Mark Richard
asked
Lorilyn Roberts:
I am looking forward to reading your book, Lorilyn! If you could recommend one thing to get readers flocking to buy a new book, what would it be? My book, "Words for a Wounded World: Scriptural Poems of Truth and Hope," is scheduled for release at the end of January 2026. And a second book, "Sacred Sexuality: Grace and Truth Revealed in a Culture of Confusion," in late Spring 2026.
Lorilyn Roberts
Mark, I’m answering on my phone, so forgive any mistakes. It’s probably easier for me to tell you what not to do than what to do.
Don’t let the scammers flatter you. Don’t let them mock you. Don’t pay for stuff that you can do yourself. Don’t buy the lies of the evil one that your writing isn’t any good. Don’t give up. Never, never give up. Don’t let the negative things that people tell you about your book discourage you from continuing to write. Don’t let one and two-star reviews keep you from believing in your writing. Don’t give away books through Amazon Kindle book giveaways. If you want to give away books, do it through the Goodreads giveaway program, Book Funnel, Pay Hip, or something like that.
I have learned that when you give away books on Amazon‘s platform, people will come along and rate your book low, and because it’s a confirmed "free purchase" on Amazon, you can’t get it removed. I feel like if someone is going to rate my book low, they need to buy my book rather than receive it for free. I learned that the hard way.
What can you do? Pray to God to help you get your book into the hands of those readers who will appreciate it. Spend time with God daily, giving him your dreams and asking Him to bless you, because if you are a Christian and that’s your dream, then God gave you that dream. God doesn’t give us dreams that He doesn’t intend to fulfill. That also means you must be in the right relationship with God.
Don’t harbor unforgiveness in your life. Read your Bible each day. Pray and encourage others. Ask God for wisdom. Try to insulate yourself from negative people.
On the practical side, make sure you have an active website. You need to have some presence on a couple of social networking sites. It can be Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, along those lines. I also highly recommend that you enter at least three or four book contests. Make sure you enter legitimate ones. I like FAPA, Christian Indie Book Awards, International Book Awards, and Reader's Favorite Book Awards. But there are also others, but these particular ones are easy to enter, are not overly expensive, and I know they are legitimate contests.
Entering contests is not just about trying to win, but it’s about making sure that what you are writing will be the best you can write because nobody enters a contest to lose. It’s just my way of validating that I am writing to win awards, and by writing to win awards, I know I am giving God my very best for His glory.
Your taking the time to send me this question shows me that you are truly seeking to get your book out there. So keep up the good work, and God will help you.
Lorilyn Roberts
Don’t let the scammers flatter you. Don’t let them mock you. Don’t pay for stuff that you can do yourself. Don’t buy the lies of the evil one that your writing isn’t any good. Don’t give up. Never, never give up. Don’t let the negative things that people tell you about your book discourage you from continuing to write. Don’t let one and two-star reviews keep you from believing in your writing. Don’t give away books through Amazon Kindle book giveaways. If you want to give away books, do it through the Goodreads giveaway program, Book Funnel, Pay Hip, or something like that.
I have learned that when you give away books on Amazon‘s platform, people will come along and rate your book low, and because it’s a confirmed "free purchase" on Amazon, you can’t get it removed. I feel like if someone is going to rate my book low, they need to buy my book rather than receive it for free. I learned that the hard way.
What can you do? Pray to God to help you get your book into the hands of those readers who will appreciate it. Spend time with God daily, giving him your dreams and asking Him to bless you, because if you are a Christian and that’s your dream, then God gave you that dream. God doesn’t give us dreams that He doesn’t intend to fulfill. That also means you must be in the right relationship with God.
Don’t harbor unforgiveness in your life. Read your Bible each day. Pray and encourage others. Ask God for wisdom. Try to insulate yourself from negative people.
On the practical side, make sure you have an active website. You need to have some presence on a couple of social networking sites. It can be Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, along those lines. I also highly recommend that you enter at least three or four book contests. Make sure you enter legitimate ones. I like FAPA, Christian Indie Book Awards, International Book Awards, and Reader's Favorite Book Awards. But there are also others, but these particular ones are easy to enter, are not overly expensive, and I know they are legitimate contests.
Entering contests is not just about trying to win, but it’s about making sure that what you are writing will be the best you can write because nobody enters a contest to lose. It’s just my way of validating that I am writing to win awards, and by writing to win awards, I know I am giving God my very best for His glory.
Your taking the time to send me this question shows me that you are truly seeking to get your book out there. So keep up the good work, and God will help you.
Lorilyn Roberts
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