"God Doesn't Make Mistakes"
Donation protected
Let me start with I HATE to ask for help. The only thing I HATE more is asking for money. And here I’m doing both. If I had the money to do this myself, I would. If I could walk on fire and broken glass to avoid this – I would.
I’m asking you to contribute ONLY if you believe in this ministry and want to help me reach people today who are suffering as I once did (some near suicide,) and to help educate and soften the hearts of those in our Christian family.
The writing and editing of the book is complete. I had hoped to get an agent or publisher that would take it from here to the finish line but it’s a lot harder than you might think. I would wait patiently for the years it often takes to find my way into the alternate universe of publishing, but I recently felt God tell me “now is the time” to get this message out. I knew instantly that meant getting it done without a publisher. It’s a lot faster, but it is also expensive if it's to be done well.
With the transgender issue in such hot debate, TODAY, Christians are choosing their sides and digging their foxholes…most without any real understanding of what being “transgender” even means. There is so much at stake for the Church!
It’s my hope that my story will help people rethink their presumptions and positions about people who are transgender and come to see them and accept them for “who” they are and “what” they are not. How wonderful would it be to dispel the ignorance that leads well-meaning Christians to shun their own brothers and sisters in Christ!?
I truly feel this book is important. There are people hurting out there (and some wishing they could just “check out” – permanently) who need to know there’s hope for them – that it IS possible to have a church home and fellowship with other Christians, and most importantly that God does LOVE them! Take a look at this email I received from a mom in Australia (used with permission):
“Hello Laurie, we live in Australia. I just want to say thank you for your blog. Thank you for sharing your story with the world. And thank you for being you. In December last year my 17 year-old came out to me as being transgender. We weren't too great [about it] at the start. But soon came around once we educated ourselves more and realized that our daughter's life depended upon it. Our daughter is so beautiful. I am so glad that there are beautiful women like you who have been brave enough to be visible, and thus pave the way for young people like my daughter. She has two younger siblings who have embraced their new sister. She's now a much better version of her former self, which helps.
My husband and I are both enjoying reading your blog articles. You are a brilliant writer. The first article I read was the one about how God doesn't make mistakes. How true is that! My daughter is definitely not a mistake. I have also sent your article to our pastoral care pastor at church, who has been walking beside me on this unexpected path. He is very open to educating himself, which is wonderful. We have stopped attending church for now. My daughter no longer feels comfortable there, and I will not go without her.
I look forward to reading your book when it is released. Thank you again for being you.”
People in the Church need to know that they are causing a tremendous amount of pain and suffering to others who love the Lord every bit as much as they do, but through no fault of their own, were born transgender. The Church needs to know what it’s like to be transgender. They need to know that you can be transgender AND totally committed to Christ and serving the Lord.
I am working with my wonderful coach Morgan Gist MacDonald from Paper Raven Books to get the book published and available on October 9th. Most self-published books look and read like a self-published book. With the help of Morgan's team this will be a professionally published book that can have a real impact on the Church AND Christians who are transgender and who are losing hope.
It's an honor to have the foreword of the book written by Pastor Mark Wingfield of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, TX. He gave an amazing Ted Talk that's on YouTube - if you haven't seen it I hope you'll watch.
The total budget is $7,295. Below you will find a detailed list of how the money is spent, but let me first tell you about my thank you gifts for you who can help…
Thank you gifts for donations:
$10-$49: A PDF copy of the book.
$50-$99: A hardback copy of the book.
$100-$499: A personalized and signed hardback copy of the book.
$500-$999: The above plus invited to the book launch party in October and ONE YEAR of Tek-Chic computer support (you don’t have to live in Austin.)
$1,000 or more: The above, plus FIVE YEARS of Tek-Chic computer support plus a special mention at the end of the book (sorry, after July 9th the book content can't be added to.)
Here is how the funds will be used:
Book Cover ($1,000)
We ran a book cover competition to make sure we get modern, eye-catching, bestseller quality designs (I tapped out a credit card to get this done, but I wanted you to know this is for real.) As you can see, it's awesome! The designers were well paid, too.
Interior Design & Formatting ($1,500)
We’re taking the style and typography from the snazzy book cover into a custom interior design. Pros will help to make sure that each element (running heads, page numbers, chapter titles) are stylistically consistent and beautiful for each format. We’ll format as an ebook for Kindle, paperback, and hardback for sale on Amazon’s global marketplaces and able to stock in any bookstore (Barnes & Noble or local booksellers).
Final Proof of Publication ($500)
We’re hiring a proofreader with a visual eye to do a page-by-page walkthrough of the final files before everything is published, so we can catch any typos or inconsistencies in the design. So important for a professional book!
Metadata ($1,000)
We’re running metadata analysis to make sure that the book can be easily found on Amazon, Google, and search engines. It’s in-depth, detailed and time-consuming. The keywords, categories, and book description will all be optimized for high visibility. When self-publishing, this metadata is what separates the 0-reviews, sunk-in-Amazon’s-black-hole from the successful self-published books. We aren't going into the black-hole.
ISBNs ($295)
These are the numbers you might see on the first page inside a book that uniquely identifies it. Each version of the book (paperback, hardback) must have its own number and is a requirement.
Publication Assistance ($500)
We’re bringing in a project manager to make sure each piece of this publication puzzle is done right and done well. There are a million details to keep track of in these files, all the way from Word Doc to physical book, and we want someone who’s done this before to make sure it’s all going smoothly, is on schedule and that we’re following best practices in book publishing.
Promotion ($500)
We’re paying for some third-party promotion during launch week because we want this book to be SEEN and reviewed and shared. We’re choosing super targeted, effective promotional partners, who can get in front of thousands of readers who aren’t in my Facebook feed, to give the book more reach and impact during launch week.
Audio Book Production ($1,000)
We’re hiring Jodi Stapler, a voice-over and audio book professional to read and produce a high-quality, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable audio book to be made available on Audible.
Books to Hand Out ($1,000)
Buying 100 copies of the hardcover book to hand out to people who need to hear the message and to send to high-profile influencers (television, radio and Internet) who might give it some visibility.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
If by some miracle we exceed the budget goal, any additional amount will go strictly toward my message online and toward a 2nd book.
Our book timeline:
GoFund Me Campaign
July: Identify member of book launch team.
July 10-23: Final proofreading
July 24 – August 7th: Formatting of book for Kindle, Paperback and Hardback
August-September: Audiobook recorded, produced and ready for uploading to Audible
August 13-27: Review actual copies of each format for errors and formatting.
September 3-7: Organize 3rd party promotions
September 10 – October 5: Prep launch team.
Tuesday October 9th – LAUNCH DAY!
I have no words to tell you how humbled I am that you feel this ministry project is worth participating in. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart!
I’m asking you to contribute ONLY if you believe in this ministry and want to help me reach people today who are suffering as I once did (some near suicide,) and to help educate and soften the hearts of those in our Christian family.
The writing and editing of the book is complete. I had hoped to get an agent or publisher that would take it from here to the finish line but it’s a lot harder than you might think. I would wait patiently for the years it often takes to find my way into the alternate universe of publishing, but I recently felt God tell me “now is the time” to get this message out. I knew instantly that meant getting it done without a publisher. It’s a lot faster, but it is also expensive if it's to be done well.
With the transgender issue in such hot debate, TODAY, Christians are choosing their sides and digging their foxholes…most without any real understanding of what being “transgender” even means. There is so much at stake for the Church!
It’s my hope that my story will help people rethink their presumptions and positions about people who are transgender and come to see them and accept them for “who” they are and “what” they are not. How wonderful would it be to dispel the ignorance that leads well-meaning Christians to shun their own brothers and sisters in Christ!?
I truly feel this book is important. There are people hurting out there (and some wishing they could just “check out” – permanently) who need to know there’s hope for them – that it IS possible to have a church home and fellowship with other Christians, and most importantly that God does LOVE them! Take a look at this email I received from a mom in Australia (used with permission):
“Hello Laurie, we live in Australia. I just want to say thank you for your blog. Thank you for sharing your story with the world. And thank you for being you. In December last year my 17 year-old came out to me as being transgender. We weren't too great [about it] at the start. But soon came around once we educated ourselves more and realized that our daughter's life depended upon it. Our daughter is so beautiful. I am so glad that there are beautiful women like you who have been brave enough to be visible, and thus pave the way for young people like my daughter. She has two younger siblings who have embraced their new sister. She's now a much better version of her former self, which helps.
My husband and I are both enjoying reading your blog articles. You are a brilliant writer. The first article I read was the one about how God doesn't make mistakes. How true is that! My daughter is definitely not a mistake. I have also sent your article to our pastoral care pastor at church, who has been walking beside me on this unexpected path. He is very open to educating himself, which is wonderful. We have stopped attending church for now. My daughter no longer feels comfortable there, and I will not go without her.
I look forward to reading your book when it is released. Thank you again for being you.”
People in the Church need to know that they are causing a tremendous amount of pain and suffering to others who love the Lord every bit as much as they do, but through no fault of their own, were born transgender. The Church needs to know what it’s like to be transgender. They need to know that you can be transgender AND totally committed to Christ and serving the Lord.
I am working with my wonderful coach Morgan Gist MacDonald from Paper Raven Books to get the book published and available on October 9th. Most self-published books look and read like a self-published book. With the help of Morgan's team this will be a professionally published book that can have a real impact on the Church AND Christians who are transgender and who are losing hope.
It's an honor to have the foreword of the book written by Pastor Mark Wingfield of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, TX. He gave an amazing Ted Talk that's on YouTube - if you haven't seen it I hope you'll watch.
The total budget is $7,295. Below you will find a detailed list of how the money is spent, but let me first tell you about my thank you gifts for you who can help…
Thank you gifts for donations:
$10-$49: A PDF copy of the book.
$50-$99: A hardback copy of the book.
$100-$499: A personalized and signed hardback copy of the book.
$500-$999: The above plus invited to the book launch party in October and ONE YEAR of Tek-Chic computer support (you don’t have to live in Austin.)
$1,000 or more: The above, plus FIVE YEARS of Tek-Chic computer support plus a special mention at the end of the book (sorry, after July 9th the book content can't be added to.)
Here is how the funds will be used:
Book Cover ($1,000)
We ran a book cover competition to make sure we get modern, eye-catching, bestseller quality designs (I tapped out a credit card to get this done, but I wanted you to know this is for real.) As you can see, it's awesome! The designers were well paid, too.
Interior Design & Formatting ($1,500)
We’re taking the style and typography from the snazzy book cover into a custom interior design. Pros will help to make sure that each element (running heads, page numbers, chapter titles) are stylistically consistent and beautiful for each format. We’ll format as an ebook for Kindle, paperback, and hardback for sale on Amazon’s global marketplaces and able to stock in any bookstore (Barnes & Noble or local booksellers).
Final Proof of Publication ($500)
We’re hiring a proofreader with a visual eye to do a page-by-page walkthrough of the final files before everything is published, so we can catch any typos or inconsistencies in the design. So important for a professional book!
Metadata ($1,000)
We’re running metadata analysis to make sure that the book can be easily found on Amazon, Google, and search engines. It’s in-depth, detailed and time-consuming. The keywords, categories, and book description will all be optimized for high visibility. When self-publishing, this metadata is what separates the 0-reviews, sunk-in-Amazon’s-black-hole from the successful self-published books. We aren't going into the black-hole.
ISBNs ($295)
These are the numbers you might see on the first page inside a book that uniquely identifies it. Each version of the book (paperback, hardback) must have its own number and is a requirement.
Publication Assistance ($500)
We’re bringing in a project manager to make sure each piece of this publication puzzle is done right and done well. There are a million details to keep track of in these files, all the way from Word Doc to physical book, and we want someone who’s done this before to make sure it’s all going smoothly, is on schedule and that we’re following best practices in book publishing.
Promotion ($500)
We’re paying for some third-party promotion during launch week because we want this book to be SEEN and reviewed and shared. We’re choosing super targeted, effective promotional partners, who can get in front of thousands of readers who aren’t in my Facebook feed, to give the book more reach and impact during launch week.
Audio Book Production ($1,000)
We’re hiring Jodi Stapler, a voice-over and audio book professional to read and produce a high-quality, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable audio book to be made available on Audible.
Books to Hand Out ($1,000)
Buying 100 copies of the hardcover book to hand out to people who need to hear the message and to send to high-profile influencers (television, radio and Internet) who might give it some visibility.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
If by some miracle we exceed the budget goal, any additional amount will go strictly toward my message online and toward a 2nd book.
Our book timeline:
GoFund Me Campaign
July: Identify member of book launch team.
July 10-23: Final proofreading
July 24 – August 7th: Formatting of book for Kindle, Paperback and Hardback
August-September: Audiobook recorded, produced and ready for uploading to Audible
August 13-27: Review actual copies of each format for errors and formatting.
September 3-7: Organize 3rd party promotions
September 10 – October 5: Prep launch team.
Tuesday October 9th – LAUNCH DAY!
I have no words to tell you how humbled I am that you feel this ministry project is worth participating in. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart!
Organizer
Laurie Scott
Organizer
Austin, TX
