The Writing Life

050 Between Contract and Launch – What it is like to have a book under contract

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on November 12, 2019

This is episode 50 of the Christian Publishing Show! And we have a special treat for you today. We’ve talked with a lot of bestselling authors on this show, but we’ve never talked much about what their first year is like. It is easy to get so focused on getting a book contract that you don’t realize what comes next. So that is what we are going to talk about today.

Our guest today lives in Tennessee and is a writer of romantic comedy for HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Melissa Ferguson, welcome to the Christian Publishing Show!

Let’s start a little before the story. How did you get your first contract?

What were some of the surprises?

What tips do you have for authors doing their first.

How did it feel going through all this?

If you could go back to the beginning of the year, what could you do differently?

Where can people find out more about you?

Links:

207 Where to Spend Your Marketing Dollars
MelissaFerguson.com
The Dating Charade (Affiliate Link)

Links:

Sponsor: Christian Writers Institute

The Course of the Week: Title of Course

Paste from CWI website

Use coupon code “podcast” to save 10% or click the link in the show notes to activate the coupon code automatically.

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050 Between Contract and Launch – What it is like to have a book under contract

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on November 12, 2019

Between Contract and Launch - What it is like to have a book under contract
You can listen to this episode 050 Between Contract and Launch – What it is like to have a book under contract on Christian Publishing Show.

Category: The Writing Life

I Have Plans to Write That Book

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 7, 2019

Last week, I talked about a few reasons why I don’t plan to write a nonfiction book on style, mainly because I have no desire to develop a presence or platform as an expert on style. But what if you want to write a nonfiction book about a topic you know and love? Let’s look at the list, revised from last week, to help you decide if you should: Are you well-known outside of your immediate circle of …

Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitching, Platform, The Writing Life

Alternatives to Using Comments As You Write

By Bob Hostetleron November 6, 2019

In my blog post on this site last week, I shared the practices of a number of my wonderful clients who have found the word-processing comments feature useful, not only during the editorial process but even as they write (see that post here). But others take a different tack, for various reasons, as you’ll see in their comments about comments below: I do not use tracking for notes when I write. …

Category: Technology, The Writing Life

049 Business Mistakes Authors Make (and how to avoid them) with Steve Laube

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on November 5, 2019

These notes about what we talked about in this episode of the podcast. They are not intended to replace listening to the podcast. Questions: Why should authors pay attention to the business side of writing? What are some common mistakes you see authors make? Do authors need a budget? Let’s talk about business entities. When should authors create an LLC? Let’s talk about estate planning. What …

Category: The Writing Life

049 Business Mistakes Authors Make (and how to avoid them) with Steve Laube

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on November 5, 2019

Business Mistakes Authors Make (and how to avoid them) With Steve Lubae
You can listen to this episode 049 Business Mistakes Authors Make (and how to avoid them) with Steve Laube on Christian Publishing Show.

Category: The Writing Life

Say It in a Sentence

By Steve Laubeon November 4, 2019

Can you present your book idea in one sentence?

Can you present that idea in such a way that the reader is compelled to buy your book?

What motivates someone to spend money on a book? It is the promise that there is something of benefit to me, the reader.

Books are generally purchased for one of three reasons:

Entertainment
Information
Inspiration

If your book idea can make me …

Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, Marketing, Pitching, The Writing LifeTag: Marketing, Pitching, Trends, Writing Craft

I Have No Plans to Write That Book

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 31, 2019

Whenever I go out, strangers offer unsolicited compliments about some aspect of my appearance, usually my hair or clothing. From this fact alone, I might decide that people like my style. Perhaps I should write a book! But aside from the fact I have no desire to write a style book, there are other reasons why starting this project doesn’t make sense for me: I’m not well known outside of a few …

Category: The Writing Life

Making Comments As You Write

By Bob Hostetleron October 30, 2019

Today’s writers enjoy some advantages that weren’t available to scribes in the past. One of those is the ability in word-processing programs to track changes and add comments to a document. This is especially helpful during the editorial process. But some writers use that functionality as they write. So I asked my clients if they do anything like that. Here’s what some said: I use the Comment …

Category: Technology, The Writing Life

048 The Pros & Cons of Small Publishing Houses

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on October 29, 2019

What is the difference between a small and large publisher? Should you go with a small publishing house? This has been one of our most requested topics on the show, especially after: 029 Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing 030 Pros and Cons of Indie Publishing How the Publishing Business Model Works Acts like a VC fund. Taking big risks looking for big pay offs. Those risks are funded by the …

Category: The Writing Life