This is a fun cover of a popular song. The unfortunate thing is that the chorus is one of those that sticks in your head…all day. But to make it worse the lyrics of the chorus could be the anthem song for either publishers or bookstores. Listen yourself to see if you agree (you can skip the part where the arranger starts talking at the end!):
Book Business
Summerside Press Shuts Down
by Steve Laube
“Another one bites the dust.” This past week Guideposts announced they were discontinuing all new acquisitions of titles for both their Summerside Press (fiction) and Guideposts Books (non-fiction) trade lines. To have a complete picture of what this means we first have to understand that there are FIVE different book publishing programs under Guideposts. Two of them are …
Attract Attention (Part Two)
Wasn't it fun to read Steve’s observations about ICRS? There is so much going on this time of year in our industry, and so many opportunities to spend time with other writers, with editors, and with agents. I love networking with these wonderful folks. But even more than that, I love seeing writers have meaningful and positive interactions with editors and agents.
With that in mind, here’s the …
Quit Your Day Job?
Writers spend much time and effort creating books, and those who are serious about making a living -- or at least supplementing household income -- invariably reach the proverbial fork in the road when they must ask, "Do I have what it takes?" If you have reached this point, here are a few questions you may find helpful:
1.) Are you willing to rise every morning to face a blank computer screen or …
Attract Attention…in a GOOD Way!
I travel to writers’ conferences all over the country. I love being surrounded by others who love words and want to serve God through their writing. But over the years I've seen a number of interactions between agents/editors and conferees that were…well, less than positive. It was clear the conferee was passionate about his/her work, and that the writer was looking on this encounter as THE …
When You’ve Done Everything Right
I love cherries. If I could only have one fruit, that would be it. But not just any cherry. When we first moved into our home here in Southern Oregon, we planted a cherry tree. At the time, I knew what kind of tree it was. But the little tag identifying it has long since vanished. All I know is that our cherries are a rich, dark red on the outside, like a Bing cherry. But unlike a Bing, the meat …
Really, You Don’t Have to Ask
Over the years I've seen lists of questions you're supposed to ask an agent before signing a contract. Some of the questions are excellent. But I believe if you ask others, at least at the stage when the agent is discussing the possibility of representation, you may have not done the right research ahead of time. I culled these questions from a number of lists on the Internet. Most of these …
Influencers and Etiquette
Recently one of my author friends needed a couple of people to act as influencers. She asked me to give her the names of people who aren't writers, which I think is a fine idea because readers in other professions will reach new audiences. I asked several people. None of them knew what an influencer is until I explained it. So when you are tasked to find influencers, feel free to direct them to …
Top 3 Reasons Authors Don’t Get Asked to the Prom (or Invited to ICRS) – Reason #1
It’s just around the corner. That time of year when publishers, retailers, agents and yes, some authors, descend upon a select conference center (this year in St. Louis in late June) to attend the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS).
ICRS. The trade show formerly known as CBA (Christian Booksellers Association). Where publishers gather with their editorial, sales, & marketing folks …
The Painful Side of Publishing
We’ll get back to focus next week, but something has been weighing heavy on my heart and I want to share it with you.
We all know that publishing is a tough gig. It was proven yet again by what happened last week with the B&H Publishing Group’s fiction division (see Steve’s blog about it). It’s easy to commiserate with the authors impacted by this sudden change, to pray for them and …