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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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A Perfect Proposal

By Karen Ballon August 20, 2014
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A lot of the writers I’ve worked with over the years have the same complaint: “I hate doing proposals!” I admit, they can seem pretty imposing. And too often writers find themselves in the not-so-enviable position of trying to figure out what the agent or editor is looking for. When they ask for influential people, what do they mean? Those who’ve influence you in your writing, or those who will be an influence for your book project? When they want to know about your mailing list, do they mean your contacts, or something different? And what on earth do they want for comp titles??

Over the next few weeks, along with various other blogs, I’ll tackle some of the different aspects of a strong proposal. And I’ll give you all a chance to try your hand at some of them.

But today, I want to hear from you. When you think about putting a proposal together, what is the section that’s the most difficult for you?

C’mon, folks, share!

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Category: Book ProposalsTag: book proposals

Publishers are From Mercury, Authors are From Pluto

By Dan Balowon August 19, 2014
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Next time someone tells you that Christianity is not as valid as science, just remind them that not many years ago, Pluto was assumed to be a planet, but in 2006 was determined not to be one, but instead was a “dwarf planet”, of which there a several dozen in our solar system alone. If you took a test in grade school and answered, “How many planets are there in our solar system” with the number …

Read morePublishers are From Mercury, Authors are From Pluto
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, The Publishing LifeTag: Authors, Book Business, publishers, The Publishing Life

Fun Friday – August 15, 2014

By Steve Laubeon August 15, 2014
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Two agents at conference. Along comes a writer! {Create your own caption below!}

Read moreFun Friday – August 15, 2014
Category: Fun Fridays

Discoverability

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 14, 2014
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One of the buzzwords you hear in publishing today is discoverability. Authors must be discovered by potential readers. To that end, even though obviously selling a car is much different from selling a book, I still think we might be able to learn some lessons from Maserati. I hadn’t thought about this automobile company except with the vague idea that they are an iconic Italian race car …

Read moreDiscoverability
Category: Book Business, Branding, MarketingTag: Branding, Marketing

Writer, Know Thyself!

By Karen Ballon August 13, 2014
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I recently spent four days with a wonderful group of writers. We meet every year to pray together, brainstorm each other’s books, and laugh uproariously. I always come home feeling like I’ve had a major ab workout from all the laughter! In the course of our discussions, I realized that with publishing changing in so many ways, writers can sometimes lose their focus on what they’re really …

Read moreWriter, Know Thyself!
Category: Branding, Craft, Creativity, Genre, Writing CraftTag: Branding, Craft, Genre

8 Things Authors Should No Longer Ask Their Publisher

By Dan Balowon August 12, 2014
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Publishing is changing faster than ever before.  Book publishers have been wrenching to find new business models that make them more flexible, efficient and adaptable to the realities of the digital publishing age. Within this fast-change world, another group who has felt the pain of shifting tectonic plates are authors who have been around publishing for ten or more years.  Some issues that used …

Read more8 Things Authors Should No Longer Ask Their Publisher
Category: Book Business, CareerTag: Book Business, Career, publishing

Fun Fridays – August 8, 2015

By Steve Laubeon August 8, 2014
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Today’s video is a smile maker. A great reminder to say “thank you” to someone today. Your words may be a blessing to one who needs it. Last week I had some rough days personally and professionally…and then a client’s brand new book arrived in the office. In it, on the acknowledgment page, she thanked me for my hard work on her behalf. It was just the right thing at …

Read moreFun Fridays – August 8, 2015
Category: Fun Fridays

Creativity I Enjoy

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 7, 2014
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Last week, I promised to share with you how I am creative other than writing. Well, I don’t write much now except for this blog. If you see a “new” book with my name on it, at this point in time, it’s a repackage. I am grateful for repacks! I appreciate the creativity of my writers. I can’t think of a better career than being a literary agent! But as for my …

Read moreCreativity I Enjoy
Category: Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Writing Craft

When Did You Know You Wanted to Be a Writer?

By Karen Ballon August 6, 2014
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Yesterday was my birthday. 57 years of life. It struck me yet again how quickly the days goes by. I swear it was just yesterday that I was a kid, canoeing on Diamond Lake, walking my dog to the used book store to buy my Thor comics (which I collected until my senior year in high school, and which, when I sold my collection, financed my first year of college), gathering with my pseudo-cousins after …

Read moreWhen Did You Know You Wanted to Be a Writer?
Category: The Writing LifeTag: Career, The Writing Life

Etch-A-Sketch Living

By Dan Balowon August 5, 2014
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Like everyone else in the world, I had an Etch-A-Sketch when I was young. When my wife and I had kids, we bought one for them as well. (You really only need one in the house) I have great admiration for anyone who could draw anything resembling anything identifiable on it, since the only thing I could draw were stairs. The best part of an Etch-A-Sketch was also its worst.  If you messed up on a …

Read moreEtch-A-Sketch Living
Category: Book Business, The Publishing Life, TheologyTag: Faith, The Publishing Life
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