Writing Craft

Ten Reasons to Read a Christian Romance Novel

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 10, 2022

Since we’re on the cusp of Valentine’s Day, this is a great time to read a Christian romance novel. Here are a few good reasons, in no particular order:

The characters are living with Christ as the focus of their world.
You know the ending will be sweet.
The story will be uplifting.
You can root for the characters and their romance.
You are invested in the characters’ problems and how they will solve them.
You can share the book with anyone and not be embarrassed.
The writing is exceptional.
Although the story will show conflict, the message and spirit are pure.
The story offers a way to take a minivacation of sheer delight.
In a gray world, romance novels show without apology that goodness prevails.

Happy reading!

Spend It All

By Bob Hostetleron February 3, 2022

If you’re anything like me (I extend my sympathies), the dawn of a new year brings with it a chance for reflection and re-vision. I like the hyphenated version of that word; I think it conveys the meaning a little better than revision. Re-vision suggests to me the casting of a new vision, new direction, new emphasis, new focus. So, as I reflect and re-vision, I would like for my 2022 to be a year …

Category: Creativity, Inspiration

Edgy Christian Fiction

By Steve Laubeon January 31, 2022

A number of years ago the question of what is appropriate to include in Christian fiction was asked, and I wrote much of what is below as a reply. Recently, this issue jumped back into conversations with the release of the film Redeeming Love, based on the bestselling novel of the same title by Francine Rivers. (Some reviews of the movie, not the book, that wrestle with the debate can be found …

Category: Craft, Creativity, Language, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Creativity, Edgy, Language

A Is for Advance

By Steve Laubeon November 22, 2021

by Steve Laube

Whenever I lecture about money the room becomes unusually quiet. Instead of a common restlessness from listeners there is a thrumming impatience to reveal the punch line. The punch line that declares every writer will be rich.

Now that I have our attention let’s turn to the topic of the day. The Advance. This is defined as the money a publisher pays to the author in …

Category: Agency, Book Business, Publishing A-ZTag: advances, Book Business, Publishing A-Z

What to Do About Morals?

By Steve Laubeon November 8, 2021

In a post written last weekend Richard Curtis, agent extraordinaire, expressed surprise at a new morality clause that has apparently appeared in HarperCollins' contracts. Read his post here [warning: there is some Adult content and comments included in the post].

What the general market doesn't realize is that many Faith-based publishers have had a "moral turpitude" clause in their contracts …

Category: Book Business, Contracts, Legal IssuesTag: Book Business, Contracts, Legal Issues

What’s the Problem?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 27, 2021

My office receives many submissions with the hypothesis that a protagonist thinks s/he’s living the perfect life until it falls apart. This is a great premise! What is a perfect life? Most of us have an idea of what the world thinks of as an ideal life and what seems to be the “perfect” life we can live as Christians. Therefore, the reader doesn’t need to spend much time living the protagonist’s …

Category: Craft, Get Published, Writing Craft

21st-Century Writing

By Bob Hostetleron October 13, 2021

I’ve been writing and publishing for a long time. Just look at me: a lonnnnng time. During those many years of experience, I’ve learned a thing or two. Maybe three. And among the things I’ve learned about writing for publication is that writers in the twenty-first century must do things differently than writers in previous centuries. Sure, generally speaking, the rules of fiction and nonfiction …

Category: Grammar, Language, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Trends, Writing Craft

Always Be Curious (The ABCs of the Writing Life)

By Steve Laubeon October 4, 2021

by Steve Laube

Depending on where you live and your school district policies you may already be in a back-to-school mode or preparing for it.

It got me to thinking about the need for all writers to always have a "back to school" mentality.

Here are five things we can learn from always going "back to school."

Category: Book Business, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Creativity, Writing Craft

Books, Hooks, and Good Looks

By Bob Hostetleron September 30, 2021

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, …

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

God Gave Me This Blog Post

By Steve Laubeon September 27, 2021

God gave me this blog post. By invoking divine inspiration, I have guaranteed that you will read this post and possibly give me money to read more. Sound like a stretch? Then what if I just wrote or said: “God spoke to me.”“I was led to write this.”“God revealed this to me.”“I have been called to write this.”“I believe this is an inspired post.” In the Christian publishing industry, editors, …

Category: Book Business, TheologyTag: Pitching, Theology