Michael J Klassen Email & Phone Number

Transcendent books change the world. We believe every first-time author is driven by a burning desire to release a book that inspires, imparts excellence and authority, and makes the world a better place.But without professional guidance, they inadvertently produce books that lack focus, clarity, and appeal. This undermines their credibility and ultimately drives readers and business away. In the end, it defeats the purpose of writing the book.Illumify Media created the blueprint for Collaborative Publishing. We help our authors find and refine their powerful message and then guide them through the traditional publishing process so their books look, feel, and read like a traditional release. Our proprietary collaborative process produces books that are far better than the author or their team of professionals could release on their own.This helps the author sell more books, build their business, change lives, and sleep better at night knowing they’ve made a difference in the world.

I have authored, written, ghostwritten, or edited over 70 books since 1997, selling multiple millions of copies—most of that time while serving as a full-time pastor. Three books were ECPA Book Award Winners. Authored books:"Strange Fire, Holy Fire" (Bethany House)"Stand and Be Counted" (White Stone--sold over 50,000 copies)"We Will Pray For Election Day" (Allegiance Press)"Prayers To Move Your Mountains" (Thomas Nelson)"Vital Connections" (LearningRX)Ghostwritten books:"A Time For Action" with Rafael Cruz (father of Ted Cruz--WND Books) "Surfing For God" with Michael Cusick (Thomas Nelson)"You Are God's Plan A" with Dwight Robertson (David C. Cook)"Adventure Yourself" with Rev. Tommy Barnett (Creation House)Bestselling books I have ghostwritten or edited:"Exposing Witchcraft in the Church" (Creation House--sold over 30,000 copies)"He Came First" (Thomas Nelson--sold over 50,000 copies)"Surfing for God" (Thomas Nelson--sold over 50,000 copies)Other books and Bibles to whom I have contributed:"Life Saver: The Ultimate Devotional Handbook for Teens" (ECPA award winner)"Heaven Calling: Hearing Your Father’s Voice Every Day Of the Year"Study and Devotional Bibles I have worked on:"First-Century Study Bible" (ECPA award winner)"Archeological Study Bible" (ECPA award winner)"Lessons From Life Bible" with former president Jimmy Carter"Ragamuffin Bible" with Brennan Manning"The Story""The Beginners Bible""Women of Faith Bible""The Prayer Bible""New Men’s Devotional Bible""God's Story Bible""Apologetics Study Bible for Teens"+In my many years and 10,000+ hours in this business, I've noticed the power of words. Written adeptly, words can move people to laugh, cry, commit to a cause, and even commit to purchasing something (what we call copywriting). This laid the groundwork for my experience with Illumify.

I introduced authors (many of them high-profile) to WorldNet Daily's worldwide audience. My job responsibilities included:*Acquiring new authors*Coaching authors*Hiring and overseeing copyeditors *Writing back cover copy*Providing marketing and platform-building adviceI launched the news company's self-publishing arm and in less than two years, I brought in 60 authors worth a half million dollars in contracts.

My business partner and I developed a unique, hybrid approach to publishing – combining the best of traditional publishing and self-publishing worlds. We helped our clients bypass publishing companies and successfully reach readers with a book that looks and feels like other best-selling, traditionally-published titles.

Eugene Scott and I met through our denomination and decided to plant The Neighborhood Church in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado. This was probably my most satisfying pastoring experience. The people were easy to love and quickly became our community. We met in Dakota Ridge High School and developed a strong partnership with the leadership there.Some of my favorite memories:*Watching our vision for a vibrant community become reality*Celebrating our annual Christmas Eve service in a horse stable with hundreds of people from the community*Organizing "Back to School Survival Kits" for the amazing Dakota Ridge staff*Developing a dialogical approach to preaching--people felt comfortable interjecting their thoughts and insights during the sermon time*Accidentally serving orange bread for communion on the Sunday the Broncos were playing in the Super Bowl. We couldn't stop laughing!*Spending two weeks in Kenya with Children of Hope, a ministry to orphans

This was definitely a learning experience for me. Only 32 years old when I started, I was thrown into a very difficult church situation. People from the community started attending the church, I started a contemporary worship team, and the first five months looked very promising. Then a tragic situation happened at the church that didn't involve me. However, I got pulled into the middle of it and didn't have the experience or maturity to deal with the back-door politics, gossip, and change dynamics. I resigned two years later a broken man, which changed me deeply for the good. I don't regret my experience there...but I'd never want to go back.

What a fun experience! During my short tenure at Word of Joy, I served as the youth director, occasional worship leader, preacher, and anything else the senior pastor wanted to me do. My wife and I connected with this special community immediately and formed friendships that continue to this day. Unfortunately, the church was young and short on funds, so they had to let me go.

While going to grad school full-time, I worked part-time at a cute little church, located across the street from the NBC studios. With the help of great leadership, we were able to grow the youth group from three teenagers to over thirty--most of whom had never stepped inside a church building. I also grew in my guitar skills while leading the worship team every week.When I graduated, the church offered me a full-time position, but I turned it down because I knew God was moving us out of the LA area.

Us

While trying to figure out my life, I picked up a job that was actually pretty cool. Cherry Creek Shopping Center was about to open and needed valet drivers to park cars. So, I worked there about a year and then transferred to their Beverly Hills lot when I started grad school.The zip code or our Beverly Hills location was 90210--and I drove the cars of the movie stars. Cher, Mike Tyson, Nicholas Cage, Tom Bosley, Bette Midler, and Loretta Swit were some of the celebrities who dropped by. Gave me great stories for years.My fellow valets called me "Chaplain to the Stars."

While trying to figure out my life, the thought occurred to me, "People say 'I don't do windows.' Why not start a business called 'We Do Windows'"? For once, I was able to apply my business education--and surprisingly enough, the business grew. I started by focusing on the newly-built Cherry Creek Shopping Center and soon garnered about 25 businesses. From there, the store managers referred me to their friends, family members, and other business-owner friends.Only one year later, I was able to sell the business and make enough money to help pay the bills for my move to LA and grad school.

Fresh out of college, my home church hired me to be their youth pastor. Charles Blair, the Senior Pastor, was the fairly well-known pastor of this church of 3,000+ people. Despite my inexperience, our youth group grew to 300 teenagers.Since I was five year old, I wanted to make a difference in people's lives--and this experience only whetted my appetite.Two years after being hired, I dreamed of moving to Berlin, West Germany to work with wayward youth. So, I resigned to focus on my goal, but soon thereafter, the whole thing fell apart and I found myself wandering in a desert of my own making for two years.

Master Of Divinity

B.S., Business Administration

H.S. Diploma