Elvis and Mike Tyson and Me
My new book, Love Goes First: Reaching Others In An Age of Anxiety and Division, comes out one month from tomorrow.
Just typing that sentence is surreal.
I heard from the publisher yesterday that copies are already in the warehouse. Folks, I really can’t believe this is happening. I’ve been working on this project for literally years, and to think that in a month the book will be here is something I still find astounding.
Below, I’ve pasted a few paragraphs from the introduction to the book to give you an idea of why I wrote it. Basically, this is a book about what to do.
Elvis and Mike Tyson and Me
“There is lots of talk about division and polarization in America: the causes, the trends, the demographics. This talk can be helpful—it’s good to know what things are really like and how they got this way. But though that kind of talk can be helpful, it is not sufficient—it doesn’t change anything. Instead of talking about division, the more urgent and interesting question to ask is this: How are we going to reach the people on the other side? The people who don’t agree with us, don’t like us, and in some cases hate us?
Our world is deeply divided. But what should we do about it? How are we going to overcome division and polarization and enmity? I find that there is lots of talk these days about division—theory and analysis and complaint about division—but very little talk about action. Elvis Presley—of all people—captures my sentiments exactly: “A little less conversation, a little more action, please!”
In a divided world, regardless of who you are or to what group or tribe you belong, there will always be other people who do not think like you or agree with you. And, unfortunately, in our divided world there will also be people who dislike you and even hate you. If you don’t have a plan to reach those people, you are unlikely to make a difference. It’s easy to reach the folks who are on your side, but what will actually change things is reaching the people on the other side, and that’s much harder. This is because any proposal that hopes to bring real change in our divided world must account for the fact that other people will be devoted to defeating it.
Whether you are a vegan or a West Texas wildcatter, whether you are a Hasidic Jew or a gun owner, whether you are an environmental activist or a religious conservative—and even if you are all of the above— there are millions of other people who want the exact opposite thing from what you want, and millions of people who are working to oppose what you want and implement its opposite. In the words of Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.” What’s your plan to reach those people and win them over to your point of view?”
Some Insight Into the Publishing Industry
The publishing industry is just like the film industry in that no one can really know for sure in advance which new book or new movie will prove to be successful. So every year publishers make a bunch of small bets on the various titles that they will publish, knowing that if only a few of the new books do well, then they will have had a successful year. The problem is that the publishers don’t have any idea which books will take off and which ones won’t.
Booksellers are obviously in the same boat—they don’t know which titles will be best-sellers any more than the publishers. So, booksellers wait and see which way the winds are blowing before they really back a new book. This is why, if you go to a book store, books that are already popular are in an endcap at the end of an aisle or are turned out on the shelf so you can see the whole cover or are advertised with a banner in the store. This is why, on Amazon, e.g., after you buy one book, a list of “suggestions” comes up—these are books that are already popular, and so they are books that the sellers think are worth pushing.
In other words, publishers and booksellers like a sure thing. (Who doesn't?!) But you can already see the problem—it’s hard for new books to break in. The successful just get more successful, and the new guys get overlooked. How many more versions of The Purpose-Driven Fisherman do we need? (I kid, I kid.).
These days, pre-sales are an important indicator of whether a new book is going to gain traction or not. So, pre-sale numbers help publishers and booksellers hedge their bets and give them insight into the future. Every single pre-sale counts as a day 1 sale, so pre-sales help give the book a big push on its release date. The more pre-sales there are, the more the booksellers push the book, and the more they push the book, the more it sells. Pre-sales are like adding lighter fluid to kindling—they help get the whole thing going.
I Was #1 (Briefly, But Still….)
Last week, Love Goes First was briefly #1 in the Amazon category of New Releases in Evangelism. (I know that’s a bit like “my cousin’s nephew’s neighbor once knew a guy who sold Tom Brady his first house”, but still, it ain’t nothin’.)
The marketing manager at my publisher sent me proof:
Since last week, my book has tumbled down the list, but I’ll treasure those sweet minutes of glory forever.
Would You Consider Pre-Ordering the Book?
My book is available everywhere, so pre-order wherever you’d like. Over the past year, I personally have pre-ordered a few books on Amazon, and it couldn’t be any easier. Here’s how it works on Amazon.
Add Love Goes First to your shopping cart as you would any other title.
Check out and place your order.
Easy peasy. And here’s what’s really cool:
Your credit card won’t be charged until the book ships;
If the price fluctuates between now and then, you will pay whatever ends up being the lowest price Amazon sets;
Very likely, the book will arrive before the expected date. (At least, that’s been my experience.)
You can pre-order on Amazon here. Or, choose whatever bookseller you like best.
Love Goes First
I really believe in this book, which gives me a strange sense of peace—I am proud of Love Goes First, whether anyone reads it or not. Just the fact that it exists is extremely gratifying.
But on the other hand, I didn’t write this book to put it under a bushel basket—I hope folks will read it. I’ll share some other excerpts from the book over the next month in this space, and as you’ll see, I believe that the way forward for the church in this fractious twenty-first century is to go first.
So, anything you can do to help get the word out, I’d appreciate.
P.S. I still can’t believe this is actually happening….
