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Fun Fridays – July 25, 2025

By Steve Laubeon July 25, 2025

In 1974, fifty-one years ago, this brief interview with science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (most famous for 2001: A Space Odyssey, published in 1968) describes a day when computers will be a vital part of our lives. He says to imagine a day when a computer would fit on a desk. Imagine if he saw your phone today. He would have thought it to be science fiction!

Note the room in the background. It is a computer room. It was a computer room like this where I first played with programming and taught a computer to play “golf” using BASIC computer language back in my high school years.

Why Are Traditional Publishers So Picky?

By Dan Balowon July 24, 2025

Publishing books is an imprecise process, with many ingredients involved, making it impossible to predict a particular outcome. Working for and with publishers for most of my life, I’ve seen every side of the business; and the best I can do to describe it is humbling for everyone involved. Anyone who thinks they have it all figured out with 100% certainty is in for a rude awakening and a humbling …

Category: Book Business, Rejection

Why Should I Follow Your Guidelines?

By Steve Laubeon July 21, 2025

Believe it or not, we once had someone write and say that forcing an author to follow our guidelines when submitting a proposal is the height of arrogance. An artist should be allowed artistic freedom of expression, and cramming ideas into a preprescribed format is squelching that creativity. While I understand the frustration and the amount of work involved in creating a proposal, there are …

Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, Marketing, PlatformTag: book proposals, Get Published, Guidelines

Fun Fridays – July 18, 2025

By Steve Laubeon July 18, 2025

I took a selfie. It is titled “Literary Agents Eat Alligators for Breakfast.” Fact or fiction?

Category: Agents, Fun Fridays

Beyond Book One: The Art of the Fiction Series (part 1)

By Lynette Easonon July 16, 2025

Let’s talk series. I don’t know about you, but I love to read books in a series. I find myself investing in the characters, the town, and everything else and can’t wait for the next book to come out so I can return to that world. If you’re thinking of writing a series, there are some things to understand and consider before you get started. The first step is to choose the type of series you plan …

Category: Writing Craft

What Do You Do AFTER the Conference?

By Steve Laubeon July 14, 2025

You just spent many hours, even days, at a writers conference. You go home to a pressing question: “Now what?” What do you do when you return from a writers conference? Tell us in the comments below. Meanwhile, I’ll share some thoughts. Re-entry Blues Coming down from the high of a retreat or a conference can be a jolt. Especially when the daily routines kick in. Make sure to avoid resenting …

Category: Conferences, The Writing LifeTag: Get Published, Strategy, writers conferences

Fun Fridays – July 11, 2025

By Steve Laubeon July 11, 2025

Watch this fun performance of twelve pianists playing at the same time. It could have been called “Piano for 24 Hands.” There is a metaphor here. This performance is a bit like the publishing experience. If you look closely, you can see editorial, sales, marketing, and some booksellers all working from the same page of music. Music written by an author who is not on the stage!

Category: Fun Fridays

The Mission of Older Christian Writers

By Dan Balowon July 10, 2025

Few things are more critical than knowing one’s purpose in life. For unbelievers, finding their purpose is a daily struggle, constantly blowing them about from here to there, anxiously searching for anything that makes sense of life. But for a disciple of Jesus Christ, this is easy, as we are called to be his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). The role has broad implications, but it is an important …

Category: Career, The Writing Life, Theology

21st-Century Apologetics: Why Christian Authors No Longer Need to Be Relevant

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on July 8, 2025

Christianity has always been under attack. The current weapon of choice is “deconstruction.” Recent generations that were raised on pornography now reject Christian morality and then deconstruct their faith altogether. As a Christian writer in the 21st century, you’re not fighting a theological battle over truth but an emotional battle over morality. Before you dismiss this …

Category: Christian, TheologyTag: Christian, Culture, Faith, Theology

Make Today Count

By Steve Laubeon July 7, 2025

As the calendar flips another page, I am reminded of the inexorable passage of time. Below is a great video that creates a visual reminder of the “number of our days” (Psalm 90:12). Watch the video now, and then rejoin my thoughts underneath. (If you receive this via email, the video may not embed. Please click through to the site and watch it. Only two minutes long but forever a …

Category: Faith, PersonalTag: Career, Faith