Tag Archives: Self-publishing

May 8, 2015 · 8:19 am

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 10)

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Twenty years ago, if you would have asked, “What will you say when your publishing company is successful?”

I would have quickly answered by singing a Toby Keith song: “How do you like me now? Now that I’m on my way. Do you still think I’m crazy, standing here today? I couldn’t make you love me, but I always dreamed about…How do you like me now?”

You see, when you’re walking through the wildernesses designed just for you by God, there’s not a lot of people who believe in you because of your mistakes and how unsuccessful you appear to them. If you bother to mention your dreams to others, you invite ridicule and the inevitable questions: “How?” and “When?”

And all you can do is shrug your shoulders at their queries.

But in all this, you have to hold onto the promises given to you by God. You can’t ever let go of them. Each day, you must thank the Lord for your publishing company and your promises being fulfilled, even if you’re sleeping in a car and eating out of dumpsters. Walking by faith is not an easy path for anyone.

So, for a major part of my journey through the wilderness, I kept going for one major reason: the desire to prove my worth to others. I wanted to show them that I heard God’s voice and that He honored me for my perseverance.

Today, if you asked me the same question, I would answer, “It was by His grace and I deserve no credit for any success.”

Somehow, in the wilderness, it no longer became about me and my quest, it became all about Him.

(Continued in Part 11)

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March 30, 2015 · 2:42 pm

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 9)

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From the articles I have read, most of today’s authors follow fairly rigid disciplines and begin writing at a set hour. Each has a certain amount of words they hope to write for the day. The number of words falls generally in the 1000 to 2000 words range.

Since, I did not know any better when the Lord told me to write, I set my early goals at 1200 words per day. This worked out to about four or five pages of new material per day.

Yet, I remember many, many days when I would bang away on the computer for a couple of hours and maybe had 650 words done, but then realized something was missing. Sadly, that something was the presence of the Holy Spirit. I would then end up deleting every word I wrote.

It would be great to pretend that I am a quick learner, but the truth is that it took months and months for me to learn this process for myself. I now sit down and if the presence of the Holy Spirit isn’t there, I don’t write.

Just so you know, I do not claim to write straight from the mouth of the Lord…oh I wish I did! But I do claim that His presence needs to be there to comfort and encourage me as I write.

Okay, a few days ago, I came up with what I think was an inspired opening for the next Luke and Cat Stoner novel. And almost 700 words later, the book was on its way. I saw the characters coming to life, where they lived, and a little bit of what would happen in the early stages. It was so exciting that I now fall asleep thinking about the story.

So, the other day, I sought the presence of the Lord and this is my latest writing:

Yep, we’re talking about what looks like another major detour in my publishing career. What’s new, huh?

Who ever thought that I would end up attempting to start a Noontime Prayer Meeting For Geezers?

(Continued in Part 10)

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March 18, 2015 · 10:51 am

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 8)

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Ten thousand and seventy-four days ago, a female minister named Linda Sutter (Olson) pointed to me as I sat in a pew of a small church and asked me to stand up. She then began prophesying to me: “God is doing a quick work in you…”

Even today when I look at her prophetic words, which I wrote down in the back of my Bible, I laugh at God’s idea of a “quick work” versus mine. I thought it would be months, certainly not 10,074 days or nearly thirty years.

But let me tell you a little bit about Linda Sutter Olson.

During the early 1970’s, the Lord told her to go into full-time ministry as a teacher and a prophetess, but she had at least three problems. First, she was a woman. Second, her pastor would not endorse her ministry. Third, she did not have any contacts.

What could she do?

She sent out a few flyers to area churches, but had no responses. No one seemed to need her ministry.

One day, Linda was driving through rural Iowa and stopped at a diner in a small town. She sat down at a table and ordered her lunch. Linda noticed the couple sitting at the table next to her had received their meals and were praying before they ate.

She leaned over and said, “It’s nice to see a couple pray together in a restaurant.”

“Oh, you’re a Christian,” replied the husband. “Why don’t you join us for lunch? We would enjoy fellowshipping with you.”

The couple turned out to be a pastor and his wife. The pastor ended up inviting Linda to minister at his church that evening.

Linda eventually ministered in numerous large churches and then traveled to Russia, Albania, India, Eastern Europe, China, and the Philippines. But every door that opened to her calling could be traced back to that chance encounter at a diner in a small town in Iowa.

So, when I look at the boxes of books in our closets, I like to think that I’m just one divine encounter away from publishing success.

(Continued in Part 9)

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March 6, 2015 · 10:24 am

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 7)

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One of my favorite prophetic words was spoken to me in the Spring of 1994. It happened when a friend and her husband stopped by the house to see me on their way to a restaurant.

“Larry, the Lord knows how much you love to preach, but He wants you to do something first for Him, before you do any more preaching. Then afterward, you can preach all you want,” she said.

The “something” the Lord wanted me to do first turned out to be – start a paint contracting company, which ended up being a total disaster. I am still suffering from its fallout, twenty years later.

And preaching? I still laugh when I think about the Lord saying to me: “Then afterward, you can preach all you want.”

You see, what was missing in the prophetic words was that the Lord was going to squeeze every drop of desire out of me to preach and be on a stage ever again. The guy who used to love to preach died often in countless trials over the last twenty years. I absolutely do not miss him and, in fact, I abhor the guy I used to be.

Okay, how does this fit into publishing?

I have two thousand copies of The Day LA Died, ready to be marketed through whatever way the Lord shows me, like Christian book stores, churches, and advertisements. The two thousand copies weigh a total of 1900 pounds and are stored in closets throughout the house. It would be nice to free up the closet space again.

But first, I feel the Lord wants me to do something for Him, something which, of course, has nothing to do with publishing.

So, if you believe that walking with the Lord is the shortest distance between point A and point B, I have bad news for you. That is usually not the case. There will be plenty of time-consuming zigs and zags and stops along the way, but I also guarantee, it will be the greatest adventure of your life.

(Continued in Part 8)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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February 16, 2015 · 12:02 pm

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (6)

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Have you ever heard of Fred Smith?

When Smith attended Yale in the 1960s, he wrote a term paper, which invented an industry and dreamed of changing the impossible into the possible. His professor couldn’t visualize the revolutionary implications of Smith’s ideas and gave Smith’s term paper an average grade. The professor’s reasoning: the business was not feasible.

Smith’s impossible dream became a reality on April 17, 1973, when Federal Express began operations with 389 employees, 14 planes, and 186 packages in Memphis, Tennessee. The packages were flown to 25 cities and delivered the following day.

Today, we think little about dropping a package off at a Federal Express site or a competitive carrier and then expecting the package to be delivered the next day or soon after. Yet, the whole air/land express industry was just a dream fifty years ago and pooh-poohed by experts at the time.

Let’s say that I sat next to Fred Smith in his business class at Yale and also had to write a term paper on a proposed business, just like Smith did. For my business model, being the believer that I am today, I would have written:

1. My publishing company will have no partners, except for family.

2. It will never ask for money.

3. With the exception of book stores and eBook publishers, my publishing company will not set prices for its books.

4. My publishing company will operate under the U.S. and state business laws as a business and not as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax exempt organization.

5. The millions of dollars generated by my publishing company will help feed and care for the poor and needy of the world.

What do you think the professor would have said to me after reading my paper?

The professor probably would have called me into his office, closed the door, and stared at me for a few minutes in total quiet. Maybe he would have shaken his head and blown out a deep breath before saying, “Son, you remind me of the two guys who came up with the brilliant idea of buying watermelons in San Diego for $1 each and then hauling them to LA and selling them for 50¢ each. It wasn’t long before the two men learned they were losing lots of money. One of the guys came up with an idea and said, ‘We need a bigger truck so we can be like K-Mart and make up our losses with volume sales.'”

I can guess what my grade would have been on the paper. Can you?

(Continued in Part 7)

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January 15, 2015 · 2:04 pm

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 2)

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“Larry, you will write and own a large publishing company,” the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart in the fall of 1985.

I was ecstatic when I heard these words and made a decision which has guided my life for nearly thirty years. I decided to never accept a job that would hinder my dreams of writing and being a publisher. For the most part, this meant being a car salesman, laborer, house painter, and minimum wage employee.

Looking back, none of my fifty or so jobs since 1985 have offered me much of a chance to be promoted, which was fine with me. Promotions would have been obstacles for my goals because they would have required a greater commitment than I wanted to give.

Let’s be honest, okay?

When the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and I made my career decisions, I did not realize it would take twenty-nine years to publish my first book. Twenty-nine years! It just seems so unbelievable that the dream is still so strong in me, even though my youth has long since disappeared.

I can still remember when Bonnie Chavda prophesied to Jim Goll and me at a 1999 meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. She first pointed at Goll and said, “Your writing career will take off. You will write many books because God has anointed you for now.”

She then turned to me. “God is holding your writing career back. You will be successful, but at a much later time.”

Jim Goll has written over twenty-five books and is a big time prophetic author. Most of his books have been published since that night.

I have just published my first book and have a few eBooks on Amazon right now. That’s the extent of my accomplishments since Bonnie prophesied to me.

If you have any thoughts that God is unfair when he raises up one person compared to another, then you need a greater understanding of God. He is the Boss. He knows what it will take to ready a person for His plans and is not willing to lower His standards in the least.

As far as finances and time goes, God uses these as tools to mold His people.

One experience still brings tears to my eyes.

(Continued in Part 3)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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January 10, 2015 · 9:05 am

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 1)

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“Well, what are your plans for your life?” asked Carol, my fiancee of just a few hours.

“I am going to start a large publishing company which will generate millions of dollars to help feed and care for the poor of the world,” I said without hesitation.

Carol giggled. “Sounds great, honey.”

This actual conversation took place sometime during the week of March 10, 1996. Carol and I had first met each other on the previous Friday, had our first date on the following night, and became engaged on that Sunday morning. We eventually communicated our dreams, our hopes, our middle names, and so forth on the fly as we planned for our wedding on April 5, 1996.

Now, let’s fast forward to the various times when we had no money to pay our car payments, our rent or house payments, our creditors, buy groceries, and whatever else over the last eighteen years. The conversations between Carol and me in the midst of our Dunkirk crises generally followed along these lines:

“Larry, what are we going to do? We don’t have enough money to buy a cup of coffee, let alone make the house or car payment,” said Carol.

“I really don’t know,” I replied.

“Well, what do you know?”

“I know the Lord has called me to start a large publishing company which will generate millions of dollars to help feed and care for the poor of the world. So, that means the Lord has a way for us to survive this predicament.”

“O Lord, I’m married to a man who has no clue about the real world and has his head stuck in the sand!”

Yet, the Lord has always brought us through our valleys. It hasn’t always been textbook pretty, but we have survived.

The publishing company, LarryWho, is now alive and on the ground. Its first book, The Day LA Died, is off the printing presses and awaiting release right now. Everything seems to be coming up roses, right?

Maybe.

You see, this series came about because I decided to evaluate my publishing and book marketing qualifications at 3:15 this morning. And guess what? I am clueless. I laid in bed for forty-five minutes before deciding to get up and face my inadequacies.

I walked downstairs, fed the cats a few treats, and sat down, expecting to seek the Lord in my normal manner. But I couldn’t concentrate. So, I walked through the house praising the Lord.

As I praised Him, a revelation dawned on me:

When the Lord created the universe, how much input and advice did He need from me? How about when He set the sun, moon, and stars in place? Or the mountains and seas? Or man and the duckbill platypus? He accomplished it all without my help. Thus, why am I concerned about my lack of publishing and marketing qualifications? The Lord, my CEO, my Sales Manager, knows how to do it all. I need to trust Him to open doors and reveal each step of the journey.

So, this series will be about a blind pilgrim – me – fulfilling a dream of starting a large publishing company. Who knows? Maybe my journey will encourage you to do the same.

(Continued in Part 2)

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September 4, 2014 · 10:18 am

Chapter 44: No Longer A Slumdog

In 1995, Janelle told me about K. P. Yohannan and his ministry, Gospel for Asia. She loaned me a book, Revolution in World Missions by Yohannan, which I quickly forgot about until New Year’s Day, 1996. Since I had nowhere to go on that holiday and no TV to watch football bowl games, I hunkered down and read the book.

Yohannan wrote in one part how overwhelmed he felt by the size of India and his meager resources. He cried out to the Lord and eventually the Lord spoke the following to his heart:

“I am not in any trouble that I need someone to beg for Me. I made no promises I will not keep to you. It is not the largeness of the work that matters, but only doing what I command. All I ask of you is that you be a servant. For all who join with you in the work, it will be a privilege − a light burden for them.” (Revolution in World Missions by K. P. Yohannan)

The Lord’s response so blessed me that I wrote the words in my Bible. Although Carol and I began sponsoring a GFA missionary in 2006, I paid little attention to the ministry, except for a few glances at the words written in my Bible.

Fast forward until 2011 when we received a free copy in the mail of No Longer A Slumdog by K. P. Yohannan. The title caught my attention because of the movie by a similar name. I sat down and began reading it. I wept often and asked forgiveness again and again of the Lord as the book uncovered my selfishness.

There were stories about Muttu, Asha, Lata, Vichy, Tusli, and other names of poor children I couldn’t pronounce. I read about a mother who sold her baby for ten pounds of rice. I learned about India’s caste system and how the lowest rung, the Dalits, comprise twenty percent of India’s population or nearly 300 million people. The Dalits are considered subhuman, worthy of being treated like dogs.

Every word acted like a rock thrown against my plastic Western Christianity, creating cracks in it. Yet, it was this specific sentence on Page 31, which penetrated my heart:

“In India alone, there are 11 million children like Asha who have been abandoned, and 90% of them are girls.” (Revolution in Missions by K. P. Yohannan)

All I could think about were the 9.9 million abandoned little girls. If I closed my eyes, I saw little children, but their faces resembled my daughter, Susan, when she was four years old. I could not ignore my heart this time.

My wife and I now sponsor six children in Gospel For Asia’s Bridge of Hope program. I am a volunteer advocate for Bridge of Hope, a Gospel For Asia blogger, and a member of their prayer team.

In the foreword to No Longer A Slumdog, Francis Chan wrote:

“I am very thankful for the book you are about to read. It has stirred my heart once again. Living in the West with all of its influences, it is easy to forget about others…”

I recommend this book to everyone, and who knows? It may change your life, too.

(The above is Chapter 44 from my memoir: The Hunt for Larry Who)

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March 19, 2014 · 7:22 am

Got 99¢

Beginning today and ending on March 25, my book, New Wind Blowing, is on sale at Amazon for $.99. You can download it onto your Kindle or any iPad, PC, Mac, iPhone, and other smartphones with Kindle apps.

Amazon book description:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” (Albert Einstein)

Since the 1970’s, we Christians have attempted to overturn the Supreme Court’s Roe versus Wade decision. We have fasted. We have prayed. We have preached and prophesied. We have endorsed politicians and their parties. And then, when that has failed, we have done more of the same. Yet, we have fallen far short of the mark.

Maybe, we’re doing something wrong!

Part I of New Wind Blowing explains my 2008 revelation on abortion and three other issues.

Part II relates further revelations about the background leading up to the 2008 election.

Conclusion states what we Christians should do in light of these revelations.

Maybe we need to change today.

54 Pages Reg. Price $2.99 Author: Larry Nevenhoven

Available on Amazon for Kindles and Kindle Apps.

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February 26, 2014 · 2:22 pm

Got 99¢

Beginning today and ending on March 4, my novel Deceived Dead and Delivered is on sale at Amazon for $.99. You can download it onto your Kindle or any iPad, PC, Mac, iPhone, and all smartphones with Kindle apps.

Amazon book description:

Deceived Dead and Delivered consists of two short novels, a prophetic allegory, and a few short stories, written especially for believers who are looking for answers to today’s tough questions.

In the first short novel, Pull the Plug, life was perfect for Chuck Brewster until that Easter Sunday in San Francisco when the angel arrived and opened Chuck’s eyes. From then on, Chuck’s new revelations stirred up nothing but trouble…or so his wife and family thought.

The second short novel, Deceived Dead and Delivered, takes place near the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, where Daniel and Amanda McCord attend the progressive Jesus Is Love Community Church. Then one morning a new spiritual gift causes Daniel to realize, “demons suck,” and that his church has big problems.

The Great American Church Derby is a prophetic allegory which takes place in a Starbucks with two men drinking coffee. It offers hope to hungry believers who long for a church who truly walks in unity.

The book contains the above, and also a few short stories.

Fiction or revelations? You can decide for yourself after reading Deceived Dead and Delivered.

212 pages Regular Price $3.99 Author & Publisher Larry Nevenhoven

Available on Amazon for Kindle and Kindle apps.