• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

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

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Career » Page 17

Career

The Endangered Author

By Dan Balowon May 9, 2017
Share
Tweet2
12

There are many kinds of creative writing, for personal enjoyment to the type for which you are paid. As an agent earning a living selling book proposals to traditional publishers, I evaluate everything based both on whether it fits the type of content I want to represent, but also if it is commercially viable for those publishers.

 Depending on where you are on the spectrum as an author, maybe some parts of this post today won’t be for you, but maybe some of the principles will apply, so you can make the connections to fit your situation.

Here is how you can tell if you are in trouble as an author. This includes both traditionally published and self-published authors.

The process of writing is distasteful

At the point you don’t enjoy the entire process of writing, reviewing, editing, honing, crafting, re-writing, reviewing again, re-editing, re-honing (is this a word?), and so on, you are in trouble as an author.

For successful authors, the writing process is the place where they feel most alive and energized. If this is the worst part of the process for you, you might need to take a break or move on to some other line of work.

You can’t think of anything to write

Inspiration is never on a schedule, however some would assert “writer’s block” is common only for those who have another means of financial support. Maybe desperation is the mother of creativity.

There are relatively simple remedies helping you push past temporary creative blocks. But a chronic lack of any ideas to write about could be an indicator writing books may be coming to an end for you. God is infinite, topics to write about are not.

Readers are a Pain in the Neck…or Worse

This is probably the greatest indicator of trouble. This would be like a human hating the air they breathe. Readers give good and poor reviews. They encourage and discourage. Some find your writing helpful and some find it pointless and tell you in no uncertain terms. Supporters can be silent and critics vocal.

An author’s relationship to readers can be complicated, and can easily wind its way to feelings of dislike. Still, authors need readers for better or worse.

Price is the most compelling reason to acquire your book

No product or business can sustain itself for long if the primary reason it exists is because it is cheap or free. Stores can offer price reductions for a short-term promotion in an attempt to cause increased interest, but if price is the compelling reason to buy anything, trouble is brewing.

Free eBooks have given false information to authors who consider 5,000 free downloads as “selling” their book because of high reader interest. Authors would be depressed if they knew what percentage of those 5,000 actually read any part of their book. It could be less than 10%. Maybe closer to 1% or less.

_____

So what do you do? Some suggestions to dealing with the above danger signs:

  1. Be a prayer partner with another writer and help them walk through the rough patches of the writing process. Helping someone else is one of the best ways to work through your tough moments.
  2. Be open to leading from others about what to write. Don’t dismiss the possibility God could be communicating to you through another person. Ideas can come from anywhere…even strangers. Or strange agents.
  3. Pray for your readers. It will calm your emotions and transform your perspective.
  4. Charge a reasonable price (not the cheapest or the most expensive) for your work, but always be open to be generous to a person who cannot afford it. The solution is not to make it “all about the money,” but recognize a proper balance and place for good financial stewardship in your work. Household bills require dollars to pay them, not units.

Turning a potential problem into a positive is always a good approach. Summer is coming, go ahead and make some lemonade from the lemons.

 

Leave a Comment
Category: Book Business, Career

The Non-Partisan Author

By Dan Balowon April 4, 2017
Share
Tweet
31

The political environment has been toxic for author branding since the Internet debuted over 20 years ago, but has gotten significantly worse and more dangerous as social media grows in the last decade. When expressing opinions became as easy as a mouse-click “like,” authors entered a danger-zone. Unless your author brand includes political commentary, or a focused societal issue, it is probably …

Read moreThe Non-Partisan Author
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Social MediaTag: Politics, Social Media

Life Hands You A Platform

By Dan Balowon March 28, 2017
Share
Tweet
20

Every writer’s conference or gathering includes at least one presentation about developing or maintaining an author-marketing platform. Social Media, public speaking, blogging, newsletters…everything working together to establish and support your personalized and unique author “brand.” This agency and other publishing blogs address various elements of the issue on a regular basis. If you are …

Read moreLife Hands You A Platform
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, PlatformTag: Branding, Marketing, Platform

Bland on Facebook?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 2, 2017
Share
Tweet
38

Recently I posted a photo of roses my husband had given me. One of my daughters said, “Mommy, you know you’re desperate to be noncontroversial when you post a picture of roses.” She has also observed that part of my workday is posting “noncontroversial” updates on Facebook. Guilty as charged. But why? Why not be exciting on Facebook? Here’s why: I try to represent my faith with my words. I’m far …

Read moreBland on Facebook?
Category: Career, Marketing, Social Media, The Writing LifeTag: Facebook, Social Media, The Writing Life

The Isolated Writer

By Dan Balowon February 14, 2017
Share
Tweet
25

In general, writers do not do their best work in a group. The very nature of creative writing is a solitary pursuit, but without taking great care, can morph into a feeling of isolation. And this can occur whether an author lives in a quiet rural town or in midtown Manhattan. (The one in New York, not Kansas) So, how does an author, feeling isolated and alone stay motivated? How do they develop …

Read moreThe Isolated Writer
Category: Career, Encouragement, Social Media, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Encouragement, The Writing Life

Should I Join a Professional Organization?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 9, 2017
Share
Tweet
29

Thinking about joining a professional organization? This post is geared to the writer who has decided what type of books to write and wonders if memberships would enhance the proposal. Those who are undecided would be better served by attending a few conferences as a nonmember to discern career direction. When investigating professional organizations, I recommend asking yourself questions: Can I …

Read moreShould I Join a Professional Organization?
Category: Career, Conferences, The Writing LifeTag: Career, The Writing Life

The Extroverted Writer

By Steve Laubeon February 6, 2017
Share
Tweet2
14

Since we looked at the introverted writer last week it is only appropriate that we address the extroverted writer. Before we go further it is important to understand the intrinsic weakness of any label. People are much more complex then introvert or extrovert. At the same time such labels can help us understand each other’s inclinations and limitations. Extroverted can mean many things. …

Read moreThe Extroverted Writer
Category: Career, The Writing LifeTag: Career, The Writing Life

The Introverted Writer

By Steve Laubeon January 30, 2017
Share
Tweet
23

Here is a question from Trisha: I consider myself a deeply introverted person. I write because I can express myself on paper so much better than in conversational settings. When it comes to getting published, how do you think the personality of the author is weighed in respect to publishers and agents considering an author for publication? In other words, does a more bubbly personality get …

Read moreThe Introverted Writer
Category: Career, Social Media, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Introvert, The Writing Life

Comparisons: A Losing Proposition

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 26, 2017
Share
Tweet3
35

Do not compare one person with another: it is a hateful thing to do. – St. Teresa of Avila I think this is one of the hardest of St. Teresa’s 69 maxims. After all, we make comparisons between others every day. Some are not healthy, such as, “Who is my favorite in-law?” Does it matter? Should you form an opinion to justify treating one person better than another? Or worse, use an unfavorable …

Read moreComparisons: A Losing Proposition
Category: Career, Christian, The Writing LifeTag: Career, The Writing Life

How Self-Publishing Has Changed Authors

By Dan Balowon January 24, 2017
Share
Tweet
33

As a literary agent, not a day goes by when I don’t encounter the changes in thinking from authors caused by the expansion and availability of self-publishing. It’s understandable, because there are over twice as many books self-published every year in the United States than are published by traditional publishers. Traditional and self-publishing generate over one million new books every …

Read moreHow Self-Publishing Has Changed Authors
Category: Agents, Book Business, Book Proposals, Book Sales, Career, Economics, Get Published, Marketing, Self-Publishing, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, Self-Publishing, Traditional Publishing
  • Previous
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 15
  • Page 16
  • Page 17
  • Page 18
  • Page 19
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 37
  • Next
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media