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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 » Writing Craft

Writing Craft

G Is for Great

By Steve Laubeon August 8, 2022
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“There are a lot of good manuscripts out there. What we want are those which are great.” I’ve said this many times but thought I should elaborate. Please note the following information applies mostly to nonfiction projects.

When it comes to the nonfiction books that attract major publishers, I believe the author must have at least two of three “great” things:

Great Concept
Great Writing
Great Platform

Let’s look at the various combinations to see how this plays out.

Platform + Writing

These books are well written by a highly visible author. They get published but have modest sales. It may be that the concept or idea doesn’t resonate with readers. It may be the author’s constituents are the only ones who buy a copy. It may be the topic is too academic for a commercial audience. But if you are a great writer with a great platform, there is no question you will find a publisher who will partner with you.

Platform + Concept

These books are often celebrity driven. The publisher and the author brainstorm for the right package. Or the author’s material is based on a great title from a sermon series or a particularly popular talk. Unfortunately, the writing is weak for whatever reason. They converted a sermon series without much editing. Or they hired a ghostwriter who did their best under severe time constraints. You get the idea. You may have bought a book like this. Famous author with a great book title; but when you tried to read it, it felt forced or manufactured. (Disclaimer: That is not to say that all Platform + Concept books are poorly written. My attempt here is to highlight great writing versus good writing.)

Concept + Writing

This is where most writers land. They aren’t famous–yet. They have a great concept and are an amazing writer. The combination can overcome a lack of platform in the right circumstances. It’s not a given, but it can happen. We’ve frequently sold unpublished authors to a major publisher because the book idea is tremendous and the writing is stunning. That should be an encouragement to anyone who is working on their first book. It is not easy; but it can, and still does, happen.

Platform + Concept + Writing

There are those magical books where all three elements come together and create a bestseller that outsells even the wildest projections.

Is platform important? Oh my, yes. Increasingly so. But it isn’t the only thing.

Your Turn

Can you name recent (in the last five years) releases that, in your estimation, fit all three criteria?
Is there a broad-stroke area that is missing in this overview?
Is this a helpful way to think about platform vs. no platform?

Leave a Comment
Category: Book Business, Craft, Creativity, Platform, Publishing A-Z, Writing CraftTag: Concept, Platform, Writing Craft

Deadlines and Taxes

By Steve Laubeon May 23, 2022
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Two certainties in the life of a writer. Deadlines and Taxes. You know what a deadline is. It has the word “dead” in it for a reason. And intrinsic to the reality of taxes is the April 15 income-tax filing deadline for those living in the United States. But what about those taxes? Many articles appear every Spring about taxes when approaching the filing date. But I thought we should explore a …

Read moreDeadlines and Taxes
Category: Book Business, Legal Issues, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Contracts, taxes, Writing Craft

My Editor Made My Book Worse!

By Steve Laubeon May 16, 2022
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by Steve Laube

You just received a 15 page single spaced editorial letter from your publisher. They want you to rewrite most of the book. But you disagree with the letter and are spitting mad. What do you do?

Or your agent took a look at your manuscript and told you to cut it in half to make it sellable. What do you do?

Both examples are true stories and illustrate the universal …

Read moreMy Editor Made My Book Worse!
Category: Craft, Editing, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Writing Craft

Cover Bands Don’t Change the World

By Steve Laubeon April 11, 2022
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by Steve Laube

I had been reading and thinking about creativity when I came across the title of today’s post as a chapter by that name in a book called The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry (2011). It stopped me in my tracks. I knew he was right. A cover band plays other people’s music. Often it is a new interpretation of a familiar song and sometimes …

Read moreCover Bands Don’t Change the World
Category: Art, Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Writing Craft

Today Is a Good Day to (re)Read

By Steve Laubeon March 28, 2022
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by Steve Laube

What was the favorite book you read, cover to cover, in the last year or so? Why is it your favorite? (It can be fiction or non-fiction. Faith-based or not.) Feel free to tell us in the comments about yours.

Read it Again

Now that you’ve identified the book. Read it again. As Vladimir Nabakov wrote:

“Curiously enough, one cannot read a book: one can only reread it. A …

Read moreToday Is a Good Day to (re)Read
Category: Art, Craft, Reading, Writing CraftTag: Reading, Writing Craft

Too Much Social Media?

By Steve Laubeon October 25, 2021
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The following article appeared in the UK on November 5th, "Facebook Users Spend Three Solid Days a Year on the Site."

Three full 24 hour days on Facebook per year! Or nearly two full work weeks if you count a work week as 35-40 hours a week. And I suspect the statistics hold true in the U.S. as well.

Not all writers are full-time. Some must juggle day jobs or home-life responsibilities …

Read moreToo Much Social Media?
Category: Social MediaTag: Facebook, Social Media, Time Management, Writing Craft

Always Be Curious (The ABCs of the Writing Life)

By Steve Laubeon October 4, 2021
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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."

Read moreAlways Be Curious (The ABCs of the Writing Life)
Category: Book Business, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Creativity, Writing Craft

When Editorial Errors Matter

By Steve Laubeon September 20, 2021
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by Steve Laube

Writers make mistakes. It happens. Often an editor’s job is to be the safety net and catch those tidbits that find their way into an early draft of a manuscript for any number of reasons.

The simplicity of “cut & paste” has created more opportunity for error than ever before. I've seen half sentences left in their original place because the writer failed to cut and …

Read moreWhen Editorial Errors Matter
Category: Book Business, Craft, E-Books, Editing, Grammar, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Errors, Writing Craft

The Dreaded Blank Page

By Steve Laubeon July 19, 2021
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by Steve Laube

A clean slate. An empty canvas. A fresh start. A new beginning.
Or a potential nightmare of guilt, failure, and shame.

Thus begins the process of each writing project. This blog post began with a blank page. I wondered why I ever agreed to write a blog. I procrastinated with enough excuses to be described as legion. I told myself that no one cares what I think on any …

Read moreThe Dreaded Blank Page
Category: Craft, Creativity, Steve, Writing CraftTag: blank page, Writing Craft

Ancient Wisdom from an Ancient Editor

By Steve Laubeon May 17, 2021
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by Steve Laube

I came across a remarkable section in a book written around 124 B.C. The editor of the book wrote the following preface to help the reader understand his methodology and purpose. It shows the concern a good editor has for the ultimate reader. His job was to abridge a massive five volume work into an abbreviated 16,00 word document. Can anyone tell me where this comes from and …

Read moreAncient Wisdom from an Ancient Editor
Category: Book Business, Craft, Editing, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Wisdom, Writing Craft
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