PASTOR/AUTHOR

This week, we are having a sitdown with author James Nyemah. He is the pastor and founder of Africa Faith Expression.. We want to know about you. What can you tell us about you- your early childhood, upbringing, education.

I was born in Monrovia unto the union of a high school girl and a run-away father. I was taken to Gbiso, Maryland County, one week later to live with my grandparents. I was raised by Ma Phebe of Gbiso and her husband Pastor Peter Nyemah - the two best people in the world to bring me up.

LLR: What inspires you to write generally?

The call to be a blessing to others greatly inspires me to write.  Beyond funny stories and life-changing sermons, something on the inside of me keeps pushing me to give out what has been deposited in me, something that can somehow make a difference in the world.

LLR: Who are some of the people/things that influence you?

Ma Phebe of Gbiso and Pastor Peter Nyemah (my grandparents) have greatly influenced my life.  Ma Phebe taught me to have faith and believe that God can do anything and that each one must put off falsehood, come clean and follow God.  Pastor Nyemah taught me about education and hard work.  We are what we know and benefit from it; he clearly stated that 'no food for lazy man'.  Besides my grandparents, Dr. Dick Stafford of North Phoenix Baptist Church, Pastor Larrie Fraley of Christ Church of the Valley believe in me and helped establish the platform I perform on today.

LLR: Can you talk a bit about the inspiration for your first book?

Upon my return from a mission trip in Liberia where I planted two churches and did a lot of community work, the Lord began to deal with me about His place in our daily lives and in the world today.  Hence, the title of the book "Where is God?"; I discovered that knowing the place of God and acting upon it changes everything.  I preached it as a sermon back then; but couple of years later the same message began to weigh heavily upon me not as a sermon, but in multiple dimensions.  I frowned on the idea of a book at the time because I did not consider myself an author; but as time went by, I yielded and began to pen the words in a topical manner until it became what it is today.

LLR: What is your writing process? How do you do it? How do you pick your topics?

I like simplicity.  I take time to think about what I want to say and begin to jot down points in a thematic approach on my phone or computer. I revisit those points over and over again and begin to relate them to each other.  Like from “Where is God?” I began “BORN TO TAKE CHARGE”.  In this dual, God and man have a responsibility; and that has become my focus.

LLR: Let’s talk books. What are your favorite Liberian books? Why do you love them?

“Rise, Redefining the Future of Liberia” by Magdalene Ayorkor Matthews. Besides knowing the author, she did an excellent work to discuss practical ways to move Liberia forward.  This involves education and empowerment of our youth and establishing sustainable developments.  It is a good read.

LLR: As a Liberian author, what advantage/disadvantages are there?

Because there are not that many Liberian authors, I believe our Liberian authors get can good publicity and less competition.  On the other hand, there is a big problem because many Liberians are illiterate so they would not be able to read the books, even many of the educated ones do not like to read.  We have to fight hard to sell our books to others.  It will be a hard sell.  In Liberia, there are not enough bookstores and distribution services.  Besides, people in Liberia cannot purchase books online because they do not have standard bank cards or credit cards; they can only pay cash for the most part.  And, books are bought generally during the launching program.

LLR: How has Liberia influenced your works, and what do you think of the future of writing in Liberia? Where do you think it is headed?

There are lots of themes in my books that stem from my association with Liberia.  The blessings and problems of Liberia form part in some areas in my books.  I believe writing is an open market in Liberia that will thrive.  Nevertheless, the government needs to protect authors and artists by establishing a copyright center.  And, I believe, with good promotion, the Liberian authors would be in better position to tell our stories than foreigners.

LLR: What are the greatest challenges for a modern Liberian writer especially in terms of publishing, distributing and promotion, in just getting out there?

In Liberia, a writer does not have professional editors; besides this, a writer has to pay for everything up front out of pocket.  There are only a handful of bookstores nationwide with no branches or distribution services.  So it is very difficult to get the book into the hands of readers.  Outside Liberia, especially in the West, it is an opened field.  Every writer has equal opportunities yet it is a bit challenging because Liberians do not like to support Liberians.

LLR: What do you think of the future of writing and publishing in Liberia?

I look forward to establishing a full service publishing company in Liberia in the near future.  Liberia is a great country.  I believe as we evolve as a nation and make progress, writing and publishing will be an attraction to international authors.

LLR: What do you think of digital media in general?

Digital media is everywhere and makes life easier; almost everything becomes accessible.  We must do our part to guide the process and find innovative ways to improve on current systems.

LLR: What is your view on E-books and self-publishing? Have you used either?

I love Ebooks. All my books will be Ebooks as well as hard copy.  They are easily accessible and quite cheaper.  I am not involved in self-publishing; I went the traditional route.  Whatever one picks, good promotion is definitely required. 

LLR: Would you advise writers [published/aspiring] to use E-book or Self-publish?

I will encourage every author to have Ebooks and hard copies to get every possible reader.  When it comes to self-publishing and traditional publishing, it is up to the author to choose what is best.  I know million dollar authors from both worlds; what matters is content and promotion.

LLR: What advice would you give aspiring writers?    

Write, rewrite and write!  Write your best, not just anything because your words have power.  Why authors need money, do not focus on money; write because you have passion and because you have something good the world should know and benefit from.

LLR: What are you currently working on? What are some of your future projects?

“BORN TO TAKE CHARGE” – Discover, Leadership, Purpose - is coming out this Spring!  My third book “POWER OF THOUGHT” – Unleashing the Power within – is underway.

About church and ministry

I am the senior pastor and founder of the church Africa Faith Expressions, which is based in Phoenix, Arizona and has three branches in Liberia.  I am also the founder and president of Missions Liberia (ml) a non-profit organization about leadership and community development.  I do leadership conferences across Liberia with 500 to 1000 pastors and community leaders.  We believe God for partnerships to run programs for youth, women, children, small business, education, among others to help rebuild Liberia.

We take this time to thank you for responding to our questions.  We appreciate it. We are optimistic we will see your next project out soon. We hope your ministry grows and that work you are doing bears fruit.

Thank you and have a blessed day.