Saturday, October 1, 2016

On Spiritual Writing

An author of several self-published books complained that no-one ever reads them. He once experienced a miraculous recovery from a stroke, so he certainly has an important spiritual insight to share. I recommended to change his approach to connecting with one spiritual traveler at a time, but his response was that he is too tired of waiting for success.

The publishing business will get you results if you can break into their circle. The editors spice up the gist of your insight, and present a hook to the reader that they find hard to resist. It happened to me several times in recent years that I purchased some promising sounding books, only to remain empty handed by the time when I was finished with it. Is that the fame you want to aspire? It gets you a few bucks, but it is spiritually demoralizing.

Don't get me wrong though, some spiritual authors like Eckhart Tolle hit the mass-market, and there will always be a few success-stories like that. Yet, even that path may not be as glamorous as it appears. The millions of readers suddenly project their agendas into you, and you will have to handle this position of power and authority one way or another.


Blogging or self-publishing is very different. It is a community of sorts that is forming and growing with you. I am writing for my SELF, and if other benefit from it, then my mission is fulfilled. Take blogging, it has happened countless times to me that my readers dug up notes from the past, just at a time when I needed this reminder myself. So who teaches whom I would ask. 

Let's build a network of spiritual travelers and let's lift each other up in the process. What else could be important? Fame? Money? I don't think so.

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