What does it mean to be a successful Christian author?
It’s easy for authors to get destination fever, becoming so focused on the destination that they fail to enjoy the journey.
What does it mean to be a successful Christian author?
Should we measure ourselves the same way secular authors do, or differently? To help us answer this question, I asked best-selling author and Christy Hall of Fame inductee, James L. Rubart.
How do you define success for a Christian author?
Jim: From a worldly perspective, success is easy to measure by how much money I’ve made, how many books I’ve sold, how many awards I’ve won, or how many people say I’m amazing. But within the context of the Kingdom, it’s a different perspective.
I’ve been thinking about this for years, and more recently, I’ve been pondering it with a friend. My friend is really struggling with success. He’s published over 30 books, both fiction and nonfiction. He’s been nominated for awards, done national interviews on radio and TV, and made a huge impact on thousands of people. Yet he still laments, “I’m not successful. I haven’t made it.”
So one question I often ask people is, “What is your definition of success?”
Thomas: It’s easy for success to become a carrot that’s always just out of reach. “I’ll feel successful once I finish my first book.” Then it’s, “Once I get an agent,” or “Once I land a publisher.” That publishing contract becomes the validation they’re chasing.
But once they get the contract, they start chasing sales. Once they get sales, they want more sales. Even if their book succeeds, they think, “I need to do it again.” There’s always another level or another author who seems more successful with less effort.
It always looks easier for others because we don’t see the struggle beneath the surface. It’s like a duck gliding smoothly on the water while paddling furiously underneath.
How do you keep success in perspective?
Thomas: How do you avoid chasing that carrot that just makes you miserable?
Jim: It starts with perspective. When I was inducted into the Christy Hall of Fame last November, people kept saying, “Wow, Jim, you’ve really made it.” But part of me wanted to ask, “What does ‘made it’ even mean?”
Being inducted was surreal and deeply meaningful. I had once dreamed of winning just one Christy Award, so being in the Hall of Fame felt unreal. But that’s not my definition of success. My definition came years ago, back in 2000.
I attended a marketing retreat run by Roy Williams. There were 12 of us, and at one point, Roy asked, “When do you know you’ve made it? When do you pop the champagne cork?”
At the time, I was running my ad agency. Others answered, “When I hit a certain income,” or “When I build my dream home.” But when it came to me, I surprised myself. I said, “I’ll pop the champagne cork when someone recommends my own novel back to me.”
At that point, I hadn’t even started writing my first novel. I was only dreaming about it. But I voiced that dream out loud for the first time.
I imagined a day when enough people were reading my stories that someone I met would say, “You have to read this book,” and it would be one of mine.
Money and awards are nice, but they’re a moving target. First, it’s getting published. Then it’s getting published again. Then it’s hitting a bestseller list. It never ends. That’s why I encourage people to make their definition of success a little serendipitous and fun. It should be something that makes you smile when you say it.
Has that moment ever happened for you?
Jim: I’ve come close! Years ago, my friend Ted texted me, “I’m sitting next to a woman on a plane who’s reading your novel and loving it.”
More recently, my friend Alan told me about someone who came up to him and said, “You’ve got to read this author named James L. Rubart!” Last fall, my wife Darcy and I were on a weekend getaway. When someone asked what I did, I said I was an author. I described one of my books, and they said, “Oh my gosh, we’ve read that!”
Those moments have been really fun. But I haven’t popped the champagne cork yet. I’m still waiting for that spontaneous moment when someone recommends my book to me without knowing who I am.
Thomas: So, despite being a best-selling and award-winning author, you don’t feel successful?
Jim: Actually, I do. I’ve let go of the old definitions of success. Now I hold only that playful one loosely. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, I already feel successful. But I also have a more serious definition of success if you want to hear that.
What is your serious definition of success?
Jim: My serious definition comes from the parable of the talents. One man receives ten grand and doubles it. Another gets five grand and doubles that. The third gets a thousand bucks and buries it.
What’s interesting is there’s no fourth example; no one who risks it all and loses it. I think Jesus left that out intentionally. Because what I’ve learned is this: if I try, I’m a success.
And by “try,” I don’t mean half effort. I mean giving 100%. When I give my full effort, even if it doesn’t work out, I feel deep satisfaction.
This became clear to me years ago at the gym. My trainer was pushing me to my limit. I was furious in the moment, but afterward I realized I’d given everything I had. I felt successful not because I looked different, but because I knew I had given my all.
When I don’t give my all, I don’t feel good about myself. But when I do, regardless of the outcome, I feel successful.
Does success depend on me or others?
Thomas: What I love about that definition of success is that it’s not dependent on others. You’re not looking for people to validate you. You’re simply asking, “Am I being faithful with what God has given me?”
I had this experience when I hosted a local talk radio show. The station was shifting away from live local programming to syndicated national content, and mine was the last local show on the chopping block. I was determined to make it work. I poured everything into that show by preparing, producing, and improving each episode.
When it eventually ended and the station moved on, I had no regrets. I had given it everything I had. And while the show itself didn’t continue, it ultimately led to this podcast.
When the radio show ended, I realized how much I loved communicating with people through a microphone and helping them. What I didn’t love were the radio logistics, like advertisers, frequencies, and all that drama. Podcasting solved that problem. I had already been cohosting Novel Marketing, but after that experience, I fully committed to podcasting.
Working in radio made me a better podcaster, not just because of the training, but because I had spent so much time talking into a microphone.
Authors can adjust their mindsets in this way: Instead of saying, “I’ll feel successful once I’ve published my book,” say, “I’m successful if I’ve been faithful to what God has given me and given it my all. Reaching for some future milestone can be discouraging until you reach it and debilitating afterward. Success defined that way is toxic, especially when it’s external and based on comparison. There will always be someone ahead of you. But if you define success as faithfulness with what God has given you, it becomes far more liberating.
How does giving your all change who you become?
Jim: From the outside looking in, you’re not just better, you’ve become phenomenal. It’s not just about execution, but also the technical side, the research, and the resources you share.
When we started Novel Marketing six years ago, you were good. Now, I’d call you one of the leading experts on podcasting. That didn’t happen because you set out to be an expert. It happened because, at every stage, you gave your all. Now you’re seeing the fruit of that effort.
What is the biggest myth about success?
Thomas: What’s a common myth about it that you’d like to debunk? What do authors believe about success that, if they changed their thinking, would help them walk lighter and live happier?
Jim: The myth is that success will validate you. That getting the book contract, hitting the bestseller list, winning the award, or being inducted into the Christy Hall of Fame will finally fill that emptiness inside. People think, “If I could just get 10% more, or 50% more, I’d be whole.” That’s a lie.
External validation always leaks out. Internal fulfillment comes from using the gifts and talents God has given you and giving them your all. That mindset destroys jealousy.
There are writers I read who make me think, “I should just quit.” If success were purely external, that would crush me. But it doesn’t, because God gives different amounts to different people. One person gets a thousand, another gets ten thousand, another gets twenty thousand. The amount doesn’t matter; it’s what you do with it.
God doesn’t say, “This guy doubled his ten into twenty, so he’s better than you.” He looks at the intent of the heart. That’s why Jesus praised the widow who gave her last two coins more than the rich man who gave thousands. She gave everything she had.
I’m striving to give everything I have. True validation comes when I can look at my Father and hear Him say, “Way to go, son. You gave it your all. Well done.”
How do we internalize the truth that success comes from being faithful to God?
Thomas: It’s about hearing, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” which is how that parable ends. The amount of increase isn’t in our hands.
Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow.” The ultimate results, especially book sales, are largely out of our control. You can’t force someone to buy your book. You can only write the best book you can and work hard to improve your craft.
Many authors don’t give their best effort to learning how to write, getting feedback, and seeking mentorship. But even when you do your best, it’s still God who brings the increase and gives growth and life.
How do you internalize that it’s about faithfulness and trust, not comparison?
Jim: First, take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Some people need to camp on that verse. We have the ability to “code” our minds. We can choose what to dwell on.
Many of us get stuck in a victim mindset, replaying negative thoughts. Science shows that negative thoughts encode instantly; they take no effort. Positive thoughts take time. You have to dwell on them for about 30 seconds before they start to stick.
So when Paul says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, dwell on these things,” he’s giving us a neuroscience principle long before science caught up.
For some people, it starts with gratitude by writing down things they’re thankful for and intentionally choosing what to focus on. It’s an active process, not a passive prayer of “Lord, change my mind.” God says, “I gave you a good mind. Let’s work on this together.”
What does repentance have to do with success?
Thomas: Repentance ultimately means changing your thinking. Many people think it’s about changing actions, and that’s part of it, but it begins with the mind. Changing your thinking is like turning the horse’s head. When you turn the horse’s head to the left, the rest of the horse follows. If you try to move the horse’s back end without changing where the head is pointed, it doesn’t work.
Likewise, trying to change your actions without changing your thinking doesn’t work either. Redefining success begins by changing how you think by seeing success not as a milestone but as a lifestyle of obedience. Success is doing what God has called you to do, the way He’s called you to do it, and being faithful in that work.
Success is doing what God has called you to do,
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
the way He’s called you to do it, and being faithful in that work.
Just because God has called you to do something doesn’t mean it will be easy. God called the Israelites into the Promised Land, but the giants were still there. Many people today say, “Oh, the doors are closed. I guess I can’t go in.” But that’s not how God usually speaks. He told the Israelites to go into the land even though there were walls and enemies. He said, “Tear down the walls. I will give you the strength.”
Once you know God has called you, walk in obedience and don’t be afraid of closed doors. You might need to persist or find another route, but don’t give up. Don’t just follow the path of least resistance. That’s not world-changing Christianity.
If you get a rejection from an agent, that’s not a closed door; it’s an invitation to grow. If God has called you to write, then write. Put your full effort into it. Early in your career, that means focusing on honing your craft and being faithful in small things.
Everyone wants to stand on the stage, but few are willing to put in the practice. If you want to play basketball, you have to shoot alone at the hoop thousands of times so that when you’re in front of an audience, you can make the shot. Writing is the same way. Many authors think their first book is their ultimate book, but often that first book is simply part of their training. God uses it to make you a better writer, even if it isn’t meant to be published right away.
How does God use suffering to shape us?
Jim: Sometimes the suffering and pain we experience from rejection is for a greater purpose. Ultimately, our goal as Christians is to become more surrendered to Christ, more aligned with Him, walking more closely with Him each day.
To do that, we must suffer. That’s just reality. I’m amazed by the verse in Hebrews that says the Son of God learned obedience through suffering. That doesn’t mean Jesus was disobedient. A better translation might be that He learned alignment with the Father through suffering.
If Jesus needed to learn alignment through suffering, then we do too. So when we suffer in our publishing journey, when we face rejection or criticism, we can say, “This will draw me closer to the Father.” That’s where transformation happens, and that transformation will be reflected in our writing.
Maybe that’s why Scripture says, “Count it all joy when you face trials.” There’s truth in that.
Which biblical characters inspire you as a writer?
Thomas: Who in the Bible encourages you as you walk this writing journey?
Jim: For me, it’s Peter. I relate to him because he’s such a spectacular failure. He blew it big time. But I love Peter because even though he failed. He sank when he tried to walk on water, but he was still the only one who got out of the boat. He said, “I’m going to try.”
I often wonder what Peter’s unpublished sermons might have sounded like, reflecting on what he learned from failing and trying again. He’s the one who inspires me most.
Thomas: For me, it’s Joseph. Talk about a man with a try-fail cycle. He told his family what God had shown him, and they nearly killed him. Instead, they threw him into a pit and sold him as a slave. Then, as a slave, he worked hard and rose to the top of Potiphar’s house only to be falsely accused and thrown in prison.
Even in prison, he worked faithfully and rose in responsibility, yet the man he helped forgot him. But those years of hardship were shaping Joseph into someone God could use. When the time came to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, he gave all the glory to God and had the leadership experience needed to manage Egypt through famine.
If Joseph had gone straight from being the arrogant young dreamer to Pharaoh’s advisor, he would have been too proud and inexperienced to succeed. God used those difficult seasons to prepare him.
So when you face rejection, remember Joseph. You may feel like you’re in the pit, but God is not finished with you. Your story isn’t over. The carpenter doesn’t just build the house; the house also builds the carpenter. After building the house, you’re a better carpenter than when you began. Through every trial, God is shaping you to be more like Him.
What final encouragement do you have for authors?
Jim: Don’t go it alone. You and I just met with a small group of close friends who gather online and in person once a year. Having others speak into our lives, seeing what we can’t see in ourselves, and recognizing the growth that comes from suffering is incredibly encouraging.
I like to say, “It’s impossible to read the label when you’re standing inside the bottle.” Meeting with others helps you read each other’s labels. If you’re out there alone, find someone to walk with. Start a group or build a friendship where you can explore these ideas together.
Thomas: Further together, faster alone. If you want to go fast and burn out, go alone. If you want to go the distance, go with others. This journey was never meant to be walked alone.
Connect with James L. Rubar (Jim)
Rubart Writing Academy: Helping authors go deep with craft, branding, marketing, business, and with the life side of writing.
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Sponsor: Christian Writers Institute
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