# Should I Turn My Beginners' Bible Reading Plan into a Book?
Author: Dwight Gingrich
Author URL: https://dwightgingrich.com/author/dwight-gingrich
Published: 2026-08-14
Category: Book Reviews
Category URL: https://dwightgingrich.com/category/book-reviews
Tags: Bible reading plan, biblical literacy, Beginners' Bible Reading Plan, book publication, Berean Standard Bible
Tag URLs: Bible reading plan (https://dwightgingrich.com/tag/bible-reading-plan), biblical literacy (https://dwightgingrich.com/tag/biblical-literacy), Beginners' Bible Reading Plan (https://dwightgingrich.com/tag/beginners-bible-reading-plan), book publication (https://dwightgingrich.com/tag/book-publication), Berean Standard Bible (https://dwightgingrich.com/tag/berean-standard-bible)
URL: https://dwightgingrich.com/should-i-turn-my-beginners-bible-reading-plan-into-a-book

In my dreams I'm a published author—of books, not just blog posts and articles. I've been thinking that one accessible step toward that goal would be to turn my [_A Beginners' Bible Reading Plan_](https://dwightgingrich.com/a-beginners-bible-reading-plan) into a printed book. I've been brainstorming about this and I'd like to invite your input.

The current Beginner's Bible Reading Plan, as a simple reading schedule, offers maximum flexibility for readers to use their preferred Bible translation. But I can also see benefits for having it in book form.

### What might be the benefits of turning this plan into a book?

- Increased convenience, with everything in one portable package (no need for plan + Bible; or for plan + Internet service, for the digital version)

- Increased shareability, making it more useful in evangelism or discipleship situations

- Increased permanence, as a biblical literacy resource readers can review later, after having completed the plan

- Space for me to include brief notes to guide readers (biblical-theology comments that trace the big story of the Bible; chronological dates of events/books; definitions of key biblical words; cross-references that connect NT to OT; etc.)

- Space to include some short articles that could be helpful for new Bible readers (such as basic tips for Bible interpretation and an introduction to Bible translations)

- Space in the margins for readers to write notes

- An opportunity for me to learn more about book publishing


Do you see any other benefits?

The plan includes 300 readings (25 per month), so I think the whole thing could be turned into a 6" x 9" book of about 350 pages—something substantial but easy to carry. I've even started testing a layout for the first readings.

![Image of first draft of my book.](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cltmr6s080011pelc74knn9b3/images/draft-layout-of-bbrp-1786662718947-compressed.jpg)My first draft of how A Beginners' Bible Reading Plan could look in book format. The biblical text is in 12 point Garamond. A higher quality print would make the text sharper and darker. I envision adding page numbers, basic chronological data (possible event/authorship dates for each reading), and just a few footnotes to guide readers (cross-referencing NT quotations of the OT, a few definitions of key or confusing words, etc.).

But how to proceed?

## First, which Bible translation(s) should I use?

Here are some possibilities I see:

### 1) Use one respected Bible translation

There would be an obvious advantage to using a familiar, widely-used modern translation—something like the NIV (most widely used), the ESV (growing market share), the NLT (growing fast and exceptionally readable), the NKJV (honoring English translation history) or the CSB (great balance between readability and trustworthiness).

(The KJV is obviously _not_ a good choice for most first-time Bible readers.)

The problems here would be a) getting permission to use any of these in a book where most of the text will be the Bible itself, and b) the probable need to pay royalties, since all of the above are restricted by copyrights. These problems could slow publication and reduce the financial viability of the project.

Unless an established publisher adopts my project (see below), I think this option is unlikely.

### 2) Use a mix of 8 to 10 of the best translations

My Bible reading plan includes about 1/7th of the entire Bible, or about 4,660 verses. Most translations permit you to use either 500 verses (CEB, ESV, NET, NIV, NKJV, NLT, NRSVue) or 1000 verses (CSB, LSB, NASB 2020) without requesting permission, so I'd easily have enough verses to avoid paying royalties. Sweet!

If I go this route, I'd aim to capitalize on the variety. I could use a more readable translation (NLT?) for confusing parts of the Bible like the prophets, use a more literary translation (NKJV?) for poetic parts, and so on. I'd include a short article about Bible translations, explaining the differing translation philosophies and suggesting how each is best used (casual reading, serious study, etc.). Exposing readers to multiple translations could help them find which serves them best, or it might encourage them to explore further in multiple translations rather than being stuck in one.

The problems with this option would be a) it could be hard to make the verse limits (500/1000) come out right for the various genres/books, b) it could reduce the sense of the Bible being one unified book (on the other hand, it _is_ a library...), and c) it would make it harder to translate my book into other languages.

Yes, I'm already thinking that the completed book could be republished in other languages. After all, years ago someone asked permission to translate my reading plan for use in China, so I have no idea how widely it is already being used. But if exposure to multiple translations becomes a main feature of my book edition, that won't translate well.

### 3) Use one modern public domain translation

At first I was skeptical of this option—are any free translations good enough? But then I rediscovered the [Berean Standard Bible](https://bereanbibles.com/about-berean-study-bible/). The BSB is a modern translation produced by a committee of qualified scholars and it has been used for years at the popular Bible study website [Bible Hub](https://biblehub.com/). It was designed to land between the more word-for-word translations (KJV, ESV, etc.) and those that are more thought-for-thought (NIV, CSB, etc.).

![image.png](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cltmr6s080011pelc74knn9b3/images/image-1786583085162-compressed.png)BSB is in the middle. To the far left are a couple companion projects designed for scholarly Bible study: the Berean Interlinear Bible (BIB) and the Berean Literal Bible (BLB).
Image from https://bereanbibles.com/about-berean-study-bible/compare-translations/

My limited experience in reading the BSB so far is that it feels very familiar, like a mix of the ESV, the NKJV, and the 1984 NIV—translations that reviewers often mention. Project lead Gary Hill says the goal was to avoid reinventing the wheel where multiple prior trusted translations agree, but to also make sure that "the readability, in anticipating reader confusion... is taken into consideration, for a generation that is not highly literary" ( [interview](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5yF5JOX5YooOGHrx72ranJ?si=wk7jneVnSZOfpy008ckz1w&nd=1&dlsi=9acd8196767d40f9), about 10:45).

I can't find a formal evaluation of the reading level of the BSB, but my estimate (based on various reviewers' comments) is that it's at about grades 7-9—probably slightly more challenging than the CSB, overlapping with the NIV and the NKJV, and slightly easier than the ESV.

I don't like everything about the BSB (capitalization of divine pronouns, interpretation of a few individual passages). The CSB, the NIV 2011, and especially the NLT would all be easier for unskilled readers. But I like most of what I'm seeing in the BSB and think it would work well for my purposes—probably just as well as most similar better-known translations.

Plus, the BSB is such a worthwhile project that it really deserves more press! And I could still include an introductory article about Bible translations, which could easily be deleted or replaced with something equivalent if the book is republished for other languages.

So, at present, I'm leaning toward using the Berean Standard Bible. What do you think?

## The other big question: What publishing method should I choose?

It's very hard for first-time book authors to get the attention of prominent publishers. Most don't even accept unsolicited book proposals. Should I reach out to some of the few who do (Brazos Press, etc.)? Do I try to work my connections, such as my Anabaptist heritage (MennoMedia, etc.) or a conversation I had with a publishing CEO (Kregel Publications)?

I'm guessing that using a conservative Mennonite publisher (Christian Light, etc.) would probably introduce unwelcome expectations about which Bible translation I could use.

Or do I self-publish? If so, how? Through Amazon's paperback print program? Or using some other hand-holding, print-on-demand publisher?

You can probably tell I've only begun considering this question.

I tend to be a do-it-myself kind of guy, so self-publishing (?) and then mailing sample copies to a bunch of potentially-interested distributors appeals to me.

What "distributors" and users am I imagining? People like this:

- elementary and high school teachers (for use with students)

- college student ministries

- educational departments at Christian colleges

- church discipleship ministries (Sunday schools, etc.)

- missionaries (evangelism classes or gifts for converts)

- parents (for use as families or for individual children)


Speaking of schools: my current plan is designed for 12 months of reading, but I'm thinking it wouldn't be hard to include an alternate reading schedule that fits a typical school year.

Here's one more user/distributor I just thought about today: prison ministries. A friend just told me of someone who is mailing my reading plan, page by page, to a relative who is incarcerated:

> The good news is that he is reading his Bible purposefully, with a heartfelt desire to learn and grow and change... What a pleasure it would be to be able to give him one book that would take the place of all the copied and mailed schedule papers!

Speaking of diverse potential users, that raises another question:

## What format(s) should this book take?

Can one edition serve all ages, from elementary students through adults? Or should there be two versions, one for children and one for adults, with different covers, fonts, and introductory matter?

I tend to be of the mind that we don't need to "dumb down" books for children. Our children enjoyed quality-bound classics even in their pre-teen years, books that recognize they are intelligent beings with good taste. So my current thought is that one version is enough, at least for now.

My dream would be a hardcover Smyth-sewn edition, with single-column text in a readable font, inspired by the good readers' edition Bibles available. Reality might require a paperback that has a similar layout inside. Or maybe the same content could be made available in both economical paperback and hardcover gift editions?

![The ESV Reader's Edition Bible](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cltmr6s080011pelc74knn9b3/images/esv-readers-edition-1786663439973-compressed.jpg)I love design of the ESV Reader's Bible. It is a 5-1/2" x 8" cloth-over-board Smyth-sewn single-ribbon hardcover that sits well in your hand, with crisp 12-point-font single-column two-color text and generous margins. My book would necessarily look a little busier, but I'd like to imitate some of these design features.

I've talked long enough. I'd really like to hear from some of you. Is this a good idea? What features do you think would maximize the usefulness of such a book?

And to those of you who have already published books: which publishing options should I consider?

If this book flies, it won't be a solo effort. Thanks in advance for your help!


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