Hi there subscribers!

Advent starts November 29, which is about six weeks away. That’s close enough that if you don’t pick your Advent reading now, December 1st will show up and you’ll be scrambling to find a good book to read in the middle of shopping.

This week we have two new books, one of which releases tomorrow, and two that are still on sale from last week. Three are 99 cents on the US Amazon Kindle store. Prices will go back up soon, so grab the ones you want while they’re still on sale.

New this week

Waiting for the King: An Advent Journey Through the Songs of Christmas, by

Maury wrote 25 days of Advent reading around the Christmas songs we already know by heart, like O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, Silent Night, and Mary, Did You Know? Each day starts with Scripture, then ties it to everyday life with Maury’s own stories and family memories. Every reading ends with conversation starters for the table and a closing prayer.

You can read it alone with your morning coffee, or read it out loud to the whole family after dinner. The book even says you don’t have to keep a perfect streak, which is good news for anyone with kids and a December calendar.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: [AMAZON]

The Eternal Dawn, by
Releases tomorrow, October 18th!

This is Christian speculative epic fantasy. A thousand years after his defeat, the Son of Dawn escapes the Great Void, and he brings demons, political betrayal, and a collapsing utopia with him.

Kalithas Chamar shows up to work expecting a promotion. Instead, he gets the first violent crime wave in ten centuries. Soon he and Judith Brockman, a mountain farmer whose husband was taken by fire-dwelling demons, are running from assassins while the government that should protect people turns against them.

This book is for the reader who wants spiritual warfare.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: [AMAZON]

Still 99 cents from last week

The Everyday Apologist: A Practical Guide to Listening Well, Answering Wisely, and Pointing People to Jesus, by

Plenty of Christians hear the word “apologetics” and picture scholars on a debate stage. Nate’s book is for everyone else. It teaches the H.E.A.R. model: Hear what the person is saying, Explore what they mean, Answer clearly and calmly, then Redirect the conversation to Jesus.

It’s still on pre-order, and it releases November 4th

You can learn more or pre-order the book here: [AMAZON]

Flowers Can Bloom Through Ashes, by

This is a Christian YA novel, short enough to read in one or two sittings at 131 pages. Juliet is fourteen, raised by a single mom, and sent to her aunt’s every summer. After a tragic accident, she learns things about her family that nobody ever told her.

Its readers seem to agree: all 10 reviews so far are five stars.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: [AMAZON]

A brief guide to the 99-cent launch

This one is for the authors reading along. At 99 cents, Amazon pays the author 35%, which is about 35 cents per sale. Nobody is retiring off a 99-cent week.

Rank is the real reason to do it. Every sale pushes the book up the charts, and a book that ranks higher shows up in front of strangers who were never looking for it.

One small favor

Pick up a book, and when you finish it, leave an honest review. Reviews send our books out to the people who need them.

— Thomas M. Hamilton

Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you purchase through them, it helps support the work of sharing Christian authors at no additional cost to you.

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Some quick math for you. We have two books releasing soon. As everyone knows, Advent starts Sunday, November 29th. About six weeks from now, which means the Christmas devotional rush is already starting.

Timing will be important here, and so will getting reviews in for the author. This is the perfect Christmas gift you can give authors this upcoming season (sorry I know Christmas is two months from now, but getting a head-start is vital) and you don’t have to spend a dime. Just read a book.

Right now our two ARC teams meet in private group chats here on Substack, and we’d love for you to join. This is a great season to jump in, especially the weeks leading up to Christmas. We’ve got a few surprises planned (and no, I’m not telling you yet...).

Here’s the line-up!

Book #1: Where You Belong/Releases November 23rd.

Do you know of God, but don’t KNOW Him? Then this is the book you need. In these pages, lays it out for you. Where You Belong is Christian nonfiction built on one truth: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always lived on joyful communion with each other, and you were made to share in it. Kami spent years studying this, including her own doctoral research, and she pulls ideas like the Trinity, union with Christ, and perichoresis (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in each other) out of the seminary library and sets them down at the kitchen table.

If you’re doing all the right things, but still feel like a guest in God’s house - we implore you to read this book.

Interested? Send me a message!

Book # 2: This One Shall Be Peace/Releases November 16th.

This one is an advent devotional through Micah 5, with 35 daily readings across five weeks.

starts with a world under threat (Assyria was swallowing cities whole when Micah wrote this), a tiny town, and a promise: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.” From there she walks one chapter of a minor prophet all the way to the manger.

Each day gives you a Scripture passage, reflection, some questions, and a prayer. The readings don’t stop at December 25th, either. They keep going through Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, so the book is still with you when the decorations come down and January sneaks up on you.

Interested? Send me a message!

What ARC readers get:

• A free early digital copy of either book (or both)

• First access, weeks before the public

• Access to our group chat

• Web Tools

Thank you subscribers for being a part of Christian Book Finder! We hope to see you in the VIP room or our ARC group chats.

Talk soon.

— Thomas Hamilton.

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Welcome to, what I like to call, “The Weekly 99,” where we feature Kindle books on sale for 99 cents. We’re happy to have you here! If you don’t make a purchase today, please tap the heart or re-stack icon for us!

Every Kindle pick below is $0.99 on the US Amazon store (plus one bonus series bundle) so grab them this weekend while you’re thinking about it and add them to your Kindle collection!

Every book below is on the US Amazon store, except for one - which is on Kobo instead.

Without further ado, here’s our weekly 99 round-up!

The Signs of Immanuel by

Ender spent more than 30 years in high tech, and he uses astronomy software to test Scripture against the sky. That means the case for Jesus’s birth on September 11, 3 BC, the Passover on April 3, AD 33, and whether a blood moon rose the night of the crucifixion. This is the book you hand to the friend who says “show me your work.” It’s part of his six-book Signs in Heaven series, so if one hooks you, five more are waiting.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: Amazon

Angels on the Purple Floor by

This one released today!!! Stephanie spent 185 days on the purple-painted second floor of a children’s cardiac ICU in Nebraska with her son, Grant Isaac, who died at eleven months old. Each of the ten chapters pairs a Scripture, an original poem, her story, and a reflection question. It’s short enough to read in a hospital waiting room, and that’s exactly who it’s written for.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: Amazon

The Everyday Apologist by

If the word “apologetics” makes you picture a debate stage and a guy with three PhDs, Nate wrote this for you. He builds the whole book around the H.E.A.R. model: Hear what the person is saying, Explore what they mean, Answer clearly, and Redirect to Jesus. He also covers what to do when you don’t know the answer, which is the moment most of us dread.

Pre-ordering at 99¢ locks in the price before launch day. (Nov 4th)

You can learn more or pre-order the book here: Amazon

Flowers Can Bloom Through Ashes by

Dawn’s Christian YA novel has nine reviews, all five stars, and it’s easy to see why. Juliet just turned fourteen and she’s headed into high school and is tired of being shipped off to her aunt’s every summer by her overprotective, workaholic mom. Then a tragic accident brings out family secrets nobody ever told her.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: Amazon

Bonus pick for Kobo readers: The Eternal Dawn by

This is Christian speculative epic fantasy. A thousand years after his defeat, the Son of Dawn breaks out of the Great Void. Lieutenant Kalithas Chamar shows up to Announcement Day expecting a promotion. Instead he gets the first violent crime wave in ten centuries, and demons in the heartland. It’s for the fantasy reader who likes their spiritual warfare.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: Kobo

Visible and Invisible by

Eighteen-year-old Eva Thompson tells herself her nightmares are just dreams, until they start happening while she’s awake. Two of her classmates are seeing the same things, something evil is settling over their small Nebraska town, and the adults who should have answers are keeping secrets of their own. Jenni’s Christian supernatural thriller is written for readers 12 and up, and it’s for the teen (or grown-up) who loves Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker and wants spiritual warfare. It has a 4.6-star rating, and Book 1 is 99¢ right now.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: Amazon

Eternal Light (Faith and Shadows, Book 2)

The sequel picks up with Eva leading a small group of survivors through a three-day demonic siege after darkness swallows the sun. Their enemy, Nessy, uses secrets, regrets, and buried shame to put out the blessed candles that are holding the darkness back. Book 2 is $3.99, or you can grab both books together for $4.98, which means the whole series costs less than a coffee.

You can learn more or purchase Book 2 here: Amazon
Get both books together here: Amazon

💥 Bonus 💥

When you make a purchase on any of the books listed above, send me screen shot of your confirmation and I’ll gift you a free reading app! An app I designed called “flipfolio.” Some members in our ARC team use it!

Shoot me a message of the confirmation and I’ll send you the link and access code!

One small ask

When you finish one of these, leave an honest review on Amazon. Reviews are how we launch these books, not into space, but into the hands of people who need them. Two sentences is plenty.

— Thomas M. Hamilton

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Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you purchase through them, it helps support the work of sharing Christian authors at no additional cost to you.

One of our VIPs just went live with his new book The Everyday Supernatural, and the other book, Angels on the Purple Floor, releases Oct 10th.

How can you help you may ask? There are a few options…

1. Ask for a free copy in exchange for a review

2. Buy their book

3. Refer to a friend

4. Share with others

Here’s a quick re-cap on the two books!

Know the armor of God verses by heart but still lose your temper before breakfast? Kyle Davison Bair's The Everyday Supernatural gives you 20 short chapters on using the power God already gave you, on ordinary days. Get it here

Stephanie Stanley lost her son Grant after months on the cardiac floor at Children's Nebraska. Angels on the Purple Floor pairs her story with Scripture, poems, and journaling prompts for moms who've lost a baby or are living in the hospital with one. October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, so if a mom comes to mind, send her this one.

Get it here

Want a free copy to review? Just reply to this email with which book you’d like, and I’ll connect you with the author. And if neither book is for you, I bet you know someone who needs one of them. Forward this email their way.

Thanks for showing up for our authors,
— Thomas

Scroll to the bottom for more information on the printing press. All ARC participants will receive this app for free.

Hi there subscribers!

October is filling up fast. Two of our authors release books in the next couple of weeks, and both are $0.99 on Kindle while they’re on pre-order. Once launch day arrives, that price goes away, so right now is the cheapest these books will ever be. A third book is right behind them, and that author could use your help as well.

Launch week is nerve racking for an author. They’ve spent months (sometimes years) on a book, and now they wait to see if anyone will read or buy it. Every pre-order counts toward the book’s Amazon ranking on the day you place it, so you’re helping these authors get noticed before their book goes live... and it costs you less than a dollar.

The price: $0.99 on the US Kindle store for each book.

Want us to run this for your book? This is what our annual tier is for— $97/year, which includes an ARC-led launch campaign and 1:1 help with Amazon categories and keywords.

Get Your Book Launched! 🚀

Book 1 / Oct 6th: The Everyday Supernatural, by

This is a Christian living book for the one tired of losing the same battles. Kyle writes about the fight believers are in every day without calling it that — the temper that flares at home, or the grudge you’ve carried for so long. Across 20 short chapters, he walks through the power God has already given you, including Scripture, prayer, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit’s seal. By the end, you’ll have a plan for using that power on an ordinary weekday.

This is for the believer who knows the armor of God verses by heart but isn’t sure what wearing it looks like.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: The Everyday Supernatual

Book 2 / Oct 10th: Angels on the Purple Floor, by .

This is a memoir for moms. Stephanie tells the story of her twin boys, including her son Grant, who was born with a heart defect and spent most of his short life on the cardiac floor at Children’s Nebraska. She writes about losing a baby before the twins, long hospital nights, and the nurses and friends God kept placing in her path. Each chapter pairs a Scripture with one of her poems and a short journaling prompt, so you can set your own story next to hers.

If you’ve lost a baby, or you’re living in the hospital with a medically fragile child, this book was written for you.

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, five days after this book releases. If a mom in your life comes to mind, this is a good way to let her know you remember too.

You can learn more or purchase the book here: Angels on the Purple Floor

Coming Soon / Nov 4th: The Everyday Apologist, by .

This is apologetics for people who didn’t go to seminary. Plenty of Christians freeze when someone pushes back on their faith because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. Nate shows you how to listen well, answer with clarity, grace, and point people toward Christ in the conversations you’re having everyday.

Every believer ends up defending their faith sooner or later. This book gets you ready for that moment.

You can pre order now for 99 cents!

Nate is looking for about 10 early readers to read the book and leave an honest review when it launches. Send me a message on Substack that says “Everyday Apologist,” and I’ll get you on the list.

Pre-Order for 99 Cents!

Follow Nate’s Substack to hear when it goes live:

The Armory

Expounding scripture, encouraging believers, and proclaiming His excellencies.

By Nate Brasells

A brief guide to 99-cent pre-orders (for our authors)

So why would an author sell a book for less than a dollar? At $0.99, Amazon pays a 35% royalty, so the author keeps about $0.35 a copy. Nobody’s getting rich on that.

What the low price buys is momentum. Pre-orders count toward your ranking on the day they’re placed, so a steady stream of $0.99 orders before launch can push your book up its categories before release day. Readers who grab a cheap copy are also more likely to leave a review, and early reviews are what convince the next stranger to pay full price.

Small price now, but pays later.

Launch Your Book With Us!

Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you purchase through them, it helps support the work of sharing Christian authors at no additional cost to you.

An indie author is someone who has self-published their book, or been published by an independent publisher. And an independent publisher, or indie press, is usually defined as one that is not owned by one of the five major corporations, which between them dominate publishing, both secular and Christian.

You can see which imprints are owned by which company via an interactive chart. Many of the top names in Christian publishing are owned by one of those conglomerates. For historical interest, all links on this page trace the story of how each of these Christian publishers developed. Almost all the stories start with one individual eager to get books out into the hands of readers. Not so very different to you and me.

Get Your Book Launched 🚀

These large corporate publishers publish thousands of books and have huge amounts of money to market their books, secular and Christian.

In theory, then, most people would say that anyone who is not published by one of the companies who are included under one of these top five is an Indie author. There are, however, a number of large Christian publishers that whilst they are not owned by one of the top five feel like they are perhaps “less independent” than others. These include:

• Baker Publishing

• Tyndale Books

• Crossway

• Moody Publishers Substack: Moody Publishers

• InterVarsity Press Substack: IVP Books

• B&H Publishing

• SPCK Substack: SPCK

• Ignatius Press

• Our Sunday Visitor

• Word on Fire

• Christian Focus Substack Christian Focus

• Harlequin / Love Inspired

• Bloomsbury

• Wiley

• 10Publishing

• Good Book Company

• Our Daily Bread Publishing

• Ave Maria Press

• Word on Fire

• Charisma Media

• Destiny Image

• And many others!

Authors published by most of these publishers would expect to have ample support in helping to get their books noticed. Increasingly, however, even large publishers are expecting authors to engage with their potential readers direct. This would include via social media, Substack, and appearing on podcasts or mainstream media. Even in the corporate world many books fail to sell in the numbers that were hoped for. The very successful books cover the costs for those that are less so.

All of the publishers mentioned so far would be considered “traditional publishers.” One thing they all have in common is it can be very hard to get your idea considered if you have not already published a book, do not have a platform of people you influence who are likely to buy your book, and do not have an agent. Getting the gatekeepers to open the door to you is not easy.

Hybrid publishers are another option some authors consider. Here an indie author will pay money to the publisher to take away much of the risk of producing a book which might not sell. True hybrid publishers will still have a selective approach, however, and will not allow what they consider to be a poor quality manuscript to be published under their name. This is called hybrid, as it is not quite self-publishing, but it is not traditional publishing either.

Publishers who will simply publish anything for money are often called “vanity publishers” for obvious reasons. There seems to be a whole industry dedicated to relieving people who want to be authors of sometimes huge sums of money. It is no different from the many spam emails Indie authors will get when their book has been published.

True self-publishing is when an individual author strikes out totally on their own as an Independent. Perhaps they use Amazon’s KDP or one of the other free platforms. They might create a small press of their own, or partner with a tiny publisher. But the writing is their own. Sometimes even the editing is their own (perhaps assisted by smart computer programs). They may even design the book cover themselves. Anything they can’t do themselves, they pay professional help to do for them, or seek advice of other authors.

Christian Book Finder is here to help any Indie author, however you define independent, to get their book known. We provide a curated list of Christian books you can apply to be included in.

submit your book

We also provide marketing services for those who join our VIP circle.

Each week, Christian Book Finder lists 99-cent Kindle deals. These could be pre-sale, e-books already listed on Amazon — or a combination of both. Consider these deals when choosing your next book and helping your fellow Christian author.

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Here are our 99-cent deals this week!

Claim For Less Than $1

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Claim for 99 cents!

I myself, have been a people-pleaser. I fixed things nobody asked them to fix. I even carried loads that were never mine to carry.

Why? Because I was afraid if I stopped proving myself, I wouldn’t matter anymore.

spent twenty years trying to answer that with performance. By his mid twenties, he had enough success to look impressive, and enough emptiness on the inside to know the success didn’t fix anything. Then, on a train platform in Portland, the striving ceased to work. He didn’t have anything left in him.

This books takes you on his personal journey — Valuable by Design

Mahoney likes to call this Performance-Based Identity. Achievement, perfectionism, people-pleasing, being useful, getting approval — all of it standing in for an answer to “am I enough?”

Who Picks This Book Up

Inside, Mahoney walks through:

• The hidden rules keeping your worth on trial

• Why proving yourself once felt necessary — and where that started

• The line between healthy excellence and fear-driven performance

• How to interrupt shame, comparison, and approval-seeking before they take over

• Living from the worth God gives instead of chasing the verdict the world keeps handing down

This is part memoir, part biblical grounding, and part working toolkit.

You Were Meant to Live From Your Value, Not For It

That’s pretty much the whole motto for this book and people get it backwards without knowing it, because proving yourself feels responsible. Mahoney’s case is that it’s exhausting instead, and there’s another way to live.

Get Valuable by Design on Amazon →

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Remember last week’s email where I kinda/sorta said we have two books releasing in October?

Kidding…

We have FOUR books releasing in October. Here are the two additional ones. But before that, we need readers!! October is going to be epic!

Currently, our ARC team is almost capped at 45 members. I’m asking for two more readers and a few more to join an additional ARC team.

Being part of our ARC team isn’t a “chore.” You get plugged into our networking circle of other authors. You also get discounts on books, special deals, early releases, and much more. Including this web tool 👇

Christian Writers Club

Want a Free App For E-Books??

Read more

a month ago · 4 likes · 6 comments · Thomas M. Hamilton

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Both authors are about to hit that terrifying moment every author hits, which is launch day. This is where you find out if anyone besides your mom is going to read it.

I don’t love that moment for them. So I’m doing something about it. Here’s what we got:

Book one: The Everyday Supernatural, by .

Releases Oct 6th!

This one’s nonfiction, and it’s built around a simple idea — God’s power isn’t just for the mountaintop moments. Kyle walks through how God designed His supernatural power to shape our everyday lives. Apologetics runs underneath the whole thing: if God’s power really is at work in our daily lives, and it is, then He’s real, and this book makes that case. But the heart of it is practical. You’ll close it knowing how to actually live plugged into that power instead of white-knuckling your way through the week like the rest of the world does.

Book two: The Eternal Dawn, by

Releases October 18th!

This one’s Christian epic fantasy. It opens with a betrayal at the highest level of a kingdom called Eloki, where the Son of Dawn convinces a commander to help him hunt down the source of the Creator’s power and end His reign for good. Jack built a world of angelic warriors, ancient covenants, and a war that mirrors the one we already know the ending to.

I’m building out the ARC reader team for these two, and I want you on it.

Here’s what you get for joining:

• Free copies of both books before they hit shelves, no strings attached

• Discounts on future Christian Book Finder titles, ARC or not

• Early access to Kindle deals before they go public

• Free access to our web tools

And here’s all I ask back: read the book, leave an honest review when it launches. Just your real opinion.

Subscribe now

If you want in, send me a message on Substack and tell me which book you want first. Or both. I read every message myself.

Let’s get these books into the hands that need them.

— Thomas M. Hamilton

We have two books launching next month!! 🚀 🚀 (but not into space, as would say.)

We’re lighting up the October Sky!!! (Does anyone still remember that Jake Gyllenhaal movie from 1999???)

October 10th and October 14th. Mark them down, because two authors in our community are about to give you two very different kinds of fight, and we need every reader we’ve got standing in the gap for both.

This is your call-up notice! No, you don’t need boots. However, you will need a box of tissues for one of these books.

We’re rallying readers again!!! YOU. ARE. NEEDED.

Calling all readers, writers, influencers, creators, authors, and Christians to the front line. Two books coming up!

Here’s the line up:

October 10th: Angels on the Purple Floor

wrote a book she never wanted to have a reason to write. Angels on the Purple Floor is her memoir of losing her son Grant Isaac, and of the God who stayed in the room when everything fell apart. Every chapter is a scripture anchor, an original poem written from inside the pain, and a spot for you to set your own story next to hers.

It takes courage to sit down and write a story like this one. Maybe you’ve had your own experience of loss like Stephanie. Some of the bravest writing means telling your own painful story. Stephanie sat down and told the truth about the worst thing that ever happened to her, and she’s letting people read it.

This might be the book you’ve needed to read all year.

If this interests you, let me know and I’ll add you to the ARC team!

October 14th: Elriya — The Great Forgetting

Four days later, drops a book. Elriya is a dystopian, allegorical gut-punch about a world that’s forgotten what it once knew:

• strongholds

• fractured allegiance

• counterfeit companions standing in for the real thing

• prisoners waiting on a prophecy

This is the book you hand to the reader who says Christian fiction is too soft. This isn’t soft, and it’s got teeth. And it’s got a question most of society has been avoiding: what happens to a people who stop remembering what’s true?

Think George Orwell’s 1984, but with a Christian twist!

If this interests you, let me know and I’ll add you to the ARC team!

Your help is much appreciated in this endeavor. Let us know if you want to join the team!

Subscribe now

One series rotates its Kindle pricing every few days, so the lowest prices might already be gone by the time you read this. Worth going through the list now rather than saving it for later.

Need marketing and book launch support? Join the VIPs!

Subscribe now

The Signs in Heaven Series — Ender E. Law

Four of the five paperbacks in Ender Law’s Bible prophecy series just dropped from $12.25 to $9.75. The fifth, The Signs of Jonah, is stuck at $12.25 for now. Not a pricing decision. A formatting glitch on the file that Ender’s still fighting with.

Starting tomorrow, all five ebooks rotate through a two-week promotion, and some will be 99 cents. If you enjoy prophecy, this is the cheapest the series has ever been.

Shop The Signs in Heaven Series →

Parenting Paths Devotional — Bethany Heyne

Bethany dropped her 90-day devotional to $2.99 on Kindle. That’s the floor It’s also in Kindle Unlimited, so KU members read it free.

Grab Parenting Paths Devotional →

Nuns with Guns — Jan Johnson

Yes, that’s really the title. Jan’s Nuns with Guns is $2.49 on Smashwords right now. If you’ve never read her, this is about as cheap a way in as you’ll find.

Get Nuns with Guns on Smashwords →

Faith With Work Boots On — Maury D. Wood II

Maury’s Faith With Work Boots On: A 7-Week Journey Through the Book of James is down to $12.99.

Pick up Faith With Work Boots On →

Anxiety...and How to Conquer It / Grace in the Ashes — Dr. Mike & Susan

Dr. Mike and Susan cut 22% off two new titles, Anxiety...and How to Conquer It and Grace in the Ashes: The Soul’s Journey Through Grief, but only on the digital copies through their own site. Want the paperback instead? Grab it on Amazon!

Grab Digital Version - Anxiety

Grab Digital Version - Grace in the Ashes

Shop the paperback editions → Anxiety and How to Overcome It

Shop the paperback editions → Grace in the Ashes

Once the holiday ends, most of these go back up. If any of these five interest you, grab it before the weekend ends!!

Many Blessings!

— Thomas M. Hamilton

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You know that feeling when someone asks how you’re doing, and you say “busy,” and what you actually mean is “I haven’t stopped moving long enough to find out if I’m okay”?

That’s the opening question of a new book I want to put in front of you today, a book called Valuable by Design, written by , an author I’ve had the privilege of working with directly on this launch.

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Performance-based identity

Mahoney spent two decades chasing an answer that performance could never give him. By his early twenties, he had enough wins stacked up to look impressive from the outside, and enough emptiness on the inside to know none of it had actually answered the question underneath all his striving.

That question is the one a lot of us keep to ourselves:

If I stop proving myself, will I still matter?

Mahoney names this pattern Performance-Based Identity: the habit of looking to achievement, perfectionism, people-pleasing, usefulness, or approval to tell us what we’re worth.

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re the reader this book is for.

A train platform in Portland

Mahoney’s turning point didn’t happen in a church service or a counselor’s office. It was on a train platform in Portland, in an ordinary moment, when the striving simply ran out. No more performance left to give.

Valuable by Design blends that kind of memoir with biblical truth and practical insight, so you’re not just reading someone’s testimony. You’re holding a framework up against your own life and asking where this pattern is operating in you.

What this means for you

This book will help you:

• Spot the hidden rules that keep your worth on trial

• Understand why proving yourself once felt necessary

• Tell the difference between healthy excellence and fear driven performance

• Interrupt shame, comparison, and approval seeking before they run the show

• Live from the worth God already gave you instead of the verdict the world keeps demanding

It’s for the achiever who can’t rest, the helper who can’t say no, and the believer who knows the truth about grace but still hasn’t let it reach the part of them that’s still performing.

Pre-order for 99 cents, get the Pacing Meter free

Valuable by Design is available now for Kindle pre-order at 99 cents, releasing September 19, 2026. That price won’t last, and pre-orders are more important than people realize. They’re one of the biggest signals Amazon uses to decide whether a book gets pushed through the algorithm on launch day. Every pre-order is a vote that says this book deserves to be seen.

So here’s what I’m offering to make that easy.

[Pre-order Valuable by Design →]

Once you’ve placed your order, send me a screenshot of the confirmation, and I’ll send you a free copy of The Pacing Meter, the tool I built for writers in the VIP Vault.

Paste in a page of your own writing, and it maps your sentence rhythm bar by bar, so you can see exactly where your pacing goes flat, where you’re leaning on crutch words, and where your sentences have started to sound the same. It runs entirely on your own device. Nothing you paste gets uploaded or stored anywhere.

Ninety-nine cents. A screenshot. A book that might name something in you that’s been waiting to be named. Plus a free tool for your own writing on top of it.

That’s the trade. Let’s make it.

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Hello friends!

I would like to extend to you an invitation to a live webinar, this Saturday, August 29th. We will be discussing Christian Book Finder’s development in a new web tool and you get a sneak peek!!!

During this live webinar, I’ll show you how to use the Demand Lab to:

• Research demand for your book idea

• Analyze the competition

• Discover stronger angles for your book

• Make smarter decisions before you spend months writing

This will be a soft launch and a basic explanation on what the tool is capable of performing with Amazon marketplace data. VIPs get the tool for free. Consider upgrading to Christian Book Finder so you receive the full benefits.

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How do I join? Simple. RSVP to this link below:

Webinar Link – RSVP

If you want to attend, make sure you RSVP to the link above.

No complicated registration forms. All you have to do is RSVP and show up 🚀

We hope to see you there!

It’s a Tuesday morning, the coffee is hot, the air is fresh, and you go to check your KDP dashboard. You worked hard on your book. You’re excited to see who bought it, and you want to know if your labor paid off. But scroll down to the royalty line and you see Amazon taking a cut — thirty percent off the top. No negotiations.

Many authors have just accepted this as the cost of being discoverable. But what if I told you, that isn’t true anymore?

Read on.

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The trend is already here

According to Written Word Media, thirty percent of working authors are already selling books directly to readers, avoiding Amazon entirely. And, get this, another thirty percent say they plan to start this year. YOU NEED TO BE PART OF THAT THIRTY PERCENT.

In addition, the authors making over ten thousand a month sell direct already.

Think about that. Top earners in the industry decided Amazon’s cut just wasn’t worth it anymore, and it paid off for them. The reasoning behind it is simple. They wrote an excellent book and Amazon takes a good chunk of their sales. Doesn’t matter how well written it was, or how loyal their readers are — Amazon gets a piece of the pie.

But when you do direct sales, having your own ISBN number, and distributing anywhere you want, you avoid the 30% tax. You set the price. You keep what’s left after printing and shipping. Nobody stands between you and the reader who already trusts you enough to be on your list.

So why hasn’t everyone done this already? Because the old version of “selling direct” meant building a Shopify store, learning inventory management, and hoping you could drive your own traffic to a website nobody’s heard of. That’s an entire business to run on top of writing books.

That version is dead now. DEAD. Oh, and the marketing creators still shouting about Shopify? You want to know why they are still beating that dead horse? It’s because Shopify PAYS to mention them in their YouTube videos, newsletters, and podcasts. Building a Shopify store in 2026 is literally the worst advice ever, and I’ll explain why.

Shopify only solves a problem you don’t have.

Shopify charges thirty nine dollars a month, plus transaction fees, for a storefront. That.Is.Ridiculous. That price makes sense if you’re starting from zero — with no audience, no traffic, and nothing but a product and a dream. Shopify’s whole pitch is: we’ll make you look legitimate and give you an app ecosystem to bolt on. Okay. That’s nice. But you’re still starting from zero and you still need to drive traffic to the website.

But here on Substack? You’ve already got a newsletter. You’ve got readers who open your emails and click your links because they know your voice. Shopify doesn’t send you a single one of those readers. It’s just a fancy online cash register — an expensive one at that — and they want thirty nine buckaroos every month just so you can “hope” to sell something.

You don’t have to do that here. Substack is basically a distribution engine that happens to also let you sell things. It pushes your writing through Notes, recommendations from other writers, and through its own discovery feed. People find you without you spending a dollar on ads. And connecting a custom domain costs a one-time fee of fifty dollars, plus whatever you pay a registrar for the domain itself. After that, there are no monthly fees. Nada. Zip Nothing ever billed again, except your custom domain — which is pretty cheap and affordable in most cases. I pay $12 a year for my custom domain:

👉 www.christianbookfinder.com

So how do you make Substack your online-direct sales- bookstore? I’ll show you!

Step one: set up your Substack storefront

Start with a Substack publication. If you already have one running, you can build this directly inside it — you don’t need to start over.

Go into your settings and connect a custom domain. See the “related article” above if you need steps on how to do this.

This is a fifty-dollar, one-time step. Once it’s live, your publication has its own web address instead of living at yourname.substack.com, which matters for two reasons: it looks like a real bookstore to a new visitor, and it starts showing up in Google search results under your own name instead of Substack’s.

Your Notes feed and recommendation network stay fully intact after you connect a domain. You don’t lose Substack’s built-in discovery by going custom. You just add a layer of search traffic and branding on top of it.

Step two: get your own ISBN

This is important and a lot of authors miss this, so pay attention here. If you let Amazon assign you a free ISBN through KDP, that ISBN is locked to Amazon. You cannot use it to sell through print-on-demand, a bookstore, or anywhere else. That’s separate from KDP Select, which is the ebook exclusivity program — this is about the print ISBN itself.

The fix is straightforward. Get your own ISBN, either through your publishing imprint or purchased directly, before you set up your direct sales edition. That one decision is the difference between a book that can only ever live on Amazon and a book that can be sold anywhere you want, forever.

And, you can still publish to Amazon with your own ISBN.

Step three: connect print-on-demand fulfillment

This is where authors usually get stuck. Selling direct is one thing. Shipping a physical book to a stranger in Ohio is another thing entirely. Nobody wants to run a mailroom out of their house.

This is where a print-on-demand partner comes in, and it’s worth understanding exactly how it works, because it removes the one real obstacle standing between you and a functioning bookstore.

Nothing gets printed until a reader actually clicks buy. Here’s exactly how to get a title live on Bookvault, one of the platforms built for this.

How to upload your book to Bookvault

1. Create your account. Head to bookvault.app and click Sign-Up/Login. This gets you into your dashboard, where every title you publish will live.

1. Start a new title. From your dashboard, add a new book. You’ll be asked for the basics — title, author name, trim size, and binding type. Stick to paperback for U.S. direct sales, since that’s the format that prints domestically instead of routing through UK production.

2. Upload your interior file. This is your fully formatted manuscript, exported as a print-ready PDF. Bookvault checks it against your chosen trim size and page count automatically and will flag any formatting issues before you move forward.

3. Upload your cover file. Your cover needs to be sized to the exact spine width for your page count. Bookvault’s spine width calculator on their site can generate this for you if your designer hasn’t already built it to spec.

4. Order a proof copy. Before your book goes live for sale, order one printed proof for yourself. This catches anything a screen won’t show you — color shifts, margin issues, paper feel.

5. Connect your sell channel and go live. Once your proof is approved, Bookvault automatically generates a product page for your title through Bookvault Shop, their own hosted storefront. That page comes with its own shareable link. Copy that link and drop it straight into your Substack post as a hyperlink or button, wherever you want readers to buy. The moment it's live, your title is ready to sell.

When a reader buys, the order routes to Bookvault automatically. They print it, they package it, they ship it straight to the reader’s door. You never touch a copy. You never hold inventory. You never guess how many books to order and hope you don’t get stuck with a box of unsold copies in your closet.

For authors shipping within the United States, standard paperbacks print through a domestic print partner, which keeps shipping times and costs reasonable. The one exception is jacketed hardcovers — those still route through UK printing, which means a longer wait and a higher price tag for U.S. customers. Stick to paperbacks for your direct sales catalog and this isn’t an issue at all.

On pricing, there’s no flat percentage taken off the top. You set your own retail price. Your fulfillment partner charges you a print-and-ship cost based on page count and format. Whatever’s left over is yours. Getting a title live has a one-time setup cost of around twenty dollars per book. If you’re publishing a high volume of titles, paid monthly plans lower your per-book costs, but for most authors starting out, the free plan with the per-title setup fee is plenty.

Compare that to what a traditional retailer takes. Selling through a bookstore or wide retail channel usually means giving up thirty-five to fifty-five percent of the cover price before you see a dime. Direct sales through your own storefront is the highest-margin path there is, because nobody’s taking a cut just for standing between you and the reader.

Step four: embed the checkout link

Once your book is uploaded and connected, you’ll get a checkout link. Drop that link directly into your Substack posts — in a launch announcement, in your welcome post for new subscribers, anywhere a reader might be ready to buy.

A reader clicks it, pays, and the order fires off to fulfillment automatically.

What this actually looks like, start to finish

Strip away the jargon and the whole system is four steps. Start a Substack publication if you don’t already have one going. Connect a custom domain for that one-time fifty-dollar fee, which keeps your Notes feed, your recommendations, and your Google search traffic all working together instead of picking one or the other. Upload your book’s file and cover to your print-on-demand partner, and get your own ISBN if you haven’t already. Then embed your checkout link right into your posts, so a reader can go from reading your newsletter to holding a physical book in under a week, without you touching a single step in between.

That’s it. No warehouse or Shopify bill eating into your margin every month whether you sell anything or not. No Amazon standing between you and the reader who already decided they trust you enough to open your email.

Amazon still has its place — it dominates the market, and plenty of readers will still find you there first. But it doesn’t have to be where the sale actually happens. The thirty percent of authors already making real money outside of it figured that out first. The rest of us are just catching up.

Be the author that catches up.

— Thomas

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And I want you on it.

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What Does ARC Mean?

ARC stands for Advance Reader Copy. It’s simple: you get a book before it releases, you read it, and you tell people what you thought — usually with a short review on Amazon once it’s live. That’s it.

CBF covers fiction, nonfiction, devotionals, memoirs — the full range. Whatever you actually enjoy reading is on the table.

What You Actually Get Out of This

This isn’t just “do me a favor.” Here’s what being on the team means for you:

• You read new Christian books before they’re available to the public — fiction, nonfiction, devotionals, memoirs, whatever CBF is featuring next. Every time. Not sometimes.

• You pick what you read. When a new ARC opportunity drops in the group, you choose whether it’s for you. No pressure to say yes to every book, and no assigned reading. If a title doesn’t interest you, skip it — the next one might.

• You get insider sneak peeks — covers before reveal day, story details before anyone else hears them, and a look behind the curtain at what’s coming next from CBF authors.

• You get limited access to our VIP shared drive — behind-the-scenes files, author materials, and extras we don’t put out publicly.

• Your opinion actually shapes something. Early reader feedback helps authors and helps me decide who we spotlight next. You’re not just reading — you’re part of the process.

• You’re first in line, every time, for every future book. Once you’re in, you’re in. No re-applying, no waiting for an invite each launch.

What I’m Asking in Return

Just one thing: when you finish a book, leave an honest review. Doesn’t have to be long. A few real sentences beats a rushed five stars every time. If you loved it, say so. If there was something you didn’t like, say that too. Honesty matters here.

Where This Happens

I’m running the team through a private group chat on the Signal app. That’s where I’ll post new ARC opportunities, drop sneak peeks, and share the behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn’t make it into the newsletter.

There’s no sign-ups or account to create. You just simply download the app, enter your name, and wait for my approval to let you in!

Just send me a message here on Substack, and I’ll personally add you to the Signal group.

This Is Just the Beginning

If this sounds like you, I’d love to have you. Reply with your name. I’ll see you in the group chat.

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