What does it take to get a book from an idea onto the published page?
Ask shy and reserved JoEllen Claypool, who started scribbling her teenaged angst into poetry.
In time she became a lonely pastor’s wife, out of which came a book about pastor’s wives, then other books, then helping others turn their ideas into published books.
Today, Claypool, wife of the pastor of Sand Hollow Baptist Church Caldwell, Idaho, also is a grandmother, halftime grandkid-sitter, author, ghostwriter, book coach, speaker and co-coordinator of a writer’s group in Idaho.
Claypool told The Baptist Paper she loves her work because it is a ministry to not only those who otherwise would probably not get their book into print, but also to the readers of the books she has a part in.
Getting started
“One day a member brought this book — “The Fine Art of Female Friendship” — to church and asked if we could do this as a Bible study,” Claypool recalled. “The author, who was from Boise, offered to lead the final session. She was a book coach and became my mentor.”
This included learning how to proof a manuscript and market a published book — for Claypool, it involved a drive to a nearby sizable town to pitch a poetry/short story anthology “to every door.”
“It was a ‘learn as you go’ type of thing,” she remembered.
Claypool then wrote “A Realist’s Guide to Being a Pastor’s Wife,” which describes the role and what goes on behind the scenes so a congregation knows how to pray for its leadership.
The book took 18 months and several drafts.
“I was hurt, lonely, angry,” Claypool admitted. “The first version was much different. I realized part of the problem for the struggles I was having was my own heart condition.”
She then interviewed other wives of pastors, including one who was retired.
“‘What was your first thought when your husband told you he was going to be a pastor?’ I asked her. ‘Oh no you’re not!’ she replied, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to get real!’”
The book has sold some 500 copies in 14 years, while the publishing industry says an unknown author’s first work usually doesn’t sell more than 250 copies.
One thing that helped Claypool: She wrote a 25-page ebook – “Tips to Being a Pastor’s Wife” – sold it for 99 cents and promoted it on her Facebook page. It was a lead-in, she said, and nearly every ebook led to the purchase of the full book.
“That book has helped me make connections all over the world,” Claypool noted. “A lady in Africa found my book somehow and said, ‘It saved my life!’ We’ve been Facebook friends ever since. France. England.
“It’s cool when people who read the book reach out to you to let you know your book made an impact.”
Engaging an editor
“Your first draft gets words on paper,” Claypool said. “After refining it several times you find an editor. Why? Your mind knows what should be there, so that’s what it sees. An editor serves as a fresh pair of eyes and helps make things clear to a reader.
“I do copy editing, grammar, spelling, word tense, sentence structure. I’ll read through every Bible verse, make sure the version is correct and that the verse is quoted correctly. One thing I don’t do, unless it’s blatant, is fact-check,” Claypool said. “It’s happened very few times. One author wrote the Rocky Mountains were in Pennsylvania. I told him to do more research. I also verify names and places to make sure they are consistent throughout.”
Five years after “A Realist’s Guide to being a Pastor’s Wife,” Claypool and three other Christian writers started the Idaho Creative Authors Network (ICAN), which hosts writing conferences, retreats and book signings “to help other authors get their books finished,” Claypool said.
She came out of the first event in 2015 with four clients.
“There’s been only one week since that I haven’t had any clients,” she noted. “I promote myself as a book coach. I say, ‘If you have written a book and don’t know what’s next, I can help.’
“Every project I do I learn something new and add things to my contract, more boundaries as to what I do and don’t do.”
The process
“The writers send the manuscript. I read through it, do the editing, read through it again and then we work back and forth through emails until we’re happy with it,” Claypool said about the process.
“I get everything squared away and format it, get the cover done, order the proof and read through it again.”
Being a pastor’s wife and book coach
Claypool does women’s ministry at her church, was active in Vacation Bible School and participated in a mission trip this summer.
“A lot of times when I have work planned, somebody needs a ride or is in crisis. ‘Blessed are the flexible because they’ll never be bent out of shape,” Claypool quipped.
“Always be willing to be interrupted,” she added. “You never know what the day is going to hold. If you’re not willing to be interrupted, you’ll be frustrated. I never know when my husband, kids, people from the church will need me. You just go with the flow.
“My husband likes me to be done in the office by 5:00 or 6:00 so that I can spend the evening with him. Without that boundary, I lose all track of time and would be in there all night,” Claypool admitted. “I have a hard time not working on something though, so I’m usually reading a proof, working on event planning or folding clothes while we watch TV together.’
Along with book coaching, Claypool also has written “If Words Were Falling Down Like Rain: Quotes and Prompts for the Writing Journey,” “The Secrets Behind the Eyes: Life (?) After Abortion,” “Are You on the Verge of a Spiritual Heart Attack?” and five children’s books: The Troy Valley trilogy, “Follow me Hummingbird” and “The Battle for Christmas.”
