Publishing: The occupation or activity of preparing and issuing books, journals, and other material for sale. (Oxford Dictionary of English)
Publish: To prepare, produce and distribute (printed material, computer software, etc.) for sale to the public. (Chambers Compact Dictionary)
It looks like the 13th Malaysian general election will be held next year although some still think it may be in November. There was a time when many thought the elections would be held in April, or June this year. Which is why Graceworks worked feverishly to get the book, The Bible and the Ballot (edited by Joshua Woo & Tan Soo Inn, Singapore: Graceworks, 2012), out before that happened. The Bible and the Ballot is a collection of essays that grappled with this question: what does the Bible say about Christian involvement in politics? We wanted to put this book in the hands of as many Christians in Malaysia as possible to help them pray about and reflect on what they should do in the light of the coming elections. The Bible and the Ballot is a good example of what we are trying to do in the publishing side of Graceworks. We want to publish books that connect the Word of God with the issues of daily life. But why is Graceworks, a ministry committed to promoting spiritual friendship, publishing books?
First, let us be clear about what a publisher does. Many still confuse publishers with printers, or book sellers. To publish is to “ . . . prepare, produce and distribute (printed material, computer software, etc.) for sale to the public (Chambers Compact Dictionary). Edward England, describes the art, the craft and the business aspects of publishing:
The art of the publisher is his ability to find and attract authors, often to feed them with ideas, and to have enough of their books to build up and sustain a business. His craft enables him to fashion the author’s manuscript into suitably designed, well-printed books. His business sense keeps it all solvent. (Edward England, The Unfading Vision, Bloomingdale, IL : Media Associates International, 1999, 14.)
Graceworks is a ministry committed to promoting spiritual friendship in church and society. And we are also publishers. Why? Because we want to start a revolution.
In his monograph, Books, God’s Tools in the History of Salvation, the late Klaus Bockmuehl notes the key role books have played in the history of Christianity.
. . . books form history. . . it can be stated right from the start that books are closely linked to most Christian renewal movements. Almost always renewal movements were initiated through books and/or they made extensive use of books as the medium of their dissemination and success. (Klaus Bockmuehl, Books, God’s Tools in the History of Salvation, Vancouver, B.C.: Regent College, 1986, 9.)
Bockmuehl goes on to show the critical place of books in the Reformation, the Pietist movement, Methodism, The Clapham Sect and the beginning of Western Foreign Missions. We agree with Bockmuehl that books are God’s tools in history.
That is why we publish. We want our books to be tools in God’s Hands to be used for His purposes. It’s not just a business. There are easier ways of making money. It’s not just for the joy of seeing good books produced. We want to start a revolution, a revolution of seeing lives changed through friendship and we want to publish key books that will help to further this revolution.
Furthermore, if friends are to help each other grow in Christlikeness, we need the wisdom that comes from God’s Word. Therefore Graceworks also publishes books that connect the Word of God to the issues of daily life, books like The Bible and the Ballot.
We know that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3: 16-17 NIV) Friends flesh out this mandate. Friends teach, rebuke, correct and train one another in righteousness. To do this effectively we need to know what the Scripture says about the questions we face in our lives. We need books that connect faith and life.
We also want our books to be contextually relevant. We are grateful for the wealth of resources we have from the West and we also publish books by friends from the West that are relevant to the church in Singapore and Malaysia. But we also want to give a voice to local writers who write from the perspective of saints trying to live out their faith in this region.
Therefore Graceworks is not a general publisher. We only publish books that help promote the cause of spiritual friendship and books that connect the Bible to the issues of daily life. And while we will publish suitable books from international authors we will also try our best to encourage local authors.
But are we crazy to be doing print books in a day and age when more and more people are reading e-books? We recognise the importance of e-books. In fact we hope to have a few e-book titles ready by the end of the year. But Graceworks believes that e-books and print books are separate vehicles and that they will reach different target groups. In any case what matters is that the content goes out and changes lives (and starts revolutions). We agree with Jonathan Segura when he says:
Here’s the thing: you don’t have to be a print book person or an e-book person. It’s not an either/or proposition. You can choose to have your text delivered on paper with a pretty cover, or you can choose to have it delivered over the air to your sleek little device. You can even play it way loose and read in both formats! Crazy, right? To have choice. Neither is better or worse — for you, for the economy, for the sake of “responsible self-government.” We should worry less about how people get their books and — say it with me now! — just be glad that people are reading. (https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/01/31/146140663/no-more-e-books-vs-print-books-arguments-ok)
So Graceworks is a ministry committed to ”promoting spiritual friendship” who are also publishers. This is what we do. This is who we are.