Open Access

When LifeWay publishes a book, several people get involved: editors, designers, marketers, and of course, the author. Recently we’ve recognized the value of another participant: YOU. Open Access invites you to go behind the scenes and see the entire process of publishing a LifeWay study. We want to hear your comments, stories, questions, and ideas so our resources can better minister to you. We want you to access our publishing process so you can help make it better! Of course, this requires an author willing to ask for input from her readers and then actually use those ideas. We are excited to announce that Priscilla Shirer will be leading the way, taking her next women’s Bible study through the Open Access process.

Here’s how it works: When you join the Open Access community (on or after July 1), you will receive Priscilla’s current work-in-progress as a PDF document. Inside the PDF, you’ll find a feedback form and a link to our message board community where you can discuss the book with fellow Open Access members. Our Open Access team will read your feedback and monitor the message boards for suggestions and fresh ideas for Priscilla. As you go through the study, you’ll find questions from Priscilla directed to our Open Access readers. We are especially interested in seeing your answers to these questions.

When the book is ready to be published, you’ll receive a copy of the final print version you helped to create. Meanwhile, you will also get to see comments from Priscilla and the LifeWay staff as we work on the study via blog and Twitter feed.

If this sounds like something you’d like to join, browse the blog, watch for upcoming videos and subscribe to our Twitter feed to learn more—and don’t forget to come back and download the PDF on July 1. We’re excited to see how God will use the combined efforts of authors, designers, editors, and now readers to create effective resources for believers. We can’t wait to hear from you!