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News You Can Use – Sept. 13, 2011

By Steve Laubeon September 13, 2011

How Fiction Changed After 9/11 – The Economist explores the topic.

How Long Does Your Shared Link Stay Viable? – This fascinating study shows that if people don’t see your link within a few hours, they never will. Sobering isn’t it?

Seven Deadly Sins of Self-Publishers – Darby Rae presents some sound advice.

Are You Wasting Time Checking the Amazon Rankings? – BookBuzzer describes a tool that alerts you only if your rankings go up…and a daily digest of activity. Wean yourself off your Amazon Rank addiction.

What Can C.S. Lewis Teach you about Writing? – Kevin deYoung writes this post about the writing life.

News You Can Use – Sept. 6, 2011

By Steve Laubeon September 6, 2011

Trends in Publishing– A clear assessment of where things seem to be headed by Giuseppe Granieri.

Improve the Speed of Your Reading – Try it out! It is amazing how fast you really can read literally one word at a time.

The Secret Language of Pronouns – A Scientific American article about how men and women use pronouns differently. Agree or disagree?

Publish America’s Shady History – …

Category: News You Can Use, SteveTag: News, Publishing News

Nameless Waterfalls

By Steve Laubeon September 5, 2011

by Steve Laube During a recent vacation we visited a place in Alaska called the Tracy Arm Fjord. The picture above was one that I took during that visit. As we past through these amazing waters it was bitter cold (note the icebergs in the water), in the early morning around 6 a.m., and with a chilly wind to accompany us. But rather than be frozen by the weather I was mesmerized by the number of …

Category: Encouragement, Get Published, Personal, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Personal, Rejection, Writing Craft

Book of the Month – September 2011

By Steve Laubeon September 3, 2011

Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century by John B. Thompson (published by Polity) is this month’s “Book of the Month.”

I took this 432 page book with me on vacation and was mesmerized by its detailed analysis of the history of publishing and bookselling. Thompson's chapter on "The Rise of Literary Agents" was, of course, particularly interesting.

I have been …

Category: Book of the Month, Book Review, Get Published, SteveTag: Book Business, Book Review, New Books

Fun Fridays – Sept. 2, 2011

By Steve Laubeon September 2, 2011

Lisa Buffaloe, one of Tamela's clients, had some fun recreating what NOT to do during your "Writer's Conference Appointment." Below are all six short videos.

The scary thing is that I've actually seen the real thing of almost every one of these parodies!

Category: Fun Fridays, SteveTag: Humor

En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part Three)

By Karen Ballon August 31, 2011

Remember that old adage for retailers, “The customer is always right?” Well, for novelists seeking the perfect title, that should be “The audience is always right.”

Tip #4: Remember Your Audience! Novelists do a great job, on the whole, of keeping their audience in mind as they write. But sometimes when trying to come up with a catchy title or cover image, they go a bit far afield of that …

Category: Book Business, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Karen, Marketing, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Karen, Titles

News You Can Use – August 30, 2011

By Steve Laubeon August 30, 2011

Are Books Dead? Can Authors Survive? – Ewan Morrison presents a bleak picture of the industry. Agree or Disagree? (I disagree.)

The Golden Era of Books Isn’t Over – As the writer says, “The Golden Era is NOW.”

I Can’t Think of Anything to Blog About! – This is a fantastic article on ways to break your blogging writer’s block.

Economics Rewrites the Book Business – The Wall Street Journal …

Category: News You Can Use, SteveTag: News, Publishing News, Trends

To Pay or Not to Pay: For Your Own Media Travel Costs

By Steve Laubeon August 29, 2011

I have had the privilege of knowing Ellie Kay since I first found her book proposal in the slush pile while an editor at Bethany House. That proposal became the first of her fourteen published books. I later became her literary agent and together we have seen her wrestle with a number of issues related to a growing platform. From those humble beginnings in the late 90s Ellie has been on nearly …

Category: Book Business, Career, Guest Post, MarketingTag: Book Business, Marketing

Fun Fridays – Aug. 26, 2011

By Steve Laubeon August 26, 2011

Don't tell me you haven't done this with your own books.

I'll admit that after leaving a bookstore my clients tend to have their books face-out.

[I do not recommend moving books around! Publisher pay good money for product placement and the poor booksellers have enough to worry about.]

Category: Fun Fridays, SteveTag: Humor

A Matter of Perspective

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 25, 2011

During a recent visit to my local bank, I produced a document bearing the Virginia State seal. The banker commented on how terrible the seal is for men.

What an odd thing to say!

Mrs. Judith Gue taught third grade at the small private school I attended in a bucolic part of Virginia. Mrs. Gue was a plump woman who favored silk dresses, kept a paddle on her desk as an unspoken and ever-present …

Category: Book Business, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Writing Craft