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Fun Fridays – October 6, 2017

By Steve Laubeon October 6, 2017

“Destroy a Book Title with One Word” A fun game to play today!

This hilarious pun-related exercise has been around for years but thought we might have fun with it today.

Below are some Christian book titles which either have a word added, a word changed, or a letter added or changed, with bizarre results! The first nine are my own creations and the rest are ones I’ve come across in the past. Please add your own to the list in the comments. Enjoy!

90 Minutes in TSA

God Gave Us Glue

Your Best Burp Now

The Acts of the Apostates

The Pursuit of Odd

Bad Girls of the Bible College

The Kingdom of the Dolts

Redeeming Coupons

Kittens Come Softly

The Great Divorce Lawyer

The Briefcase for Christ

In His Dub Steps

Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger Games

I Kissed Carbon Dating Goodbye

The Purse Driven Life

The Radio Shack

Heaven is for Real Housewives

I also had some fun with general market titles (the first seven are my own creation):

Celsius 232.778 (Okay I cheated…I changed two words. But technically the second is not a word.)

Blender’s Game

Iron Deficient Man

The Failure of Two Cities

Harry Potter and the Order of Two Cheeseburgers, Fries, and a Diet Coke

The Mysterious Affair with Style

Pat the Killer Bunny

To Cook a Mockingbird

Lord of the Fries

Horse Sense and Sensibility

For Whom the Taco Bell Tolls

And Then There Were Nuns

Furious George

The Whining

YOUR TURN!

Don’t Let Anything Happen to That Book

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 5, 2017

Awhile back I asked everyone to name a book that changed their life. Today I want you to remember a book that means a great deal to you. It doesn’t have to be the same book. My mother will tell me not to let anything happen to Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories. She’s been passing off lots of objects to me for some time. As I write this, I’m cooking dinner in her harvest gold crock pot from …

Category: Book Review, Personal, ReadingTag: Books, Reading

Don’t Write What You Know

By Bob Hostetleron October 4, 2017

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I asked some of my writing and publishing friends to tell me what one “writing rule” they’d like to see go away…forever. Many of them gave the same answer. Emphatically. Author, blogger, and writers’ conference director Edie Melson said, “We need to quit killing creativity with the time-worn advice, ‘Write what you know.’ Instead, go write what you’re passionate about.” New York Times and …

Category: The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Author Nuances

By Dan Balowon October 3, 2017

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Writer and humorist Dave Barry wrote, “The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion or ethnic background, is that we all believe we are above-average drivers.” The same applies to artists and writers. Most feel they are pretty good at their craft. But success as an author is a complicated mix of factors. If accuracy, neatness and timeliness were the secret to …

Category: Craft, Creativity, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Art, Nuances, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

When Does a Book Become Public Domain?

By Steve Laubeon October 2, 2017

Writers frequently ask about whether they need permission to quote from another book. The answer is usually yes. But if the book is in the public domain that permission is unnecessary. I don't want to tackle the issue of "Fair Use" today, but instead provide a few links that you can use to find out if a book is in the public domain, or not.

First, use this form …

Category: Copyright, Legal Issues, Writing CraftTag: Copyright, Legal Issues, public domain

Fun Fridays – September 29, 2017

By Steve Laubeon September 29, 2017

Every. Single. Action movie trailer in one short visual instruction kit. While hilarious in it’s send up of cliches, it should make every author think of how they are pitching their current book to an agent or a publisher. This “formula” is a form of your competition for people’s attention. Enjoy

Category: Fun Fridays

Thank You, Writers!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 28, 2017

In light of meeting with so many fabulous writers at the recent ACFW conference, I feel led to give special thanks not only to my clients but to every writer endeavoring to make a difference in Christian publishing. Thank you for: giving agents, editors, and publishers, books that allow us to have the best jobs in the world. writing complete novels on spec. creating your best proposals. listening …

Category: Awards, Personal

You Gotta Know the Territory

By Bob Hostetleron September 27, 2017

So you’re writing a book. In what genre? Don’t know? You must. My colleague, Dan Balow, recently wrote a valuable blog post (here) that touched on the many genre categories and sub-categories in today’s publishing world. You should read it—when you finish reading this, of course. “I don’t care about genre,” you may say. “I’m a writer, not an editor or publisher.” To which I say, “Tough.” If you’re …

Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Career, Genre

The Challenge for American Christian Authors

By Dan Balowon September 26, 2017

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The majority of Christian books published every year are written in English by authors in the United States. U.S. Christian publishers in a billion dollar industry publish many thousands of new titles every year. Still, I am not sure all American authors who desire to have their books spread across the globe and translated into various languages have the credentials nor the global insight to be …

Category: Communication, Publishing History, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Christian, Communication, Culture, Faith, The Writing Life

Tamela Hancock Murray Named Agent-of-the-Year

By Steve Laubeon September 25, 2017

We are very excited to announce that during the recent ACFW (American Christan Fiction Writers) annual event, Tamela was named Agent-of-the-Year! ACFW has the largest gathering of Christan fiction authors in the country. I can personally attest to Tamela’s abilities and her success. She is an extremely hard worker who loves her clients and her job. There are few in this industry who can match her …

Category: Agency, AwardsTag: Agency, Awards, Tamela Hancock Murray