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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 » Pitch

Pitch

How Does This Connect to the Gospel?

By Megan Brownon July 6, 2023
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Since we are in the midst of writers conference season, I continue to prepare myself for the hustle of back-to-back, 15-minute appointments with new authors who are overcome with excitement and passion for a particular topic. All the “p” words–from passion to purpose–consume the conversation.

The first question I’m going to ask is this: “How does this connect to the gospel?”

No matter what topic, genre, or buzzword the up-and-coming author in front of me is pitching, the answer to this question will determine whether I’m interested.

As Christians, anything we pitch for publishing should be centered around the gospel and its implications. Before pitching a Christian book on joy, weight or body issues, or another self-help-style project, ask yourself how the gospel impacts your area of interest.

Sitting across from an eager author, I listened while she forcefully blurted out, “I just want women to find JOY!”

“Where does joy come from?” I responded.

“What?” she asked.

I continued to inquire how she planned on defining joy, where it came from, or which passage of Scripture she was teaching through to share thoughts on joy. “Well … Philippians chapter 4. I guess.”

When I asked her if she had read the entire book of Philippians or what the overarching message of Philippians was, the bewildered and somewhat agitated look on her face gave me my answer. I tried simplifying my question. “How can we find joy?” Or, better yet, “What had to happen for us to experience joy?”

“Jesus?”

I could tell her heart was in the right place, and she certainly had evidence of a love for the Lord. But the disconnect in her answer and the uncertainty in her tone showed me she hadn’t taken the time to connect her passion for people to the transformational truth of Christ’s finished work on the cross.

Here’s what I’m saying.

The gospel is the most satisfying, freeing, and redemptive story in history. Every Scripture is either headed toward or directly resulted from Christ’s willingness to head to the cross in the place of broken sinners.

Are you writing about joy? Connect your topic to the joy only found in Jesus. Weight or body issues? Jesus himself is the source of our deepest satisfaction. Rest? Weariness? Hustle culture? Yes. Jesus’ death and resurrection speak to it all.

When you begin writing a Christian book, don’t forget that the center of this task requires you to proclaim the gospel and share with your readers how it impacts every aspect of their lives.

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Category: Pitch, Pitching

Define the Takeaway First

By Bob Hostetleron March 29, 2023
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A few months ago, one of my friends (don’t worry, Sarah, I won’t mention your name) asked this question on social media: Writer friends: Do you ever write something, think it’s nearly finished, and fail to be able to define the “take-away?” So, “writer friends,” I’m about to do you a favor. I will suggest an approach that will save a lot of time, stress, regret, and other bad things. Ready? …

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Category: Craft, Get Published, Pitch, The Writing Life, Trends

Tips for Nonfiction

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 22, 2023
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In response to my post “Line Editing,” a faithful blog reader asked me if I had any tips for nonfiction writers. The suggestions here aren’t considered line editing but are more general. I hope they offer insight. Consider your brand. While you want each book to be fresh, you want to stay within your brand, or the brand you’re building, so your readership knows you wrote …

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Category: Branding, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Ways to Delight a Literary Agent

By Steve Laubeon February 13, 2023
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Last week I highlighted some things that tend to annoy a literary agent. Let’s flip that around and reflect on a few things that get our attention. Another drum roll please: 1. Follow the guidelines on an agency’s website. (Those are there for a reason. It helps sift, at one level, those who are wanting to be professionals and those who aren’t. Note they are …

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Category: Agency, Agents, Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, Pitching, Platform, The Writing Life

12 Ways to Annoy a Literary Agent

By Steve Laubeon February 6, 2023
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This article is written in jest, but with decades of truth behind it. No, we agents are not infallible and aren’t always right. We try not to sound arrogant or snooty. We genuinely would like to see you succeed, whether we are your agent or not! Our hope is you learn from what others have done or done incorrectly. Drum roll please: 1. Call a week after sending your proposal to ask what we …

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Category: Agency, Agents, Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

Ode to the Hefty Book

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 3, 2022
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Readers who love long books might want to check out the classics. I’m catching up on the classics as I write this post, which may take some time. Currently, I’m reading An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser. Unfortunately, I could only get my hands on a mass-market, paperback size, which makes reading a book of that heft less pleasurable than it should be. The audiobook runs 34 hours and 12 …

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Category: Get Published, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

Watch the Jargon

By Dan Balowon February 17, 2022
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In early 2018, a corporate consulting firm, Grant Thornton, did a detailed analysis of Fortune 500 company websites, press releases, and social media. What they found was not surprising, but still proved how the use of business jargon (commonly used phrases) pervades the corporate world. What was the most commonly used phrase by Fortune 500 companies? “Best in class” Rounding out the top ten most …

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

A Peek at an Agent’s Emails

By Bob Hostetleron November 3, 2021
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As a literary agent, I send and receive a lot of emails. A lot. And that’s not even counting the emails offering my helpful diet tips and donut recipes. My emails aren’t always so practical, but it recently occurred to me that some weary or woeful writers might be helped by a peek at some of the wise and witty responses I’ve sent to clients and nonclients (because I’m just that kind of guy). Here …

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Category: Agency, Agents, Book Proposals, Career, Pitch, Pitching

Books, Hooks, and Good Looks

By Bob Hostetleron September 30, 2021
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I love hooks. As a writer, I work hard on my hooks. When I was a magazine editor, the hook was often the best way for a writer to make a good first impression on me. And now, for me as a literary agent, the hook is the first and one of the most important criteria I use in evaluating a book pitch, proposal, or manuscript. A good book hook will often prompt me to give a project a more careful, …

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Pitch, Pitching, Platform, Self-Publishing, Social Media, The Writing Life

Start with Your Winning Argument

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 23, 2021
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A few years ago, I received a call from someone who otherwise never contacts me. “You need to pay expenses for Dick and Jane. They’ve done so much for us!” Dick and Jane had done a lot for the caller, but they had done nothing for anyone I love. While I’m not so coldhearted as to hang up the phone based on this flawed opening, the caller had opened with an unconvincing pitch. Writers can make the …

Read moreStart with Your Winning Argument
Category: Book Proposals, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching
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