By CHERYL ROGERS

We all are enrolled in the school of hard knocks. The older we get, the more we learn, and the more we have to share with others.

Most of us teach those around us: Our family, our friends, or fellow church members. But some of us have a book on our hearts -- or two, or three. Somthing inside us cries out to be heard, to share what we've learned through the depths of our own pain, to help others and spare them misery. Something inside us screams to share the knowledge of God's great love and mercy.

Not everyone is a born writer, however. Nor is everyone trained. So how do you get your message out?

The good news is, it is a lot easier today than ever. Through the nifty invention of the ebook, nearly everyone can be an author. Writing and self publishing a book is at the reach of everyone with a message and a computer, or access to a computer.

Here is a breakdown of the process.

* If possible, use a computer and word processing software to prepare your ebook. If it is not, prepare a handwritten or typed manuscript and arrange to have it scanned or entered into a computer later.

* Organize your thoughts. Unless you're writing an essay, this is time well spent! Prepare an outline which you can use as a road map when you write. Arrange your ideas in an easy-to-follow format.

* Do you have pertinent facts or do you need to do more research? Spend the time you need to become authoritative on your subject. You can do lots of research on the Internet, but you may want to rely on trusted reference books. If you want to quote the Holy Bible, you can find digitized versions online which will allow you to cut and paste the Scriptures right into your manuscript.

* Prepare a rough draft. Follow your road map as you flesh out your book. Feel free to tackle parts of the book out of sequence, as long as they can be plugged in later.

* Hit the hunch. Whenever possible, write when you are inspired. There is no need to slow down for the details, just write. You can check your spelling and add facts later.

* When you have completed your rough draft, you may want to put it aside for a few weeks so you can be more objective about it. Or, you may choose to share it with someone who can give you good counsel. Before you go any farther, you will want to know if your book does what you intend. Is it written so it will appeal to those you hope to reach? Does it have good, solid information to support your key points? Or do you need to do more research? Does your book need to be reorganized? You may want to refine your outline and rework your manuscript accordingly.

* When you are confident your rough draft is solid, you can begin the refining process. You will want to go through your entire manuscript again, filling in necessary detail, editing and rewriting. Cut unnecessary words or thoughts. Don't take your readers on a detour. They might not get back on track!

* When you believe you have done your best work, it's time to call in a trusted advisor or advisors. Or, consider paying for a manuscript evaluation/editing. You need to find out if your manuscript works. Is your writing clear and engaging? Polish and repolish your writing. Check for typographical and grammatical errors. Be meticulous. You will want it to be your best effort. It is especially important to proof your final version before release. It's amazing the errors that can surface -- even then!

* Your book will need a catchy cover to attrack readers. You can design your own using art software or an online publisher, or you can hire a graphic designer.

* When your book is complete, you can publish it as an ebook in a number of formats, including PDF, HTML, and text. You can post it on your own website and/or enlist the aid of other ebook stores. You also can submit it to ebook publishers. First-time authors have a tougher job convincing a publisher to take a chance on them. But If you are willing to self publish, and you do well, you may land a publishing contract later.

Additional resources are listed elsewhere on this lens.

A former newspaper reporter, Cheryl Rogers is webmaster at http://www.SongsfromtheWord.com, where she publishes the Fast Track to Victory Bible blog and Songs from the Word podcast. She has written Fast Track to Victory, A Christian Guidebook, aimed at helping others walk in the victory God has for them.

If you are an unknown writer, your chances of landing a traditional publishing deal are greatly reduced. But if you command a following and have a great story to tell, why not give it a try?
Start with a copy of Christian Writer's Market. Look for agents and publishers interested in your type of book. Make a list of those who may be interested.
Doing your homework is essential. Check the market for competing products. Know what they charge and how your book would be different.
Outline your book and write three chapters or so. Then craft a professional looking query that does a good job of selling your book to the editor or agent. Be sure to include a marketing plan.
Then be patient. Keep submitting. And, if all else fails, you can always consider self publishing.
Do know that, no matter who is the publisher, you'll be expected to promote and sell your book.

If your book idea is not fully developed yet, you have time to learn more about the writing craft! While you collect useful tidbits of information for your book, storing them away on your computer or index cards, you can study the writing business.

Pick up Christian books on similar topics and read them. You might gain some useful information for your book.

Study how the books are organized. Study the writing. How does the author engage his or her audience?

You can learn a lot by reading, and examining carefully what others are doing. But you also may want to join a Christian author's or writer's group, participate in critiques and attend a writer's conference.

While you can expect to invest a few hundred dollars in a writer's conference, you will get a crash course on writing, marketing, and the publishing industry. You may make valuable contacts to help you fine-tune your manuscript, market it, and publish it.

Your ebook can be copied and shared, easily.
You must choose whether to give it away freely, including a link back to your ministry or church website, or sell it and trust people will pay, or -- discourage stealing with DRM.
Some believe unknown authors have little to lose from pilfered books. The stolen copies can be considered free advertising. Others believe stolen books mean lost revenue. You can view no DRM as leaving your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition.
Ultimately you must decide.
There are many DRM options, and do-it-yourself plans can be costly. Perhaps the cheapest and easiest ways to have protection is to publish in Amazon's Kindle format. This is a relatively new format only for the Kindle reader. The downside is your ebook only can be read on a Kindle reader, which limits your reading audience.
Another economical option is to produce ebooks in EXE format through Secure Ebook, which means you can be selling ebooks for an initial $15 investment.
DRM also is available through some publishers, who sell your book from their storefronts.

Authors of print books often promote their books with personal speaking engagements, websites, blogs, and author book signings. But what do you do with an ebook?

Lacking the appeal of a traditional book, the ebook poses new challenges -- and opportunities -- to the marketer.

An author website and blog are good moves, but consider taking advantage of viral marketing potential with a book preview, timed trial edition, or secured ebook with several unlocked pages. Consider a joint venture. You can offer free ebook previews or discount coupons to your business partner, who bundles the freebie when they sell a designated, compatible product.

Get endorsements you can include in the front of your ebook and on your website and promotional materials. Search the web for ebook stores which will sell your ebook for a percentage of the proceeds. You may be able to make arrangements with stores catering to the Christian market or a related niche.

Your ebook preview or secured book also can be shared via email to family, friends, and those on your email list. Be careful not to spam; that would only backfire.

Consider the possibility of an affiliate program where you pay little or no upfront fees, such as paydot.com. Check it out here

You also may want to listen to this free audio book, Pyromarketing, by Greg Stielstra.

Even if you're book isn't written yet, it's not too soon to develop a marketing plan. There is lots of competition. Make sure your project is viable ... before you do all the work!

Authors often have an online presence, maybe through a website, weblog or both. So let's take a closer look at their potential to promote your ebook.

Blogs help writers keep in touch with their readers because of their interactive format, which allows easy commenting on posts. Authors can promote -- and sell -- their books through their blog. There are any number of free websites which will host the blog, but those who use an existing church website, or invest in a personal website and domain, appear more professional.

There is free software available which will allow you to create a professional, customized weblog. A good example is the open source software, Wordpress. Wordpress will host your blog for you, but get your own website and host it yourself for more flexibility. The self-hosted Wordpress blogs have any free templates to choose from.

There are many bloggers, so if you want to set yourself apart from the pack, consider a podcast or even an online video.

A podcast is a mini-broadcast or online audio show. Your listeners can subscribe and be notified when new segments are available. There are fewer podcasters than bloggers, There are even fewer with online video. The latest rage is online video via YouTube. You gain an advantage by being among the first to experiment with marketing through the latest technology.

But keep in mind, creating a weblog, podcast or video gives you something else to promote.

Your success as an author depends on skill AND your ability to promote and sell your own work. So it's a good idea to have a marketing plan in place, before your book is released. You may want to begin with a your own church members, denomination, or church network. Assess your potential there and develop a plan to expand beyond your base as time, money and opportunity arise.

Because ebooks are so easy to produce, you may find they don't carry the respect of a traditional book. You can take a printed book to the beach, or shove it into a purse or briefcase and take it on a plane. It is light and portable.

Printed books are easy on your eyes. They are easy to pass on ... to anyone. The truth is, some people prefer them. They respect the fact someone paid to publish them. They can expect ... a higher level of quality.

So you may find people want, or ask for, a print edition. What do you do?

Your best solution depends on your budget, your book's popularity, and your potential to sell the books. Do you have a large following interested in your book? Can you give regular speaking engagements sharing your book and selling it? Can you pay for a large printing? Can your potential audience afford to buy the book at a price that covers your costs and includes profit for you?

If you envision selling enough books to justify printing, a print edition may be the next step for you. But if you are unsure, you may want to test market your ebook to see what kind of interest there is. Those with a limited budget may want to seek traditional publishers, a publisher who will pay them a royalty and handle all expenses. The other option is to find a print-on-demand (POD) publisher who will print books as they are ordered.

Whatever you do, beware POD printing likely will be more expensive -- per book -- than if you order in bulk. So although your upfront costs are down, your profits are too.

If you decide to go into print, be sure you don't pay again for editing, design and typesetting when you are happy with your ebook's quality. Many package deals include these services in the price. If your book is formatted and ready to print from a digital file, look for a book printer who can do your work for a reasonable cost, without paying again for these options.

If you are unsure of your market potential, you may want to try POD. It gives you the opportunity to test the waters before committing yourself to paying for a full press run.

When you are confident there is a large market, you likely will want to shop around and find a good price on a large print run -- say 1,000 or 2,000 books or more.

POD or traditional printing, do be sure to shop. Prices vary significantly -- and so will your profits.