What is a Sabbath Year? Let the grand experiment begin!

I usually choose a word for each year to cast vision for the goals I have planned.

Last year, my word was “collaborate.” If someone asked me to join them in anything, the answer was yes. I did guest posts, podcast episodes, in person events, conferences, and on and on. I also published three books, started a podcast, and signed with an agent. It was an amazing year, and I loved every minute of it! I grew so much and learned from so many incredible writers.

But at the end of the year, I was tired.

Really tired.

As I was praying about a word for this year, I kept hearing the same things over and over- Rest. Stop.

As a natural born achiever, my vocabulary has little use for these words. What does “rest” really mean? And stop??? That’s a strong word. I can’t just STOP.

And then I remembered these passages in the Bible:

 For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

Exodus 23:10-11, NIV

For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.

Leviticus 25:3-7, NIV

God’s intent for the Sabbath year is two-fold in these verses. The first is to develop a reliance on Him to provide. To go a year without a harvest is a huge step of faith. The second is to understand that all we have comes from God, and therefore we have no ownership or right to require compensation. Anyone was free to eat from the natural growth in the fields. This rest was a blessing and a gift of generosity to others.

But God, what does this have to do with me?

A quick look at my calendar confirmed my suspicions- this is my seventh year working as an author.

This is my Sabbath Year.

But what does that mean for an American author in modern times? I am obviously not an Israelite farmer with fields to tend.

Thinking about the two intentions that God has for the Sabbath Year, one sentence repeated in my mind.

Nothing for worldly gain.

In this new year, I will still be writing and working on projects, but nothing for worldly gain.

Nothing that brings in income.

Nothing that seeks to grow my readership.

Instead, I will work on whatever God places before me without the pressure to publish, promote, and perform.

What does that mean you??? Well, a few things…

• I will not receive a penny of royalties from any books in 2024, so you will notice the prices on online retailers will be very low (they still take their cut, so I can’t make them free). Amazon should have the lowest prices on individual books. However, if you would like to order 12 or more copies of any of my books for classes, group studies, or retreats, please private message me and I can ship them to you at print cost.

• The shop on my website will look different. All of my digital products (ebooks and bundles) are free. Many of these products need to be reformatted in order to offer for free, so it may be a few weeks before they are all available. I’ll keep you posted!

• Products that aren’t sold on Amazon (Mary’s Treasure and Escape From Sin’s Curse) will be available for purchase on my website at print cost.

• I have wrapped up the Sunday God Meets Monday Mom podcast. There will still be weekly episodes until the end of Feb. that I scheduled and completed last year.

• I will not publish any new books in the coming year. The two Gold Feather Gardeners series books that were scheduled to release in 2024 will release in 2025.

What about weekly devotions???

I LOVE writing these devotions for you each week, but they may not be as regular as they have been in the past. You may only hear from me twice a month instead of every week.

This is a grand experiment! I don’t know what God has in store, but I know that He needs a clean slate to do it, so I am stepping out in obedience.

Over the last few weeks of planning and preparing for this, God has taken me by the hand and peeled away layers of justification. He has challenged my need to perform to shown me glimpses of the freedom He has in store for me in the coming year of rest. I can’t wait to share with you along the way.

I hope that this year is a year of rest for you too.

Rest from fear and worry as you focus on God’s promises.

Rest from performance and comparison as you are reminded of your identity in Christ.

Rest from pain and regret as you embrace God’s forgiveness.

Rest from perfection and striving as you rely on God’s strength, timing, and plan.

BIG NEWS and my thoughts on the Speak Up Writing Conference

Can I share some BIG NEWS with you?

I went to the Speak Up writing Conference a few weeks ago, and it was and it was unlike any of the other conferences I have attended in the past. A quick review of my writing over the last few years includes self-publishing six books, traditionally publishing one board game, and starting a podcast in the last five years. I have several more projects lined up and I have found a great rhythm of writing in the extra bits and pieces of time while raising my girls. Self-publishing has been a perfect option for me to write without the pressure of growing a platform or meeting deadlines set by others in a season where my family comes first.

As part of the Speak Up conference for the writing track I had not one or two, but SEVEN 15-minute appointments with publishers, agents, and industry professionals. These appointments allow authors to pitch book ideas or get advice on the next step in their writing career. I didn't go into the appointments with any expectations or desire for getting a contract, but wanted to make the most of the expertise of industry professionals. I showed each what I had worked on previously and explained my next project, hoping to get feedback to better hone my message, audience, and marketing plan.

Instead, I had an incredible agent, Blythe Daniel, offer me a contract to represent several of my projects, some self-published and some still to come. Then a publisher expressed interest in picking up one of my other self-published projects. Sometimes God has bigger plans than we have for ourselves!

I am still in shock. I thought for sure my agent would realize that she mistook the placement of the comma in my platform numbers and laugh in my face. But it's official! I have an agent!

Authors in the self-publishing world ask these questions all the time, and now I can answer them from experience:

Can you get an agent with a small platform? YES

Would an agent ever pitch a self-published book to publishers? YEP

Could a publisher pick up a self-published project? WE'LL SEE! WITH GOD, WHY NOT???

Keep doing your right next thing, and at the right time the step in front of you may surprise your socks off!

If you are looking for a good writing conference to attend, I HIGHLY recommend Speak Up! Here are a few of the ways that this conference stands out. 

1. I had so many appointments! Most conferences offer one or two opportunities to chat with industry professionals, but this Speak Up offered so many appointments. Not only do they offer time for pitching, but also for prayer, collaboration, or simple encouragement in discerning the next step in the journey. They take the emphasis off of the contract as the end all be all and replace it with valuing every step of obedience and growth along the way. It’s beautiful and wise. 

2. The staff is incredibly accessible. At other conferences, I have watched agents and publishers on the stage explain that they are just regular people who want to put good words out into the world, but if I’m honest, no one in the audience really believed that. Why? Because these individuals whisked off the stage and behind closed doors until the magical 15-minute appointments. Then those meetings seemed so high pressure that many authors walked out in tears. I was able to meet almost all of the individuals I had appointments with ahead of time at meals, in the hall, and in breakout sessions. Everyone is so knowledgeable and willing to share their wisdom! The staff is truly made up of individuals who long to put good words out into the world and want to help you take your next step.

3. The atmosphere is incredible. This conference is built on prayer and focuses on one mission- advancing the gospel through words, spoken and written. Each person there is not competition, but a partner to link arms with and move forward together. The Christ-centered focus of the staff creates a community of passionate individuals dedicated to spreading truth through words. It is truly unique and an honor to be a part of.

If you plan on attending Speak Up, here are some insider tips:

1. Play hooky. This conference schedule is packed! The days are 12 hours long with very few breaks. Your brain will be so full and possibly mush. If you are an introvert, consider skipping a session or two to walk around outside and just breathe in the quiet. If you are an extrovert, skip a session to chat with a new friend! Some of the best parts of the conference are in the hallways. 

2. Sign up for extra appointments. If you don’t have a book idea to pitch, sign up anyway! Getting to chat with these individuals face to face will give you so much direction. Even after you sign up for your appointments ahead of time, you can add more once you arrive. Check the table for sign up sheets and take advantage of the wisdom and encouragement these individuals have to offer. When you go to your meetings, go with an open mind and a paper and pen. Take lots of notes and then DO those things when you get home. They know what they are talking about.

3. Take a friend. I am absolutely blessed to have an author friend to go to conferences with. It will help to have someone you know to process with at the end of every day, as well as to celebrate all of the ways you see God at work. 

One last thing: would you please pray for me as I pitch to publishers in the coming months? I will take all the prayers as my next right thing is a big unknown world. I will continue to seek God’s direction on how He wants my words to reach others. Thank you for walking this journey with me! And if you are considering a writing conference for your own writing career, I highly encourage you to try Speak Up!