Michael DiMarco

For my online friends tirelessly promoting themselves through social networks, it’s time for a selah; to pause, take a breath, rest, and reason together.

I realize that publishers and marketers are telling you that you need to do this. Also realize that some of these same people were telling you that you needed to be on Second Life or create your own virtual world five years ago.  Realize that my wife and I have churned out over 850,000 books over the past six years and we only have 500 FB friends and 300 Twitter followers COMBINED. More on the transactional theology of “you follow me, Il’l follow you” on Twitter in another post.

We aren’t on staff at a church, don’t have a radio show, and rarely tour or speak. We have no “platform.” Remember that if God wants you known, he’ll make you known.  If you produce good books or good ideas and God wants them bought or heard, he’ll do it.

Case in point, we created an online social network for young adults that is an ad-free alternative to Facebook or MySpace and put its address in the back of our recent book releases. Basically a place to connect with us as authors and ask us questions and meet other readers like themselves that are going through some of the same stages and challenges in life. But in the past week, I’ve had to delete three different accounts where it was clear adults joined to network and market themselves.

Resist the urge to become an Amway salesman to your friends, family, and neighbors.   There is no crime in being a “best-kept secret.”  How many people say “Sbarro is my favorite pizza in the world.  They’re in every mall!” We have more bestselling non-fiction titles for young adults in the past six years (17!) than any other publisher (let alone author.) And most parents of young adults don’t know our names.

A pastor I admire said in a blog post today:

“I am not sure why, but I have had several well-connected people tell me lately that Harvest is a ‘best kept secret.’ They tell me that a ministry making a difference as we are and planting churches, and impacting lives around the world should be ‘more well known than it is.’ Ummmm, I don’t care. I am focusing on the depth of my ministry. If God wants what we are learning to bless others, He will get the message out further. Psalm 75 says, “Promotion does not come from the east or the west; God is the judge who sets up one and puts down another.” I just don’t care about being famous or well known. Maybe God knows I couldn’t handle it, and I can’t waste my limited caring on such silliness.”

HT-James MacDonald