I really hope my book won’t be featured in this museum!
Enjoy this fascinating video.
Blog
Writing for Others
Failure to be published traditionally or unsuccessful self-publishing often results from writing what you want, rather than what readers want, to read. This is common in book publishing, where the market’s randomness and subjectivity create a disconnect between authors, publishers, and readers. Every step along the publishing process attempts to predict the desires of the next step. More …
Things You Don’t Know You’re Saying
Publishing is a funny business. Not funny “ha ha” but funny “strange.” And funny “mystical.” And funny “inscrutable.” Is that enough funny for you? Not laughing? That’s funny. But seriously, folks, one of those funny things I experience in my work as a literary agent is that people often say things they don’t mean to say, in person and in their book proposals (which is how I start the conversation …
“You Are What You Do” – A Very Dangerous Myth
Typically, we define work as something we “do.” Work can then be defined as the activity you do as a profession and for which you are paid. But if you are a writer, the latter half of that formula isn’t always a guaranteed proposition! Thus, for the writer, we are left with a definition of work as being what you do. But that can be a dangerous thing because we tend to let what we …
Fun Fridays – May 2, 2025
People may define “fun” differently. Today’s video is “fun” by my definition because it is interesting, instructive, and done by someone with a delightful accent. Seriously though, I often forget that not everyone knows the vocabulary for the various pieces of a printed book. This video may help!
Midweek Fun Puns
For a quick midweek break, here are some really bad puns for your enjoyment. None are original! Don’t blame me. A chicken and an egg go into a restaurant. The waitress asked, “Which of you is first?” To the guy who invented zero, thanks for nothing. Dogs can’t operate MRI machines. But catscan. What kind of concert only costs 45 cents? A 50 Cent concert featuring …
You Probably Won’t Get a Book Deal. We Still Need You to Write: Guest Post by Darryl Dash
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 …
Fun Fridays – April 25, 2025
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 …
A Month at the Center of History
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 …
What Is the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?
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 …