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Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Career » Page 27

Career

Standing for Something

By Dan Balowon November 11, 2014
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Take a Stand

When Al Ries and Jack Trout published their classic marketing book Positioning in 1981, the concept of the book and the single-word title became a white-hot marketing buzzword, much in the same way as “platform” is today.

I am not going to dig into that classic business title today or come up with a complicated analysis of positioning, but I can say this, if you want to do a brilliant piece of strategic personal branding or positioning, do the following:

Take a position.

If you want to be known for something and have a solid book-hook for your author platform, stand for something.

Talk show hosts who only ask questions are not as popular as those who take a stand on an issue. Of course, you can stand for something meaningless and downright stupid, but at least you will be known as the person who stands for something.

As Christian communicators we have an opportunity to take important stands and God desires we do so.

Christians love John 3:16, but it is another 3:16, this one in Revelation that is not-so-lovable towards those believers who take no stand or position.

“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (NIV)

That doesn’t sound like a good thing coming from the creator of the universe who holds everything together by the strength of his hands.

Traditional Christian publishers each stand for something. Most have corporate theology-statements. Some use the National Association of Evangelicals statement of faith as their own, found here. (http://www.nae.net/about-us/statement-of-faith )

An author desiring to write a book to convince readers to re-think the canon of Scripture, the deity of Jesus Christ or the existence of the trinity, are going to be very disappointed by a publisher’s response.  There are issues where publishers will not be moved.

Agents take stands as well. The four at this agency talk about meaningful issues every now and then and we are generally of one mind as we see the world. Every decision we make is filtered through that position.

In general, only academic publishers might be interested in a work that “explores” all sides of an issue without taking a stand.  When you are writing for the consumer-reader, you need to be strong and opinionated, pointing them in a specific direction you feel deeply about.

If you have published something and didn’t receive either strong praise or criticism from reviewers, you probably missed the mark on taking a stand. I’ve heard from a number of Christian leaders that if they are not experiencing strong opposition, they are probably not doing something right. The enemy does not like truth and will fight back.

Without getting into specifics, I can think of a number of “stands” you could take that are consistent with Scripture, but will make people really, really angry, proving you are on the right track.

I hear some people didn’t like what Jesus stood for either.

 

 

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Category: Branding, Career, Communication, Marketing, Platform, TrendsTag: Career, Marketing

HELP! I’m a Bestselling Author!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 6, 2014
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Are you surprised that bestselling authors need help? Don’t be. While they are in an enviable position, that position is not without its hazards. 1.) Performance: Each book must be as good or better than the last book to keep readers reading. 2.) Sales: In direct correlation to the first item, the readership will result in sales. A bestselling author doesn’t want to see a big drop in …

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Category: Book Business, CareerTag: Bestselling Author, Career

Healthy Brain Food

By Dan Balowon November 4, 2014
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In this social media-saturated world where everyone seems to have an opinion about everything, it is very important to quickly determine those voices you pay attention to and those you tune out. When it comes to the book publishing business, I narrow down who I pay attention to simply because I am convinced my head would explode if I listened to everyone. Probably because the end-product of book …

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Category: Book Business, Career, Marketing, News You Can Use, The Publishing Life, TrendsTag: Publishing News, Sources, The Publishing Life

HELP! I’m a Mid-List Author

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 30, 2014
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Author Sales are Going Down

In the current publishing environment, many mid-list authors have taken hits. Some mid-list authors can and do keep writing, enjoy healthy sales, and have great careers while rarely hitting a bestseller list. This is a great and rewarding path. However, in recent times, market changes and the closing of fiction lines in particular have left some mid-list authors without a home. Or perhaps simply …

Read moreHELP! I’m a Mid-List Author
Category: Book Business, Career, Get PublishedTag: Career, Mid-List Authors

Are You Being Too Transparent?

By Karen Ballon October 29, 2014
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Have you seen the show Blue Bloods? Great show—I mean, how can it not be with Tom Selleck? Do I hear an amen??—that focuses on solid family connections and deals with tough, current issues. The most recent episode made me sit back and go, “Wow. I needed that reminder.” So I’m going to share the gist with you, because it’s something we all need to keep in mind. In the show, Tom Selleck plays Frank …

Read moreAre You Being Too Transparent?
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, TrendsTag: Communication, Social Media, Transparency

Returning Lemonade to the Lemons

By Dan Balowon October 28, 2014
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Arrogant Writer

In my opinion, there are too many suggestions to improve things. Ten keys to success, five days to improving something, 12 steps to overcoming something, transform something by the end of the week, etc. An entirely neglected approach to life is how to make it go sour. Messing it up needs equal time and attention. Not enough is written about it and not enough time is spent discussing it. Until now. …

Read moreReturning Lemonade to the Lemons
Category: Book Business, Career, Editing, Get PublishedTag: Career, Entitlement

HELP! I’m a Debut Author

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 23, 2014
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The Debut Author

When considering traditional publishing, new authors may think it’s harder than ever to go from unpublished (or “pre-published” as the popular euphemism goes) to published. However, that’s not the case. The truth is, it has ALWAYS been difficult to become a traditionally published author. When my first book was published in the 1990s, my uncle, a high school history teacher …

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Category: Career, Get PublishedTag: Career, Debut author, get publishied

HELP! I’m a Self-Published Author

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 16, 2014
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Time and time again, self-published authors come to me asking for help. They self-published or published with a very small press and found that doing all of their own marketing and promotion resulted in sales in the three-figure range. Some authors are able to achieve the low four figures but that’s not much better as far as impressing a traditional publisher. A cumulative total of several …

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Category: Career, IndieTag: Career, Get Published, Indie, Self-Publishing

Did I Say That?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 9, 2014
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I think I talk more at a conference in one day that I do in a week at home. (Well, my family might dispute that. Just sayin’.) All that talk means I have plenty of times to say great things, witty things, funny things, and stupid things. Sometimes someone will tell me, “Three years ago you said, blah BLAH blah blah blah blah blah BLAH.” Really? I said that? Well, I probably did. …

Read moreDid I Say That?
Category: Career, Conferences, Get PublishedTag: Talking, writers conferences

Are You Being Trashed?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 25, 2014
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No matter who you are or how nice you are, some people won’t like you. That’s a fact we all have to live with. Even worse, people we thought were friends can turn on us. And sometimes we may become the victim of unhappy people who enjoy talking rudely about others. Know the meaning of “trashed” You are being trashed if someone is making harmful statements about you with …

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Category: Book Review, CareerTag: bad reviews, Career
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