Help me self-publish my book! - More of Jesus

Hey Friends! My name is Joy and I looooove to encourage people in their walk with Jesus. For over 2 decades of my life I have been involved in discipleship ministry, overseas mission work and helping people go deeper in their walk with Jesus. I think Jesus wants us to take Matthew 22:37-40 seriously- that we love him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and this book is written to equip people to do exactly that. I've been writing everything from devotions to ministry newsletters, blog posts and published Christian articles for over a decade and feel it's time to put things God has taught me into a book for easy access to an audience that needs the message. I want to write to encourage people to know him more deeply and serve him wholeheartedly through the understanding of what it means to abide in his presence. As someone who is a recovering perfectionist, I write from a perspective of making mistakes, living life and gleaning what you can from time with Jesus, so that everything in your life is filtered through his love and redemption. I write stories from a memoir-style perspective where everyday occurrences become teachable moments when we bring ourselves to the feet of our Savior. This book is a practical guide to reach people no matter where they're at in their walk with Christ that there is always more to learn and a call to go deeper in Him.

The book is about encouraging people to know and love Jesus as our first priority. It will address and give practical helps for personal discipline in:

-spending time with Jesus

-studying the Word of God

-tools to help you grow in prayer

-getting creative with Jesus by walking in obedience to his voice

I've been writing for my personal blog for almost 10 years, in case you want to have a taste of my writing style have a look here:

www.joyallenstudio.com

Everything I have done in my writing career has been out of my own pocket but to take this book to the next level, I don't have the needed funds at this time, thus, a gofundme was born to help my book come to life!

Finances raised will be used for:

-A professional graphic designer to help design the book cover

-Hiring an experienced book editor to help polish the book

-Cover expenses for design, formatting and a small amount of books to print (the initial focus will be ebooks/kindle)

-Social media marketing to help boost book sales & raise awareness

-Anything left over or raised above financial goal will be used as a book advance to cover costs of writing expenses/ongoing website maintenance

My heart in writing this book is simple: people need Jesus. Not just learning about him, or serving him, doing things for him or telling people about him....people need a deep abiding relationship with Jesus himself. I honestly think that Jesus wants that too! This book is to help anyone who struggles to understand practically what that looks like to know, grow and learn and encourage others to do the same. I just want my words to honor the greatest person I know, Jesus himself, and serve others in their walk with him.

At the time this fundraiser was started the book is nearing completion! It is currently going through some personal re-writes, and I already have a committed group of beta readers to help with constructive feedback and support. I hope to publish the book late Summer/ Fall of 2023 and will put it on Kindle as well as run a small batch of printed copies.

Thank you so much for reading, praying and donating to help this book come to life!

Much love,

Joy