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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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2013 – A Year in Review

By Steve Laubeon December 30, 2013
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by Steve Laube Businessman on a ladder ticking boxes showing opinion terms on grey background What a year it has been. I’m tempted to write that sentence and leave the rest of this page blank. It would be easier than to remember and recite all that has come to pass. But it is a healthy exercise nonetheless.

Agency Business

The biggest news of all was adding another agent to our group. This past Summer we welcomed Dan Balow to our ranks. He is a fabulous addition and is already making his “agenting” mark. Just don’t talk to him about Cheez-its.

Despite some sudden changes in our industry (see below) we continue to secure publishing deals for our clients. The good news for writers is that content is still king. Without great content there would be no commerce.

The forecast continues to be sunny at our Agency.

The Industry

Random House officially merged with Penguin to form Penguin Random House. Most of the infrastructure changes that would affect us have been completed.

The merger of Thomas Nelson with Zondervan to form Harper Collins Christian Publishing (HCCP) has also settled. The biggest change we saw was the full merger of Zondervan fiction with Thomas Nelson fiction. This bodes well for authors within that new group (better team synergy), but the implication is that we lost another major place to shop a new novel.

Summerside Press was shut down by Guideposts. We had some contracts cancelled due to that decision. And as of this writing there has not been a buyer to swoop in and rescue the backlist titles.

B&H Publishing shut down most of their fiction program, retaining properties that tie into their burgeoning film endeavors. As with Summerside we had some contracts cancelled.

Each change was dictated by different circumstances, but the net effect was a loss of about 30 annual new book slots. This creates much more intense competition for the remaining places.

We have seen changes like this before. Maybe not quite as many in as short a period. And the market tends to level out over time. As mentioned above, great writers will still find a place. I truly believe that will never change. It may not be easy, but when has publishing success been “easy?”

Personal

We lost some dear family members and friends this year. It is always hard to say goodbye especially to those with whom you have shared so much love.

I was honored to be the MC for the 2013 Christy Awards. It was especially a privilege to be a part of honoring Lee Hough for his Lifetime Achievement Award. So glad we were able to do that before he passed away. Congratulations also to Karen Hancock and Lynn Austin for being inducted into the Christy Award Hall-of-Fame.

It was an honor to be inducted into the Grand Canyon University Hall-of-Fame by their Department of Theology in a ceremony held in February. I still find that to have been a rather surreal experience.

But the highlight of the year was the marriage of our oldest daughter in the Fall. The ceremony was a marvelous worship service, a real blessing. (And now for the obligatory picture of our family.)

Kear-273

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Category: Agency, Personal, SteveTag: Agency

Fun Fridays – December 27, 2013

By Steve Laubeon December 27, 2013
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Top this!

The above was created in response to Claude Van Damme's original:
src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M7FIvfx5J10?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

Read moreFun Fridays – December 27, 2013
Category: Fun Fridays, Steve

The Quiet Zone

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 26, 2013
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I've noticed, not only this year, but in past years, that opinions from publishing professionals regarding the month of December vary.

Some say nothing gets done in December. Others say a little bit gets done in December. A rare few say a lot of work gets done.

Everyone is telling the truth. Why? Because publishing is filled with so many manuscripts in varying parts of the evaluation or …

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Category: Book Business, Communication, Tamela, The Publishing LifeTag: Communication, The Publishing Life

A Blessed Christmas to You All

By Karen Ballon December 25, 2013
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As you may have noticed, my day to blog here on the agency blog is Wednesday. I was utterly delighted when I realized that my blog fell on Christmas! If there is any one day of the year that is my absolute favorite, it’s Christmas. I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas…not just the day, but the whole season. My mom was the absolute queen of celebrations, and she knew how to do Christmas …

Read moreA Blessed Christmas to You All
Category: Karen, PersonalTag: Christmas

The Quiet Miracle

By Dan Balowon December 24, 2013
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Jesus Christ being born of a virgin in a stable in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago was one of greatest miracles by God.  Ranking miracles is a silly pursuit, so I will avoid that, but consider this…

The Creator of the entire physical universe, who existed before time itself, with infinite power, majesty and holiness, restrained all that glory and squeezed himself into a tiny, humble, human baby, …

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Category: Christian, Dan, Faith, PersonalTag: Christian, Christmas, Faith

The Anti-Christ-mas Redeemed

By Steve Laubeon December 23, 2013
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by Steve Laube

Ebenezer Scrooge shouted, “What is Christmas to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer….Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”

Not the most merry of sentiments but is illustrative of the …

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Category: Christian, Faith, Personal, SteveTag: Christian, Christmas, Faith

Silly Saturdays – December 21, 2013

By Steve Laubeon December 21, 2013
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I couldn't resist. I have been assimilated.
(The piece ends at around 1:20. After that is a commercial from the person who put this together.)

Read moreSilly Saturdays – December 21, 2013
Category: Humor, Steve

Fun Fridays – December 20, 2013

By Steve Laubeon December 20, 2013
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Love the arrangement of this song. The joy of everyone involved is infectious!

Read moreFun Fridays – December 20, 2013
Category: Fun Fridays, Steve

Staying Healthy Over the Holidays

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 19, 2013
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Now that we are in the midst of the holidays, it’s easy to lose sight of keeping our bodies in top form. Since we in publishing have sedentary jobs, we must be vigilant about our health. Even though many of us work at home, we still have parties at church, our outside jobs, our spouse’s work, clubs, and other food-laden events. I’ve already been challenged by two events: …

Read moreStaying Healthy Over the Holidays
Category: Career, Personal, TamelaTag: Career, Health, Holidays

Competitive Spirits and Battling Discouragement

By Steve Laubeon December 18, 2013
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Guest post by Roseanna M. White Roseanna M. White is a writer with a passion for bringing history to life. Her most recent historical series, The Culpepper Ring series (Harvest House) has received rave reviews from readers and reviewers alike. In addition to being a writer, Roseanna is the senior reviewer at the Christian Review of Books, which she and her husband founded; the senior editor at …

Read moreCompetitive Spirits and Battling Discouragement
Category: Career, Guest Post, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Discouragement, Encouragement, The Writing Life
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