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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 » Historical

Historical

A Year in Review: A Look at 2022

By Steve Laubeon January 9, 2023
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When we reflect on a prior year, it can be hard to recall highlights or lowlights. They sort of blend together. The constant barrage of wretched news media fills in the moments of silence and crowds out the goodness of God that should be readily apparent in our everyday lives. My attempt in this article is to focus only on our industry, our agency, and a couple of other good things we have going.

The Industry
The supply chain nightmare began to ease somewhat, but the by-product was a disastrous surge in hard costs for publishers. Print costs jumped dramatically, which has caused an increase in the retail price of new books. Call it inflation if you will. Publishers call it “pain” in the cash flow.

And yet, book sales continued to stay strong. Publishers must constantly assess consumer buying habits. I had many conversations with publishers about sales channels and the ever-changing “normal.” One cannot count on physical stores to carry heavy inventory of every new title. Both the old term “discoverability” and the ubiquitous term “platform” are littered throughout the conversation.

If a book breaks out in sales demand, getting new copies reprinted is a challenge when printers need two to three months lead time. While ebooks are an alternative, half the market still prefers a physical book.

The U.S. Department of Justice successfully stopped the $2.2 billion sale of Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House. This was not a surprise after the judge’s initial questions in the first weeks of the trial suggested the direction things would take. If you like to geek out on stuff like this, you can read all the filings and trial transcripts for yourself in a book called The Trial. (The 1,200 page hardcover sells for $99. Or get the ebook direct from Publishers Marketplace for $19.99.) It is like a graduate course on how big publishing works with testimony from publishing executives, top literary agents, and bestselling authors.

Meanwhile, Simon and Schuster is reportedly back on the block. There is much speculation about a potential buyer, whether it be HarperCollins or Lagardère (the parent company of the Hachette Book Group), or some investment firm.

Our Agency
The agency continues to have the privilege of working with nearly 300 authors. Our efforts last year secured contracts for around 200 new books, over a half dozen of them from first-time authors. We negotiated a number of audio, large-print, film-option, and foreign-rights licensing deals. We also had various titles hit the ECPA bestseller charts in both fiction and nonfiction.

I am honored to have Tamela, Bob, and Dan as great agents who pour themselves into their clients’ work. We make a great team. We all continue to find new opportunities, give guidance, and troubleshoot a wide variety of issues.

What was most encouraging was our publishing partners continued acquisitions. Remember that publishing is a long process. Contracts signed this past year were not only for books releasing in 2023 but for those to be published as far out as 2029.

Some of our clients were honored with various awards (including three Book-of-the-Year Awards!):

  • Amanda Cox was awarded the Christy Award Book-of-the-Year for the second year in a row! (That has never happened before.)
  • Michelle Shocklee was awarded Christianity Today’s Fiction Book-of-the-Year
  • Gillian Bronte Adams won the Realm Makers Book-of-the-Year award
  • We had five finalists for the Christy Awards (Amanda Cox, Connilyn Cossette, Sharon Hinck, Kara Swanson, and Tracy Higley). Sharon Hinck won for best speculative novel for the third year in a row (the first time a trilogy has won for every book in a series). Kara Swanson won for best Young Adult novel.
  • We had six finalists for the Carol Awards (Amanda Wen, Morgan Busse, Virginia Vaughan, Carla Laureano, Andrew Huff, and Sharon Hinck). Sharon Hinck won the award for best speculative novel.
  • Sami Abrams won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.
  • For the Realm Awards: Kara Swanson won the Alliance Award, which is a reader’s-choice award. Gillian Bronte Adams won for best epic fantasy. Daniel Schwabauer won for best science fiction. Morgan Busse won for best young adult novel. In addition, Kara’s book won for best cover design; and Daniel’s won for best audio production.
  • The ECPA Bronze Book Award for more than 100,000 copies sold was given to Dallas Jenkins, Amanda Jenkins, and Dr. Douglas Huffman (Blessed are the Chosen published by David C. Cook).

The Christian Writers Institute and The Christian Writers Market Guide
The Christian Writers Institute (CWI) continues to provide opportunities for writers to further their education via our online audio and video courses. We have brought in some new teachers and courses (like those from DiAnn Mills and Daniel Schwabauer). Last week we launched an all-access membership option, so writers are able to select from more than 100 courses for either $25 a month or only $200 per year. The membership includes regular live training seminars with either myself or Alana Terry.

The new 2023 edition of The Christian Writers Market Guide is available right now in print, ebook, and online. (The above link takes you to shoptheword.com where the physical book is 32% off right now.) This is the seventh consecutive year we have brought out a new edition. It is still the only curated collection of resources for Christian writers available anywhere.

Write-to-Publish Conference
In a big move for CWI, we have taken over the management of the annual Write-to-Publish Conference held every June. Under the oversight of Dan Balow, we have Jerry B. Jenkins as our keynote speaker; Dr. Leland Ryken as our plenary speaker; and Michael Card, who will give a special concert on the last evening. In addition, as of this writing, there are nine literary agents and twenty editors and publishers on faculty. See writetopublish.com for more information, and join us June 13-16 in Wheaton, Illinois.

Enclave Publishing
Enclave Publishing is a traditional publishing company devoted to the publication of speculative fiction written by authors who have a Christian worldview. The following describes the type of books we publish: “Enclave Publishing helps create out-of-this-world stories informed by a coherent theology.”

You may recall that a year ago I sold Enclave to Oasis Family Media. As part of the arrangement, they retained our entire editorial, production, and marketing team with me continuing as publisher. I am very grateful for the partnership.

We released 12 new titles in 2022 with 16 on the docket for 2023. It was great to have many of our books win numerous awards. For the fourth consecutive year, Enclave won a Christy award. Two authors won Carol awards. Four authors won Realm Maker awards, plus a Book-of-the-Year honor. (Three of the last four years an Enclave author has won the Book-of-the-Year award.) We are blessed to have so many fantastic authors to work with.

A Personal Project
I had the privilege of helping to create a new book called The Chosen Presents: A Blended Harmony of the Gospels with Dallas and Amanda Jenkins. In it, I wove the four gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) into one chronological narrative. Then I broke it into 40 readings, so you can immerse yourself in the life of Jesus in forty days. In the back is an exhaustive index showing which biblical passages are in each reading. Broadstreet, the publisher, did a magnificent job in preparing a beautiful package.

It is truly an honor to be a part of this project.

The Future
I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, the world needs your nonfiction insights to counter the ills of a society careening toward self-destruction. We need your great stories to fill the fiction market and offer an alternative to the soulless stories being told by the world. The culture around us staggers from crisis headline to crisis headline, but Jesus is our unshakeable foundation. The Church and all believers must steadily pursue Christ and His Kingdom. Books are a key help in this pursuit.

Soli Deo Gloria

 

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Category: Agency, Awards, Historical

7 Favorite Writer Destinations

By Bob Hostetleron October 26, 2022
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I recently discovered online (is there any other way to discover things these days?) that there is a Writer’s Museum in Edinburgh. Say what? I have to go. After all, I’m a writer. Plus, it’s free, which is totally in my price range. Until I make that trip, however, I’ll have to reminisce about my favorite writerly destinations I’ve visited over the years—and I’ve had a lot of them. Years, that is. …

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Category: Historical, Inspiration, Personal

Project Gutenberg

By Dan Balowon December 1, 2021
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Fifty years ago today, at the age of 24, Michael Stern Hart of Urbana, Illinois, founded Project Gutenberg. It was the world’s first digital library, using technology that would eventually help create the Internet. Michael invented ebooks. An interesting guy, his parents were both professors at the University of Illinois. He graduated from U of I in two years with a degree in Human-Machine …

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Category: Historical, Publishing History

Publishing’s Historical Markers

By Dan Balowon July 15, 2021
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Seventy-five years ago this week, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Benjamin Spock was first published. That’s Doctor Spock, so relax, Trekkies among us. Only a handful of books published throughout history could have other books written about them. This is one of them. It sold more than 50,000,000 total copies in several dozen languages. From 1946 to the late 90s, most people agreed …

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Category: Historical, Publishing History

Flag Day – 2021

By Steve Laubeon June 14, 2021
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Today, June 14 in the United States, marks the day in 1777 when the Second Continental Congress passed “The Flag Resolution,” establishing the Stars and Stripes as the nation’s official flag. Below is a short video with a more-detailed explanation. While it is clear that our ultimate allegiance should be to Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we can still have …

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Category: Historical

Veterans Day – 2019

By Steve Laubeon November 11, 2019
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Today, November 11, 2019, is the 101st anniversary of Veterans Day, celebrated in the United States. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was set to honor the end of World War I, which happened on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. It became a legal holiday in the U.S. in 1938 and was renamed as Veterans Day in 1954. It is our opportunity to thank and celebrate all those who …

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Category: Historical

Writers as Students of History

By Dan Balowon February 27, 2018
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Anyone reading my posts on this agency blog will get a sense of my opinion and perspective on the publishing life. Of the fifty or so blog posts I write each year, many connect something in publishing to a historical event or attempt to draw some sort of application or conclusion from the books which were selling at some point in the past. To be honest, I don’t know how anyone can understand …

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Category: Historical, Publishing History, The Publishing LifeTag: History, The Publishing Life

Researching Your Historical Novel

By Guest Bloggeron September 21, 2017
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Angela Breidenbach is a bestselling author of fiction through the ages with most of her books set in Montana. She’s the host of Lit Up! on TogiNet.com and iTunes about great entertainment from books to movies. Visit Angela and her fe-lion personal assistant, Muse, posting comedic conversations with his Writer on social media, entertaining fans just for fun. Please find her web site …

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Category: Get Published, Historical, RomanceTag: Historical, Research

Revolutionary Books

By Dan Balowon July 4, 2017
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Today is Independence Day in the United States. Much of the inspiration for the American Revolution and eventual structure for the new country came from a book, Common Sense by Thomas Paine, first published January 10, 1776. It is the best selling book in the history of the United States, other than the Bible. Certainly there were rumblings of rebellion before the book was published, but as is …

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Category: Historical, Publishing HistoryTag: Publishing History, Revolutionary Books

Presidential Quotes

By Steve Laubeon February 20, 2017
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Today is President’s Day in the U.S. Originally established in 1885 as a recognition of George Washington’s birthday (February 22nd), it was later expanded to include Abraham Lincoln and all other U.S. presidents. Some of the words of these leaders have stood the test of time. For example from Abraham Lincoln: Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. And in the …

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Category: Craft, Historical, Inspiration, TheologyTag: Inspiration, Writing Craft
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