#171: Kim Steadman self-published 21 books with 30+ books in various drafts. She loves the spiritual component of the academy

Hey, everyone, this is Shelly Hitz and I'm CJ Hitz. And today we're here with Christian Book Academy member Kim Steadman. Welcome, Kim.

Hey, thanks for letting me be here.

Yeah, we're just doing a series just featuring our members and all that you've accomplished and the things that God has done through you. And we were just talking the other day, I think it was back in 2016, when you first found the academy. Is that right? And we got to know each other.

Yeah, that's kind of when I first discovered you, I think online, on Facebook or something, doing a video or a webinar. I don't remember, but I plugged in because you brought something different. You brought the Christian perspective, you know, to the whole learning about self publishing and all that, you know, So I like that aspect. So. So it's like I need to follow her. I need to see what she's doing.

Yeah, well, I. I remember, like, you just, you know, brought so much life to the group and you were just, like, interacting and, you know, you. You kind of always dreamed of writing and publishing books, but, you know, just had not. Had. Had a busy career. Like, how many books have you published now? And how many do you have in partial drafts?

Okay. But I think I have about 21 published now, which, you know, books. Includes journals and some inspirational books, children's books, prayer journal, you know, so it's kind of like a lot of different things. I'm not just. I haven't honed into just one type of writing. I've been using this time to just have fun and explore all these different avenues of self publication and writing. And I've got probably. Well, I look over at my board. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. And that's a series of four. So 14, and then that is 12. So about 26, 30 different, various drafts. And some. Some, you know, part of whatever. It's like I don't have enough time to do it all. But when the Lord gives me an idea, it's like, okay, I'm gonna kind of put this out. I'll work on it maybe for a day. And then it's in the idea file. And some of them, you know, I can look back now. I was just looking through things the other day, and it's like, oh, now I know why he gave me that idea. Because now that's gonna work with this. Now it's like, okay. So it, you know, the Lord works in mysterious ways. And so sometimes with our creativity, we don't understand why? He gives us some of these ideas sometimes at what time, but it all works out.

So you're very prolific is the bottom line.

You held back all these years and now you're just like, woo, here it is.

It's like, I gotta get it out, I gotta do it. But, you know, I just. I didn't take the time then. I didn't make the time then and then now, of course, I retired, but I came home to take care of aging parents and as they age more, because, you know, that was in 2015. So time has marched on and so things take a little bit more time. But I try to set aside some amount of time every day to write and, you know, to do something. And for a while, you know, because they had gotten kind of a lot satisfied and I was having to spend more time with them. And I pulled away from a lot of Internet stuff and training for a while. But when it came time that it's like, okay, God, let me create some books, and I want to really learn to better market them so that I'm using my time wisely or whatever thing, you know. That was when I reached out to you again and said, shelley, I need to get plugged back in, because I know you've got what I need. So I came back. Becky, you know.

Yes, and we're so glad. And you've actually, you know, just even helped do some trainings for us and, you know, been a leader in our academy, at times a mentor. But tell us a little bit about the whole thing about, you know, publishing in different genres or different types of books and how that's been for you.

Well, you know, to learn a new craft. Okay, so there's the craft of writing. There's fiction writing, there's nonfiction writing, and even in fiction writing, there's. You go everything from adult fiction writing to young adult fiction writing to children's fiction writing to children, the different age groups. So my point is with. Because I like to go up on these little trails and explore for all these different types of writing. It takes time to learn what you need to learn. Right. To be able to apply it. And then I go off down another trail. So somebody might say, well, Kim, why don't you just do all your children's book writing all at one time and then do all of this? And I'm sure that might be the more efficient way to do it if you were setting up some type of factory or something, you know, that's the way you do it. But I'm not a factory.

I think what happens is I just need to have that experience of, okay, I'm gonna work on this type of book right now and then, okay, now in six months from now or something, okay, I'm gonna do something different. So it's fun for me. I like to learn. I'm not afraid of technology. In fact, that gets me into trouble sometimes because I'm not afraid to learn and I'm not afraid to push buttons. But it's allowed me to just, you know, this season of Time for me is all about having fun with writing. And so that's what I've been doing. So that means doing inspirational book that's just images with quotes, doing a children's book, learning about children's book writing. That one's, that one's hard. You're trying to write hype and you know, five or 500 word, 5,000 word novel or something and just, you know, 50 words or something, it's just hard. Children's book writing is hard. But, you know, learning about doing journals and everything, you know, I even have a vision board and that I did a long time ago before I went off on the writing and I had was praying I was doing this vision board and I cut out, in the vision board, I cut out this picture of it had just a bunch of different types of books, thick books, thin books, you know, whatever. And I don't even know really what appealed me to that picture because it wasn't a pretty bookshelf. But I was looking and I thought, I wonder if even then the Lord was impressing on my heart. Kim, I'm going to give you this season of time. Just had fun learning about writing all types of different books. And so it's just all these different types of. It's like, that's what I'm doing because my bookshelf now, you know, of the books that I, that I've done, that I've self published, you know, there's tall books, there's short books, there's thick books, there's thin books. And it's kind of, you know, it looks like that bookshelf. So.

Yeah.

And all through the tools, all through the tools found in the academy, because I wouldn't have been broke, you know. Yeah, I could have plunked around and learned about and got the confidence and found the tools to do it on my own. But when you have the, the power.

Of community.

Then you can lean on each other and say, I don't know this, I don't know that.

Does anybody else know? And so not only do you get.

Training in the academy? But you've got the community of the.

Academy, so you've got a lot of power.

Under your wings.

We actually have a whole module called specialty books which goes into all of these different formats. And actually Kim did the training on children's books and so. But there's journals and coloring books and, you know, spiral bound, you know, there's all sorts of different things in there for you. But I remember even many years ago when you were in the academy, you were one of them that got a contract with a subscription box company and you sold thousands of copies of your creative prayer journal that are now out there in the world, Right?

Yep. That was scary.

Yeah.

I mean, it was an experience. Yeah. But it was because of the community. I don't remember who did it first, but it was like one of us face found out and shared about it in the community. So we all started this little brainstorming hub and several of us got to do that.

But, you know, that's an experience that.

You'Re still experiencing of, you know, ordering.

Thousands of books, you know, and paying.

It for a cost and having to pray the truck through, you know?

I know. Yeah.

And it gets there. Yes. And I think it was surrounding that truck. Yeah.

I think it was Deborah Butterfield that mentioned it first. And then like you and Stephanie and Glenda and Beth and us, I mean, it was. That's the power of a group. Right. And all of us were able to sell thousands of copies of our books. And so that was just such a fun experience for you as well. But what, what do you have to say for anyone who is just, you know, you know, looking for a group or some training? Like what. What would you tell them about Christian Book Academy?

Well, I would tell you about Christian Book Academy.

Because remember I told you.

I'm not afraid to try things. Right.

So I'm always. I'm nosy. I'm a nosy Texan, and I'll. And I won't name names, but I've joined other types of book academy type things.

Okay. Just see what, see what they have to offer, see what they do.

And.

Sorry, but Christian Book Academy, hands down, it's current.

You know, you stay current on what you teach us, what you bring to us.

If there's all of a sudden that something changes you.

I'm sorry, I looked.

Down, you can see there's something crawling on my face, and I don't know what it is. Down here in our, down here in our neighborhood, there's a loose cobra running around.

So I'm like, you know, anyway.

Yeah.

But, you know, it's. Everything is right there. It's.

You've got to have a teacher. We've got the community. And it's faith based.

And I can't tell you, you know, how much that alone is worth it for me.

That is it. Faith, faith. We're not going to find that in.

A lot of different groups.

You know, it's just that's such a refreshing oasis for me to be able to come into the group and we.

Pray for each other.

You know, we're not afraid to say.

We'Re praying for each other, you know, or I need prayer, something's going, whatever. And just the training and, you know.

Shelly over deliver, right? You over deliver. So don't think about it.

So bottom line, just do it. Yeah.

Well, thank you so much for sharing and, you know, we're just so excited for you and proud of you. 21 books and more coming.

And all the things that God's doing through you now to also help other writers. So thank you so much for sharing part of your journey with us.

Kim, thank you for letting me.

Glad to be here.

All right, thank you all for being here and we'll see you next time.

Bye. Bye.

Bye.