Book: Meaning of Christian Life
Donation protected
What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Is there a purpose to our existence? Is there even an answer?
Jesus gave His followers rather clear answers through three parables: the Parable of the Minas, the Parable of the Talents, and the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. They describe why we are on Earth; how God wants us to see our time, talents, and treasures; and the relationship between the earthly existence and the afterlife. The hidden messages are surprising and should change Christians’ perspectives on life forever. The understanding of the meaning of life should also bring much comfort, strength, and motivation to all Christians facing adversity.
God gave me the little talent I have and the understanding and insights for the book. It will soon be ready for publication as an eBook. But I need help to make the initial production run of the printed books which I believe would be a great gift for people to give to others. This is why I’m turning to you to help bring this project to fruition. In essence, I’m asking you to contribute your treasures. In two parables, this is called “putting your money in the bank”…
=== Fundraising Purpose ===
I’m raising money for the following uses for now and this is your chance to be part of this effort:
1) The acquisition of an ISBN so this book can be sold in stores and many other channels. Est. cost: $300. I’m putting this on my credit card for now.
2) Printing of the first batch. Cost depends on the quantity needed. I’m still in the process of getting some quotes. Est. cost: $1,500 - $2,500 for 1,000 to 3,000 copies. The more I raise, the more I can print and the per-unit cost would come down. But I can’t commit to a quantity without knowing how much I can put into it.
3) Postage and supplies needed to ship some copies to influencers, financial supporters (like you), media. Est. cost: whatever remains available after printing.
4) Advertising through Google AdWords and/or Amazon. Est. cost: whatever remains available after printing a reasonable amount.
5) Copyright? Got it already.
6) Applying for non-profit status. If this book sees success in fundraising and distribution, I’ll spend the time and money to set up a non-profit company and direct all earnings to the translation of the book into other languages. Est. cost: $1,000. But this is probably not going to happen for a while.
I plan to charge whatever is economically sustainable and reasonable to keep the project going, but my primary objective will always be maximum distribution. I learned that making something free is not the best way to get it out. It needs to be on the proper distribution channels and with the power of marketing behind it.
This book will be published both as an eBook and as a physical book. The eBook and the corresponding website (http://meaning.ofchristian.life) will include the names of the supporters whose contribution help bring the physical book to reality. The physical book would direct readers to the website instead of having the names of the supporters printed since I cannot update the printed books continuously. Contributors have the option to not be mentioned.
=== Going Beyond the Book ===
The website http://meaning.ofchristian.life will also host free materials for group discussions and sermons. I have preached sermons based on what’s in this book, and I will create better Powerpoint presentations for others to use in sermons and group discussions. Right now the Powerpoint presentations I have are bilingual – in English and Chinese.
As this book gains readers, we will create new materials such as more books on dealing with specific topics and story collections to encourage Christians. I look forward to the day when we have websites such as http://stories.ofchristian.life , http://struggles.ofchristian.life , http://joy.ofchristian.life , etc. I am already working on the second book…
We will continue to raise funds to help spread the message and translate the book into other languages. If you are interested in being more involved with this effort, please e-mail me via GoFundMe. Thank you for your financial support, prayers, and efforts to publicize this book.
George Huang
=== About GoFundMe’s Tips ===
GoFundMe asks for tips from you to make the platform available. That money goes to GoFundMe, not me. You can set your own amount at the bottom of the list of percentages if you want to tip them. You do not have to give the amount they suggested. They already charge me the payment processing fee of $0.30 + 2.9% which goes to cover their credit card processing fees.
Jesus gave His followers rather clear answers through three parables: the Parable of the Minas, the Parable of the Talents, and the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. They describe why we are on Earth; how God wants us to see our time, talents, and treasures; and the relationship between the earthly existence and the afterlife. The hidden messages are surprising and should change Christians’ perspectives on life forever. The understanding of the meaning of life should also bring much comfort, strength, and motivation to all Christians facing adversity.
God gave me the little talent I have and the understanding and insights for the book. It will soon be ready for publication as an eBook. But I need help to make the initial production run of the printed books which I believe would be a great gift for people to give to others. This is why I’m turning to you to help bring this project to fruition. In essence, I’m asking you to contribute your treasures. In two parables, this is called “putting your money in the bank”…
=== Fundraising Purpose ===
I’m raising money for the following uses for now and this is your chance to be part of this effort:
1) The acquisition of an ISBN so this book can be sold in stores and many other channels. Est. cost: $300. I’m putting this on my credit card for now.
2) Printing of the first batch. Cost depends on the quantity needed. I’m still in the process of getting some quotes. Est. cost: $1,500 - $2,500 for 1,000 to 3,000 copies. The more I raise, the more I can print and the per-unit cost would come down. But I can’t commit to a quantity without knowing how much I can put into it.
3) Postage and supplies needed to ship some copies to influencers, financial supporters (like you), media. Est. cost: whatever remains available after printing.
4) Advertising through Google AdWords and/or Amazon. Est. cost: whatever remains available after printing a reasonable amount.
5) Copyright? Got it already.
6) Applying for non-profit status. If this book sees success in fundraising and distribution, I’ll spend the time and money to set up a non-profit company and direct all earnings to the translation of the book into other languages. Est. cost: $1,000. But this is probably not going to happen for a while.
I plan to charge whatever is economically sustainable and reasonable to keep the project going, but my primary objective will always be maximum distribution. I learned that making something free is not the best way to get it out. It needs to be on the proper distribution channels and with the power of marketing behind it.
This book will be published both as an eBook and as a physical book. The eBook and the corresponding website (http://meaning.ofchristian.life) will include the names of the supporters whose contribution help bring the physical book to reality. The physical book would direct readers to the website instead of having the names of the supporters printed since I cannot update the printed books continuously. Contributors have the option to not be mentioned.
=== Going Beyond the Book ===
The website http://meaning.ofchristian.life will also host free materials for group discussions and sermons. I have preached sermons based on what’s in this book, and I will create better Powerpoint presentations for others to use in sermons and group discussions. Right now the Powerpoint presentations I have are bilingual – in English and Chinese.
As this book gains readers, we will create new materials such as more books on dealing with specific topics and story collections to encourage Christians. I look forward to the day when we have websites such as http://stories.ofchristian.life , http://struggles.ofchristian.life , http://joy.ofchristian.life , etc. I am already working on the second book…
We will continue to raise funds to help spread the message and translate the book into other languages. If you are interested in being more involved with this effort, please e-mail me via GoFundMe. Thank you for your financial support, prayers, and efforts to publicize this book.
George Huang
=== About GoFundMe’s Tips ===
GoFundMe asks for tips from you to make the platform available. That money goes to GoFundMe, not me. You can set your own amount at the bottom of the list of percentages if you want to tip them. You do not have to give the amount they suggested. They already charge me the payment processing fee of $0.30 + 2.9% which goes to cover their credit card processing fees.
Organizer
George Huang
Organizer
Rancho Cucamonga, CA