Not So Idle Daydreams
In August of 2009, Tim began a dialogue with Kevin about book editing. Before long the conversation between the two then-freelancers began to range into the intersection of publishing and digital technology. Soon the idea of a business was beginning to form. In recent years the music industry had been changed—rapidly, radically, and forever—as technology redefined how people find and enjoy music. Something similar had already begun to happen in print publishing, with technology altering how and when we read, as well as our expectations about reading. So the two men decided that, if they were to start a business, it would have to be built around the answer to a single question:
What would a book-publishing company targeted to gospel-centered Christians look like if it began from the realities of 21st century technology and the modern marketplace?
The idea was intriguing, but both men were too busy with other projects to pursue it further.
A Confluence of Events
A few months later, Tim composed a series of blog posts he called “Sexual Detox.” The result of numerous long conversations with young men, this series was used by God to help many young men identify and deal with the sexual toxins in their lives due to pornography. Tim subsequently compiled the series into an e-book. He made it freely available through his blog, from where it was downloaded tens of thousands of times.
Responding to repeated requests to make the book available in a printed format, Tim turned to Kevin for help. This reignited their conversation about a company, and they soon realized they may have already begun working together on that company’s first book. But the more seriously they talked about starting a business, the clearer it became that they would need some help. In March 2010, they turned to Bob, a mutual friend, asking whether he might be interested in joining them in this venture. Bob loved the idea, and in a few weeks the three had begun the real work of establishing Cruciform Press.
A Wing and a Prayer
Seven months later, in October 2010, our first website was launched and Sexual Detox, our first book, was released.