Let me preface this post by saying I love the freedom of the internet.

I think it’s a great place to share ideas and resources.

If it weren’t for the generous spirit of The People of the Internet, I don’t think I’d be able to be a full time author and speaker. I wouldn’t have learned as much as I have in the last five years. I am so appreciative to people who find value in the conversations we have here or as a result of one of my books and who spread that message.

However, when a blog gets to be well-read, something happens. People begin emailing you asking you to plug things (books, CDs, organizations, giveaways, other blogs, their mom’s necklace line, PETA for Christians, etc.) all the time. In the time I was away this summer I had forty-three requests for book reviews or blog tours. It can make you feel like you’re a commodity. I’m not a fan of that feeling. (That’s why I’m also a little over-cautious with how I promote my new book…)

Anyway, one of these requests came from a very well-known pastor (although I’ve never met him). So, I thought I’d try an experiment.

Bottom line? I’ll let him speak to this platform if he lets me speak to his.

I’m typically not so stark or even subscribe to a philosophy of reciprocity. I think people should share because they want to – not because they’ll get something out of it. But again, this is just an experiment because I’m feeling a little snarky after going through forty-three requests. And because I like you guys a lot and don’t want to waste your time telling you about forty-three new books every two months.

Below is the email I sent to him in response to his request. Names have been removed to protect the innocent.

What’s your guess on how this will end? First person who guesses correctly wins a free copy of my new book. At this point, your guess is as good as mine.

Added: I’ll allow two weeks for a response and, if at that point there is no response, we will assume it’s a no go…

—–

Dear Well-Known Pastor,

Thanks for thinking of me for your blog tour.

Actually, first, I have to say I admire your keeping your “real” email address — many pastors of large churches I know change theirs to a tricky combination of their initials or golf nickname their pastor friends have given them like “theplaid@churchname.com” while the messages sent to the obvious email addresses go to gatekeepers. I used to be a gatekeeper. I understand. That’s why I have a generic email address listed on my blog. It can get overwhelming.

Anyway, as you can imagine, I get requests for book or product reviews or mentions all the time for my blog, In fact, just in the time I was away this summer, I received forty-three of them. Some were from new authors, others from pastors of large churches like yourself, and some from grammy-award winning artists (or their representatives).

It can make a girl feel like people are just out to use her for her blog’s audience. If I said yes to everything, that’s all my blog would be – and that isn’t the purpose of my blog.

It’s kind of like how you determine what to promote from the stage at your church. The tens of thousands of people who visit my blog monthly are, in some aspects, like a church, and I want to respect their time and challenge them with a message God’s placed on my heart. It’s one of the reasons I stopped advertising on my blog.

I have done book reviews or studies before, but they are usually books of people I know, or a book I’ve discovered in my own attempt to learn. Those are pretty much the only exceptions to “the rule of no blog tours.” It’s not that I’m completely opposed to them, it just doesn’t always line up with the purpose or the way I need to steward my time and the bit of platform I have been given.

However, for kicks and grins, I thought I’d try an experiment, and your email just happened to land in the right place at the right time.

I have a book releasing at the end of August with Thomas Nelson Publishers called Permission to Speak Freely – Essays and Art on Fear, Confession and Grace.

Since we’re probably in similar boats – each with a platform, each with a message, and each not really knowing the other person, I’d be willing to do a trade off…I’d be happy to share my thoughts on your book with my audience if you’d do the same (with whichever of your platforms is similar to size of reach and depth of influence as mine – it may be online, or perhaps your main audience are the people sitting in your church).

So–whaddya say?

Sincerely,
Anne Jackson

(PS – I emailed this from my personal email address, so feel free to respond here as I check this box more frequently.)

If, in the arena of promoting a book, there was a line that was between “awareness” and “annoying” I probably teetered dangerously close to the “annoying” side of it when my last book, Mad Church Disease – Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic, released last February.

At least that’s the way I feel.

I’ve been trying to be more cautious with my new book, Permission to Speak Freely – Essays and Art on Fear, Confession and Grace. And still, I wonder if I’m talking about it too much. Sometimes, I wonder if I talk about it too little.

Over the last 18 months since my first book released, I’ve tried to take note on how other authors or artists promote their work. It’s not like we can’t talk about it. Most of us deeply love the message that was released from inside of us into the dark ink of print or the clear notes of melody.

We know this creation isn’t about us…it’s a piece of the world that’s been revealed to us that we think is important to share with others.

During my observation period, sometimes when a project released, the person who released it was a little too loud. I’m not on Twitter all the time, or reading blogs, so if I see someone talking about their own work, or rehashing how amazing somebody else thinks it is over and over and over and over and over and over again, it can be a turnoff.

At the same time, I realize, like me, not everyone spends inordinate amounts of time on their preferred social media outlets. People who I’ve communicated with on Twitter or who leave comments on my blog occasionally would surprise me by saying, “Oh, you have a new book coming out? When?”

Part of me takes comfort in that thinking, “Well, obviously I’m not talking about it enough if this person has no idea.”

But another part of me says, “It’s been on my blog for the last 18 months. I’ve talked about writing it, turning it in, editing it, developing artwork for it, seeing the cover options, getting to talk on this TV show about it, being in this video about it, speaking about it at this conference, when it releases, how much it costs, how someone can get it for free…and they still didn’t catch any of that? Really?”

So here’s the scoop.

I am going to do my best at finding this balance…if there is one.

If I get annoying, please tell me.

If you want more information, please ask.

I won’t be giving away a new car or flashy electronics or flying monkeys.

(You can try to get a free review copy of the book today only on BookSneeze.com)

All I know is I have a meeting with my publisher next week about marketing and I would love nothing more than for you, the people who (I hope!) would be interested in buying my book, to let us know what you find helpful. What you find irritating. How much is too much for you? When does “look at these reviews” or “check out what so-and-so said” become too arrogant?

Enlighten us…please!

—–

And for the record:

My new book was supposed to release on 8/31.

Amazon is shipping it to those who have pre-ordered it on or around 8/18.  I’m not sure about other stores, and the brick and mortar stores will probably have it in on its actual release day.

It’s a four color book filled with art and poetry and essays and the cover and the paper feel absolutely amazing.

You can pre-order it here (as well as read some endorsements or take a peek inside).

And this concludes this promotional message.

—

Before heading out on this cycling trip, one thing I was curious about was how “God would show up” and I was really excited to “find Him” in different ways.

Anyway, I thought I had it figured out, this “God showing up” thing. In my fantasy I was leaning head-down into the wind, pathways of sweat cutting across my face and rolling off into the road behind me. I heard the vibration of my bike moving across hot asphalt as blades of grass and insects buzzed next to my feet. My chest moved in and out as my lungs expanded and emptied with each breath. I felt the movement of God in me. I felt alive.

We’re now on our fourth week of this trip and my God-fantasy is just that. A fantasy. There have been no magic burning bushes or epiphanies had on the open roads. In fact, it’s maybe been the opposite.

And as expected, the unexpected has happened.

Physically, the heat and climbing escalated my almost-fixed-but-evidently-not-quite heart problem. That knocks me out from riding every mile on certain days with big climbs or 100 degree plus weather.

Didn’t see that coming.

On top of that, the day before two really great rides in Texas, a component of my bike broke to an extent I couldn’t effectively ride. Chris and I had planned to do our first century rides together into Anson, TX (which is close to where I went to high school) but because I couldn’t get my bike fixed before that day, I ended up driving the van.

In keeping a healthy perspective, my unplanned time in the van isn’t really a big deal. Before my heart surgery, simply walking to the van would have been tough. So riding 30 miles, 50 miles, 80 miles…any miles, really…is beyond anything I could have hoped for a year ago.

But my perspective isn’t always healthy.

I’ve been fighting with my “ideal” self – the athlete I was before my heart problems. I know my muscles are strong and can handle these long miles. Except for the literal pain in the butt from sitting on a six-inch seat for seven hours, nothing really hurts.

If only my heart worked right, this wouldn’t be such a struggle for me.

If only…

The unexpected has thrown my spiritual fantasy out the door as well. And once again, it has to do with my heart.

What I expected is something emotional. Cathartic. Exciting. Clear. Maybe even miraculous in an obvious way. I’m supposed to be writing another book and planning my future as an author and speaker. I wait each day, hoping for a revelation on what I’m supposed to do when I get back in August and each night go to bed as empty handed as I woke up.

If only…

What I am realizing is the extent I let my expectations control me. My heart – both physically and spiritually – had formed expectations for this trip. Expectations that aren’t being met. I’ve spent so much of my spiritual life coasting from a mountain top to a valley and back up again, so I only expect to see God at the top or at the bottom on a roller coaster.

What happens when there is no roller coaster?

What happens when the land of my spirit is flat?

How do I find Him?

And when I don’t “feel” Him…where do I turn?

Quite honestly, I find myself turning the other way.

(Evidently I am not gifted with patience.)

“What? You’re not here? Okay. Fine. I’m gonna try running over there to find you.”

I’m left breathless and exhausted at the end.

My heart…It’s not perfect.

It beats too fast sometimes.

It gets anxious.

It doesn’t like to wait.

It likes to experience the highs and lows, but never the middle.

The middle is too quiet. Too tame.

And as such, too threatening to my comfort.

In the same way I can’t control how my physical heart functions, I can’t control how God shows Himself, or how I see him.

What happens when God isn’t a feeling? When He isn’t a high or an adrenaline rush or a moment of clarity when I expect Him to be?

God simply is, and I need to simply be.

I need to realize that in that holy moment of simply being, it’s not about my expectations.

It’s about His.

Resting.

Existing.

Living.

Being.

Right here. Right now.

In this moment.

With this heart beat.

And this one.

And that’s all He wants (and expects) of me.

—-

(I should have my first post from my Moldova/Russia trip for you tomorrow morning. Until then, something to make you happy!)

—–

Almost nine years ago I was doing music promotion in Dallas. I had been promoting a show for a guy and decided I should take a listen to the band.

That’s when I met my husband Chris.

It was not love at first sight.

But it was love at second sight.

His band traveled a lot while we dated and were engaged, probably playing out over a hundred nights a year. He left the band shortly after we got married and has been honing his songwriting and production skills ever since in addition to working a full time job and helping keep me sane.

After three years of writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and all that stuff you do when you make music, he’s finally released a 3-song EP (the full length album will release at the end of May).

And he’s giving it away for FREE.

So please head on over to BrackenFieldMusic.com to take a listen and download your very own copy.

If you’re a fan of Explosions in the Sky, The Album Leaf, Sigur Ros, or just plain ol’ good music to chill to, you will adore what The Hubs has done.

Thank me later.

Or now, if you want.

Early Twitter Praise:

“DANG! Just listening to the first song, “Echoes of a Far Country,” totally inspires me. Can’t wait to hear more!” @nonviolencejrny

“OOOOH he had me at the first note. I love the guitar tones!” @joe_gomez

On Saturday, Michael Hyatt, my friend and CEO of Thomas Nelson (who is printing Permission to Speak Freely) tweeted the ECPA’s 50 Bestsellers List for March 2010.

I noticed a few interesting things in the list:

• Even though this list is for March 2010 faith-based bestsellers, only 21 of the 50 had been published in the last twelve months.
• The average price point for the books published in the last twelve months was considerably higher ($19.64) than the older books on the list ($15.39).

This made me think two things:

• Some books will live long. These books typically have strong writing, meet a universal “felt need,” or the author has a loyal following (a celebrity, a pastor of a large church, etc.). These books will continue to spread in both breadth (how many people read them) and depth (more people developing loyalty to that author).
• The recession is not to blame for declining book sales. Large groups of people are willing to pay more money for good content.

It also made me ask the question, “Why aren’t there more recently published books on the list? What does the market want that current authors and publishers aren’t providing?”

I did a survey on my blog last summer, and a majority of you read fifty books or more a year, so it’s safe to say you are “the market.”

Would you indulge me a bit and share what content in books adds value?

What disappoints you?

What determines if you purchase a book – Word of mouth? Previous work? Random chance?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. They will help shape me as an author and I can assure you there are people in the publishing industry who eagerly await your response too.