A Goldberg machine for dogs. Way too clever!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA56LgpFbSw
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What is the Message in the Books You Read or Write?
Christian works are, by their nature, message-oriented. With our novels, we strive to present a great story first and foremost, but we also want to weave in a strong spiritual message. Writers’ varying personalities determine their specific outreach. Some of us want to edify the faithful, offering hope to the Christian swimmer navigating a sea filled with glass shards. Others among us want …
Last Words
Publishing lost a good man on Sunday. No, more to the point, the world lost a good man. Ron Benrey–author, publisher, one-time agent, master debater, theologian, teacher, and a wonderful husband and father, a man possessed of deep kindness and wisdom–passed from this world to God’s side on Sunday. Just moments before the heart attack that ushered him into eternity, he was doing …
Myths of The Author Platform
There are three myths about “Author Platform” that I want to address today. Since I started my publishing career in marketing, I’ve seen the issue from a number of different angles and hopefully today’s post will be helpful. Myth #1 Author platform is a new issue in the last few years created by the use of social media. There has never been a time when author platform was not important to …
Fun Fridays – May 9, 2014
An eight year old sings “Fly Me to the Moon.” Pick me off the floor… Angelina Jordan is a finalist on “Norway’s Got Talent” (See more below.) This performance got her into the finals which will be later this month. Her original audition. Sung acapella. Here she is with her Mum and her little sister in an interview in March.
But I Won a Contest
Contests cost both time and money to enter. Not to mention effort. Are they worth it? Yes, they are. Becoming a finalist is one way to get noticed. Sometimes the first prize awarded the winner is publication with a certain publisher. But will a contest win always lead to publication? No. I have been and continue to be a judge for many different contests, and here are three reasons why I can tell …
The Paranoid’s Guide to Things That Are Out to Get You
This is the second in a three-part series on attitudes, specifically for people in publishing, but probably applicable to just about anyone. Two months ago I addressed the issue of pessimism. Today, we’ll talk about the first cousin of pessimism…fear. If a book were to be written about fear, it would be the titled something along the lines of this blog-post. It would be a short volume with dozens …
The Big Just Got Bigger – HarperCollins Buys Harlequin
by Steve Laube Today’s Cinco de Mayo celebration should be renamed Cinco de Grande. Last week’s news that HarperCollins is buying Harlequin caused quite a stir in the industry. It had long been wondered if current owner Torstar, a Canadian media company that owns a number of properties, would do something with Harlequin. The primary reason is that each of the past four years has seen a …
The Writer’s Pod
When I was at the Mount Hermon Writers’ Conference a week or so ago, I went to one of my all-time favorite places: The Santa Cruz Wharf. It’s one of the best places to see the sea lions, which are draped all over the pilings of the wharf, as well as swimming and playing in the water around it. A few years ago, I saw something I’d never seen before. A group of sea lions all floating together. Come …
Grace is Amazing, But Hard to Explain
I am not a Bible theologian, so today’s blog is pushing me way out on the plank over the pitching seas of exegetical danger, so I apologize for offending those with seminary degrees and those who are infinitely better qualified to write on this subject. As a friend stated in regard to another situation, I am indeed hanging heavy weights on thin threads. I believe that one of the most difficult …