Minister Signs a Rich Deal for a Nonfiction Book Joel Osteen , the pastor of Houston 's Lakewood Church , one of the nation 's largest congregations , and the author of '' Your Best Life Now : 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential , '' has signed a book deal with Free Press , an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc. , that publishing insiders say is potentially one of the richest ever for a nonfiction book .