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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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You Probably Won’t Get a Book Deal. We Still Need You to Write: Guest Post by Darryl Dash

By Guest Bloggeron April 28, 2025
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DARRYL DASH is the pastor of Grace Fellowship Church East Toronto and cofounder of Gospel for Life. He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has over 30 years of ministry experience. He is the author of two books published by Moody Publishers. Darryl is married to Charlene and has two adult children, Christy and Josiah. You can find Darryl online at www.DashHouse.com.

________________

The publishing industry is challenging. Not only do you have to be a great writer, but you need a big platform. In the end, you need a book that will sell.

It’s understandable. Publishers aren’t charities, and they need to make money from their books. Publishing a book is a massive investment that costs a lot of money and involves significant risk.

For this reason, it’s difficult to be published. Unless you have a large following, or catch a break, you may face an uphill battle in getting your book published.

And yet, I would argue, it’s still important for you to write for at least a couple of reasons.

First, somebody needs your writing. Just because you won’t sell 5,000 or 10,000 books doesn’t mean that you don’t have a message that can benefit many. You don’t need a large audience; a small one will do. Someone will likely benefit from what you’ve learned. Your writing will be a blessing to someone who needs it.

There’s also a huge benefit in writing for your own sake. Writing helps us think on paper. It helps us practice and develop our skill. The only way to become a better writer is to write. If writing changes nobody else, it will change you. But as it changes you, I’ll bet that it will also help others at the same time.

Beyond that, it’s never been easier to publish. Anyone can start a blog or open their own Substack. If you want to write a book, you can publish and market it yourself. Sure, it’s hard work, but so is publishing the traditional way. Nobody’s standing in your way.

Years ago, someone told me that a well-written article will get more readers than most books. That was before the age of blocking any internet content, but the point still stands.

You can write on the internet; and if you write well, your writing can have just as big an influence as many of the books you see in the bookstore. If your writing is good, or even if it’s becoming good, you will find readers.

I agree with what Barbara Ueland wrote a long time ago: “Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say.” You probably don’t have something new to write—pretty much everything’s been said already—but nobody’s said it quite the same way that you will, from your perspective.

Please write. We need your voice. It’s nice to publish a book; and if you want to, you should pursue that goal. If you can’t find a publisher, you can do it yourself.

But you don’t need to publish a book for your writing to be worthwhile. In an age where the publishing industry is not going to publish as many of our books as we’d like, we can still write to bless others and develop our craft.

For this reason, please keep writing. And share your writing so we can benefit from it too.

 

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Category: The Writing Life

Fun Fridays – April 25, 2025

By Steve Laubeon April 25, 2025
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Today’s video is a stunning rendition of the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Performed for the National American Choral Directors Association Conference two weeks ago, it features a group of high school singers and an amazing director. The audience is filled with choral directors who cheer when something extraordinary is heard. The arrangement is sheer genius, and the …

Read moreFun Fridays – April 25, 2025
Category: Fun Fridays

A Month at the Center of History

By Dan Balowon April 24, 2025
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April 1945 might have been the pivotal month in all world history, considering all of the historical events and people who eventually ended up in books, articles, photos, and movies—likely thousands, both from a Judeo-Christian and a secular perspective. Looking day by day, this was April 1945, eighty years ago. April 1 – Easter Sunday. The Battle of Okinawa, Japan began. It was the largest and …

Read moreA Month at the Center of History
Category: Historical

What Is the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?

By Steve Laubeon April 21, 2025
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We are asked this question so frequently that I have to re-run this post on a regular basis! Since it has become so easy to self-publish, many authors are creating their own books, both in ebook and print form. Later, those authors are not quite sure what to do if/when they want to approach an agent. Or pitch to an editor at a conference. Should they just send a copy of the book with a letter? Or …

Read moreWhat Is the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?
Category: Book Proposals, Indie, Self-PublishingTag: book proposals, Get Published, Self-Publishing

Gray Saturday

By Steve Laubeon April 19, 2025
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I wrote this many years ago and post it every Easter weekend as a reminder. May it speak to you in some small way. Gray Saturday by Steve Laube Holy weekend is such a study in contrasts. Friday is dark. Somber. Frightening in its hopelessness and pain. I do not like Dark Fridays. The nails bury themselves deep into my soul. They become a singular stake through the heart of this sinner. Piercing. …

Read moreGray Saturday
Category: Faith, Personal, TheologyTag: Christian, Faith, Personal, Theology

Dark Friday

By Steve Laubeon April 18, 2025
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I wrote this piece several years ago and thought it appropriate to post every year on Dark Friday. Take Me, Break Me (a prayer) by Steve Laube Take my eyes, Lord. Strike me blind. * * * Then heal me, Lord, That I may see with Your eyes.   Take my hands, Lord. Crush every bone. * * * Then heal me, Lord, That I may touch with Your tenderness.   Take my ears, Lord. Deafen me. * * * Then …

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Category: Personal, TheologyTag: Dark Friday, Theology

The Right Conference for Me?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 16, 2025
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I joke that if I didn’t like my husband, I could arrange to be away at writers conferences 90% of the time. The truth is, Christian publishing blesses industry professionals with many excellent opportunities, including classes, worship, professional speakers, the chance to meet top agents, editors, and writers, along with mentorships and fellowship, to name a few. Each conference is unique and …

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Category: Conferences

Binge Watching versus Binge Reading

By Steve Laubeon April 14, 2025
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A lot of people take advantage of their entertainment streaming services to binge-watch multiple episodes of a particular TV show in one sitting. How long would it take to spend the same amount of time reading … the Bible? A few years ago, Crossway.org published an article titled “You Have More Time for Bible Reading Than You Think.” The results are rather interesting. (The chart …

Read moreBinge Watching versus Binge Reading
Category: Reading

Fun Fridays – April 11, 2025

By Steve Laubeon April 11, 2025
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Some fun with classical music today! Enjoy the virtuosity, once the musicians begin playing, and the shenanigans surrounding it all.

Read moreFun Fridays – April 11, 2025
Category: Fun Fridays

Every Christian Book Is About Easter

By Dan Balowon April 10, 2025
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As we near Holy Week, I know the assertion that every Christian book is about Easter won’t change anything in publishing. The seasonal best-seller lists, bookseller promotions, online keyword searches, and publishers require marketing hooks to advertise. But let’s face it: All Christian books are really about Easter Sunday morning. Christian books all have a key pivot point of their message in the …

Read moreEvery Christian Book Is About Easter
Category: The Publishing Life, Theology
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