The Case for College Ministers Self Publishing
No publishing agency or company is going to "make money" publishing college ministry materials. There just are not enough potential customers. One of the things that drives book sales is the author being a "known name". There are not many "famous" College Ministers. Zondervan Books published "College Ministry 101" in 2009 and "College Ministry From Scratch" in 2010 by Chuck Bomar. Steve Shadrach released "The God Ask" in 2013 (which is still doing well) and Shadrach and Paul Worcester have re-done "The Fuel and the Flame" but it is aimed at students and is not so much a college ministry book. Steve Lutz did "College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture" in 2011.
If we are waiting for the publishing companies to produce the materials we need in college ministry, don't hold your breath. They are not going to produce something that will only sell a few hundred copies. That is not a sustainable business model.
Some would say that we should just post things on line. But, I still believe lots of people want to hold something in their hand.
What Are Some Specialized Materials We Should Self Publish That Would Meet a General Need?
A College Ministry Guide for Volunteers
Reaching Greeks
Ministry on an ALL Commuter Campus
Ministry to International Students
Ministry on Church Related Campuses
Doing Freshmen Ministry
(What is one YOU would like to see done OR, What is one YOU should do?)
Books Could be Tailored to Specific Campuses.
There can be Give-aways to incoming freshmen: It would contain tips for freshmen specific to that campus and a quick devotional for each day of the first two weeks of school with info all about the ministry. It could list all the food places that give student discounts, etc.
The Small Group Bible Studies for that semester
How to Lead a Ministry Team - Every year we are training our Student Leaders. What if you had a Leadership Tips book to put in their hands?
All in the Ministries in a State Can Combine to produce materials.
Different Campus Ministers can write one Bible study around an agreed upon theme and those be combined into a study guide for that semester. And any campus in that state or nationwide would be able to go to Amazon Books and buy it.
Cost is Minimal.
Amazon Books sells "Author Copies" at a minimum printing price and for shipping. A small book can cost as little as $2.00 each to the author. I doubt you are buying any Bible study books for anywhere near that price. It costs NOTHING to upload a book to Amazon Books thru Self Publishing, but it must be at least 25 pages. Amazon does not allow you to offer it for free.
Those that Self Publish Can Benefit ALL of College Ministry!
Even if your campus, your state, or just a group get together to do it for your own benefit, it would still be available to others to purchase through Amazon Books. As college ministry organizations tend to shrink (at least as Southern Baptists are doing in some states), we MUST be more about what can we do that benefits ALL of college ministry....not just me and mine!!
PS: In case you are worried about it, you will not get rich doing it. I have self published seven (7) college ministry books and only two (2) have made any money worth talking about.
Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen: 124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV.
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