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Fun Fridays – November 13, 2020

By Steve Laubeon November 13, 2020

Today’s video is one of those brilliant and clever mashups of video clips matched to a familiar song.

According to its creator, not a single clip was sped up or slowed down to match the music. It has the appearance of a master choreographer!

Can you name all the movies or dancers in this video? If you get stuck, click the closed-caption feature and all is revealed.

I couldn’t help but smile all the way through this. Hope you do too.

[If you cannot see the embedded video in your newsletter email, please click the headline and go directly to our site to view it.]

Is This Book Playing Tricks on You?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 12, 2020

Recently, I read a stylebook with lots of visuals. The author was trying to convince readers her ideas are the way to go on how to look great. Though the author’s an expert, she was selling her educated and informed opinion, not fact. I agreed with much of what she imparted but disagreed with other points. No matter, except that I resented a tactic she used several times with photos manipulated to …

Category: Writing Craft

Behind the Publishing Curtain: Fulfillment & Distribution with Tracy Higley

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on November 10, 2020

How do trees turn into books and get into people’s hands? At first glance, you may think they appear on bookshelves and in the mail as if by magic. But it is not magic. Behind the scenes thousands of people are working hard to make sure books get from the printer and into readers’ hands. If you want your book to wind up in readers’ hands, you will not want to miss this episode. Our guest today is …

Category: The Writing Life

Behind the Publishing Curtain: Fulfillment & Distribution with Tracy Higley

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on November 10, 2020

How do trees turn into books and get into people’s hands? At first glance, you may think they appear on bookshelves and in the mail as if by magic. But it is not magic. Behind the scenes thousands of people are working hard to make sure books get from the printer and into readers’ hands. […]
You can listen to this episode Behind the Publishing Curtain: Fulfillment & Distribution with Tracy Higley …

Category: The Writing Life

Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent

By Steve Laubeon November 9, 2020

By request, here are my ten commandments for working with your agent. Break them at your own peril. Thou shalt vent only to thine agent and never directly to thy publisher or editor. Thou shalt not get whipped into a frenzy by the industry rumor mill fomented by the Internet. Asketh thy agent if what you’ve heard is true. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s success. Be content with …

Category: Agency, Book Business, Get PublishedTag: Book Business, Contracts, Copyright, Facebook, Get Published, Internet Usage, Marketing

Fun Fridays – November 6, 2020

By Steve Laubeon November 6, 2020

We normally hear this song played by strings. But what if this segment of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” was played at hyperspeed by the brass section? Enjoy today’s breathtaking feast! [If you cannot see the embedded video in your newsletter email, please click the headline and go directly to our site to view it.] HT: Chawna Schroeder

Category: Fun Fridays

What about Credit for Ideas?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 5, 2020

The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ If an author asks his or her Facebook followers or blog readers for help in brainstorming, does the author owe anything if he or she uses an idea presented in that way? I have seen some do it as a contest. They’ll ask for ideas for the book title or a character’s name, and if they use one, they’ll give that person a free, signed …

Category: Copyright, Creativity, Your Questions Answered Series

Talk Less, Write More

By Bob Hostetleron November 4, 2020

The hit musical Hamilton has many memorable moments. One of my favorites is the moment when the title character first meets his colleague (and later, nemesis), Aaron Burr, who says, “Let me offer you some free advice.” “Talk less,” Burr says. “Smile more.” It’s a great character moment for the two characters. It reflects Burr’s slippery politician ways and foreshadows one of Hamilton’s fatal …

Category: Editing, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Support Your Local Bookstore

By Steve Laubeon November 2, 2020

I spent the first 11 years of my career working in a local Christian bookstore. It was a huge learning experience. I like to say, “The Christian bookstore is the only place in town where there is an ecumenical meeting every day. But no ones knows about it!” Ours was a large store (12,000 square feet) and served nearly 500 churches. Recently, I heard it said that “bookstores are …

Category: Book Sales

Fun Fridays – October 30, 2020

By Steve Laubeon October 30, 2020

On March 1 a worship song called “The Blessing” was first introduced to the congregation at Elevation Church near Charlotte, North Carolina (written by members of their staff). A couple weeks later, during the coronavirus lockdown, a group of thirty churches in Pittsburg performed it on Easter Sunday in a virtual choir (you can find that version at this link). The song began to be sung …

Category: Fun Fridays