Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone - Laura J. Davis

Going from a music ministry into the publishing industry was not only a leap of faith for me, it was a learning experience. I knew where to send any songs I had written for copyright and I knew what organizations I needed to belong to so that I could receive royalty cheques on those songs. I also knew what I needed to do for publicity, how many songs it takes for a 40 minute concert, how long to talk in-between songs (keep it short!) and how much it costs to produce a record (not a CD, that was before my time). However, I didn't have the slightest clue on what to do with a complete novel. So, I tossed it in my dresser drawer and forgot about it. Well...I tried to...that didn't work very well, as God didn't like that idea too much and my best friend was furious that I wouldn't do anything about it. So I approached everything the way I did with my singing...I took some courses and continued to hone my writing skills. I read some books (lots of books), scoured the internet on everything that had to do with writing and publishing and realized quickly that I should have left my book in my drawer!

Nothing scared me more than these questions from publishers (which I ran into frequently in my searches): 

• What qualifies you to write this book?
•  Why did you write it?

Why did I write it? Um...God told me to? Nope! Can't say that. That was the number one rule I learned at one of the many courses I took. Don't ever say God told you to write your book. Why? Too unprofessional. 

What qualifies me to write this book? Um...I love Jesus?

Okay...so it was about there that I started to convince myself that God wanted me to self-publish and that He only wanted me to publish enough books for my family and friends. 

Big mistake. Never assume God has small plans for you, or that He wants you to take the easy way out of a situation. God wants the BEST for you and usually His best requires you to step out of your comfort zone.

I was about to learn that lesson the hard way.

Until next time!

http://www.laurajdavis.com