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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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Home » Proposals » Page 3

Proposals

The Bestseller Code

By Steve Laubeon January 23, 2012
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by Steve Laube

Take the Bestseller Code test. I dare you.  [[UPDATE: As of today April 24, 2012 the bestseller code web site is down.]]

The web site www.thebestsellercode.com is fascinating. Through some mysterious algorithm it evaluates about 500 words of your novel and grades it on a scale of one to twenty (1 to 20).

Does it work? I gave it a try with a recent proposal from a bestselling client. I took the first page and a half and plugged it into the test. It scored 20.0. A Perfect Score!

Then I took the first page and a half from a recent unsolicited novel and plugged it into the test. It only scored 4.6…out of 20. I had to agree, that sample was awful.

Now is your chance for fun. Go to the site and get your score. Then come back here and tell us in the comments, if you are brave.

Disclaimer: Do I need to write one? But in case you aren’t sure, we do not use this for our in-house evaluation purposes. A computer cannot tell if yours is a good story or not. It can only compare word choices and number of syllables. It has no sense of style or storytelling ability. This is simply a fun way to look at the structure and craft of your writing.

But I will say the comparison of a bestselling author to an unschooled first-timer (20.0 vs. 4.6) was rather astounding.

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Category: Craft, Get Published, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Bestseller, Craft, Get Published, Proposals, Writing Craft

En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part Two)

By Karen Ballon August 24, 2011
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First, here are the answers to last week’s questions:

Name That Tone!
The Boneman's Daughters--chilling
Redeeming Love--romantic
The Shunning--Amish
The Riddlemaster of Hed--fantastical
A Vase of Mistaken Identity--whimsical
Without a Trace--suspensful
Three Weddings & a Giggle—humourous and romantic
Name that Genre!
Kidnapped--adventure
Sister Chicks Down Under—witty women’s …

Read moreEn-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part Two)
Category: Book Business, Creativity, Get Published, Karen, Marketing, Writing CraftTag: Karen, Marketing, Proposals, Titles

Writing that Sings

By Karen Ballon June 10, 2011
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As I've started the work of being an agent and building a client list, I've had a number of folks in different venues ask me what I'm interested in representing. So thought I'd address that here.

First and foremost, you need to know that I'm looking for books that share God's truth. I want to work with authors whose books will change lives. Who bring the depth and wealth of their own spiritual …

Read moreWriting that Sings
Category: Agency, KarenTag: Agents, Karen, Marketing, Pitching, Proposals, Trends

What’s up with Christian Retail?

By Steve Laubeon May 10, 2010
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Twice in the last 30 days I have been interviewed about the "state of the industry." The journalist's questions were insightful and thought I would share some of them with you. My answers have been expanded beyond the original ones since I have more space to work with here.

1. What do you believe to be the most important trend in Christian publishing and why?

This can be a complex …

Read moreWhat’s up with Christian Retail?
Category: Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: Bookselling, Editors, Get Published, Proposals, Rejection, Writing Craft

Incoming Proposals

By Steve Laubeon January 6, 2010
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To your left is an actual picture of the pile of proposals our office has received since December 1, 2009. About 30 days worth of incoming mail...during a slow time of the year. The stack of books next to the pile include books sent for review (consideration) and recent publications that I want to look at.

That does not include the myriad of email submissions we get (many simply ignoring our …

Read moreIncoming Proposals
Category: Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: Get Published, Pitching, Proposals, Rejection
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