Frequently Asked Questions

What are Book Summaries?

Book Summaries are 12-15 page summaries of books that are important for pastors and church leaders. Throughout the summary the best quotes from the book are utilized, so you are sure to get the author’s own words. Book Summaries not only save you time and money, they keep you current on the latest ideas and insights for effective ministry, church growth, and personal development.

Who reads Book Summaries?

Book Summaries are written for all kinds of leaders: pastors, board members, staff members, lay leaders, etc. People who want to grow, learn, and have an impact on their world. Leaders are readers, and readers are learners, and people who read Book Summaries are life-long learners.

What kind of topics do Book Summaries cover?

We focus on topics of interest to people in leadership. Often those are books specifically on leadership; other times they will be on different aspects of ministry, church life, outreach, personal and spiritual growth, etc. All are selected with an eye to helping our readers live and lead more effectively.

What do I get with my subscription?

Thirty times a year you will receive a full summary of a valued leadership book, as well as our Nutshell summary that distills the key concepts into 2-3 pages. Our readers find both summaries of tremendous benefit. If you are a premium subscriber you will also have access to our archive of summaries.

Subscribers also have access to Leaders Tips videos. In these short videos Dave Frederick shares leadership insights that have a large impact.

What formats are the Book Summaries in?

We currently release summaries in pdf, epub, and mobi formats.

Our back catalog is being reformatted to include epub and mobi formats, but this is still in process. We will continually add the new formats as the process progresses.

Can I buy the book summaries at the bookstore?

No, they are only available via our online subscription and online store. This enables us to keep our costs down and offer a subscription for the lowest possible price.

While you can purchase individual titles from our archive, a subscription is the best value.

Do you only summarize Christian books?

No! We look for the best books out there, Christian or secular. We have often found that there are excellent secular books on leadership, and other topics, that add tremendous value to anyone who reads them.

Do people ever read the books after reading Book Summaries?

Yes, often- that’s even part of the point. Reading a summary of the book will enable you to decide if the book is currently a good investment of your time and money.

We include a direct link to Amazon for every book we summarize in case you want to purchase the book.

Why do you do this?

Our goal is to encourage and equip church leaders to be the best they can be, so they can do all God has called them to do. Bringing the best ideas of the best books to them, in a way that saves time and money, serves that purpose.

What do the publishers think of this idea?

They love it. They consider it free publicity – many of them give us suggestions for titles to summarize. (All have given us permission to summarize their titles).

How do I subscribe?

Glad you asked! Just click on this link and fill out the information requested.

How does billing or payment work?

When you subscribe, we will automatically debit your credit card the appropriate amount every month or year (depending on your subscription). No bills, no forms – once you sign up, it is all taken care of for you.

What if I want to cancel?

No problem (although we doubt you will!). Just log in, go to Manage My Account, and click on unsubscribe. You can get there by clicking here. You will not be billed again. No hassles, no pressure. Your library in NOT available after you unsubscribe, so make sure to download any summaries that you want to keep.

Can I keep my summaries if I unsubscribe?

Yes you may. Our summaries are released in pdf format and you can download them all from your personal library before you unsubscribe. Your library in NOT available after you unsubscribe, so make sure to download them first.

Is your archive of summaries available?

Yes. Our premium and Group subscriptions include access to our archive. You are also able to purchase individual summaries from our archive here.

I would like to purchase memberships for a group. Do you offer a group discount?

Yes! We offer both a church subscription and a Multi-site church subscription. These subscriptions allow you to subscribe as many people from your church as you choose. All Members have instant access to our entire archive!

We also have many non-church groups signed up with a subscription. If you are interested in a subscription for your group please let us know here. This is perfect for denominations, organizations and leadership teams.

Which books are in your archive?

Our shopping cart contains all of our summaries. You can search this database as well as sort by category. It can be found here.

You can also see an up-to-date text based list here.