Dreams

October 2009. I've been waiting for this month for 5 years. The public release of Introverts in the Church.

On another level, I've been waiting for this month ever since I discovered a knack for writing when I was 10 years old. Thanks to all of you for helping this dream come true for me. I am grateful for your support, encouragement, and input over the past 2 1/2 years that this blog has been in existence. I know I'm not the best at posting and responding to comments, but I relish the opportunity to hear your thoughts and interact with you. Even if I haven't directly responded to your comment, I assure you that I have reflected on it, and many of them have greatly improved and balanced the content of the book.

As a first time author, I want to ask for your help. There were over 520,000 books published in the United States last year (!) and it is exceedingly difficult for a newcomer to gain a hearing in the white noise of the publishing world. Here are some ways you can help:

1. Pre-order the book:
Amazon.com (lowest price)
InterVarsity Press (will ship soonest)
Barnes and Noble
CBD
Amazon.com Canada
(the highest number of pre-orders so far - I'm thinking about moving there)

2. Tell others about it - especially pastors and other leaders.

3. Read it when it arrives and review it online. Blog reviews and Amazon reviews are greatly helpful. If you review it on your blog or GoodReads, would you also copy and paste it to Amazon? You can now do video reviews on Amazon.

4. Link to it on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and other social media. Here's the mini link to its Amazon page: http://bit.ly/bmcTC

5. Join the Facebook fan page for Introverts in the Church.

6. Link to my online interview with Jamie Arpin-Ricci:

7. Point people to this blog

If you have other ideas, please let us all know! Thanks so much, everyone. Even the most introverted author can't do this alone! :)

Oh, and you can now "search inside" the book on Amazon. You can see the cover, table of contents, and if you click "surprise me" it will take you to an excerpt.