Reaching the Campus Tribes by Benson Hines

As I’ve noted a couple of times, the very first “publication” from the trip won’t exactly be “published” at all… It’s an ebook, and right now it’s looking like it may very well go out in March. I’m really excited.

But our first reaction to an ebook might just be… “Huh?” So here’s some info to turn that “huh?” into “hooray!” (or something similar).

Throughout the trip, I assumed that ultimately something would need to be written about everything I was learning and otherwise getting out of this trip. But as I progressed, I realized there might actually need to be multiple books for multiple audiences. (One of the biggest writing dangers is trying to pack TOO much into a single book.)

Yet I knew raising the value of college ministry was my number one cause, and I also knew that helping make college ministry a bigger priority would help lay the groundwork for anything else I – and others – might be able to do. So it made sense to go after that goal first – and quickly.

Meanwhile, I realized how popular spreading ideas via ebook is becoming. So I honestly chose to do an ebook – actually, I made that decision while I was still on the trip – rather than attempting to find a publisher (or even self-publish) right off the bat.

Why? Ultimately, producing an ebook before I worry about more traditional publishing routes allows me to…

• …share these ideas quickly; regular publishing would take a good year or more.
• …get these ideas into people’s hands without the traditional barriers – including price.
• …involve my fellow college ministers in the process. (Without your help, this will go nowhere.)
• …make use of pictures from the trip. (Believe me, there are a lot of pictures.)
• …build momentum for continuing to work my heart out for college ministry.

(While Christian ministry may be behind the curve on this stuff, ebooks are becoming quite a popular way for spreading ideas in the business world and several other fields. Check out changethis.com or scribd.com for some examples.)

All that being said, I don’t fully know what I’m doing. So any suggestions would be much appreciated!