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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 » The Writing Life » Page 67

The Writing Life

Why I Left My (Insurance) Agent

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 4, 2018
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The number-one complaint I hear from authors about their agents is that they don’t communicate with them. My understanding of this was renewed when I was on the side of needing an insurance agent to respond to me.

I needed an adjustment to my policy that will mean I’ll pay the company more money. Alas, and alack, the agency I’d been with for decades (which has been sold twice, by the way) never had someone available to pick up the phone during business hours. I’m at a particularly stressful and busy time in my life, and I have no time to engage in Byzantine voice-mail mazes on an 800 line. I expected a quick resolution with my agent.

Then again, not picking up the phone is better than feeling unwanted by a real live person. The second agent was snippy, treating me like a deadbeat until she saw we’d been paying premiums on time every time since my husband (then a bachelor) needed renter’s insurance in 1981. They wanted me to go back to the first unresponsive agent. That’s pretty much like an agent representing horror turning away Stephen King. Right?

A person answered the phone at the third place, changed the policy, and emailed documents to me literally five minutes after we hung up. Congratulations to them! They have a new paying customer!

I admit there are times I fail to communicate or to communicate well. But as your agent, I try to:

  • Remember that writers are the world’s busiest people.
  • Let clients know that email works best for me in most circumstances. By the way, I feel email imposes much less on clients’ time, too.
  • Return telephone calls as soon as possible.
  • Let clients know my office hours.
  • Acknowledge receipt of an email if I can’t give a helpful or informative response right away.
  • Attempt to treat all clients as I would want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12, anyone?)
  • Attempt to treat all clients well regardless of where they are in their careers.

I hope all of my clients feel special; and if they don’t, I hope they’ll communicate with me so we can stay on track!

Your turn:

What is the worst communication experience you’ve had? The best?

What tips can you offer anyone wanting to communicate effectively?

 

 

 

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Category: Agency, Agents, Communication, The Writing Life

When Can I Call Myself a Professional Writer?

By Bob Hostetleron October 3, 2018
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I’m occasionally asked the question at writers conferences and via other means: “When can I call myself a writer?” That’s an easy one to answer. “Do you write?” I ask. “Well, yeah.” “Then you’re a writer. Writers write.” Another question, almost as common, is a little more complicated to answer: “When can I call myself a professional writer?” I can think of at least three reasonable ways to answer …

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Category: The Writing Life

000 – Teaser & What is a Podcast?

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on October 2, 2018
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Welcome to the first episode of the Christian Publishing Show brought to you by the Steve Laube Agency! I’m your host, Thomas Umstattd Jr. This episode is a teaser for the show to come.
You can listen to this episode 000 – Teaser & What is a Podcast? on Christian Publishing Show.

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Category: The Writing Life

000 – Teaser & What is a Podcast?

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on October 2, 2018
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Welcome to the first episode of the Christian Publishing Show brought to you by the Steve Laube Agency! I’m your host, Thomas Umstattd Jr. This episode is a teaser for the show to come. You can listen to this episode 000 – Teaser & What is a Podcast? on Christian Publishing Show.www.NovelMarketingConference.com Support the show

Read more000 – Teaser & What is a Podcast?
Category: The Writing Life

Competing for Attention

By Dan Balowon September 25, 2018
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Everything in our world is competing for our attention. Where you finally give your attention is a combination of what you want to pay attention to and what caught your eye at the moment. No matter how you publish your book, either through a traditional publishing method or through some other author-controlled method, you are competing for attention with other books, products and events. For …

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Category: Book Business, Marketing, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

8 Ways to Write Like Shakespeare (Part 2)

By Bob Hostetleron September 19, 2018
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I started a post last week about how much I owe as a writer to Shakespeare. We never met, of course (I’m old, just not that old); but in addition to the four lessons I listed last week, I also learned these crucial and valuable lessons from the Bard of Avon: Do something new. Shakespeare started his career where others did—imitating Chaucer, Milton, Spencer, and others. He not only borrowed and …

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Category: The Writing Life, Writing Craft

8 Ways to Write Like Shakespeare (Part 1)

By Bob Hostetleron September 12, 2018
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I learn something new in every article or book I write, but perhaps never as much as I learned while composing my book The Bard and the Bible: A Shakespeare Devotional, a book of daily reflections drawn from a quote from Shakespeare and a verse from the King James Bible. Even after more than forty books, hundreds of articles, and thousands of blog posts, I learned from the Bard of Avon at least …

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Category: The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Author Profiling

By Dan Balowon September 11, 2018
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The issue of profiling can be an inflammatory concept when applied in law enforcement, but the concept is regularly practiced in just about every other walk of life. Prospective employees vying for a position at a company are categorized (profiled) by their experience, education, and references.  First impressions mean a lot to the interviewer. Their personal appearance and demeanor are used to …

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Category: Agents, The Writing Life

A Writer’s Worst Enemy?

By Bob Hostetleron September 5, 2018
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If you’re a writer, what would you say is your worst enemy? Distraction? Procrastination? Starvation? I admit, those are all candidates. And thank you for not saying “agents.” Unless you did. But I doubt that I am alone in thinking that my worst enemy, as a writer, is hurry. Don’t misunderstand. I work on deadlines. Daily, in fact. Book deadlines. Article deadlines. Blog-post …

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Category: The Writing Life

Encouraging Writers

By Dan Balowon September 4, 2018
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Anyone committed to building a career in writing should spend a good deal of time with others who have a similar desire. Physical proximity to one another is a good thing; but these days, communication and connection can happen using a myriad of tools. Knowing others experience the same things you do is a core benefit of attending gatherings of writers, either aspiring or experienced, at retreats …

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Category: Encouragement, The Writing Life
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