Samuel Bible Work for Children, in Prague, Czech Republic, began at a critical time to meet the needs of a country emerging from totalitarian rule.
Jan Bica, founder and director of Samuel Publishing, a non-denominational publisher of some 30 titles and distributor 300 books for children, parents and Sunday school teachers, still finds it hard to believe how far the company he started in his parent’s apartment ten years has come.“Ten years ago I couldn’t even dream of where I am now,” says Bica. “Our country is not suitable for such a kind of success for a Christian publisher.”
Bica has good reasons to be surprised by Samuel’s relative success. The Czech Republic is a Central European with a strong protestant heritage—including the great reformer John Hus and the Moravians. However, contemporary Czech society is mostly atheistic. “Sadly, our country has been found to be the second most atheistic country in the world by several studies,” says Bica. Out of the country 10 million people, less than one percent are evangelical Christians. “Because of that, the Christian market is very limited.” observes Bica.
Bica is one of the few people in his country to have been born in a Christian family. At 15 he even started helping teach children in Sunday school. But it was not until he was 20 that he sincerely professed Jesus as my Lord and Savior. “That gave my life a new dimension,” says Bica who now began to seek God’s direction for his life and career. “I wanted Him to lead my decisions.”
In 1989 the iron curtain was broken and a new life began for Central and Eastern European countries. Having been a Sunday school teacher for more than eight years, Bica felt a great need for good Christian literature for children, teachers and parents. “Our country was free from 40 years of communist oppression but the resources were few,” recalls Bica.
After praying about the situation, Bica sensed that God was leading him to start a publishing house producing materials for children.
The beginning
“I had no experience in publishing, very little money and a room in my parent's apartment served as the ‘office.’”
Samuel’s first products were a gospel tract and a brochure for children. Coloring books followed soon after. “Little by little I started publishing larger titles,” he says. But Samuel’s publishing had to be put on halt after Bica got married and he and his wife spent a year in a Bible school in USA.
The break was good for the business. “We had enough time to get refreshed spiritually,” he says. “God also enlarged our vision for the publishing work.”
When they came back home, more books were published and Bica started to see a need for more structure. “I hired freelance people to do translation and editing. I also hired a full time employee for distribution.” Samuel seem poised for even more growth. “Right now we are working on 12 new titles to be published soon,” report Bica.
Bica’s experience with Samuel publishing has taught him to trust God despite the circumstances.
“In almost every country there are some circumstances that limit our possibilities as Christian publishers,” says Bica. “The market might be limited because of the low number of Christians, or due to a very poor economical situation, or illiteracy.”
“We must accept such limitations as a given,” he adds. “But at the same time, we should not get discouraged because our God's power is not limited. Even when the resources are few we still can strive for excellence.”
When asked what he has learned about starting a publishing house, Bica shared 12 principles:
1. Receive God's calling. “I could easily get discouraged,” says Bica, “but, I know Samuel Publishing is God’s work and that he has called me to do this. God is my boss and the owner of the company; acknowledging Him helps me to be responsible in my decisions. I pray to Him to give me wisdom and guidance so His work can grow.”
2. Grow step by step. “God helped me to understand it is good to have a big vision, but that I also need to be patient and not too hasty.” Bica encourages others to stay balanced. “Take care in making decisions, but if God leads you to do so, take a step of faith,” he says.
3. Lean on God, not on people. Bica is thankful for the many different brothers and sisters who have helped him with prayer, counsel or finances. On the other hand, some who were excited about Samuel Pubishing and even promised major financial help never contacted Bica again. Lean on God's promises, not human ones.
4. Do not underestimate your experiences. “I felt my life was kind of fragmented,” says Bica. “First, I worked as an graphic artist, then as an assistant pastor. In publishing, all the pieces came together. My studies and experiences from my first job helped me in the design, layout and production of books. And, my work as an assistant pastor taught me to communicate well with people of different ages, especially with children, and to understand their needs. That helps me now in choosing right titles and in selling our products. God can use everything you have learned in the past for His glory.”
5. Stay focused. Samuel Publishing has an editorial plan and a clear focus. This means Samuel stands out from its competitors. Customers know what kind of literature to expect from the company, and, for many Czechs, Samuel Publishing has become a synonym for “good Christian books for kids, parents and teachers.”
6. Seek support from your family. “My parents and my wife encouraged me to overcome difficulties,” says Bica, “it is very important for me that my family believes in what I am doing.” Bica adds, “I need to listen to my wife’s advice, and to seek unity with her in making any major decision.” Bica’s wife, Rachel, edits books for Samuel.
Bica, a young husband and father of two, adds it is crucial that publishers not neglect their families. “God is more interested in quality of our marriage and in the way we raise our children,” he says, “than in the number of books we publish.”
7. Choose your coworkers carefully. “The wrong people can completely destroy your work,” says Bica, “but the right ones can bring it to a level you never would have be able to achieve just by yourself.”
8. Support the work of other publishers. “God showed me I should not see other Christian publishers as my competition,” says Bica. “That does not mean I will share my editorial plan with them, but I can be happy for their successes, pray for them and bless them in their work. We have the same goal,” continues Bica, “to reach our nation for Christ. I am thankful for every good Christian book published no matter who publishes it.”
9. Build relationships and learn from others. Bica started Samuel without any training in business or financial support. “I did not really know how to lead a publishing organization,” he says, “I learned a lot from my own mistakes.”
Now, however, Bica says friendships with other publishers enable him to share his struggles. “I got some training in Christian management principles that really helped me,” he adds, “and I met brothers and sisters from publishing houses from other countries who inspire and encourage me in my work.”
10. Keep your word. In the Czech Republic, companies commonly do not pay their bills on time. Unfortunately, this is true for many Christians as well. Bica strongly believes God wants Christian publishers to keep their word. “By showing integrity, paying on time and being fair to our business partners,” he argues, “we can bring His light into this world and give a good testimony.”
Keeping commitments extends to customer relationships as well. “Our customers get the books they ordered as soon as possible,” says Bica. “If we make a mistake, we apologize.” Samuel even offers a money-back garantee. “If customers find out they do not like a book they ordered because they misunderstood the information in the catalog, they can get their money back,” says Bica. “You might think we lose money this way, but in fact we win our customers’ trust. They will not only order again, but will recommend our services to others.”
11. Be open to others. “One of the main characteristics of our work,” says Bica, “is openness toward Christians from different denominations. God heped us gain trust from Catholics, evangelicals, charismatics. At the same time, we are clear about where we stand theologically. Our openness make our customers more open to new ideas, because they know they can trust us. This in turn makes motivates to carefully choose the right titles.”
12. Be persistent. “Publishing touches large numbers of people, says Bica. “Because of this, the enemy tries to hinder us from reaching the goal. We need to be persistent and not only pray, but ask others to intercede for us. With God’s help,” he adds, “We can overcome the obstacles.”