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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Zip It Mr. Galilei

By Dan Balowon February 16, 2016
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Did you ever tell someone, “Don’t feel that way” and not get the best reaction?

In the same vein is “Don’t be that way.” Honestly, I could never figure that one out. Feels like a philosophical conundrum of the highest order. Telling someone not to be.

Four hundred years ago this week in 1616, Cardinal Bellarmine, representing the Catholic Church, issued an order to astronomer Galileo Galilei that he needed to abandon his strongly held opinion the Earth and planets revolve around the sun. The position of the church and many in power at the time was the reverse, the sun revolved around the Earth, the center of the universe.

Galileo Galilei was banned from “holding the opinion, promoting it, or teaching it.”

“Mr. Galilei, don’t think that way.”

Obviously, Galileo has been proven correct in his original analysis and the church leaders were incorrect, but it goes to show that when you have power, you can issue orders to those who think differently to stop thinking a certain way.

Like that actually works.

In book publishing, there are a number of things we have wrong, so I am here today to set the record straight once and for all so everyone would stop “thinking that way.” And in the process, I will personally feel better for pointing out the error.

Incorrect Publishing Thinking:

  • The number of books sold does not equal the number actually read. Since many (most?) books are never read in their entirety, you would probably be depressed by how many people actually read and took to heart what you wrote. So, if you sold 10,000 books, don’t go around telling people that 10,000 people read your book. The actual number read is a fraction of 10,000. Stop promoting this behavior.
  • A corollary to the above is for traditionally published authors. The number reportedly sold by your publisher is not the total number sold to readers. Those are different numbers. Publishers pay royalties on the number of books shipped to various sales channels. Sometimes books don’t sell and retailers return them. Books sit un-purchased on shelves. And most people don’t read books they buy in their entirety anyway. (See above) Have a nice day.
  • Promoting a certain number of books “in print” is like telling people the sun revolves around the Earth. It’s just wrong. Authors and publishers shouldn’t be proud for how many books are in boxes in a warehouse. Stop doing this and promoting it.
  • When an editor says, “This looks interesting” regarding your manuscript or proposal, that is good, but it does not mean, “We’ll publish it.” The decision process involves multiple steps and people. Don’t tell your friends you are getting published just yet just because you are so happy an editor liked it. Same principle applies to agents. Stop feeling that way.
  • When speaking with an agent or traditional publisher, don’t mention “Two other publishers have expressed interest” in your book if the two are indie publishers who you pay to have your book published. Of course they are interested, they want to sell their services. Please stop doing and teaching this.
  • Awards for writing won before you exited grammar school do not qualify you as an “Award-winning Author.” Stop promoting this.
  • Using shortcuts to pump up your social media numbers will not result in committed followers. Please stop holding the opinion it does, promoting it, or teaching it.
  • To online reviewers, for Pete’s sake when you are rating a book on Amazon or anywhere “stars” are selected, one star is bad, five stars are good. How many times do we see a one-star review, accompanied by a “best book I ever read” comment. One star does not mean “first place.” This must stop immediately. Again, one=bad, five=good.
  • For everyone in the world, if you are in a local bookstore and mention “Amazon” or any online retailer other than the store website, you are in the same category as the person who tells their spouse about all the other people they would rather marry. In other words, really dumb. Please, stop doing this, stop promoting this and for heaven sake, never teach it.

Isn’t life complicated? So much to know, so many hoops to jump through.

Bonus Correction: The phrase is, “I couldn’t care less,” not “I could care less.” If you could care less, then you care somewhat. You are trying to communicate that you don’t care at all, so you couldn’t care less.

I feel better already.

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Category: Book Business, Branding, Contracts, Economics, Get Published, Humor, Indie, Marketing, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, The Publishing Life

Fun Fridays – Feb. 12, 2016

By Steve Laubeon February 12, 2016
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This is one of my favorites. The barbershop quartet “Main Street” imagines what their music will sound like twenty years from now. They are really good. You owe it to yourself to spent 8 1/2 minutes listening to the fun. Hope this brings a smile to your day.

Read moreFun Fridays – Feb. 12, 2016
Category: Fun Fridays

Do You Write in Your Books?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 11, 2016
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When we were first married, my husband bought a new Bible. The first thing he did was to sit down at his desk with a pen. I gasped. “What are you doing?” “I’m transferring notes from my old Bible so I’ll have them.” At that point, I think he’d also started in with a yellow highlighter. I had never seen anyone do this. When I was growing up, I had one Bible. When I was in the third grade, my …

Read moreDo You Write in Your Books?
Category: ReadingTag: Books, Reading

The Sound of Words

By Karen Ballon February 10, 2016
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One of the things I love most about working with words is that I will never reach the point where I can say, “There, now. I’ve learned it all.” Love, love learning new things. Especially when it’s something I can share with all of you. So, have you ever heard of phonesthesia or sound symbolism? Basically, it’s the idea that the sound of a word plays into it’s perceived meaning. That there are …

Read moreThe Sound of Words
Category: Communication, Craft, Creativity, Editing, Humor, LanguageTag: Language, words

You Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted to Input

By Dan Balowon February 9, 2016
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With great fear of being sued by Robert Palmer for messing with his song lyrics: You like to think that you’re immune to the stuff…oh yeah It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough You know you’re gonna have to face it You’re addicted to love INPUT. Publishing is such a subjective field of endeavor that at one point or another an author, editor or …

Read moreYou Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted to Input
Category: Career, Communication, Editing, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Career, Input, The Writing Life

Books on Sports to Fill the Void

By Steve Laubeon February 8, 2016
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The Super Bowl is over. Baseball won’t start Spring training for another month. The basketball season is another month away from March Madness and the playoffs. Hockey is in mid-season. What is a sports fan to do? I know, read about sports! I have read dozens of these kind of books and would like to suggest a few. This is by no means a definitive list. In fact, it reflects my own tastes more than …

Read moreBooks on Sports to Fill the Void
Category: Book ReviewTag: Reading, Sports

Fun Fridays – February 5, 2016

By Steve Laubeon February 5, 2016
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A tender animated short film (4 minutes). Watch it all the way through. You’ll be glad you did. This short film, by film student Jacob Frey, just finished a circuit of 180 film festivals where it won 50 different awards. Now that you’ve watched the film you can see the short web-comic it was based on. (click here) Like it on Facebook! (Facebook Page: The Present)

Read moreFun Fridays – February 5, 2016
Category: Fun Fridays

Sending Your Submission to an Agent

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 4, 2016
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Submitting your work to an agent can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. A few simple steps will help you gain confidence, regardless of your method. Unsolicited submission This is when you are querying several agents and you have no connection other than seeing them on a list. I really don’t recommend the cold call submission, because it’s not likely you’ll find exactly the right agent for …

Read moreSending Your Submission to an Agent
Category: Agents, Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Get Published, Submissions

Don’t Waste Your Time

By Karen Ballon February 3, 2016
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Some days…those rare, out-of-the-blue, once-in-awhile days…God speaks an amen that reminds me all this is worth it. This past Saturday was a day like that. I spoke at a writer’s conference and had a delightful time. At the closing sessions I spoke on passion and why we Christian writers do what we do. How the goal can’t be publication, but obedience to the task God has given us. How writing for …

Read moreDon’t Waste Your Time
Category: Career, Conferences, Get Published, TheologyTag: Get Published

Ned Ryerson and the Startled Rodent

By Dan Balowon February 2, 2016
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Much has been discussed about the growth (or shrinking) of digital book content delivery. I figured today was the perfect day to put in my two cents. Here is what happened in the last few years, explaining why digital sales have slowed, as told through a little story I conjured up. Avid book reader Barbara got up early one morning, made coffee and sat down to read with her e-reader. She noticed …

Read moreNed Ryerson and the Startled Rodent
Category: Book Business, Economics, TrendsTag: Book Business, E-Books, Economics, Trends
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