The Steve Laube Agency is committed to providing top quality guidance to authors and speakers. Our years of experience and success brings a unique service to our clients. We focus primarily in the Christian marketplace and have put together an outstanding gallery of authors and speakers whose books continue to make an impact throughout the world.
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To help the author develop and create the best book possible. Material that has both commercial appeal and long-term value.
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To help the author determine the next best step in their writing career. Giving counsel regarding the subtleties of the marketplace as well as the realities of the publishing community.
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To help the author secure the best possible contract. One that partners with the best strategic publisher and one that is mutually beneficial for all parties involved.
Recent Posts
We Have a Failure to Communicate
Recently, I was listening to someone speak to a group of grade school children and was struck by how many words and phrases the kids likely had no idea of their meaning.
Even if you speak clearly and slowly, a six-year-old will probably not understand the phrase “Take the left fork in the road,” and much less “substitutionary atonement.”
It’s in the same communication category as traveling to another country. Rather than learning the language and culture, speak loudly and slowly, “I NEED TO FIND SOME TOOTHPASTE FOR SENSITIVE TEETH. DO YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND THE NEAREST WALGREENS?”
A few years ago, I reread a best-selling Christian book from the early 1980s and had to chuckle at how many irrelevant examples it had. The Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite said this, Walter Mondale said that, Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H did something funny, etc.
Those examples didn’t age well for anyone after Boomers. Or the 80s.
In fact, most writing doesn’t age well. The language used to communicate relevance to a group of people during a certain period has an “irrelevance timer” started upon publication. Once it counts down to zero, it doesn’t explode; it just stops selling.
It’s one of the reasons so many books have a relatively short shelf life. (Shelf life? What’s that?)
It is also why Bible translations are constantly being updated to reflect new language, as well as changes in grammar and punctuation standards.
Similarly, we wrongfully assume that everyone knows what we are talking about.
A research study done in the 1990s by Christian publishers in cooperation with Christian bookstores in the US asked shoppers about the name recognition of various Christian authors. At that time, the most recognized Christian author was Billy Graham.
And while Dr. Graham was the most recognized among a list of Christian authors, a third of Christian bookstore shoppers had never heard of him. Imagine how that has changed in the last 25-30 years!
Do not automatically assume everyone knows what and who you are talking about in your book.
Anything rooted in popular culture, politics, technology, or entertainment is on a slippery slide toward unrecognizability.
It could be one reason why period fiction, historical nonfiction, biblical exposition, or other types of writing that capture a period or context frozen in time tend to outlast books written for today and not tomorrow.
If you are writing about current-day issues, effective communication gets down to the word and phrase level. Don’t assume everyone knows what certain idioms mean and, for Christian writers, that everyone understands theological terms and differences between various Christian groups.
It’s also recommended that even though you know who Billy Graham is, you might want to give a quick history lesson while referencing him.
I started this post by mentioning communicating effectively (or not) with children. Those who write and communicate effectively for various young age groups have a better grasp of this concept than most. The choice of words matters.
Thinking about reader comprehension more than what you want to write solves much of this problem.
Write to be understood.
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Fun with Book Terms
I love books (good thing, since I’m a writer and literary agent). I love reading them, of course; but I also love holding them, buying them, touching, holding, smelling, studying, even just seeing them on the shelf. So let’s have some fun with book terms. I find them fascinating. Maybe you will too. Here’s an even dozen: ARC An ARC, or Advanced Reader Copy, is a prepublication copy of a new book that a publisher and/or author gives to reviewers, potential endorsers, and others for feedback and support. Callout (also “pull quote”) Often used in magazines—but sometimes in books—a callout …
Music to Write By
Some write in silence. Some write with music in the background. Some write with music playing through their headphones (or earbuds). I’m curious to know what you, our readers, listen to while writing or if you write in silence. In the comments below, let us know your favorites. Maybe we can discover some new musical inspiration together. I read somewhere that Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, credits the group Muse as her inspirational background music. She even provides a playlist on her website of the songs she listened to while writing Eclipse. (Here is that playlist.) Years ago, …
Fun Fridays – April 19, 2024
Clever video about a seemingly lowly device. Avoid connecting the metaphor to theological ideas, but they are present. Instead, think of your journey as a writer and the calling you have to use the gift you have been given and leave God’s mark on the world with the work of your hands. Do any of you use a pencil to write your thoughts? If so, what kind of pencil do you use? ShareTweet
Before Pressing SEND
I love seeing work from talented authors. Reading a marketable proposal from a hardworking author interested in a long-term career makes me take notice. Are you this author? If so, what I’d like to help you do today is to keep you from being rejected because of a misstep that’s easy to avoid. The manuscript is too short. Gift books can be brief, but fiction is different. I often receive novella submissions. Some Christian publishers sell novella collections. However, I don’t have a place to pitch a lone novella, hoping it will find a home in a collection. Writers already working …