You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>LifeWay</strong> women’s author invites<br />
feedback for new study<br />
by Brooklyn Noel<br />
36 Facts & Trends<br />
Who hasn’t sat in a Bible study<br />
group slightly distracted and<br />
pondering, “I wonder what<br />
John Q. Author was really thinking when<br />
he wrote that?” Or, “If I’d written this study<br />
…” How about: “I wish there was more<br />
explanation about that.”<br />
<strong>LifeWay</strong> is responding to those musings<br />
by thinking outside the typical box of the<br />
publishing world. In late June, <strong>LifeWay</strong>’s<br />
church resources division launched the Open<br />
Access project, an online opportunity that<br />
invites users to “go behind the scenes and see<br />
Priscilla Shirer<br />
the entire process of publishing a <strong>LifeWay</strong><br />
study.”<br />
The study that will serve as the pilot for this<br />
program is an as-yet-unnamed 2009 Bible<br />
study by Priscilla Shirer, a veteran author,<br />
popular speaker and co-founder of Going<br />
Beyond Ministries.<br />
“Priscilla latched onto the technology of the<br />
project,” said Dale McCleskey, editor in chief<br />
in <strong>LifeWay</strong>’s leadership and adult publishing<br />
area. “She quickly saw the advantage it would<br />
give to have feedback from the community.<br />
More than simply observing the process, the<br />
Open Access project invites and relies upon<br />
customer response. McCleskey hopes creative<br />
customers will offer ideas for the study’s title,<br />
cover art and other integral elements.<br />
Customers who purchase the unfinished<br />
manuscript of Shirer’s study have access to<br />
a members-only message board where they<br />
can offer their feedback, comments and<br />
suggestions. Shirer will occasionally post her<br />
own thoughts and comments there as well.<br />
In addition, community members receive<br />
a link to a private e-mail address where they<br />
can submit personal illustrations, stories,<br />
comments and questions related to the study.<br />
Then, when the study releases in fall 2009,<br />
individuals who purchased the manuscript<br />
will receive finished copies of the book.<br />
Open Access is a pilot endeavor that<br />
McCleskey said was born largely out of the<br />
self-publishing trend fostered by the Internet.<br />
“It’s a new avenue that the technology<br />
makes possible,” he said.<br />
Aaron Linne is a digital media producer<br />
in <strong>LifeWay</strong>’s church resources division. In<br />
addition to “moving people more deeply and<br />
getting them more involved” in the study,
Change language