most people, it’s a matter of incorporating these concepts into the lives we already have created and then evolving at the pace that is best for our soul.
Maybe you use your newfound psychic skills to help you understand the children in your classroom. Maybe your new ability to read energy helps you determine who to hire or what clients to take. Maybe your new ability to channel helps you create an awesome blog. Or maybe, you want to write a book.
For those who feel their spiritual journey has brought them to a place where the next step is authoring a book, this takes, for lack of a better term, “real world” skills. Spiritual writers must be grounded in the practical workings of how to create success (whatever that means for you) if they want their work to have an impact beyond themselves.
If you are thinking of authoring a spiritual book, consider these factors.
Have a clear vision. Much like a theme in a novel, an author must decide what the ultimate theme is of the teachings and build all of the text around it. The theme may not be unique, but the method of delivery must be. What are you going to do to bring order to your thoughts in a way they make sense to the reader? How does your vision stand out from other authors? What methods/steps might you create to illustrate that vision in a way the reader can implement it?
Be prepared to edit, edit, and edit again. Completing a manuscript is merely a new beginning. Any good book for sale—let me repeat that, any good book for sale—has been meticulously worked through to create the best end result. Be prepared to practice that skill of non-attachment and be prepared to sweep that ego into its place. A need for editing is all-inclusive.
Have a plan to market your book. Whether you are going to self-publish or seek a publisher, this market requires active, repeated, long-term persistence. Millions of books are published each year. Merely putting your book “out there” does not accomplish what you want to accomplish, which is to impact people in a positive way. The strength of your marketing is what allows you to impact the most people. Be prepared to come out of your comfort zone (or use those strengths) and recognize that this experience is part of your life lesson, too. You must grow through this experience if you want your readers to grow.
Keep your financial support system in place. Research royalties, research average book sales, and do the math. Realize that you will want and need to support yourself independently of book sales, and plan for that.
Writers who are able to keep all these factors well in mind have the best chance for creating books that reach people and help/inspire them. And while those who embark on the journey of a spiritual author bear a sacred responsibility of ensuring their words are used for the betterment of those they reach, the personal fulfilment is rich and rewarding.
Caroline A. Shearer has published almost a hundred writers in dozens of books through Absolute Love Publishing, which was born out of a mission to create and publish media promoting goodness in the world. https://absolutelovepublishing.com