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Welcome Back, Dan Balow!

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On January 18, 2021

I am very excited to announce that Dan Balow has rejoined our agency as a literary agent. Some of you may recall that he was with us for five years until leaving in 2018 to launch a new publishing venture. While they were able to create some incredible products, market forces and funding issues caused him to suspend that company.

That loss becomes our gain … and yours. I have known Dan for over 23 years now, and he is an amazing man of God. As a 38-year veteran of the Christian publishing industry, his strengths include a savvy understanding of book marketing and how all the pieces of the publishing “puzzle” fit together.

You may remember that he was the director of marketing for Tyndale House Publishers, working with authors Francine Rivers, James Dobson, Josh McDowell, Charles Colson, and many others. Starting in 1995, Dan led the marketing team for the immensely successful Left Behind series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. At its peak, the series was selling over two million copies of various products per month on its way to over 70 million copies to date.

Later he worked as publisher for two audio publishing companies and as a consultant with ministries and publishers on their publishing programs.

Dan has served on the executive board of ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association), the trade association for Christian publishers. In addition, he is a founding member of the advisory board of the Christy Awards and continues to be involved in training and mentoring Christian publishers around the world. He has been a presenter multiple times at the LittWorld conference held in different countries. (Here is a link to a video of Dan speaking on the basics of marketing at LittWorld in Nairobi.)

Dan is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in communications, is married to Carol, and they have four grown children. He works from his office in Wheaton, IL.

We will be adjusting our blog-post schedule starting this week.

I will continue to post every Monday. Every other Tuesday will be an episode of The Christian Publishing Show podcast hosted by Thomas Umstattd, Jr. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, Tamela, Bob, and Dan will rotate their posts. Fun Fridays will continue to post on … Fridays (?!).

The next four blog posts will have each of us revisit the question “What am I looking for?”

I am so very excited to have Dan with us again. We have an incredible team with expertise in all facets of the industry: writer, bookseller, editor, marketer, agent, executive management, and publisher.

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Are You High Maintenance?

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On November 16, 2020

by Steve Laube

Last week I was asked to define what is meant when an author is deemed “high maintenance” by an agent or a publisher. The more I thought about this the more I realized how difficult it is to quantify. Any attempt to do so is fraught with potential misunderstanding because most people are looking for specific rules to follow.

Normally “high maintenance” is a description of someone who is difficult to work with or is constantly in need of attention. It can be anyone from a “diva” to a “rookie.” The best way to express the issue is in the following word picture:

When you contract with an agent or a publisher you are granted a large measure of “Good Will” in the form of a bag of gold coins. You are free to spend these coins however you wish during the course of the business relationship. The cover design is completely wrong? Spend some coins. The marketing plan appears weak. Spend some coins. And as time goes by and positive things happen you receive more gold coins for your bag.

However, many authors make the mistake of spending their entire bag of coins the first time something goes wrong. And then the next time they need a favor or a special dispensation there isn’t any “Good Will” left.

I think there are three areas where these relationships can break down.

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Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent

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On November 9, 2020

By request, here are my Ten Commandments for working with your agent. Break them at your own peril.

Thou shalt vent only to thine agent and never directly to thy publisher or editor. Thou shalt not get whipped into a frenzy by the rumor mill fomented by internet loops, groups, Facebook, or blogs. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s success. Be content with thine own contract. Thou shalt not get whipped into a frenzy by the rumor mill fomented by internet loops, groups, Facebook, or blogs.
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What if You Get a Book Deal on Your Own and Then Want an Agent?

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On October 12, 2020

One of our readers asked this via the green “Ask us a question” button.

What happens if you get a book contract before you have an agent? What if, by some miracle, an editor sees your work and wants to publish it? (1) would having a publisher interested in my work make an agent much more likely to represent me, and (2) would it be appropriate to try to find an agent at that point (when a publisher says it wants to publish you)? My fear is that querying an agent and receiving a response could take several months, but I’d need to accept a potential contract with a book publisher right away (I would think). Is it appropriate to ask the editor to speak with an agent on your behalf to speed the process?

This is a great topic but there are a few questions within the question. Let me try to break it down.

Many times have had authors approach us with contracts in hand and seeking representation (happened just last week). Of course this will get an agent’s attention immediately. But there are caveats:

a)      Who is the publisher? There is a big difference between a major company and your local independent publisher. Not all publishers are created equal (see the Preditors & Editors warnings).

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Learn the Lingo

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On September 16, 2020

The opening scene of the Meredith Wilson musical The Music Man begins on a train, as a bunch of salesmen debate the best sales techniques. One salesman, however, insists repeatedly, “You gotta know the territory.” That applies not only to selling “the noggins, and the piggins, and the firkins,” but …

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Don’t Know Much About Editors

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Bob Hostetler

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On August 26, 2020

A literary agent is not an editor–or a publicist. That may seem obvious to some, since the words are all spelled quite differently. But I occasionally get a submission from an aspiring writer who wants me to act as one or the other. I have been an editor (of both …

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Barriers to Effective Communication

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On June 8, 2020

By Steve Laube

It has been said that ninety percent of all problems in the universe are failures in communication. And the other ten percent are failures to understand the failure in communication. In the publishing business, or any business for that matter, this is so true. There are a couple common barriers to effective communication, assumption and expectation.

But I Assumed

Often one party assumes knowledge that the other person does not know. Or someone without knowledge fails to admit their lack and try to fake their way through the situation for fear of being found ignorant. Simple to fix. Just ask if you don’t know and alternatively make sure the other person knows what you are talking about. I learn something new nearly every single day and hope to continue that streak for the rest of my life.

But even  worse, and more common, is assuming the other party is mad at you for some reason. The fear of that “assumed anger” prevents an open dialogue or at least delays it.

Much of our business comes down to relationships and fear or anger prevent them from being healthy.

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Do You Have a Backup Plan?

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On May 11, 2020

by Steve Laube

The question is not if your hard drive will fail, it is a question of when. At least twice a year I have a client who has lost their hard drive to equipment failure. There was a recent story of an editor at Wired magazine who got hacked via a security hole in his Amazon and Apple accounts. He not only lost data, he lost all the digital pictures of his baby girl. He wrote the article as a cautionary tale. As the editor admits, he knew better, but did not follow his own advice. So my question to you is, “Do you have a backup plan?”

Hit the Save Button Regularly

Many think that just hitting the “save” button is enough. Sorry. That only saves the file to your local computer. And if that computer fails, you are toast. While hitting the save button helps with immediate things it isn’t a long term solution. What if someone steals your laptop while you turned your back to refresh your drink at the coffee shop?

Save to an External or Portable Backup Device or E-mail Service

Keeping your files on an external drive or a USB thumb drive is okay. But what if you lose the thumb drive (they are so small!)? Or what if you forget to take the external drive with you…and your computer is stolen from your office, along with the external drive?

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Three Questions About Agents

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On May 7, 2020

In meeting with writers on the cusp of their careers or flush with new success, we find that three big questions come to the forefront. Today, Tamela shares her answers:

How do I find a literary agent?

1)      First and foremost, visit the Agency web sites to see which ones are actively seeking the type of work you write.

2)      Talk to your agented friends to learn about their agents. Referrals are a big part of our business.

3)      If time and finances allow, attend a conference or meeting where your preferred agent will be appearing and meet the agent.

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How Can You Manage So Many Clients?

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On March 23, 2020

by Steve Laube

I am frequently asked this question. It is perfectly understandable as many agencies carry a sizeable list of clients. A prospective client or even an existing one wonders, “Will this agent or agency have time for me?”

We post a list of our clients on the web site because we are honored to work with so many gifted people. Not every agency makes their client list public. It is neither right nor wrong, it is merely a preference. As of this morning we have over 150 clients on our roster.

Proper management of a client base is all about communication and work flow. The best metaphor I’ve been able to use to describe how a literary agency works is “We are like a major airline that is always overbooked but never flies full. But if everyone show up at the gate at the same time, we would be in serious trouble.”

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