My Story:
From "Writer" to  "Author"

Writer versus an author? What is the difference? On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be much difference. But I’ve always known there was, without stopping to analyze why. As I’m about to publish another book, from a list of MANY,  I think of myself as an author, not a writer. Somehow author has a more authentic, professional ring to it. If you’re a writer, you write, and you may never publish anything. I started writing Bible studies and sermon material in 1976. I had folder upon folders of hand-written material.

In 2012, while ministering in Germany I published my first book, which was translated into German. It was called "Gott Ist Online? -Und Du?" It means "God is online, are you?" It was a small 76-page book on hearing the voice of God. It was my beginning.

In 2013 my family and friends started encouraging me to write a book on the Holy Spirit. The idea seemed insane and far-fetched at the time. However, I pursued the idea and in February 2014, I published "THE FOUR POSITIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT."  I felt this was a "one-an-done" endeavor. I was wooed into vanity publishing only to find that it was extremely expensive. My first book cost me over $4,000 to edit, format, and publish. 

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After over 40 years of pastoral ministry, I resigned from the pulpit in October 2018 to attempt my hand at full-time writing. After a lot of research, I found that self-publishing offered me more flexibility, more ownership, and control over my writings, and definitely more income from royalties. Between eBooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers, I have 70 published works since October 2018. In 2020 I started Raising the Standard International Publishing LLC, so I could self-publish my material and assist others to get their dreams into reality.

You move from being a writer to becoming an author when your books are published. If your writings are never published, you remain a writer. In this age of digital self-publishing more and more of us are destined to become authors rather than writers. An author is someone who takes their writing seriously and often makes a career of it. A writer is a person who writes, an author is a person who has written and published for others to read.

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