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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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Home » Book Business » Page 6

Book Business

Could You Translate Please?

By Dan Balowon June 2, 2022
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What many U.S. Christian authors write about today has little or no application outside of the U.S. It’s why the majority of Christian books are not exported or translated into other languages. Most often it is not the theology holding it back, but the theme of the book.

A simple example would be homeschooling. It is illegal in quite a few countries of the world. (Germany, Sweden, and many other countries ban it outright.) Don’t be surprised when your homeschool books are not exported or translated into German or Swedish, or a number of other languages.

Another example are books related to the church or small-group Bible studies. Many countries heavily regulate churches. In addition, many countries are dominated by certain denominational or even state/church organizations, which further limit use of materials giving a differing perspective.

The next layer of this issue is the tendency of writers to use examples describing things when the substantial majority of people globally don’t know what they mean. Idioms requiring deep knowledge of American culture limit understandability. Often, we don’t even realize when our writing slips into American “code.” (Think football versus football.)

A third layer of communication is simply language related. The reason why we find humor in someone trying to explain something to a non-English-language person by speaking the words louder and slower is because it happens frequently.

“DO YOU HAVE A FRAGRANCE-FREE SEATING SECTION IN THIS RESTAURANT?”

“I SAID SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT!”

People involved in Bible translation run into these issues all the time. There are languages and cultures that have no words for certain concepts that might be important in English Christian vernacular. (By the way, I hate to disappoint you; but the Bible was not originally written in English.)

So, how should we respond?

Take great care to write to people in a way they can understand. Communication occurs when the reader understands. Some writers think far more about the point they want to make than first considering whether an audience understands or even cares. Failure to focus on the audience might be the primary reason most messages never get through.

What does it mean to focus on the audience?

  1. Know them. Have an idea to whom you are writing. If the audience doesn’t change the way you write, you probably aren’t thinking about them.
  2. Focus on outcomes. Write with the end in mind, such as eliciting an emotion or a call to action.  
  3. Think of different ways to get a point across than what first comes to mind. First thoughts might be fine, but often they are not. One suggestion is to practice writing something as if it’s going to be read by a person with English as a second language. This exercise not only makes you think about the audience for your message, but also forces you to communicate for understanding, which is different than writing whatever you want.

All this might bring to mind only language and cultural considerations when writing. But the issue is deeper still. Maybe at some time in the past, Christians could write and speak and generally be considered wise, but no longer. There are worldview considerations.

Writing to a reader who thinks you are at best foolish and, at worst, personally offensive, is quite challenging.

Christian writers should now consider themselves as exiles, like being a stranger, writing to a strange audience, requiring some translation in order to be understood.

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Category: Book Business, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

The Way Publishing Never Was

By Dan Balowon April 21, 2022
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In 1999, the book The Way Things Never Were: The Truth About the “Good Old Days” by Norman Finkelstein was published. I have a copy. My family grew weary of me referring to it in every conversation twenty years ago, so there it sits on the shelf. It is less than 100 pages, with plenty of pictures, so no one has the excuse that it is too long and complicated to read. Chapter titles …

Read moreThe Way Publishing Never Was
Category: Book Business, Career, Publishing History

A Is for Agent

By Steve Laubeon March 14, 2022
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by Steve Laube

I thought it might be fun to write a series that addresses some of the basic terms that define our industry. The perfect place to start, of course, is the letter "A." And even better to start with the word "Agent."

If you are a writer, you've got it easy. When you say you are a writer your audience lights up because they know what that means. (Their perception is that you …

Read moreA Is for Agent
Category: Agents, Book Business, Book Business, Career, Creativity, E-Books, Legal Issues, Publishing A-Z, Writing CraftTag: Agent, Book Business, publishing

Amazon Closes Physical Bookstores

By Steve Laubeon March 7, 2022
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In case you missed the news last Wednesday, Amazon announced that they are closing their 24 physical bookstores in the US. In addition, they are closing 44 other popup stores and 4-Star locations, which are not bookstores. (Thus the number 68 that you may have heard cited.) They first opened a physical bookstore over six years ago in Seattle. Their list of locations in 12 states and D.C. can be …

Read moreAmazon Closes Physical Bookstores
Category: Book Business

D Is for Dispute Resolution

By Steve Laubeon February 21, 2022
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by Steve Laube

Pray that it never happens to you. But if there is a situation where you find yourself in a legal battle with your publisher regarding your book contract there are terms that will dictate how that disagreement is handled.

Here is one version from an old contract:
Any claim or dispute arising from or related to this Agreement shall be settled by mediation and, if …

Read moreD Is for Dispute Resolution
Category: Book Business, Contracts, Publishing A-ZTag: Book Business, Contracts, Disputes

Watch the Jargon

By Dan Balowon February 17, 2022
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In early 2018, a corporate consulting firm, Grant Thornton, did a detailed analysis of Fortune 500 company websites, press releases, and social media. What they found was not surprising, but still proved how the use of business jargon (commonly used phrases) pervades the corporate world. What was the most commonly used phrase by Fortune 500 companies? “Best in class” Rounding out the top ten most …

Read moreWatch the Jargon
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

The Grand Canyon of Crossover Writing

By Dan Balowon January 27, 2022
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A number of Christian writers desire to write a book published by a large publisher focused beyond the Christian market. The motivation and focus are well-intentioned, amplifying a Christian message to the larger world. But while the author has this desire to reach a broader audience with a message of hope, companies that publish to the general population have an entirely different agenda, which …

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Category: Book Business, Marketing, The Publishing Life

It Was a Year

By Bob Hostetleron January 13, 2022
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You thought everything would be “normal” by now, didn’t you? There’s a scene in the Mel Brooks classic film Young Frankenstein, in which Dr. Frankenstein (“Fronk-en-shteen”) discovers the brain his assistant supplied for the doctor’s grand experiment came from “Abby Someone.” “Abby who?” the doctor asks. “Abby … Normal,” comes the answer. That’s where we are, living in “Abby Normal” times. In …

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Category: Book Business, Personal

A Year in Review: A Look at 2021

By Steve Laubeon January 10, 2022
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Every year at this time it can be strange to reflect on all that has happened over the past 12 months. I suspect that we all have a bit of selective memory and often forget to count our blessings. Instead, we target the difficult times. Why is that? I’ll do my best to recite a bit of both in this review of the past year. The IndustryWe spent the first quarter of 2021 waiting for things to “open …

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Category: Awards, Book Business, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

Enclave Publishing Has Been Sold!

By Steve Laubeon December 6, 2021
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Enclave Publishing has been sold to Oasis Family Media! Many of you know of my love for the speculative fiction genre. Almost eight years ago, I purchased a small company called Marcher Lord Press and rebranded it as Enclave Publishing. Through many twists and turns, Enclave has been successfully positioned as a strong outlet for quality speculative fiction from authors with a Christian worldview. …

Read moreEnclave Publishing Has Been Sold!
Category: Book Business, News You Can Use, Personal, Publishing HistoryTag: Enclave Publishing, Publishing News
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