Book Marketing

Christian Books [from Christian Book Marketing 2026]

What is the Goal for Your Book?

I contend that all authors must realize their goal for the book. What is your goal in doing what you did? Many tell me, “God downloaded this information, and I am being obedient to God in releasing it.” 

They are telling me they do not have a goal—but have fulfilled their goal, which was to please God by fulfilling His request. So, in essence, they throw it out there, declaring, “It’s God’s responsibility to do the marketing. He will bring whomever He wants to read it.”

I asked AI the question, “How many books are on Amazon?”
Here is the answer, “Amazon has tens of millions of book titles available globally, with one source citing over 44 million, and another stating over 32.8 million published titles.”

Suffice it to say, there are a lot of books on Amazon. There are 70,000 devotionals (alone) on Amazon. People find books on Amazon by typing in a string of words.

Example: devotionals for women. Searchers are sent to a page (which has 24 books on my desktop). Those looking for a book rarely drill down beyond 14 pages on the subject. Therefore, the coveted positions (which actually make the most sales) are in the first five pages. Amazon has a marketing matrix they put books into that figures out the book’s standing on the search pages of the subject. There are many ways to increase a book’s standing on Amazon pages—and that is a main feature of book marketing. 

So, let’s say you are an awesome Christian and God begins to speak to your soul about a topic, prompting you to write a book. You figure out how to edit and publish it by uploading it to KDP or IngramsSpark. If you do nothing further, the book will be posted on the last pages of the search under its topic. Let’s see… perhaps it is a devotional. There are 70,000 devotionals with 24 per page. Your book will end up on page 2,916. Hmm. 

But, you say, “Am I helping God out by doing some marketing? Can’t He do whatever He wants? He could write the title of the book in the sky if He wants.”

Sure…God is God. But, … “we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, Come back to God!” (I Corinthians 5:20) 

The Christian life is a cooperation between God and us. He has no physical body, so we are the hands of God reaching out to the world on behalf of Him. Does He need us? Yes. Otherwise, there would be no need for preaching the gospel or for missionaries to go abroad.

I think the problem comes in when the believer receives what he thinks is a message from God and writes it down but doesn’t go back to God to figure out the rest of the instructions. It is like starting out on a trail. You seek direction from the trail guide and say, “I will take it from here. I got this.” Then, you hike on down the trail. But what if you come to a fork in the trail? Do you stop, turn around, or just pick an arbitrary direction? 

God didn’t stop talking because we stopped listening. We can always return to Him for clarification and direction along the pathway. 

In addition, consider the reason a preacher has a podium. Why does he have a microphone? Is he failing to trust God to deliver the message by going to the podium with a microphone? No, he has been entrusted with a message. Either he feels it is important to “get it out,” or others are encouraging him to “be a voice to the congregation.” He speaks (not THE voice of God), but an interpretation of the voice of God, which helps bring understanding to others. 

Using methods to share the voice (which God has given in a book) is no different than a preacher using a podium and a microphone. 

Consider: 

What options can be used as your microphone? 

How big of an audience are you trying to get the message to? 

Can the audience hear you? 

Can the audience understand you? 

Microphones in Publishing

Options 

Book events, ads, paid advertising on Amazon, podcasts, interviews, Facebook…and the same ones listed above under conventional book marketing. 

Size of audience

Some promotions speak louder than others. Ask God which ones are for you and your book. A tent set up at a local event has a lower voice than a paid ad on Amazon. 

Can they hear you?

Is your book up to the standards of professional editing and publishing? Should you do other languages, sizes, formats, an audiobook, Kindle e-book, put the book on the wholesale market, or the retail market? Can your audience hear you? If the person who needs your message cannot read, but is able to listen to an audiobook, then it is reasonable to make an audiobook. This is an extension of your podium or microphone. 

Can they understand? 

What God has told me is that books are similar to parking garages. People come into the book from varying levels of understanding, knowledge, etc. They can only come into the reading (of the book) from whatever level they are on. If the words and teaching are too complex for their level, they will not benefit from it. Many Christian books are written to fellow believers. I have seen manuscripts that use large words, incomplete scripture documentation, and lean on teaching bred from a specific interpretation of a religion. 

If the writer is a Baptist, for example, he may assume the reader feels the same way he does about spiritual gifts and speaking in tongues. In essence, he has cut off the first floor of the parking garage for anyone who does not come from the same religious standing. All his readers come in above the second floor. 

I will admit the writing in this book is second or third level—because it is written to a believer who has written and published a book and is contemplating marketing. I have not left a ground-floor option for thinking. To make the writing stronger, I need to add some basic groundwork—or information for those who have not yet written a book. 

I am not advocating that all Christian books offer readers entry at the lowest level, but attempting to increase awareness that your book is written to a specific audience. Basic marketing teaches the importance of understanding who your audience is. Once you understand who the book is written for, then you will be able to figure out how to reach them where they are. 

Here are some avenues to increase exposure. Again, ask God which ones are best for you and your book. 

Amazon Book Ranking

Utilize Search Words

Hashtags

Google AI