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Writing Spiritual Books: A Bestselling Writer's Guide to Successful Publication

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"Perhaps the greatest lesson any of us has to teach as an author is to touch our readers in such a way that they can remember their spiritual identity, and we do that as much by the relationship we establish with them as by anything we say about a particular subject. Put simply, the quality of the relationship we establish with our readers may well be our greatest message." - From the book

Have you survived unusual life circumstances and thought, "Boy, I could write a book!" Or perhaps you've written some articles and reviews, and your readers have told you "You need to write a book!" Maybe you've experienced the creative stirrings deep within your soul, feeling "I've got a book in me...*somewhere*."

If any of these scenarios sound familiar, writing coach and author Hal Zina Bennett gives you the tools to make successful publication a reachable goal in his book Writing Spiritual Books. From knowing your mission to finding models to follow, mapping out your book to creating a solid proposal, Bennett inspires potential authors with insider tips, friendly advice, and helpful resources.

Writing Spiritual Books boosts confidence, largely by affirming that there are many approaches--and many formats--for writing New Age, self-help, self-improvement, or "spiritual" book. From biography to memoir, visionary fiction to channeled material, the author gives examples from published books from well-known authors to show readers exactly how--and why--they work.

Bennett emphasizes that "writing a book can never be a waste of time, whether it is ever published or not", and maintains that tenacity and the act of writing itself can be a rich reward.

From identifying your target audience to empathizing with your readers, providing relevant anecdotes to imbuing prose with sensual imagery, the author not only shows writers how to connect with their audience, but also provides practical guidelines for organizing ideas, themes, and chapters. He also encourages would-be authors to value the power of personal experiences. In fact, he points out that journaling, reflection, and "clustering" can help you mine the jewels from your life for inclusion in your book.

As a bibliophile and reviewer, I tend to aggravated with books that tell you "what" you're supposed to be doing--but never provide the tools for HOW to do it. I was thrilled that Bennett pointed out this truth to potential writers by saying, "...we must not only point readers to the mother lode but also supply them with the tools and the light to uncover the treasure."

Some of the other things you will learn from Writing Spiritual Books include:

* How to overcome resistance to writing a spiritual book
* Step-by-step brainstorming exercises
* How to be a storyteller
* Using memorable quotes to articulate difficult concepts
* Writing authentically and responsibly
* Creating experiential exercises that grab the readers' attention
* Anticipating what the reader is thinking and feeling
* Determining how--and why--your book is different from others
* Getting published and what comes afterwards

Bennett also provides a listing of spirit-friendly agents, as well as publishers that seek spiritual books, online writer's resources, books to take your further in your writing journey, and author-friendly bookstores across the U.S. for book signings, promotion, and talks.

I find myself consulting Writing Spiritual Books on a frequent basis these days, and Bennett's engaging tone and hard-won wisdom excites me with possibility.
Even my reviews and articles have benefited from his sage advice. I enjoy conveying information, but this bit of insight on communication has aided me tremendously:

"Communication always includes caring about what's going on for the person you're communicating with...Information focuses, instead, on facts, with little or no concern for human factors that may be involved."

He pairs this great advice with a story about a cross-country trip he took as a college student. A breakdown left him stranded in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from home and with very little money. He shares how the kind, caring voice of the wife of the tow-truck driver on the other end of the payphone made all the difference in the world to him that night as he stood on a busy, noisy highway.

If you're considering writing a book or perhaps creating articles with spiritual themes, Writing Spiritual Books is a must have guide! Bennett serves as a writing coach, cheerleader, and tour guide through the often arduous and daunting terrain of book publication--providing us with a clear map, gentle encouragement, and realistic expectations throughout the writing journey.

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

This book practices what it preaches, giving you examples and lots of clarity about how to write a good spiritual book. I particularly like the resources section in the back - gives you lots of orientation about how to get agents, publishers, etc.

This book was laid out in a wonderful way. I could read from the beginning or look for something in other chapters that was of interest to me. The fun part was the mind mapping. I found that an interesting and useful way to figure out what kind of focus, types of chapters and topics of my potential book. I bought it for the reason I would like to write and publish my own book. This book provided clear and easy ideas for layout, what to write to capture the attention of my potential reader and the joys and pitfalls of writing a book of any kind. My book at the end may or may not be a spiritual one but that doesn't matter- Writing Spiritual Books: A Bestselling Writer's Guide to Successful Publication, provided solid information for any genre a person might consider writing.

"Writing Spiritual Books: A Bestselling Writer's Guide to Successful Publication" is a profoundly helpful book. I am in the early stages of writing a book called "The Seven Stone Path: An Everyday Journey to Wisdom". I was on Amazon one day compiling a list of publishers who publish spiritual, self-help books and I stumbled upon this title. I bought it. That action has been the single most important step I have taken so far.

While the entire book is excellent, of particular usefulness was chapter five, "Mapping Out Your Book". It spoke to me right at the place where I was stuck. I had a title and I had all chapters titled, but beyond that I'm afraid it was a bit of a blur. Today I have eight 11x14 sheets of paper spread out on a table (one for the Introduction and one for each of the seven chapters) and I'm have a delightful time following my nose as ideas "magically" drop down into the right places. Wonderful bubbles and connecting lines are steadily filling the papers, and with each addition I feel an undeniable momentum welling up.

This book is the gasoline for the fire in your belly. Let it take you from inspiration to publication.

I write spiritual fiction while this book is mainly targeted at non-fiction writers. However, I bought this book because it lists publishers interested in spiritual writing. I ended up reading it from the beginning to the end and then looking back at specific chapters. The writing style is personal and at times almost spiritual. For example: "...our real credential are found within, in the journey from self-recognition to recognizing our oneness with all sentient beings - particularly those who read, of course." (from the book)

This book conveyed the expectation of a spiritual non-fiction reader, with practical advices which could be translated to fiction writing. "...if we're to succeed in our efforts we must offer our readers knowledge that has been tested through our own life experiences..." "More than that, we have to get them down in such a way that our readers can take them in with the same enthusiasm, depth, and excitement the author intended."(from the book). I found myself revising the plot of my book when looking at the story through the reader's eyes.

I loved this book and will keep consulting it through the long process of writing / publishing my own.

A book written with humility. In some ways I found it too geared to giving the reader exactly what they wanted, instead of giving the writer guidance on how to impress with a new line of thought. But the advice on how to intuit and focus on your market was invaluable. JA

I am loving this book. This inspiring and simple book has helped me to know what is necessary to focus on and what to let go of. The information in "Writing Spiritual Books," is invaluable and it is presented in a way that is enjoyable and encouraging. When I picked up this book from Amazon, I felt as if writing a Spiritual Book was beyond my reach. Now I have a clear idea of the direction I'm heading in my writing and I feel very supported and hopeful. If you're even considering writing a book- any book, but especially a Spiritual Book, give yourself the gift of "Writing Spiritual Books."

I came to "Writing Spiritual Books: A Bestselling Writer's Guide to Successful Publication" via another how-to book by Deborah Levine Herman and understand why Levine-Herman spoke so highly of both this book and its author, Hal Zina Bennett.

While this book is intensely geared for non-fiction spiritual writers, there is much to be gained for spiritual fiction writers too.

The practical guidance on how to approach writing a book is easy to read and digest, well set out and highly informative. Any writer, no matter what your genre or level of writing skills, will find something of practical use between these pages.

However, where Bennett comes into his own, is in the spiritual nuggets tucked away amongst the facts and figures of how to write spiritual fiction that editors will publish and readers will buy.

My personal favourite is his description of the act of writing as a spiritual experience: "Writing takes us deeper into ourselves, into a place that is beyond the demands and constraints of our egos. At its best, language can produce what the ancient Celts called "thin places," that is, places or moments in life when the curtain between physical and spiritual worlds is swept aside, allowing us to peer out, past everyday reality, and catch a glimpse of the Divine. It's here that we feel the full impact of our spiritual identity."

This reminds me of the trance dances of the San shamans: writing can be a doorway to the other world beyond the real and it is there we will find our inner self.

With his unpretentious and friendly style, wide knowledge and his willingness to share what he knows with others, Hal Zina Bennett has created a book that should guide and sustain many an author on their personal incredible journey of writing.