Christian Book Academy Member Success Stories

Wondering if Christian Book Academy is a good fit for you? Check out our member successes below.

We help Christian writers of all genres, like you, write words that outlive you and look forward to helping you reach your writing, publishing, and marketing goals!

"Within 10 months of joining Christian Book Academy, I was able to publish my 2nd book which was a decades-long dream. My hope is to write more topical guides to be used for either individual or group studies."

- Heather Erdmann

"Through Christian Book Academy, I got the tools I needed to actually get my books formatted and self-published. I received information on the types of publishing and the steps to follow when publishing a book. I gained information on the various options for formatting. There was information on pricing. I learned the best way to purchase ISBNs. There were just so many gems in this training!"

- Sandra Richardson

"I got my first two speaking engagements, and they both went live in the same week! The training made it possible—no matter how much I wanted to give up, I just followed the training step-by-step and got it done."

- Lana H. Allen

"Christian Book Academy is invaluable to me. The strength, encouragement, and resources I received helped me to finally finish and self-publish the book God called me to write. I sensed His call to write several years ago, but I lacked the courage, confidence, and knowledge to step in faith. In all that Shelley and CJ do for kingdom writers, I am reminded that I am not walking alone."

- Diann Brunell

After starting in July 2023, I have completed and published my book set on Amazon this past week, to the glory of God! The support from CBA, its modules, community members, and coaching from Shelley & CJ were invaluable, and they were all rooted in partnering with God throughout the journey.

- Karen Silvernail

On what would have been my mother’s 90th birthday, I published my book after three years of dedication, including two years of writing. I’m deeply grateful for CBA, my NTS Pod, and David Lee Martin’s Anointed Authors program—without you all, this wouldn’t have been possible. I’ve expressed my thanks in the Acknowledgment Chapter. God bless you all!

- Lori Miller

As a consistent CBA member last year (recently rejoined), I found invaluable support through War Rooms, Shared Writing Sessions, and the online community, especially during frequent travels. I’m grateful for Shelley’s introduction to Katie Erickson, whose help with editing, cover design, and website building enabled me to self-publish my first book, Shifting Seasons: Navigating a Life in Transition, last June. A year later, people are still purchasing it, teaching me the lasting impact of God-given words!

- Joanna Hioe

CBA has made all the difference in my writing and life! It has taken me two years to complete the book, and the transformation in my heart and mind has been powerful. Today, I'm thrilled to claim the title writer, and know God has called me to write more books. Two years ago I wrestled with being able to even sit at my computer. So many starts and stops. So many doubts. You have taught me to above all, lean into the Lord, and to not trust the first mile (CJ's coffee talk wisdom), and to sit through the discomfort of waiting on God to download His words and ways. What I've learned from you applies to so many areas of life. Thank you!

- Susan Park

Unlock the gift of writing inside you and impact lives by publishing your words in a book.

"I was able to finish my final draft plus of course the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Shelley for all the resources that Christian Book Academy provides, the guidance and information have been invaluable!"

- Constance Diakow

"I participated in the 15-minute challenge last month, and I heard Shelly say that she used blog posts to create one of her books. That inspired me to look at some of my old blog posts, and, using some old posts as a starting point, I created a Bible study PDF download for the book of Ruth! I will be selling a printed version of this Bible study next week at a ladies' retreat, and then I will be selling the PDF in my online store! I'm really loving this membership, and I am learning so much. Thank you!"

- Kelsey Gjesdal

"The 21-Day Devotional Workshop inspired and motivated me to write regularly and with the Lord, and after 4 weeks of writing, I have just finished the first draft of my 21-day devotional on compassion, hope, and grace. Thank you to everyone for all the encouragement!" 😀

- Emma Pelé

"The Unlock Your Writing Training has motivated me to write for an hour and a half today! I hadn't written much for some time, so the felt really good. I even parked by the river for inspiration and refreshment."

- Alicia Broxmeyer

"I've been encouraged through the Virtual Writing Retreats and the recent conference to keep going on the first edit of my book, even when it seems like it's taking forever. One of the trainings helped me narrow down my many writings to focus on just one at a time.

- Joan Thomson

"I am just starting on this God-led journey. I have attended a workshop and done a 5-day challenge with CBA. At first, I was overwhelmed with so much information. I contacted Shelly and immediately got an email response. As I've gone through the information and her encouragement, my book that I was working on has become a 21-day devotional book instead at this time. When I took it to God in prayer, I felt such peace. The information that I got from the 21-Day Devotional Workshop is invaluable. Shelley and CJ meet you where you are and are always available. I am so excited that I have picked my topic, my title, and my theme already and started the very first devotional. I highly recommend CBA to everyone who has been led by the Lord to tell their story. The camaraderie and the lifting up of each other in prayer and the connections that you make are priceless."

- Lorraine Santos

"I have completed my intro and chapters 1-3 of my 12-chapter memoir! I'm starting chapter 4 today."

- Stacy Kincer

I published Praying Through the Seasona: Seven Aspects of Prayer and Communion with God and launched it on July 17, 2025.

- Ann Harrison

The Story Bank Builder Challenge has been a very impactful challenge for me this week. I feel as if my writing is flowing much better and that I am finding more clarity in my "voice."

- Jeanine Jones

"The "Hearing From God" training was a real turning point for me. It helped me learn how to truly hear His voice, and since then has helped me daily. Through Christian Book Academy and all its various trainings and working as mentor in the program, I have grown more confident in my writing and speaking abilities and the value I have to offer others. A lot of people struggle with imposter syndrome, and I'm no exception. But Christian Book Academy has helped me overcome that."

- Debra L. Butterfield

"Christian Book Academy helped me from the start with the brainstorming workshop to get ideas for my Table of Contents. During the session, God took over and my Table of Contents evolved into something I could not have imagined and shaped the direction of the book! So this was HUGE!"

- Natalie Jobity

"After long delays, my first little book has now seen the light of day. Since joining Christian Book Academy, things that had been blocked and seemed as if locked for so long have suddenly unblocked and unlocked - I have been learning so much and I am so grateful!"

- Joanna Immanuel

"I spent more time on the CBA website. Currently, I have nine web browsers open - all with something different to learn in CBA. There is so much teaching available. I do not write books. I do planners and journal,s and found material that works for me. Something for everyone - like a buffet at a very good restaurant."

- Shirley Kufeldt

"When I'm ready to skyrocket my results, I hire a professional to share their insider secrets with me. It costs a few bucks, but it's always well worth it. I recently did a 1:1 coaching call with Shelley, got about 10 tips that I can implement, one of which I used the following day with great results. If you've been thinking of hiring Shelley as a coach, do it!"

- Marnie Swedberg

I paired the CBA training with Shelley’s book, Procrastination to Publication. As of August 5, 2025, I am now a published author.

- Tappe Hopson

I have several books published, but Shelley's encouragement to get out small eBooks just gave me a win! My book "The Bible's Grieving Parents: Finding Comfort, Hope and Faith from Their Stories" is now out there. We just started letting people know about it today, and it is already getting purchased! Thanks, Shelley!

- Laura Diehl

Heather Erdmann finally finished her first draft of her book about marriage after learning this one thing...and went on to publish it a few months later on her 28th wedding anniversary!

Lauren Darroch overcame “writer’s guilt” and finally started writing consistently. She’s more productive than ever, publishing book twins and is now working on her next books.

MaryAnn Ward combined her passion for art and writing into an unexpected book that wasn’t even on her radar…and it has already sold more than 100 copies.

Save thousands of dollars using our step-by-step process so you can self-publish books that fulfill your calling.

"Through Christian Book Academy, I was able to go from a final copy to publishing in 7 months. I'm now working on the marketing modules."

- Carole Sebben

"With the help of Christian Book Academy, I was able to break down all the components of writing and publishing my books. There is such a huge learning curve in this and Shelley and CJ have such a great way of breaking things down in understandable ways. My biggest win was publishing my first novella. I was able to reach # 5 in Conduct of Life and spirituality, and #1 in Inspirational Fiction."

- Jan Johnson

"The templates and modules were huge! I got my book formatted myself, and I knew it was done right. The lessons saved me hours of research and trial and error. Nothing beats the peace of knowing that you know what you're doing instead of fearing you look like a first-timer. It's also helped me serve my clients better."

- Valerie Riese

"Through Christian Book Academy, I was able to finally publish my book. It has been many years in the making and Christian Book Academy really helped me to get over every single stall-out. Thank you!"

- Sheila McIntyre

Beth Jones self-published 21 books and the list keeps growing! This includes non-fiction, fiction, and children's books.

Jendayi Harris found the writing community and the spiritual support she needed to finish her Chubby Church book series.

Dr. Lana Scroggins has self-published 50+ books and loves all the training inside Christian Book Academy. She is now applying it to more books.

Jennifer Nelson discovered the easy path to finally become an author in just 10 days after joining Christian Book Academy.

Tanecia Mitchell gained the blueprint she needed to take the first draft of her manuscript to a finished book in 3 months after working on it for 5 years.

Kim Steadman self-published 21 books with 30+ books in various drafts. She loves the spiritual component of the academy.

Lola Oshinowo made a significant pivot that made all the difference for her
first book.

Jan Cox gained both freedom and control over publishing her children's books (plus saved thousands of dollars)

Nancy Booth published her first book co-writing with God and is so grateful to be a published author.

Heather Erdmann finally finished her first draft of her book about marriage after learning this one thing...and went on to publish it a few months later on her 28th wedding anniversary!

Lauren Darroch overcame “writer’s guilt” and finally started writing consistently. She’s more productive than ever, publishing book twins and is now working on her next books.

Shelly Laroque published her second book and learned techniques that helped her complete her illustrations (and saved her a lot of money in the process)

Join our family of Kingdom Writers now
so you can reach more readers with your message.

"I got into writing my blog again. I am now writing about my year long marathon training journey. I love to write. So glad to get back in the habit."

- Penny Vieau

"For the first time since I started writing, I got a ton of engagement. 4 people agreed to review my book and I sold 8 books directly from what I learned in Christian Book Academy. Now I'm postured to consistently post and engage on social media and it's stress-free!"

- Dak Frederick

"Through the Christian Book Academy curriculum, I started to narrow down my own particular market. I have also made a recent commitment to work towards my book launch 2-3 hours every day, barring obstacles which may crop up!"

- Heidi Richardson

"Through Christian Book Academy, I was able to publish and launch the 3rd book in my Soul Reader Series."

- Dante Lupinetti

"I was able to reach out to seven authors in my genre of sweet contemporary romance with the idea of participating in the gift giving guide and five responded YES! I'll be creating the guide in the next two weeks for all six of us to share."

- Gayle Irwin

Esther Espinoza sold over 100 books after going through one of the marketing workshops in Christian Book Academy

Ruth L. Snyder has saved time and sold books as a result of using the Mini-Marketing Messages templates. With just one post, she sold 15 books.

Jennifer Waddle self-published 10 books and is now selling books from the ideas she has learned from Shelley.

Susan Neal published 8 books and learned about email marketing and now has over 2000 subscribers.

Debra L. Butterfield has grown since joining the academy as a writer and editor due to the community support.

Dr. Tim Riordan learned how to grow his author platform and the basics of book marketing from the academy.

MaryAnn Ward combined her passion for art and writing into an unexpected book and it has already sold more than 100 copies

Denise Goosby received strategy, focus, and her next steps from the Lord for her writing that made all the difference

Jendayi Harris found the community and the spiritual support she needed to finish her Chubby Church book series.

Esther Espinosa sold 500 copies of her magazine after reaching out to pastors in her area.

Dak Frederick sells books through the old school marketing method of business cards

Tanecia Mitchell used speaking engagements and books signings to sell books plus has over 25 reviews.

Meet Your Mentors, CJ and Shelley Hitz

Since 2008, CJ and Shelley Hitz have written and published over 70 books through their independent publishing company, Body and Soul Publishing.

And they've actually sold books. They have sold almost 700,000 books and given away over 725,000 books on Kindle alone.

They have mentored writers since 2010 and now help Christian writers, like you, take the courageous step of writing, self-publishing, and marketing your books inside Christian Book Academy.

Together they create a powerful team to help you accomplish the goals God has placed on your heart and have been called "pastors for writers."

Scott Bilker says, "Shelley is today’s Dan Poynter. Her books and advice are golden. She shares the details of self-publishing plus great marketing tips. She is the real deal and her book, Self-Publishing Books 101, proves it." 

Let's make Jesus famous through our writing and our books.

 Join me, everyone! Let’s praise the Lord together. Let’s make Him famous! Let’s make His name glorious to all. Psalm 34:3 (TPT)

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 (NLT)