SelfPublisher News--The Character Map
H.E. Eickleberry, Jr.
Music Teacher Publishes a Bible Study
Music teacher, performer and author, H. E. Eickleberry, Jr., of Valparaiso,
Indiana, has published The Character Map: An Introduction to the
Introductions in Revelation.
"The Character Map is an examination of the opening chapter that begins the
final book of the Bible. The title works on three different levels, for we
will examine the characters who gave us Revelation, the characters in
Revelation, and the character of God in Revelation. This last character map
is the most important, for it defines the attributes of God (and the
failures of man) as laid out in a 'tree,' as established in the one truth,
the two decisions, the three counterbalances, the four traits, the five
disciplines, and the seven plus one Spirits. This last character map is the
most critical for understanding Revelation, and, indeed, all Bible prophecy,
for it establishes the framework for all revelatory statements in the
Bible," Eickleberry says.
"I run my own percussion teaching studio, so I have quite a bit of control
over my time," Eickleberry says of his finding time to write. "I have been
researching and developing this project since 1991, with a planned output of
at least five books, if not more." The Character Map is the first in the
series. It took 18 months to write.
Not surprisingly, Eickleberry's favorite genre is Bible study.
Eickleberry self-published because the series "[he] is working on is highly
detailed and intricate, and [he] wanted as much control of the formatting
and content as [he] could get . The information [he presents] can be quite
controversial (like telling folks that evolution and the distinct creation
of Adam and Eve both happened), and [he] did not want an editor changing
[his] message for the sake of political expediency."
He says his work doesn't fit into any "specific church denomination's strata
of doctrines." Eickleberry tells SelfPublisher News that "Christian
publishers are strictly denominational and only publish books that align
with their host doctrines. And, secular publishers will no longer publish
Bible studies unless, of course, the writer is completely discrediting the
Bible, the churches, or both."
"I am just a do-it-yourself kind of guy. All my life I liked to figure out
what makes things tick, be it cars, music, electronics and computers, etc.,"
Eickleberry says. "I applied the same intellect to the Bible and discovered
things that no one else ever did. (I know that, after 2,000 plus years, that
seems highly unlikely, but I did.) There are code keys all through the Bible
that establish the basis for all prophetic interpretation (and I'm not
talking about the 'equidistant letters' nonsense being passed off as 'Bible
codes' these days.)
This book is only about one of these codes, albeit the most important one"
he says.
Eickleberry wrote and formatted the text, diagrammed the book, wrote all the
marketing copy and press releases, and drafted the cover. "The only thing
VirtualBookworm did was complete the cover," he says. He has spent $1,000 to
promote his book.
His frustrations are with the "Christian book market itself." "Christian
publishers are denominational, or cater to a specific cadre of
denominations, i.e., fundamentalists, reformationists, Catholics, etc.,"
Eickleberry tells SelfPublisher News. "This is primarily because most of
them are tax-deductible arms of the churches they represent. Trying to write
about an important subject that cuts across the fabric of the traditional
denominations and presents a more holistic view of the Bible can be the
ultimate exercise in frustration. The churches are too enamored of their own
doctrines - good, bad, and indifferent - to recognize the possibility that
they have all made their interpretive mistakes along the way. But isn't that
the way the churches are about everything?" he says. Eickleberry continues,
"This perceptual wall is even more rigid where books on Bible prophecy are
concerned. Most Christians do not buy books about the Bible to learn about
the Bible. They only buy books about the Bible that prop up their own
doctrinal viewpoints."
"So the crux of the problem is that Christian readers cannot 'pigeon-hole'
the information I present, so most just reject it out-of-hand without ever
reading it, or, worse, they toss out a set of rote arguments that they
learned from their favorite Bible teachers," Eickleberry tells SelfPublisher
News. "To make matters worse, I am stuck between the butterflies and the
locusts. The butterflies (i.e., the moderate churches) don't want to be
disturbed by the possibility that there is something going on in the world
that is quite disturbing, and the locusts (i.e., the radical churches) have
gone off the deep end, seeing signs and portents in every little thing that
happens, and proclaiming that the Day of the Lord is at hand every minute of
the hour. Hence, one half of the church doesn't want to be bothered, and the
other half is running amok," he says.
Eickleberry says that eventually his work will make its way "into the hands
of intelligent people who can comprehend what [he is] saying, and [he'll]
begin to break through the walls."
"Some folks think I am nuts. Others think I am the Devil incarnate for
tromping on their pet doctrines," Eickleberry tells SelfPublisher News. "A
few think I am a genius. (Yeah, right.) The shame of it all is, my message
is simple: Whatever happens in the world from here on out, Christians have
to keep the peace, keep the faith, and stay out of the quagmire," he says.
He says his writing is "complicated, intricate, and hard to understand
sometimes, but it is honest, and consistent with the scriptures, warts and
all - [he does] not leave out the unpleasant parts because they are hard to
take."
"I have no hidden agenda. I'm not looking to control or exploit anyone. I am
only interested in presenting the message, and the price of a book defines
the beginning and ending of my relationship with my readers," Eickleberry
says. "If you want to hear what's popular and sensational, turn on the TV
evangelists and pseudo-prophets. If you want to learn something about Bible
prophecy, without prevarication and distortion, read my stuff," he says.
"I spent quite a bit of money for a marketing package from VirtualBookworm,
most of which was wasted," Eickleberry tells SelfPublisher News. "POD
companies don't think about timing releases or in-store programs. They just
slap things together and move on to the next book. They don't report, they
don't monitor, and they don't follow up on their work," he says. "This is
really a shame, because all of the pieces are in place - the internet,
marketing, efficient publishing methods, etc. - for POD publishing to
revolutionize the industry. (Instead, they continue to do slovenly work,
then expect the booksellers to respect them.)"
He continues, "In fact, I foresee a time when the traditional publishers
will wake up, smell the coffee, and start buying up or establishing their
own POD companies, bringing some professionalism to the concept. POD
printing is more efficient when there are fewer than 5,000 prints in a run,
and off-set printing is more efficient when there are more than 5,000 prints
in a run. If the big publishing houses ever figured this out they would do
both, catering to both the niche and mass market writers, and it would take
the guesswork out of the selection process."
Eickleberry has two recommendations for authors: "If you only intend to
publish one or two books, I would recommend that you buy the cheapest book
package available that meets your needs, and spend the rest of your money on
copies that you yourself can use for promotion. If you intend to publish
several books, I would recommend that you bypass the POD companies
altogether. Establish your own company, buy your own ISBNs, find a POD
printer (not publisher) with distribution connections (such as the Ingrams/
LightningSource duo), and cut out the middleman. Of course, this means you
need to know how to use the major software programs (such as Word,
Illustrator, and Acrobat), and these programs can cost you a pretty penny,
but you are better off investing in yourself than in someone who only sees
your work as an opportunity to make a few bucks before they move on to the
next unsuspecting victim."
The Character Map: An Introduction to the Introductions in Revelation ©
2005, ISBN 1589397045,
H. E. Eickleberry, VirtualBookworm.com Publishing, www.eickleberrybooks.com
Reprinted with permission from SelfPublisher News, Dec. 2005, Vol. 1, Num.
5, Copyright © 2005. For more information: www.selfpublishernews.com
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"The Character Map: An Introduction to the Introductions in Revelation" is
now available in hardcover, softcover, and ebook editions.
For a synopsis, author bio, an explanation of the real "code" in Revelation,
an excerpt, and links to major sales sites, visit
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