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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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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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Our Service Philosophy

Content

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

Rejection: A Fact of the Writing Life

By Steve Laubeon August 15, 2022
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Rejection is a fact of life. Especially the writing life. As one crusty publishing veteran said:

“Welcome to the industry that will break your heart.”

Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? But let me put a little perspective on it.

I admire writers. You put your souls on a few pages and send them to strangers and pray for acceptance. How do you do that, day in and day out for your entire career? And then, how do you maintain any sort of sanity and dignity in the process?

Some claim that the day their book hits the shelves or is posted on Amazon.com they no longer have to worry about rejection because they are now a Published Author.

Think again.

When that author goes into a local bookstore and fails to find their book, is that rejection?
Or could it be that the store is in-between order cycles and yours is sold out?
Or what happens if your book is hard to find online?
Does it mean the retail marketplace hates your writing and refuses to carry your titles?
What if you only get 3-star reviews online?
What if your book gets panned in a review in Publisher’s Weekly or The Gospel Coalition?

Does it mean the end of your dreams? Are you through before you even begin?

Let’s back up to the very beginning of the process.

When an agent says no with a rejection letter that turns out to be a standard form letter, is that bad? Hardly.

As an agent, I receive dozens of unsolicited proposals each week. The standard letter is a practical necessity. When possible, we try to add a personal comment of some sort; but it is rare. When you receive something specific from an agent or an editor in a rejection letter, treasure it like gold. There is no obligation for them to say anything at all in reply to you.

But what about a one-on-one meeting with an editor or an agent at a writers conference? Around 25 years ago, I sat with Cec Murphey (co-author of the bestselling book 90 Minutes in Heaven) in a hotel lobby and for an hour he pitched ideas at me. I rejected every single one of them.

His response? “I love this! I can bounce all sorts of ideas off of you and you are honest with me. No patronizing! How refreshing.” He was the consummate professional seeing it as a brainstorming opportunity, not a success or failure exercise.

Five years later he pitched just the right idea that turned into a two-book deal with Bethany House (The God Who Pursues and The Relentless God).

Not every rejection is laden with negative connotations. Sometimes it just isn’t right at that time. The industry tends to cycle. In the mid-2000s, few publishers wanted historical novels; they only wanted chick-lit or other contemporary stories. Within a few years, the pendulum swung the opposite direction; and we were getting calls and requests for historical fiction. The wind keeps shifting.

John B. Olson tells the story of his first writers conference where I boldly declared in an evaluation of his story, “I wouldn’t touch that with a 60-foot pole!” At the same conference, Karen Ball, also an acquisitions editor, tracked him down to talk to him about it. About ten years later the same novel was represented by our agency and sold to Karen who was working for B&H Fiction at the time. That initial rejection was the right decision because the market wasn’t ready for his novel Shade at that time. To further make this story interesting. In John’s proposal, the one Karen bought for B&H, Shade was actually proposed as book three in a trilogy. With many brainstorms and creative thinking, it became the first book in the trilogy. (And by the way, Shade was a finalist in the 2009 Christy Awards for the best novel of the year in the speculative fiction category.)

Ask any editor or agent about the “one that got away.” We have all rejected a book or an author that ended up being a wild success. I asked this of an editor-friend who remembered a meeting at the pub board where everyone looked at one another around the table and laughed. “Talking vegetables? What a silly idea.” And that group of successful publishing executives rejected VeggieTales.

Over the past few decades as an editor and agent, I have dozens of infamous rejection stories. It has even become somewhat of a punch line. All the great writers have experienced rejection at one time or another. But the professional realizes that it isn’t personal. They knuckle down and try again. That is why it is called “work.” If it was easy, anyone could do it.

 

(An earlier version of this post was published in 2014.)

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Filed Under: RejectionTagged With: Get Published, Rejection

Fun Fridays – August 12, 2022

By Steve Laubeon August 12, 2022
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World’s fastest typist. Watch this lady type 185 words a minute and the awe of the students. Put it this way. Stella Pajunas in 1946 set, and still holds, the world record for typing at 216 words per minute. The average person types around 40 words per minute. (See the infographic on this page.) My high-school typing teacher could do 80 wpm on a manual typewriter, the kind I learned on. If you are younger than 40, I suspect you have very little concept of the sheer revolution the computer and word processor had on communication. Enjoy the video! Share20Tweet

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You Can Be the Best

By Bob Hostetleron August 11, 2022
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I’m not the best. At anything, it seems. I flunked out of C Ball in Little League. I squeezed four years of high school into five. I’ve written a lot and even won a few awards, but many others are far better writers than I am. I strive for excellence in virtually everything I do; but as a writer, speaker, preacher, literary agent, and blogger, I fall short of “the best.” Maybe you can identify. “The best” is a “hard row to hoe,” as someone more “country” than I might say. And no matter how gifted or blessed you might …

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God’s Unique Provision

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 10, 2022
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Years ago, when I wrote books as work-for-hire projects, I joked with my husband, “I got another contract. Wonder which appliance will break down now?” The comment wasn’t entirely in jest. Proceeds from book contracts did indeed replace most of our kitchen appliances. Writers usually think of God’s provision as receiving a new contract. But the Lord provides in other ways too. One example happened to me with my computer a few days ago. We discovered we needed a new Internet router about the same time my computer died. Using my tablet, I searched online for remedies for my sputtering …

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How to Write Realistic Characters with Becca Puglisi

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on August 9, 2022
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Author and writing coach Becca Puglisi shares tips and tools to help you write believable characters that your readers will love.
You can listen to this episode How to Write Realistic Characters with Becca Puglisi on Christian Publishing Show.

Read MoreHow to Write Realistic Characters with Becca Puglisi
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  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
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    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
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    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
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    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
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