Would Jesus Write An E-Book?
Being the Son of God is a pretty demanding job, I suppose. But Jesus did it in spectacular fashion, especially when it came to publishing a best seller.
A perennial best seller.
This made me stop and think to myself, "What would it have been like if Jesus had lived during the age of e-books?"
Now, before you get the comment fingers gearing up, let me say that this is not a post on religion. This is not a post on theological truths. This is simply a post on how modern communications have changed since the BC/AD switchover some 2000 years ago and wondering how our new technology may have changed the final output and popularity of the Holy Bible.
I admit that an all-powerful, all-knowing being can make any of his plans work with any technology, so let's remove that from the mix and look at the Bible as a very good book written by a very good man. So, supernatural elements removed, what would happen had Jesus wrote the Bible as an e-book today?
Here are some intriguing thoughts...
It took centuries for all the books of the Bible to come together, and as far as we know, the historical Jesus didn't actually pen anything himself. Perhaps, he would have occupied the role of an editor today, taking submissions and reaching out to authors to collaborate on this project.
Perhaps he would have set up a Google Docs account or a BaseCamp account to help him manage the project and the timeline for publication. I supposed he could have shaved off a few centuries that it took for the original one to complete.
While the original Bible was written by individuals, many of whom never spoke to each other, the 21st century Jesus could have set up online video conferences to bring everyone together. Certainly, that could have streamlined things, right?
Of course, market research would have stressed how important the cover on his final book would be. I don't recall what the original cover looked like on the single best-selling book of all time, but if it had been produced in the 21st century, you know it would be cool... and colorful. And not too much text.
About 40 men wrote the original Bible. Back then, I suppose they could have written it in a way that was truly unique as each piece was released. I wonder, if they had worked on the Bible today, would they be able to keep from having any of it leaked to the press prematurely? I mean, probably both St. Paul and St. Mark would have their own blogs. How easy would it have been for them to let a little of the work slip out to their readers? And with Julian Assange lurking, the whole project could easily have been leaked way before it was in the final draft.
One thing that made the original so powerful was that it traveled across the world and was translated into everyone's native tongue, even when some powerful men tried to prevent that from happening. Of course, the 21st century Jesus would have had Google Translate to help automate the process. And with the Internet, his 21st century version could be available on Amazon.com for immediate download almost instantly. No ships, no horses, no chariots. The woman at the well could get her copy instantly on her Kindle and for only $2.99. And yes, our modern technology could still make his words available in red.
Now, there's one thing that the 21st century Jesus would have to deal with that the original did not. Yep, Amazon ratings and reviews. Of course, the original Holy Bible didn't always get rave reviews, so maybe modern technology wouldn't help or hurt that one way or the other.
Finally, the 21st century Jesus would have to decide whether to pursue the traditional publishing route or the self-publishing route. Granted, the traditional route carries with it some prestige, but it all depends on timing. Will books on founding a new religion be hot when the 21st century Jesus is ready to publish? At over a thousand pages, will it be too much of a risk for a publisher to take on? Will an agent even show an interest in it?
With a lot going against it already, I bet the 21st Jesus would have to opt for the self-publishing route, especially if he wanted to get it to market quickly. But then, e-books can overcome a lot of the perceived problems for the 21st century project. And even at a thousand plus pages, the low overhead of publishing an e-book can make a 40 way royalty split doable.
I suppose writing a Holy Bible today would still be a lot of work. Who knows if it would have reached the same success as the original one? Who knows how blogging, reviews, and technology would have impacted its success?
Maybe I've been looking at this all wrong. Maybe it's not the technology that makes a book sell or not sell. Maybe it's not the cover or the distribution. Maybe what makes a book sell today is the same thing that made the Holy Bible a perennial best seller.
Fans. Raving fans. People who love the book so much, they can't wait to share it with someone else.
I suppose that all the technologies, the cover design, and the distribution are important, even key, considerations in the success of any book. But as we consider those things, let's not forget the most important one of all: writing a great book. Writing a book that leaves an impression on our readers, a book that brings value to them. Spending time with our craft to know what is good writing.
So, would Jesus write an e-book? I suppose he has, just 2000 years after the first edition. In fact, I read it on my Android every week.
--------
Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests .
A perennial best seller.
This made me stop and think to myself, "What would it have been like if Jesus had lived during the age of e-books?"
Now, before you get the comment fingers gearing up, let me say that this is not a post on religion. This is not a post on theological truths. This is simply a post on how modern communications have changed since the BC/AD switchover some 2000 years ago and wondering how our new technology may have changed the final output and popularity of the Holy Bible.
I admit that an all-powerful, all-knowing being can make any of his plans work with any technology, so let's remove that from the mix and look at the Bible as a very good book written by a very good man. So, supernatural elements removed, what would happen had Jesus wrote the Bible as an e-book today?
Here are some intriguing thoughts...
It took centuries for all the books of the Bible to come together, and as far as we know, the historical Jesus didn't actually pen anything himself. Perhaps, he would have occupied the role of an editor today, taking submissions and reaching out to authors to collaborate on this project.
Perhaps he would have set up a Google Docs account or a BaseCamp account to help him manage the project and the timeline for publication. I supposed he could have shaved off a few centuries that it took for the original one to complete.
While the original Bible was written by individuals, many of whom never spoke to each other, the 21st century Jesus could have set up online video conferences to bring everyone together. Certainly, that could have streamlined things, right?
Of course, market research would have stressed how important the cover on his final book would be. I don't recall what the original cover looked like on the single best-selling book of all time, but if it had been produced in the 21st century, you know it would be cool... and colorful. And not too much text.
About 40 men wrote the original Bible. Back then, I suppose they could have written it in a way that was truly unique as each piece was released. I wonder, if they had worked on the Bible today, would they be able to keep from having any of it leaked to the press prematurely? I mean, probably both St. Paul and St. Mark would have their own blogs. How easy would it have been for them to let a little of the work slip out to their readers? And with Julian Assange lurking, the whole project could easily have been leaked way before it was in the final draft.
One thing that made the original so powerful was that it traveled across the world and was translated into everyone's native tongue, even when some powerful men tried to prevent that from happening. Of course, the 21st century Jesus would have had Google Translate to help automate the process. And with the Internet, his 21st century version could be available on Amazon.com for immediate download almost instantly. No ships, no horses, no chariots. The woman at the well could get her copy instantly on her Kindle and for only $2.99. And yes, our modern technology could still make his words available in red.
Now, there's one thing that the 21st century Jesus would have to deal with that the original did not. Yep, Amazon ratings and reviews. Of course, the original Holy Bible didn't always get rave reviews, so maybe modern technology wouldn't help or hurt that one way or the other.
Finally, the 21st century Jesus would have to decide whether to pursue the traditional publishing route or the self-publishing route. Granted, the traditional route carries with it some prestige, but it all depends on timing. Will books on founding a new religion be hot when the 21st century Jesus is ready to publish? At over a thousand pages, will it be too much of a risk for a publisher to take on? Will an agent even show an interest in it?
With a lot going against it already, I bet the 21st Jesus would have to opt for the self-publishing route, especially if he wanted to get it to market quickly. But then, e-books can overcome a lot of the perceived problems for the 21st century project. And even at a thousand plus pages, the low overhead of publishing an e-book can make a 40 way royalty split doable.
I suppose writing a Holy Bible today would still be a lot of work. Who knows if it would have reached the same success as the original one? Who knows how blogging, reviews, and technology would have impacted its success?
Maybe I've been looking at this all wrong. Maybe it's not the technology that makes a book sell or not sell. Maybe it's not the cover or the distribution. Maybe what makes a book sell today is the same thing that made the Holy Bible a perennial best seller.
Fans. Raving fans. People who love the book so much, they can't wait to share it with someone else.
I suppose that all the technologies, the cover design, and the distribution are important, even key, considerations in the success of any book. But as we consider those things, let's not forget the most important one of all: writing a great book. Writing a book that leaves an impression on our readers, a book that brings value to them. Spending time with our craft to know what is good writing.
So, would Jesus write an e-book? I suppose he has, just 2000 years after the first edition. In fact, I read it on my Android every week.
--------
Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect , an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests .
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