When Allen Levi finished writing Theo of Golden, he put it in a drawer. And it would’ve stayed there, if it hadn’t been for a group of his closest friends.
Theo of Golden may be the most unlikely breakout bestseller of all time. So far, the book has sold around 4 million copies, has been on The New York Times bestseller list since February, and is on its way to becoming a major motion picture involving Tom Hanks.
Nobody saw this one coming.
When Allen Levi self-published Theo, it was joining more than 2.6 million other self-published titles that year. The odds of anyone (other than his friends and family) reading it were miniscule—the average self-published book sells around 250 copies over its lifetime.
So why did Allen, who was then 67 years old, bother to join them?
Well, he wasn’t going to—until his best friends encouraged begged him do it.
Who are these friends? And how can we grow friendships like this, where we know each other well, love each other deeply, and encourage each other to use our gifts to love God and neighbor?