This is a fun cover of a popular song. The unfortunate thing is that the chorus is one of those that sticks in your head…all day. But to make it worse the lyrics of the chorus could be the anthem song for either publishers or bookstores. Listen yourself to see if you agree (you can skip the part where the arranger starts talking at the end!):
Get Published
Attract Attention…(Part Three)
BP number one was "Be Professional." Number two was "Be Passionate." The third BP is one I like a lot: Be Plugged In. You need to be the expert on not just your book, but on the readers, the competition, and the craft. Doing that will enable you to equip your team! So…
Know your audience
It’s rare to find a book--or an author--that will be read by everyone. You book should have an …
Another Productive ICRS!
Tamela Hancock Murray
Two weeks ago I enjoyed the privilege of attending ICRS (International Christian Retail Show) as part of The Steve Laube Agency, marking my third ICRS with Steve.
As usual, our schedule was packed but seeing our colleagues is why we attend, so a full agenda is welcome. Year after year, reports say ICRS is getting smaller, and indeed we did miss seeing some of our …
Summerside Press Shuts Down
by Steve Laube
“Another one bites the dust.” This past week Guideposts announced they were discontinuing all new acquisitions of titles for both their Summerside Press (fiction) and Guideposts Books (non-fiction) trade lines. To have a complete picture of what this means we first have to understand that there are FIVE different book publishing programs under Guideposts. Two of them are …
Attract Attention (Part Two)
Wasn't it fun to read Steve’s observations about ICRS? There is so much going on this time of year in our industry, and so many opportunities to spend time with other writers, with editors, and with agents. I love networking with these wonderful folks. But even more than that, I love seeing writers have meaningful and positive interactions with editors and agents.
With that in mind, here’s the …
ICRS 2013 – Observations
by Steve Laube
This year was my 32nd consecutive annual bookseller’s convention now known as ICRS (International Christian Retail Show) held this year in St. Louis. As always it is a time of conversations, meetings, and business opportunities.
I arrived on Saturday afternoon, despite every attempt by the transportation industry to delay me…with 15 minutes to spare before giving an hour …
Attract Attention…in a GOOD Way!
I travel to writers’ conferences all over the country. I love being surrounded by others who love words and want to serve God through their writing. But over the years I've seen a number of interactions between agents/editors and conferees that were…well, less than positive. It was clear the conferee was passionate about his/her work, and that the writer was looking on this encounter as THE …
Really, You Don’t Have to Ask
Over the years I've seen lists of questions you're supposed to ask an agent before signing a contract. Some of the questions are excellent. But I believe if you ask others, at least at the stage when the agent is discussing the possibility of representation, you may have not done the right research ahead of time. I culled these questions from a number of lists on the Internet. Most of these …
Reason #2 – Top 3 Reasons Authors Don’t Get Asked to the Prom (or Invited to ICRS)
Good thoughts and discussion on last week’s blog. Thanks for your honest input. Before we continue, I want to clear up what seems to be a misunderstanding of the purpose behind my blog last week. I’m not expressing my opinion of ICRS or of its value for authors. One only has to look at what is being offered there (explained so well by Curtis Riskey, president of CBA, in the comment section of last …
Top 3 Reasons Authors Don’t Get Asked to the Prom (or Invited to ICRS) – Reason #1
It’s just around the corner. That time of year when publishers, retailers, agents and yes, some authors, descend upon a select conference center (this year in St. Louis in late June) to attend the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS).
ICRS. The trade show formerly known as CBA (Christian Booksellers Association). Where publishers gather with their editorial, sales, & marketing folks …