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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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The Morals of the Story

By Karen Ballon July 30, 2014
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As promised, here are the morals—and names—of the story of our young writer from last week. If you missed the post, please go back and read it.

The young writer? None other than the gifted Lori Benton. Her second novel, The Pursuit of Tameson Littlejohn, released in April 2014.

LoriBenton_Headshot
Lori Benton

The first editor, who read her story from far, far away, and then became friends with Lori? Yours truly. But Lori isn’t just a good friend—she’s become one of my favorite authors!

The talented agent? Wendy Lawton, who signed Lori as a client in 2010. When I asked her what it was that drew her to Lori and her manuscript, she said, “Lori is an amazing writer. When I read her manuscript I was blown away. I love historical fiction but writing great historical fiction is much more difficult than it looks. The author needs to anchor the story in the time and the place, give us authentic detail but not put in detail for detail’s sake and . . .  well, you know. Lori delivered on every single aspect. And no one is more serious about writing or works harder and more consistently than Lori Benton. She’s put in her time and she’s earned every accolade. It is a joy to present her books to publishers and it’s hard not bust my buttons when reviewers and the ChristyAward judges agree.”

The wise editor? Shannon Marchese, who signed Lori as a Waterbrook author in 2012. I ran into Shannon at a conference not long before Lori’s book released, and she asked me, “Have you read Lori’s book. It’s amazing. She’s very, very good.” High praise, indeed!

The story that won the agent’s, editor’s, and readers’ hearts? Burning Sky, which released in 2013 and just recently earned a Grace award and three Christy Awards for excellence in writing (First Novel and Historical Categories) and the 2014 Book of the Year award. Never has an author won three awards in one night during the Christy Award presentation.

So what are the morals of the story?

First, traditional publishers are still looking for beautifully written books. Platform, social media presence, marketing acumen…that’s not all they look at. Lori didn’t have an impressive platform, nor did she have sales history. She wasn’t a speaker and didn’t have a bunch of followers in social media. What she did have was a masterfully crafted book. That really and truly is enough, friends. Of course, writing a book that well isn’t easy, and it doesn’t happen overnight. But it does happen.

Second, the road to publication usually takes time. Lots of it. Writing one book is seldom enough. Lori wrote eight books before Burning Sky was published. And she did so over 20 years. TWENTY years. But with each “no thank you,” she moved on to the next story within her and brought it to life on the page. As Wendy said, Lori has put in her time. And she’s still doing so. She works all day on researching, writing, editing…that’s the job of being a writer.

Third, keep writing. While Kindred, the first novel Wendy pitched to editors, was being considered, Lori researched and wrote Burning Sky. When there were no bites on Kindred, Wendy sent out Burning Sky. And even as it landed in editor’s email boxes, Lori was hard at work on her next book. As I tell my clients, sending a manuscript to editors doesn’t mean you’re done. It means you look ahead, start working on the next project. Keep creating. Keep bring stories to life. Because if the book you’ve sent out doesn’t find a home, the next one just might. Don’t get so focused on getting a contract for the book you’ve sent out that you stop working and writing.

And last, but certainly not least, remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. That the stories within you came from the heart of the God Who loves you and your readers. Yes, publication is wonderful. But it’s just the icing on the cake. The eternal God of the universe has invited you to join Him in the wonder of creation. If we refine our craft, are patient on the journey, work hard and diligently, and keep our focus on God, our stories will end as all good stories should…

And they lived—and wrote–happily ever after.

 

 

 

 

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Category: Awards, Career, Conferences, Creativity, Get Published, Writing CraftTag: Career, Get Published, Writing Craft

The World Rages

By Dan Balowon July 29, 2014
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One hundred years ago this week, the Great War began. It was the war that was supposed to end all wars. The world decided it was about time to get all their anger out at once and then go back to living in peace.  Following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary and Serbia decided they had had enough of civility and started fighting.  A world war …

Read moreThe World Rages
Category: The Writing LifeTag: Faith, The Writing Life, Theology

Orphan Trains & Wild Stallions

By Guest Bloggeron July 28, 2014
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by Allen Arnold I recently read about the unexpected publishing success of Orphan Train.  It’s a novel set in present-day Maine and Depression-era Minnesota. This fifth book from Christina Baker Kline has turned out to be a sleeper hit of the year, with more than one million copies sold. I’m intrigued by the book’s premise. But it’s the subhead of the article that caught my attention.  “Unlikely …

Read moreOrphan Trains & Wild Stallions
Category: Art, Guest Post, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Art, Craft, The Writing Life

Fun Fridays – July 25, 2014

By Steve Laubeon July 25, 2014
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When grown men have too much time on their hands and have lost patience waiting for the next “Star Wars” installment. [Warning: there is definite guy-humor in this…explosions and other fun things.] The ending is hilarious.  

Read moreFun Fridays – July 25, 2014
Category: Fun Fridays

Naming Names

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 24, 2014
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We recently received several excellent questions that I would like to answer: 1.) Should (you) repeat a book name and how old should it be? I believe you are asking if it is okay to use the same title for your book even if it has already been used before. And if so, how many years should pass before using that previously used book title. What you are trying to avoid is having your book mixed up …

Read moreNaming Names
Category: Book Proposals, Writing CraftTag: Characters, Craft, Titles, Writing Craft

One Author’s Journey: A Tale of Publishing

By Karen Ballon July 23, 2014
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With all this talk of publishing and where it’s been and where it’s going, I thought I’d tell you a story. One that happened not years ago, in the much ballyhooed Golden Age, but recently. So gather round, settle in, and listen… Once upon a time, there was a young girl who wanted to write, who grew up to be a young woman who did write, creating stories she loved. Stories that made her heart soar. …

Read moreOne Author’s Journey: A Tale of Publishing
Category: Career, Conferences, Creativity, Get Published, Writing CraftTag: Get Published, perseverance, Writing Craft

Acquisitions Director: God

By Dan Balowon July 22, 2014
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This subject has been covered before by smarter people at our agency, but I am hoping that Steve Laube considers imitation truly the greatest form of flattery! Every aspiring or experienced Christian author is alerted to avoid mentioning that “God told me to write this book” when speaking to an agent or publisher.  Why is that? Reason #1: Working within the Christian publishing world there should …

Read moreAcquisitions Director: God
Category: Get PublishedTag: Get Published, Pitching, Theology

What is on Your Summer Reading List?

By Steve Laubeon July 21, 2014
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Since we are in the midst of Summer and I’m on a brief vacation I thought I’d ask you to tell us what books you are reading or planning to read this Summer. I’ll start… My list is intentionally eclectic because that is the way I graze with my reading: Deeper Life: The Spiritual Practice of Remembering by Margaret Bendroth Publishing: Just My Type: A Book about Fonts – …

Read moreWhat is on Your Summer Reading List?
Category: ReadingTag: Reading, Summer

Enclave Publishing News

By Steve Laubeon July 19, 2014
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A couple major happenings over on the publishing side of my world. Enclave publishing has two events that happened this past week. First is the launch of a Kickstarter campaign as a means to have fans of Science Fiction & Fantasy have pre-publication access to the new titles at a great discount. Check it out! Enclave Publishing’s Kickstarter Campaign   Second, we have launched a brand new …

Read moreEnclave Publishing News
Category: Publishing NewsTag: Enclave, Publishing News

When Your Agent Appointment Flops

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 17, 2014
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In keeping with my conference posts, I want to talk a little today about agent appointments. I’ll use agents as the example for brevity but this post can also apply to editor appointments. That is, what if the agent or editor doesn’t like your work? Don’t despair. Seriously. Here’s why: 1.) If you feel you stuttered or stammered, or otherwise weren’t at your best, …

Read moreWhen Your Agent Appointment Flops
Category: ConferencesTag: Agents, Appointments, writers conferences
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