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Fun Friday – August 10, 2018

By Steve Laubeon August 10, 2018

Today is for all science geeks. In 1591 it is said that Galileo (at the time, a mathematician at the University of Pisa – the location of the leaning tower…) proposed that a feather and a cannon ball would fall at the same rate of speed if there was no air resistance. In other words, gravity is an equal force no matter the size or weight of the object. Nearly 100 years later Isaac Newton mathematically proved the theory of gravity building on the earlier idea of Galileo.

Brian Cox and the BBC put this to a test. In rather dramatic fashion. Make sure to watch through to the end and hear what Einstein thought of it all.

All I can do is sit in wonder at God’s creation. An endless expression of creativity and design.

Four Myths about Agents

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 9, 2018

I was amused when I recently received a note from an author who had decided I’m a human rather than an infallible goddess. Not sure if I should be glad or disappointed! Since many authors don’t interact with agents, let me dispel a few myths about us: 1) Myth: Authors don’t need an agent for traditional publishing. Some traditional publishers will accept unsolicited proposals, but those …

Category: Agents, Book BusinessTag: Agents, Book Business

Don’t Write Your Bio, Write a “Why Me?”

By Bob Hostetleron August 8, 2018

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, writers who were pitching their articles or books to editors and agents included in the query or proposal a “bio” paragraph. These writers would include such things as their education, previous publishing credits, and whatever other claims to fame they could cite. Some still do that, but for many years now my recommendation has been not to write a “bio” …

Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitch, PitchingTag: Author Bio, book proposal, Pitching

Same Message, Different Reader

By Dan Balowon August 7, 2018

When a published book is successful (sells well), the publisher and author begin pondering how to be successful again with the next book. Often times, the solution to the repeat-success puzzle in non-fiction is having a similar message but aimed at a different audience. You’ve seen it happen many times, whether you realized it was intentional or not. Examples of branded book lines which have been …

Category: Book Business, Creativity, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Book Sales, Career, Creativity, Nonfiction, The Writing Life

The Slush Pile: Enter at Your Own Risk

By Steve Laubeon August 6, 2018

The publishing world is divided between those who have read the slush pile and those who have not. If you have, then you can understand some of the cynicism and jaded eyes you see behind the glasses of an editor or an agent.

If you have not, then it is difficult to comprehend the unbelievable variety of ideas that can cross our desks.

Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Book Business, Editors, Get Published, Pitching, Rejection, Writing Craft

Fun Fridays – August 3, 2018

By Steve Laubeon August 3, 2018

If any writer did this during their writer’s conference appointment we would have to call the paramedics for the editor or agent. Remember to be kind to the poor editor. And she is 13 years old. If that wasn’t enough…here she is at age 11.

Category: Fun Fridays

Choosing the Best Agent

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 2, 2018

Selecting the best agent is pivotal to the career of any author seeking a traditional publisher. A few traditional publishers accept unsolicited (read: unagented) proposals, but as submissions increase thanks to efficient technology and the growing number of aspiring authors, those publishers are becoming fewer. Most traditional publishers prefer agented submissions. In fact, at many conferences, …

Category: Agency, AgentsTag: Agency, Agents

A Literary Agent’s Prayer

By Bob Hostetleron August 1, 2018

God, Who used words to speak the whole universe into existence, Who chose human language to communicate Divine truths, Who wrote your commandments on tablets of stone, And inspired mere mortals to publish your immortal and eternal Word, hear my prayer. ___ I am your servant, and I am a literary agent. Lord, help me. Grant that even with all the words and sentences, paragraphs and pages I must read …

Category: Agents, FaithTag: Agents

The Literary Agent: How Does This Work?

By Dan Balowon July 31, 2018

While literary agents have been part of the publishing eco-system for decades, it wasn’t too many years ago agents in the Christian publishing market were rare. Fast forward to today when most of the larger Christian publishers require an author have an agent before they will consider publishing them. Before agents became part of the publishing landscape, authors would often hire attorneys to …

Category: AgentsTag: Agents, Book Business

Amazon Rank Obsession

By Steve Laubeon July 30, 2018

Admit it. You've checked your Amazon.com sales ranking at least once since your book was published. You feel the need to have some outside confirmation of the sales of your book. And Amazon's ranking are free to look at.

I've even seen book proposals where the author has gone to great lengths to include the Amazon ranking for each title that is competitive with the one the author is proposing. …

Category: Book Business, Marketing, Publishing A-ZTag: Amazon, Bookselling, Get Published, Marketing