Shaunti, what is your greatest challenge with being on the road so much?
Being away from Jeff and the kids, having to be “up,” no matter how tired I am, having to still get my newspaper column deadline met.
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What has been the biggest surprise to you in your travels?
People are people. Women in N. Dakota face the same issues as those in Miami. Everyone wants to do the right thing; they just haven’t been given the information or inspiration to do it. It’s truly a thrill to see a light bulb go off, time after time, in woman after woman… makes it worth it all.
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What have been some of your favorite locations?
Hollywood - Soap Talk, British Columbia and Canadian TV, Colorado Springs and Focus on the Family with James Dobson, and of course the beach locations like Sarasota, FL. While the whirlwind trips of lights, camera, action in the big cities is exciting, it’s great to visit the smaller towns with real, down-home people.
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How have you been stretched the most in your travels?
I’ve learned flexibility… having to change my talk suddenly from 1 hour to 30 minutes… or to not have a microphone that works… or to miss a flight… or rush to grab an earlier one… It all works out every time.
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What is the best way for me to get in touch with you?
Unfortunately, with my traveling, speaking, and writing schedule I cannot respond to every person individually. However, if you would like to send me a brief feedback comment about one of my books or speaking events, please use the form on this page. While I won’t be able to reply, I do read my mail to keep in touch with the needs of my audiences.
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How do I put in a request for Shaunti to speak at my church, women’s retreat, etc.?
Please fill out the speaking request form. Someone from Ambassador Agency will contact you.
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How do I find out if you are speaking in my city?
Contact Ambassador Agency and they can tell you if I’m coming to your town. The contact information is on the speaking request form page.
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If I lose or damage a DVD from your study, how can I get it replaced?
Contact Lifeway at (615) 251-2000.
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How long is each For Women Only DVD session from Lifeway?
Each video segment is 20-25 minutes long. There is a student guide that goes along with the DVD. The bible study can run from 30-40 minutes including the video segment and can be easily adapted for use in a home, church or Sunday school setting.
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How can I get materials in Spanish or other languages?
Shaunti’s book, For Women Only has been translated into six languages including Chinese(T), Dutch, French, German, Korean and Spanish. A few of her other books are also available in foreign languages.
To buy a foreign translation from Gospel Literature International Click here…
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You seem to be a jack of all trades. Author, newspaper columnist, ministry worker, marketing consultant — is there any connection between all the things that you do?
Actually it may seem disjointed, but there is a common thread running through it all: I’m conveying life-changing truths that I believe people need to know. Because of my analytical training and the platforms I’ve been given, I’m in a unique position to identify, investigate and communicate important, eye-opening information – truths that can even bring hope and life-changing encouragement to people who have been perplexed or discouraged.
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You’re so busy! Do you have any time for your family?
Well, obviously my family is more important to me than work! Jeff is a tremendous, supportive husband, and we have a precious little daughter and son. Jeff and I both work from home - he full-time, and I part-time. Because of that, we have a lot of flexibility in our family schedule, which is a huge blessing to us. Jeff is a lawyer by training (I met him at Harvard, when he was in his last year at the Law School), and until he started this work-from-home thing, he worked long hours away. Now, we can decide to do a spur-of-the-moment ‘family date’ in the middle of the afternoon if we want to, or sleep in if the kids have been up sick in the night. At some point, one or both of us may end up in an office again, but at the moment, both of us love the family flexibility that comes from being self-employed and working from home.
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Can you give me advice on getting a book published?
Book Proposal Outline
(Not necessarily in this exact order – every book and proposal is different; what matters is what works for your book.)
• Executive Summary – if the publisher only reads one or two paragraphs, what is the most important thing to get across?
• Thesis – what is the book about?
• Author – why are you the best person to write this book?
• Market – who is the targeted customer for this book?
• Competition – what other books are out there like this? How is yours similar (good, if the competition are best-selling books, that shows a desire in the market) and how is yours unique?
• Creative positioning – what do you anticipate being unique about your book, creatively? (For example, will it be filled with interviews with ‘big-name’ leaders? Will each chapter contain ‘case study’ stories that back up your premise? Do you suggest that it be a specific size, or ‘look’ to fit your theme? Will it be the main book used as the cornerstone of a ministry you run, and a sister product to a professional video on the subject? Will it be the first book of a series?)
• Marketing – what can you as the author do to help with the marketing? (For example, perhaps you can get six big-name endorsements from best-selling authors, or experts in the field covered by the book. Or perhaps you do a lot of public speaking engagements, at which you will sell the book. Or maybe you’re willing to go on radio and TV to promote it, and have contacts that can help set up those appearances.)
• The answer to the “whatever the publisher is likely to be asking themselves” question. – what else do you need to address in this book proposal, to counter objections or automatic questions the publisher is probably asking themselves as they read the proposal? (For example, if it’s a time-sensitive book that must be written in 3 months, the publisher will want some evidence that you’re able to write and deliver a project quickly and on deadline. If you’re depending on including lots of big-name interviews in the book, the publisher will be wondering if you really have contacts with those people, and if, once they give you a contract, you’ll actually be able to get those interviews.)
• Chapter outline – Depending on the length of the book, a roughly two-page outline of each chapter.
• Sample chapter – so they can see whether your writing is compelling, pertinent, and demonstrates that the book is what you say it will be.
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