The "Hustle" of the Christian Publishing Industry, Scribes vs Scammers

The Christian publishing industry has become inundated with new books and authors over the last several decades. With the rise of self-publishing, anyone can publish a book whether it is considered sound doctrine or biblically based, or just something that was thrown together to make a quick buck or two. Sadly, the gift of the Scribe and especially the Kingdom Scribe, is like finding a needle in a haystack in the millions upon millions of books published daily with the tag "Christian" upon it. Yet, God is bringing them forth in His power and with His anointing. In the Bible, Christian scribes were a learned class of people who studied the Scriptures and served as teachers, copyists, editors, and jurists. Scribes were known for their knowledge of the law and were often associated with the Pharisees, a party that believed in resurrection and legal traditions. From Moses down to John the Revelator, we can gather that these men, and possibly women as well, recorded text that we are now reading some 3000 years later.

This includes all self-published books (at least 50%) and traditionally published textbooks and books for the trade. This means there is a new book published every eight seconds or nearly 11,000 per day, every day of the year. (The Steve Laube Agency)

As a publisher, we review every manuscript that is sent to us to decide if we can stand behind the message of the book. We can definitvely say that out of all that books that get rejected, the majority of them come from professing pastors, spiritual leaders, or Christian businessmen and women. Unfortunately, many of these books are full of false doctrine, sensationalism, and sadly, self grandiosment. It is clear upon first glance that the majority of these books are mere transcriptions from sermons, powerpoints, and speeches. They possess no spiritual inspiration or revelation, but are full of pride, exaggeration, and yes, falsities. Selling books is the number one financial 'hustle" for pastors all around the world, aside from their pastoral "careers". From T.D. Jakes to Joel Osteen to Joyce Meyer, these pastors sell books into the millions at church conferences, events, and online. Through extensive research and experience over the last 15 years of publishing, we have found that these pastors will purchase anywhere between 3000-5000 per conference/event to sell. How do we know this? We have published for many pastors over the years and we have worked directly with the printers and distributors to get these books printed and shipped all over the world. Our largest print shipment was 10,000 books. Unfortunately, over 75% of these books, and the many others, had to be shipped back to the author because they did not sell, and based upon polls that have been taken worldwide, only 20% of consumers that purchase Christian books at church, conferences, events, and even online actually read them! Yes, you heard that correctly!

Most everyday authors look to these "famous authors" and desire to be where they are in regard to best selling lists and financial status, not understanding that many of their statistics are puffed up, to say the least. Our desire as Kingdom Scribes & Writers should never be stats or financial gain. Our assignment is to write what we hear from the Spirit of the Living God and publish it in excellence, allowing Him to get it into the hands that need to hear what He is saying through us. After writing for over 25 years, I tell people all over the world when I travel to speak or for book signing events, "If you are not going to read it, do not waste your money." I don't spend 3-5 years each writing books for people to simply purchase them and either stuff them in a bookshelf, or worse, eventually throw them away after several years of it simply collecting dust. I am purposeful in my desire to see Believers transformed by the Word of God and by and through the Spirit of the Living God who speaks through me on the pages of my books. And God has allowed me to see the "fruit of my labor" in the lives of many across the globe. The testimonies that pour into my emails and texts every month is a testament of God moving through the vestibule of Kingdom writing and the scribal anointing. I do not take it lightly nor do I hold it loosely.

In 2022, religious books generated 757.7 million U.S. dollars in sales revenue. Religious book sales grew consecutively in each year since 2017 (with the exception of a small dip in 2019), and the majority of revenue is generated via hardback sales. (Statista)

You will not hear many publishers writing blogs like this, because ultimately, they are only concerned about their profit margins. Many of these Christian publishers will send you a long questionnaire asking you about the number of people you have on your social media platforms, what well-known pastors do you know that can endorse your book, and what media outlets you have been on before that may allow you to return to promote your new book. Many of these publishers have published books for pastors and spiritual leaders that were exposed for perversion and corruption, but refuse to take their books out of their publishing catalog because they know their books will sell even greater with "controversy". They are not concerned about honesty, integrity, or moral compass. We desperately need to make a clear and concise assessment of the "Christian publishing industry," and take steps to bring about its reformation and restoration. May we heed the voice of Holy Spirit in regard to the scribal gifts in the Body of Christ, Kingdom Scribes, that have the "blood stained hands" to prove their time in the Secret Place of the Most High.

... a Kingdom Scribe under the Anointing.