A Year in Review

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On December 29, 2009

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The Christmas glow is still present and since the publishing world is, in essence, on vacation, it is a perfect time to to reflect on the past twelve months.

This was a hard year for many as the economy touched everyone in some way. And yet, despite the ominous cloud of doom and gloom, there were many exciting things to celebrate.

On a personal level our middle daughter was married at the end of June. What a joy to see God at the center of the ceremony. And our oldest daughter had a blast playing keyboards for Alice Cooper (singing “School’s Out”) in front of 50,000 people at the ASU graduation ceremony in May.

On a professional level we had some authors receive wonderful recognition:

  • Susan May Warren won the RITA award for best inspirational fiction.
  • Margaret Daley won the Holt Medallion award for best short inspirational novel.
  • Both Tracey Bateman and Marlo Schalesky won the Christy Award for best Christian fiction in their respective categories.
  • John Olson, Pamela Tracy, and Sharon Hinck won four ACFW Book of the Year awards (Sharon won for two different titles).
  • I was honored as the Agent of the Year at the ACFW banquet in September.
  • Cindy Woodsmall was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and hit #24 on the NY Times bestseller list. She was also featured in segment on Nightline.
  • Ellie Kay was featured in two separate segments on ABC’s “Nightline”.

But even more exciting is to see a finished book in print. There is such a long time from idea to contract to writing to publication that we can forget the “birth” itself! Therefore I would like present a list of books published in 2009 by authors represented by The Steve Laube Agency. It is really great to see this list all in one place and to think of the hundreds of thousands of readers who have been inspired by these words. It is truly a privilege to work for such incredible writers.

The books are grouped by fiction, children’s/YA, and non-fiction. They are listed in approximate order of their release starting with January. (Note that in some cases we represented only one of the co-authors or collaborators.)

FICTION

The Someday List – Stacy Hawkins Adams (Revell)

Daddy for Keeps – Pamela Tracy (Steeple Hill)

According to Their Deeds – Paul Robertson (Bethany House Publishers)

City of the Dead – T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing Group)

Play it Again, SAHM – Meredith Efken (Steeple Hill Cafe)

Insight – Deborah Raney (Steeple Hill)

If Tomorrow Never Comes – Marlo Schalesky (Multnomah)

Road to Nowhere (paperback release) – Paul Robertson (Bethany House Publishers)

Everybody’s Suspect in Georgia – Cecil Murphey (Barbour Publishing)

Yesterday’s Embers – Deborah Raney (Howard Books)

Nothing But Trouble – Susan May Warren (Tyndale)

Miss Match – Sara Mills (Moody Publishing)

Enduring Love – Bonnie Leon (Revell)

Certain Jeopardy – Jeff Struecker with Alton Gansky (B&H Publishing Group)

Breathe – Lisa Bergren (David C. Cook)

Above All Things – Deborah Raney (Steeple Hill)

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing – Allison Bottke (David C. Cook)

Worth a Thousand Words – Stacy Hawkins Adams (Zondervan)

Return Policy – Michael Snyder (Zondervan)

The Enclave – Karen Hancock (Bethany House Publishers)

The Great Christmas Bowl – Susan May Warren (Tyndale)

The Hope of Refuge – Cindy Woodsmall (Waterbrook)

Meltdown – Chuck Holton (Multnomah)

Sweet Waters – Julie Carobini (B&H Publishing Group)

Fugitive Family – Pamela Tracy (Steeple Hill)

The Sound of Sleigh Bells – Cindy Woodsmall (Waterbrook)

Bride Backfire – Kelly Hake (Barbour Publishing)

Thirsty – Tracey Bateman (Waterbrook)

Blessed (paperback release) – Lisa Bergren (Berkley)

Guardian of the Flame – T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing Group)

Christmas Lamp – Lori Copeland (Zondervan)

Powers – John B. Olson (B&H Publishing Group)

Christmas Peril: Merry MayhemYule Die – Margaret Daley & Debbie Gusti (Steeple Hill)

Clandestine Cover-up – Pamela Tracy (Steeple Hill)

 

CHILDREN’S / YA

Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court – Chuck Black (Multnomah)

Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione (AUDIO) – Chuck Black (Oasis Audio)

Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court (AUDIO) – Chuck Black (Oasis Audio)

Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart – Chuck Black (Multnomah)

God Found Us You – Lisa Bergren (HarperCollins)

God Gave Us Love – Lisa Bergren (Waterbrook)

NON-FICTION

Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight – Karen Linamen (Waterbrook)

How Can I Run a Tight Ship When I’m Surrounded by Loose Cannons? – Kathi Macias (New Hope)

The Life of A.W. Tozer: In Pursuit of God – James Snyder (Regal Books)

The Purpose of Man: Designed to Worship – A.W. Tozer, edited by James Snyder (Regal Books)

Marriage 101: Building a Life Together by Faith – Jewell Powell (Revell)

Thrive, Don’t Simply Survive – Karol Ladd (Howard Books)

The Jesus of the Bible – Stephen M. Miller (Barbour Publishing)

Life on Planet Mom – Lisa Bergren (Revell)

American Heroes: In the Fight Against Radical Islam – Oliver North and Chuck Holton (B&H Publishing Group)

Reclaiming Christianity: A Call to Authentic Faith – A.W. Tozer, edited by James Snyder (Regal Books)

Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior – Jared Wilson (Kregel)

The Diseasing of America’s Children (paperback release) – John Rosemond (Thomas Nelson)

When God Takes Too Long (Book & DVD package) – Joseph Bentz (Beacon Hill)

LT & Me: What Raising a Champion Taught Me about Life, Faith, and Listening to Your Dreams – Loreane Tomlinson with Ginger Kolbaba and Patti Britton

The Little Book of Big Savings – Ellie Kay (Waterbrook)

And He Dwelt Among Us: Teachings from the Gospel of John– A.W. Tozer, edited by James Snyder (Regal Books)

Thrive: Dare to Live Like God– Kevin Johnson (Zondervan/Youth Specialties)

Soar: Sail into God’s Plan for Your Future – Kevin Johnson (Zondervan/Youth Specialties)

Follow: Walk in the Rhythm of Jesus – Kevin Johnson (Zondervan/Youth Specialties)

Think: Figure Out What You Believe and Why – Kevin Johnson (Zondervan/Youth Specialties)

Lord, I Just Want to Be Happy – Leslie Vernick (Harvest House )

The Well Behaved Child: Discipline That Really Works – John Rosemond (Thomas Nelson)

God is Great, God is Good: Why Believing in God is Reasonable and Responsible – William Lane Craig and Chad Meister, general editors (IVP)

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Art of War for Writers

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On November 24, 2009

Periodically I plan to recommend a title or two for you to read. I’ve always enjoyed this form of “word-of-mouth” marketing, thus I will “pay it forward.” 🙂

Yesterday afternoon I received James Scott Bell’s The Art of War for Writers: fiction writing strategies, tactics, and exercises (published by Writer’s Digest Books). With interest I took the book home and devoured it. Not literally of course, as I’m not sure what the pages would have tasted like with extra cheese. But I could not keep from turning the pages with delight.

James Scott Bell has done an immeasurable service to writers everywhere. This little book is chock full of sage advice. Loosely based on the ancient classic The Art of War he consistently nudges the reader with nuggets of wisdom that are hard to assail.

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Do you Facebook?

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On November 11, 2009

The following article appeared in the UK on November 5th, “Facebook Users Spend Three Solid Days a Year on the Site.”

Three full 24 hour days on Facebook per year! Or nearly two full work weeks if you count a work week as 35-40 hours a week. And I suspect the statistics hold true in the U.S. as well.

Not all writers are full-time. Some must juggle day jobs or home-life responsibilities around their writing. So let’s say the average writer is cramming 20 hours a week of actual writing into their craft.

Thus if you are a writer AND you “Facebook” (is that a verb now?) this would mean the average writer is spend nearly a month’s worth of work time…on Facebook.

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The Wave of Digital Creativity in Books

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On October 17, 2009

I went to high school in Hawaii (I know.. a rough life) where I learned the joys and perils of body surfing. That experience is a great metaphor for the new “waves” of digital revolution we are seeing in the publishing world.

The key to great body surfing is waiting for the right wave and then time your push just right. The ride is exhilarating (I still remember riding inside the tube of a perfect wave off the beaches of Kauai). BUT if you catch the wrong wave or mistime the push, there is no ride. Or worse, catch a wave that throws you wildly into a bunch of rocks…

But unless you are in the water and making attempt after attempt you will never achieve the perfect ride.

I see this metaphor applied to the new world of digital publishing. It is really fun to play a small part, but even more fun to watch others be extremely creative in their experiments. There are some very bright and exciting people trying new things in merging the traditional book with all things “interactive.”

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2009 ICRS Observations

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On July 18, 2009

Like many going into the 2009 ICRS convention (aka CBA or the Christian Booksellers Association convention) I was wondering what would be found. It was great to see that instead of the projected doom and gloom there was light and hope. (Yes, that is Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber in the photo to the left – courtesy of Christian Retailing Magazine.) A few observations:

1) The total convention exhibit floor was about 30% smaller than in past years and the middle section, housing CBA’s events and displays was HUGE. In fact you could walk through the entire book section very rapidly for the first time in years. Everything seemed condensed.

2) The net effect of the smaller sales floor was that you felt the crowds. There was noise, energy, and excitement in the air. This was a major change over previous years where it always felt so quiet.

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ICRS / CBA Bookseller’s Convention

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On July 13, 2009

Today is the official opening of the convention in Denver. This year will be my 28th consecutive ICRS (International Christian Retail Show) or CBA as we veterans still call it (Christian Booksellers Association Convention). I absolutely love the experience. I’ve attended as a retailer, as an exhibitor, and now as an “industry professional.” I find it amusing that each name badge is color-coded to help exhibitors know whether the person in their booth is a bookseller (and thereby a potential customer) or a browser, like me. What makes it particularly fun is that the “agent” color is black….the color of an agent’s soul.

PRO: There is nothing like the experience of walking the floor of the world’s largest Christian bookstore. Everything is there, the good, the bad, and the outrageous (like the balloon art crucifix or the painting of a junkie shooting heroin into the arm of Jesus). The spirit is electric. It can be overwhelming, but ultimately it is a picture of God at work. As a writer you can meet key people, network with fellow writers, collect catalogs (those that aren’t digital), and simply increase knowledge of what the industry is all about.

CON: Unrealized expectations. Too many writers think the convention should be all about them. It isn’t. Disappointment is palatable with some folks at the end of the experience. Their publisher didn’t pay enough attention to them; not enough people came to their signing; no editor was available for an appointment…etc. Go to the convention with modest expectations and the chance of disappointment with be minimized.

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Christy Awards

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On July 11, 2009

Tonight was the tenth annual Christy Awards which honors the best in Christian fiction. We were very proud to have six clients as finalists!

To my eternal delight two clients won!

Marlo Schalesky won in the contemporary romance category for her book Beyond the Night (Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group).

Tracey Bateman won in the contemporary series category for her book You Had Me at Goodbye (Faithwords).

Since neither Marlo or Tracey could attend, I had the privilege of accepting their awards and reading their speech. A thrill and an honor.

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