An Unlikely Publishing Story – Hope for When You Feel Like Quitting

by Lori Hatcher @LoriHatcher2

Jerry loves God and those around him. He ministers through his local assembly, studies the Bible, and counsels his friends and neighbors. Concerned about the direction in which his country is moving, he’s become increasingly fervent in his witnessing.

One day, God calls him to write a book. A bold book. A passionate book. A politically-incorrect book. 

Jerry’s been following the Lord since he was 13 years old, so he knows disobedience isn’t an option. Who knows? Maybe God will use his book to turn the tide of culture and faith and set the nation back on track. 

Regardless of the outcome, God has called him to write the book, so write the book he will.

Knowing he needs help, Jerry enlists Barry, his partner and friend. Among other abilities, Barry can type, so Jerry dictates, and Barry transcribes.

When they finish the manuscript, they send off the only copy to Jerry’s agent. “When the time is right,” the agent says, “I’ll present it to an acquisitions editor.”

So they wait. And wait. And wait. A year passes before Jerry receives a message: It’s time.

Within hours, he receives another message: The editor was blown away. He’s calling a special meeting of the pub board.

In the pub board, the editor reads a few sample chapters aloud. When he’s finished, the room is silent—until everyone starts talking at once. “Where did you get this? Who wrote it? How did this come about?” Before he can answer one question, four more come flying at him.

“We’re taking this to the president,” the VP says. “Now.” They crowd the elevator, ride it to the top, charge past the AA, and burst into the president’s office.

“We just received a manuscript that has the power to blow the top off the publishing industry,” the lead editor says. “It perfectly describes today’s culture. It’s sensational, controversial, and extremely well-written. It flies in the face of political correctness, but it’s spot on.”

He begins to read. When he finishes the first page, he hands it to the president.

“Keep reading,” the president says as he leans to the side, feeds the page into the shredder sitting beside his desk, and flips the switch.

For an hour the VP reads and the president shreds until the entire manuscript has been reduced to confetti.

“Call the police,” the president says. “This guy’s going to jail.”

A frantic text message from his agent sends Jerry and Barry into hiding, helping them narrowly escape arrest.

Jerry receives one more text before the agent deletes Jerry’s contact information from his phone: Your manuscript has been destroyed.

“Well, Barry,” Jerry says with a feeble grin. “I guess it’s back to work.”

Sliding his ancient laptop out of the case, Barry boots up the machine and rests his fingers on the keyboard. He opens a new document, saves it this time, and begins to type as Jerry dictates.

“From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day . . .”

In time, Jerry and Barry complete the manuscript—again. With God’s enabling they not only recall the words of the original draft but add new material, making the narrative even more powerful and inspired. 

After his death, Jerry’s manuscript was added to a collecting of writings that became the bestselling book of all time. It’s been translated into 536 languages and has sold more than five billon copies worldwide.

The book is called The Bible, and Jerry’s portion, “The Book of Jeremiah,” bears his formal name.

The next time you lament the difficulty of the writing life, the unpredictability of the publishing world, and the fickleness of today’s readers, I hope you’ll remember Jerry’s story and the lessons we can learn from it:

• When God gives you a message and calls you to write, do it.
• Don’t go it alone. A trusted friend, typist, critique partner, or beta reader can make an impossible task possible. If you don’t have a Barry, ask God to send you one.
• Remember, God is at work in the waiting time.
• When rewrites are necessary, trust that the process will produce an even better manuscript.
• God uses agents, editors, and even presidents, but they are only tools in his hand.
• If you obey God’s voice and remain faithful, He will accomplish His purposes for your writing.

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you’” (Jeremiah 30:2).

Be encouraged, Friend. Write on!

Now it’s your turn. Which of the five lessons from Jerry’s story resonates with you? Why? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

If you’d like to read the original narrative of Jeremiah’s writing adventures, you’ll find it in Jeremiah 36 and 25:1-14.

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Lori Hatcher is the editor of Reach Out, Columbia magazine and the author of several devotional books. Hungry for God … Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women won the 2016 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year award. Her most recent book, Refresh Your Faith – Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible is due out in the spring of 2020. A blogger, writing instructor, and inspirational speaker, her goal is to help women connect with God in the craziness of life You’ll find her pondering the marvelous and the mundane on her blog, Hungry for God. . . Starving for Time . Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter (@LoriHatcher2), or Pinterest (Hungry for God).