Step #7 - Articulate my book's audience

The next step in preparing a book proposal for an academic editor is to envision and describe my book's audience. In her book, The Book Proposal Guide, Laura Portwood-Stacer identifies four possible audiences for academic books: 1) other scholars; 2) undergraduate and graduate students; 3) practitioners; and 4) general readers (this is not really a group and naming this as an audience should be avoided).

In writing my book I've tried to keep two audiences in mind: other scholars and practitioners. Since I'm making claims that have not been made before, I'll need to engage with scholarly sources and show support for my arguments. Therefore, my book is written primarily for other scholars. However, I also want to get my ideas into the hands of practitioners, allowing my ideas to impact those who are serving in pastoral ministry (pastors) and overseeing pastoral work (denominational leaders).

So, without further ado, here is the paragraph describing my book's audience:

My book, Funding Preachers in the New Testament: Rethinking paid Christian work in the First Century and Today will challenge previously held assumptions among New Testament scholars and practical theologians about pastoral work in the New Testament. Whereas New Testament professors will be interested in my approach to biblical texts and contexts, practical theologians, particularly those educating pastors and those in ministry, will benefit not only from the texts and contexts but also my application for today. Furthermore, practitioners, such as multi-vocational pastors, denominational leaders, and church planters will also find my book interesting since I’ve written with them in mind. This is particularly true in the final chapter where I apply biblical principles to contemporary ministry contexts. My book’s appeal to practitioners is evident by my experience of being invited to speak about this topic to pastors at the Free Methodist Church in Canada’s General Conference in 2024. I have also been in contact with two other Canadian denominations whose leaders have also shown interest in my work.