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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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Home » Book of the Month

Book of the Month

Book of the Month – March 2021

By Steve Laubeon March 1, 2021
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I like to occasionally recommend a book on the writing life. Art + Faith by Makoto Fujimura (Yale University Press) is one you might enjoy. The author is a well-known painter and frequently speaks and writes on the intersection of art and faith.

In 2009 Crossway publishing commissioned him to illuminate the four Gospels to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the publishing of the King James Bible. It was the first time a single artist has been commissioned to illuminate the four Gospels in nearly five hundred years. (Crossway has a video on the project here.) The Gospels were on exhibition at the Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan in 2011 and later were featured at the inaugural exhibit at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC in 2017. (A link to that artwork can be found here. Note that the dimensions of these paintings are 48″ x 60″.)

The subtitle of the book is quite telling: A Theology of Making. What we have in these 150 pages is a nonlinear exploration of the topic. His interests are wide-ranging, interacting with other thinkers like T.S. Eliot. N.T. Wright, C.S. Lewis, and even farmers who “fix the soil.”

In his chapter called “The Journey to the New Through Christ’s Tears” (a meditation on John 11–12), he writes the following on pages 107-108:

Artists, by being sensitive to the world around them, also feel deeply the wounds and agony of life along with its explosive potential. . . . Artists are the conduits of life, articulating what all of us are surely sensing but may not have the capacity to express.

But having said that, we should not regard the arts as having only utilitarian value. The arts are use-less but a great gift, and therefore indispensable.

Let me repeat his sentence, “Articulating what all of us are surely sensing but may not have that capacity to express.” That is why you have been given the gift of writing. To express those things that have been pressed upon you.

Years ago I challenged an author when their nonfiction writing felt sterile–at arms-length. I said, “There is something missing in your work. You.” He replied, “But it hurts too much to go there.” A poignant observation of the life of a writer.

How many of you weep while writing? The novelist feels their character’s pain. The memoirist recalls the struggles of the past. All while trying to express the inexpressible. 

As I wrote these last three paragraphs I realized what happened. Makato Fujimura’s book made me think. To think about art and faith and why we do what we do.

Hopefully, this book can help you do the same.

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Category: Art, Book of the Month, The Writing Life

Book of the Summer 2020

By Steve Laubeon June 1, 2020
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Since today is the first of June and for some marks the beginning of Summer, I want to recommend you read at least one craft book during these months. Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality by Andrew T. Le Peau is that book! He worked for over forty years at InterVarsity Press (IVP) and was, for a long time, associate publisher for editorial. That means he knows what …

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Category: Book of the Month, Editing

A Great Book for Every Author

By Steve Laubeon October 21, 2019
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Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson is my “book of the month” for every writer. Andrew Peterson is a well-known musician, songwriter, and author. He’s won the Christy Award for best YA novel and WORLD magazine’s Children’s Book of the Year.  Over ten years ago, he founded a ministry called The Rabbit Room which encourages and cultivates a vibrant Christian arts community in …

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Category: Book of the Month, The Writing Life

Book of the Month – February 2019

By Steve Laubeon February 4, 2019
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The necessity of proper grammar is a blessing and a curse. A blessing for clear communication and consistency in how we communicate. A curse because it can be so complicated—everything from spelling to punctuation to phraseology. To make matters confusing, there are conflicting style guides. The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook has some key differences from The Chicago Manual of Style (used by all …

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Category: Book of the Month

Read a Book for My Birthday!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 31, 2017
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I learned that my birthday next week, September 6, is National Read a Book Day! Do I have the perfect career match or what? So, what book will you read for National Read a Book Day? You can read it in honor of my birthday if you like, but most of all, choose a book for your entertainment, edification, and increased knowledge. Would you like to suggest a book I should read? If you do, I’ll select …

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Category: Book of the Month, Book Review, Personal, ReadingTag: Reading

2017 Christian Writers Market Guide Now Online!

By Steve Laubeon December 26, 2016
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The 2017 edition of The Christian Writers Market Guide is officially available in print and ebook (paperback $22.99, ebook $9.99). Check your favorite bookstore or online retailer for a copy. Make sure you have a copy of this book in your arsenal! We are also very excited to announce that all the content of the guide is now available online via a subscription service (click here to see for …

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Category: Book of the Month, Book Proposals, Career, Christian Writers Institute, Get Published, Technology, The Writing LifeTag: Christian Writers Market Guide, Get Published

In Praise of Slow Reading

By Steve Laubeon January 19, 2015
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When asked what I do for a living I will sometimes answer, “I read.” Then when asked what I do for fun I smile and say, “I read.” That is one of the joys of being a literary agent, the privilege of reading…a lot. As such, the quantity of material that must be consumed just to keep up can be overwhelming. An ability to read quickly helps but also the ability to …

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Category: Book of the Month, Craft, Creativity, Personal

Book of the Month – September 2011

By Steve Laubeon September 3, 2011
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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 …

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

Book of the Month – August 2011

By Steve Laubeon August 1, 2011
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by Steve Laube

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs (published by Oxford in June 2011) is this month's "Book of the Month." I recommend you pick up a copy and enjoy the experience for yourself.

It seems a little odd to read a book about reading. But for those of us who are in the "business" of creating books it is always interesting to read a wise person's take on …

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Category: Book of the Month, Book Review, SteveTag: Book Review, New Books

Book of the Month – July 2011

By Steve Laubeon July 2, 2011
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by Steve Laube

Small Message, Big Impact by Terri L. Sjodin is this month's "Book of the Month." I recommend that every veteran and aspiring writer read this book and glean from it.

The key to this book is in the subtitle: How to Put the Power of the Elevator Speech Effect to Work for You. Sjodin defines the elevator speech as:  "A brief presentation that introduces a product, service, …

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Category: Book of the Month, Book Review, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Book Review, New Books, Writing Craft
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