Writing advice: Your book (and my book) are not for everyone. Thank God for that.
I sometimes take nonfiction book outlining or ghostwriting clients, and I find myself saying to them the same advice that I need to remind myself of again and again.
I said it so often, in fact, that I decided to write it down a few months ago. As I was going through my notes file today, it was a helpful personal reminder that the decisions I’m making for the Faith Storytellers Workbook can’t please everyone. Yet it will serve someone!
It’s a counterintuitive and yet helpful piece of advice: To let go of the idea that your book is for everyone, because there’s only one book in the world that’s truly for everyone, and that’s a weight I’m glad I don’t have to carry!
My book is not for everyone. Thank you, God, for that!
My book is not for everyone.
My book is not for everyone because my book is not the Bible.
The only book in the world that’s for everyone is the Bible. It’s been printed, sold, gifted, read, and shared more than any other book in the world! It’s such a best-selling book, in fact, that the major “bestseller” lists don’t include it because it would skew their numbers.
My book is for someone, however. My book is for someone God is asking me to serve through my writing, teaching, or story.
My book is for someone, and it’s not for everyone, and I’m grateful for that. Writing a book for everyone is too heavy a weight to carry.
The reality is that some people won’t like my book. Some will want me to change it to better align with their interests or calling or service. Some may criticize it, but more likely, more won’t bother to read it.
I’m grateful for that, too, because I know it’s not meant for them. It’s meant for someone, but not them.
God gave me a specific type of person to serve with my book. He’s asking me to serve them through the words that I write, the encouragement I give, the stories, and the message I share.
I can accept that my book may not be widely liked or even widely read, and that’s OK because that’s not he goal. To paraphrase Mother Teresa: The goal is to serve, not to succeed.
And I need to remember, even the book written for everyone is widely criticised and condemned. The Bible is the most well-read book in the history of the world, and it’s also the most rejected and hated book to exist.
My book is for someone, and it’s not for everyone, and I’m grateful for that. Writing a book for everyone is too heavy a weight to carry.
Writing isn’t easy. But you knew that, God, didn’t you? Because you created the Word, and you guided the human hands who helped write it, and it took centuries and generations.
Thank you, Lord, for your book. And thank you for the words you’re giving for mine.
You’re helping me carry the weight you designed for me to carry, and I’m grateful for that.
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Mackenzie Ryan Walters is the author of “Faith Storytellers: Unleash the Power of Your Story,” which shares Christian testimonies and stories, as well as curated lists about Christian books, gifts, and more. A national award-winning education journalist who’s covered a presidential campaign and been inside NASA, Mackenzie now edits the Faith Storytellers website and is passionate about lifting up and sharing the story God is writing in the world.
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