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Home » Archives for Dan Balow » Page 4

Dan Balow

Successful Authors Know a Thing or Two

By Dan Balowon March 6, 2024
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Becoming an author is like starting your own business. And, like any business, entrepreneurs research and familiarize themselves with the business environment for the category they work in.

Furthermore, successful businesspeople never stop learning about the category in which they work. It’s a lifelong pursuit. Or at least until they move on to something else to focus on and become an expert in that business type.

For authors, it is highly recommended that they be well-versed in the category in which they write. They should have an opinion about what makes for a good book in the category, who the top authors are, and investigate a little why something was successful.

In a book proposal, the section for comparable titles is both good information for the reviewer and somewhat of a test to see how much the author knows about the book category they are writing.

So, how do you research a category of books?

Amazon is the simplest way to find similar books; click on category bestseller lists, and begin to narrow your search. Amazon contains a robust search engine; although directed by algorithms and advertising, it is still a good start. Being able to sort by most popular, most recent, and other methods will at least give you an idea of the big picture. Then, go from there to other sites like www.christianbook.com and Goodreads.

Another great source for information is your public library, where you can spend time swimming in a sea of books. Or you can stay in a library-themed hotel. (Just kidding, it’s expensive.)

Of course, bookstores are good sources of information since they usually curate only the top sellers. (Be sure to buy something. Stores are not libraries.)

Then, once you find some category leaders for your book, read or at least spend some time with them so you can compare and contrast with your work.

Research is simple these days. The information is hidden in plain sight. It just takes time.

Too many aspiring authors spend thousands of hours writing their manuscript and 30 minutes on a proposal. Remember, “Just read my manuscript” is not a book proposal to an agent or publisher.

I’ve mentioned this before, but anyone pursuing writing must put time into all the other peripheral issues. Platform building, craft improvement, reading, relationship building, and category research are as important as writing. Doing all the extra little things is the difference between frustration and putting yourself on the road to a measure of success for your new small business.

Better yet, once you make all the elements of successful writing a habit, it becomes easier and second nature. Then, if you publish a book by whatever method available to you, the effort you invested to learn and grow will likely prove to be worth the time you put into it.

 

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Category: The Writing Life

Encouragement Is More Than Words

By Dan Balowon February 21, 2024
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A lot has happened over the last five-plus years since I wrote this agency blog post on Encouraging Writers. While I don’t think I would change the substance of it for today, still, over the last several years, between Covid lockdowns, the growth of virtual work, and societal institutions seemingly dissolving, we probably have a different perspective on many things in life now. From engaging in a …

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Category: Encouragement

Book Birthdays: 2024 Edition

By Dan Balowon February 1, 2024
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Significant books are published every year. Here’s a personally curated list that I hope sparks some good memories and honors the work of the past. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi (2014) – 10 years New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp (2014) – 10 years Forgotten God, by Francis Chan (2009) – 15 years The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns (2009) – 15 years 90 Minutes in …

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Category: Book Business

Words That Save Christmas

By Dan Balowon December 20, 2023
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I love Christmas and almost everything about it. I can’t wait until November 1 when I can “legally” start listening to the four different Christmas music channels I’ve curated on my Pandora subscription. Long ago I shifted my Christmas music preferences from the “White Christmas” category of seasonal songs to the music celebrating Christ’s birth and never looked back. One Christmas Eve many years …

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Category: Encouragement, Inspiration, Theology

Are You Sure You Want That Brand?

By Dan Balowon December 6, 2023
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Several years ago, I spoke with an aspiring Christian author who had several good book ideas on a wide range of projects for children to adults but, first, wanted to write about their lifelong struggle with a certain sin issue. Once it was published, they would move on with their life and be a beacon for biblical truth on all sorts of other projects. My initial reaction when they explained their …

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Category: Book Business, Career, Platform, The Writing Life

November 22, 1963

By Dan Balowon November 22, 2023
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Today marks the sixtieth anniversary of the deaths of three well-known authors: US President John F. Kennedy (he wrote three books before becoming President), C.S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley. JFK was 46 years old when he was assassinated. In the car driving through Dallas that day, Texas Governor John Connally’s wife turned around and said, “You certainly can’t say that the people of Dallas haven’t …

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Category: Creativity, Encouragement, Inspiration

Title Attachment Disorder

By Dan Balowon November 7, 2023
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Hopefully, when the mental health industrial complex gets around to updating the DSM-5, they will have a section on “Book Title Attachment Disorder.” Symptoms of B-TAD are refusal to listen to reasonable alternatives, applying divine inspiration to a title, and extreme anxiety when someone who titles books as a profession wants to change it. Of course, I am joking. I think. Likely some deeper …

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Category: Book Proposals, Pitching, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

Rejected Books

By Dan Balowon October 25, 2023
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With all the discussion about marketing platforms, some authors think the only thing standing in the way of being published successfully is the lack of a large-enough, personal promotional machine. It is important, along with several other items affecting whether a book is published by a traditional publisher; but there is one powerful item that is rarely discussed or mentioned. Sometimes books …

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Category: Pitching, Rejection, Theology

Interrupting God

By Dan Balowon October 11, 2023
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I find it humorous when someone brings up a list of questions that they would like to ask God face-to-face when they get a chance. It is funny because the statement assumes that we would have a back-and-forth discussion, as we insert “Yeah, but what about …” between his responses to our questions. If there is a heavenly Q&A opportunity, if indeed we could manage to pick ourselves off the …

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Category: Craft, The Writing Life, Theology

Finding an Audience

By Dan Balowon September 27, 2023
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Christian authors can find it challenging to determine an audience for their books, mainly because Christian books are aimed at something different than age ranges. Christian books are often aimed at a “psychographic,” rather than a demographic. This means Christian books are often aimed at readers who have certain values, beliefs, and lifestyles, rather than an age range of males or females. No …

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Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, Marketing, Pitching, The Publishing Life
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