.jpg)
by Eva Marie Everson @EversonAuthor
Years ago, an agent within our industry—who at one time was a senior editor within this same industry—told a story that stuck with me.
I’d like to share it with you now.
In the late 1980s, Harvest House Publishers bestselling author, F. LaGard Smith, proposed a book on the topic of abortion . . . as much of a touchy subject then as it is now. Both the senior editor and the senior marketing guy told the authorthat the book was doomed to fail, but . . . being that the author was LaGard . . . they decided to take a chance on it.
As suspected, the book “tanked.”
Meanwhile, somewhere in New York City, an unmarried actress and a married athlete found themselves in a relationship with each other. In time, the unmarried actress discovered that she was pregnant. Seeing as the father of the child was not going to leave his wife and seeing as how she didn’t want to rear the child on her own (or bring any additional shame), she decided to have an abortion. She didn’t want to have the abortion in the city where someone might see and recognize her, so she decided to fly to California where friends could help her with both finding the right clinic and with anonymity.
At the appointed time, she flew from New York to California, her seat in first class.
Shortly after takeoff, she noticed a book in the seatback pocket (where—back in the day—one could find magazines in addition to the barf bag). Bored, she pulled the book out and—as you may have guessed—it was LaGard’s When Choice Becomes God.
She read throughout the entire flight. By the time she landed, she had decided not to have an abortion but to, instead, give birth to and keep her child.
Back to New York
After returning to New York, the actress called Harvest House to ask for LaGard’s phone number. Typically, the receptionist would never give out phone numbers, or any contact information for that matter. But on that day, the receptionist was out sick, so a temp (who didn’t know the rules) sat at her desk answering calls. After receiving the request, she looked up the author’s contact information and happily gave it to the actress.
The new mother-to-be then placed a call to LaGard’s residence, which happened to be in England. Because of the time change, her call woke the author up from a good night’s sleep. But graciously, LaGard chatted with the woman, listened to her story, and then, remarkably, led her to Christ.
Meanwhile, Back at Harvest House
“The reason I told the story,” the senior editor told me recently when I asked him for the finer details, “was to remind writers—or anyone, really—that God isn’t interested in our success so much as our obedience. We told LaGard the book wouldn’t sell much, and it didn’t. But there is one person alive today because he wrote—and we published—that book.”
And, might I add, who but God alone knows who that one person has become or what that one person has done. After all, both Moses and Jesus were little babies who “got away” from a massacre.
This is another example of a humble beginning.
Are you writing what God is calling you to write or what you think will sell? Are you writing for financial success or for what God sees as successful? Are you writing for the masses or for, perhaps, that one life?
Don't Miss the Other Posts in this Series!
TWEETABLE
Thanks for sharing that inspiring story! One difference is a difference that matters.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis story is such a great reminder that obedience is more important than book sales. Years ago, I wrote a women's devotional that also "tanked," but I had two women let me know that it changed their lives and God used it in a way I could never have imagined while writing it. Thank you for sharing this. I would love to hear more of these kinds of stories--I am sure there are many.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring story, Eva Marie! So worth it that that book was published! And if that one child who was saved goes on to have children and grandchildren, it becomes a whole generation of people who would never have existed! I once prayed, in the thick of marketing a book, that God would help me be satisfied if only one person was helped by that book. Within a day I received an email from a woman, Pamela, on the other side of the world saying how the book had helped her. She was my "one," and now we have been Facebook friends for 22 years! There was even a miracle involved in how she got the book in the first place, so God definitely had all that under control. While I didn't save a life like the author in the story you mentioned, it definitely built up my faith and built a long-lasting friendship.
ReplyDeleteThis story brought tears to my eyes and is such a powerful reminder to do what God is calling me to do. I wrote a pro-life novel, BOUND, that never found a publisher (a Christian agent told me he couldn't sell it because it was countercultural and planted the seed to self-publish) so after several years I took the plunge. I'm learning to promote it and although I would love for it to reach millions, I pray more that it will reach the young women who need it in their lives, to give them hope. Strangely, I didn't set out to be an advocate for the disabled, yet many parents have reached out to me to say how much hope it gives to them for their own disabled children. All glory to God! Thank you for sharing this powerful story about Smith, Harvest House, and the woman who kept her baby.
ReplyDeleteAmazing beautiful story! God uses the humble every time!
ReplyDelete