Every book carries an assignment, a reason it was written and an audience it was meant to reach.

 

When Mike Todd wrote Crazy Faith, he understood the assignment completely, and made sure readers did too. Crazy Faith could have easily been called Contagious Faith, because when people encountered his message, faith spread.

 

Crazy Faith is a masterclass in what happens when a book moves beyond the page to influence culture. It wasn’t just a powerful message; it was an intentional author who used strategy, storytelling, and structure to make impact inevitable.

 

Even using one of those strategies can position your book to do more than inspire readers, to move them to live it.

 

Let’s embark on this Crazy Faith journey.

P.S. If you're ready to build your book, then let's talk. Hit reply and schedule a 15 minute consultation.

 

 

Before Crazy Faith became a bestselling book, it was a statement, language that dared people to see “crazy” differently.

 

Mike Todd redefined what it meant to believe big. “Crazy faith,” he said, is the kind of belief that looks irrational until it happens. It’s only crazy until it happens. In those seven words, he reframed the word crazy from foolish to prophetic and from risky to revolutionary.

 

He didn’t stop there. He built a vocabulary around it and make it his table of contents, including: baby faith, hazy faith, maybe faith, fugazi faith, lazy faith, and ultimately, crazy faith. Each phrase gave readers a way to locate themselves on the journey: where they were, where they were growing, and what bold belief could look like next.

 

Crazy Faith didn’t just live on shelves; it lived in conversations. That language became a movement, giving people words to express their feelings and the courage to act on them. From pulpits to podcasts to personal mantras, “crazy faith” became more than a title. It became shorthand for daring to trust and pursue the impossible.

 

 

What made Crazy Faith disruptive wasn’t just its message. It was how that message lived on the cover and beyond.

 

More than just an author's shoot, this was editorial storytelling that resulted in a bold statement. From the customized newsletter to the headline choices, everything worked together to reinforce one thing, Crazy Faith.

 

The story didn’t stop at the jacket. It expanded into the book’s entire ecosystem. The branding, tone, and visuals all spoke the same language. Even the back cover of the book became the front cover of the video study guide. Everything tied together.

 

 

STRATEGY FOR AUTHORS:
If you’re going to tell a story on your cover, commit to it. Every detail counts. The headline. The posture. The color. The prompts. The follow-up. 

Think through your own book cover photoshoot. What's your concept? What props will help you tell the story? What's the story you want to tell and what do you want readers / viewers to walk away with?

 

A strong cover doesn’t just introduce a book. It sets the stage for a movement and the marketing.

What started as a sermon became a movement, and then a model for how language, visuals, and collaboration can work together to build cultural influence and impact. Each phase deepened the message, giving readers and audiences new ways to engage, identify, and act.

Pastor Mike also partnered with diverse voices who shared their own crazy faith journeys. Through collaboration the message was expanded, reinforced, and diversified. 

 

All of these are points of entry for people to meet the message wherever they are.

If you didn’t read the book, you could still join through the sermon series.

If sermons weren’t your entry point, you could come through the testimonies and stories.

If you weren’t drawn by the message yet, you could get drawn in through the visuals.

If you didn’t relate to Mike Todd personally, you could relate to one of the other voices.
 

Together, these layers created an immersive ecosystem where every format served the same idea, and every touchpoint reinforced the same language.

 

 

STRATEGY FOR AUTHORS:
A book alone can start a ripple.
But a book ecosystem, built through experiences, visuals, language and collaboration, builds a movement and sets audiences up for transformation, which ultimately is the goal - a legacy of impact.

 

Think about it. Who can you partner with? What layers can you add to your project to cause a bigger ripple?

 

 

 

Subtitles usually explain, summarize, categorize, or highlight the promise of a book.

Then came: “It’s Only Crazy Until It Happens.”

 

It broke the mold. It proved you don’t have to follow industry rules to have widespread impact. It’s also a reminder that you can experiment until you find language that sounds like you and resonates with your audience.

 

Part of the genius of this subtitle is that it didn’t just support the title—it deepened it. In six words, it gave readers the vocabulary to speak back to doubt and to the doubters who usually accompany bold belief and bold moves.

 

Because as Pastor Mike says, 

 

 

After reading this issue, two phrases will stay with you: Crazy Faith and It’s Only Crazy Until It Happens. 

 

Because when you give people something to talk about, they don’t just repeat it, they spread it.

 

When I finished writing my first book, I fell into a perpetual cycle of editing, tweaking, revising, but never releasing. Then my friend and accountability partner gave me one simple instruction: pick a date.

 

Any date. Pick it. Announce it. Invite people to your book launch. Then work and make sure your book is ready by it. So I did. And because of her push, the book I’d been editing for over a year was released in less than two months.

 

That's the power of accountability. And beyond that, that's the impact of a decision and a follow-through. 

 

And so, in that same spirit, I’m circling another date on the calendar for my next book release - December 13, 2025.

 

Now it’s your turn.
 

 

Let’s keep pushing forward.

 

Until next issue, same place, who knows what time.

 

 

With you in the making,
Val

Editor, The Book Report, Creative Intelligence for Bold Authors

Founder, Unapologetic Press, Publishing House for the Bold

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