The
best way to react to a verbal mistake,
is to acknowledge it and laugh
at it with
your audience. Lose your place in your notes
or forgot
what you were saying? Tell them.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
WRITER'S DIGEST ANNUAL CONFERENCE
| View this email with images » |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
OFF TO MOUNT HERMON
Hey--Just a heads-up that I'll be leaving tomorrow for the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. I have been attending this conference--one of my favorites--since the early 1970's. I'll be teaching a workshop on "Launching Your Writing Career with How-to Articles," as well as working as part of the critique team. I'm looking forward to having the chance to work with and encourage other writers.
I'll also be on the lookout for marketing information and industry changes that I can share with all of you when I get home. If any of you are planning to attend, please let me know that you're there and how you feel about the blog. Would appreciate your prayers, as well.
Blessings--Sally
I'll also be on the lookout for marketing information and industry changes that I can share with all of you when I get home. If any of you are planning to attend, please let me know that you're there and how you feel about the blog. Would appreciate your prayers, as well.
Blessings--Sally
LEARN ABOUT LANDING PAGES
If you have a product or service that you want to get into
the hands of more people, there is an indispensible tool
that will work for you 24/7.
the hands of more people, there is an indispensible tool
that will work for you 24/7.
This tools allows you to send people to it and it closes the
sale for you.
sale for you.
This tool is the landing page and once I harnessed the power
of landing pages, my business have more than doubled.
of landing pages, my business have more than doubled.
The art of the landing page is not the page itself, but the precise
words you use to move your target market to quick action.
words you use to move your target market to quick action.
Tomorrow evening, I am going to share my secrets to creating
landing pages that enable you to easily expand your business
nationally and internationally and make sales around the clock.
landing pages that enable you to easily expand your business
nationally and internationally and make sales around the clock.
Touch and Agree Christian Women's Business Network Presents A 90-minute Teleclass Training and Live Q&A
Make The Connection:
The 12 Must-Have Components of Creating Winning Landing Pages
(even if you don’t like technology)
Thursday, March 26th
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EST
Live Q&A - 9:00 pm - 9:30 pm EST
The 12 Must-Have Components of Creating Winning Landing Pages
(even if you don’t like technology)
Thursday, March 26th
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EST
Live Q&A - 9:00 pm - 9:30 pm EST
For the FIRST TIME, I am going to lay out 12 of the must-have
components I have tested and proven to work without fail time
and time again that will shave years off of the time it will take
you to get really good at using Landing Pages to grow your business.
components I have tested and proven to work without fail time
and time again that will shave years off of the time it will take
you to get really good at using Landing Pages to grow your business.
Can't make it live? No problem. Get registered and you will receive a
complimentary recording and the full training packet.
complimentary recording and the full training packet.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Ericka D. Jackson
Master Business Trainer
"The Results Accelerator"
Touch and Agree Christian Women's Business Network
Ericka D. Jackson
Master Business Trainer
"The Results Accelerator"
Touch and Agree Christian Women's Business Network
Ericka D. Jackson
7413 Six Forks Rd.
Suite 110
Raleigh, NC 27615
info@erickajackson.com
(919) 713-2283
SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS
| ||||||
 | ||||||
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
INSTANT WRITERS CONFERENCE
The Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) announces their latest live webinar in their Instant Writers Conference Series; Using and Understanding Point of View (POV) with Cynthia L. Simmons and host Linda Evans Shepherd.
Linda says, “Writers need to be sure they know the difference between first person and third person. If they are not clear, if they are not sure if or when to 'head-hop' from one character to another, or if they need clear direction in picking a compelling perspective from which to tell their story, they should consider joining us for this live class.
Webinar Details:
When: Thursday, March 26
Time: 9:00 pm EST, 8:00 pm CST, 7:00 pm MST, 6:00 pm PST
Where: Watch our live Webinar on your own computer; or sign up and you will automatically get the replay to watch on demand.
NOTE: Students will receive handouts plus, Cynthia and Linda will be available to answer questions.
To Register: http://webinarjam.net/webinar/go/14267/9d9d004243
About our Presenters:
Cynthia L. Simmons is a Bible teacher, speaker, author, former homeschool mom, and host of Heart of the Matter Radio. A lover of history, she fills her presentations with lively vignettes from the past. She served as president of Christian Authors Guild and directs Atlanta Christian Writers Conference.
Linda Evans Shepherd is an award-winning, best-selling author of over 30 books including The Stress Cure, Pray Your Way to Personal Peace. She is the founder of AWSA and the President of Right to the Heart Ministries. See www.AWSA.com.
Monday, March 23, 2015
NY TIMES CHRISTIAN BESTSELLERS - WEEK OF 3/29/15
THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES by Gary Chapman (Northfield) is #1 in Relationships; #3 in Advice, How-To & Misc.
JESUS CALLING by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson) is #1 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
GHOST BOY by Martin Pistorius with Megan Lloyd Davies (Thomas Nelson) is #2 in Health; #13 in Paperback Nonfiction.
THE BEST YES by Lysa TerKeurst (Nelson Books/Thomas Nelson) is #5 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
KEEP IT SHUT by Karen Ehman (Zondervan) is #7 in Relationships.
THE MYSTERY OF THE SHEMITAH by Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine) is #8 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN by Gary D. Chapman and Ross Campbell (Moody) is #8 in Family.
LOVE DOES by Bob Goff (Thomas Nelson) is #11 in Relationships.
BOUNDARIES by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (Zondervan) is #11 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
THE LOVE DARE by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough (B&H Books) is #12 in Relationships.
BEFORE AMEN by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson) is #13 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
FOR THE RIGHT REASONS by Sean Lowe with Nancy French (Thomas Nelson) is #14 in Relationships.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
WRITE-TO-PUBLISH CONFERENCE - JUNE 3-6, 2015
This outstanding annual writers' conference will be held at Wheaton College in Wheaton IL, a suburb of Chicago, in June. Speakers include Dr. Dennis Hensley, Daniel Darling, Karen Porter, and Cynthia Ruchti.
Conference begins on Wednesday morning, June 3rd , and closes with a banquet on Saturday night, June 6th. Scholarship information, as well as everything else you need to know about the conference is available of their Website at www.WrittoPublish.com. Lin Johnson is director, and if you have questions, her e-mail address is: lin@writetopublish.com.
This is one of the top Christian writers' conference and one you'll want to attend.
Conference begins on Wednesday morning, June 3rd , and closes with a banquet on Saturday night, June 6th. Scholarship information, as well as everything else you need to know about the conference is available of their Website at www.WrittoPublish.com. Lin Johnson is director, and if you have questions, her e-mail address is: lin@writetopublish.com.
This is one of the top Christian writers' conference and one you'll want to attend.
EVANGEL CLOSING
In case you haven't heard yet, Evangel Magazine will be discontinuing publication this summer. The reason? "The demand/use of take-home papers has been in decline for many years as churches discontinue Sunday school or other such meetings." I hope this is not an indication that some of the remaining papers will follow suit. Sunday school take-home papers have always been an open market for freelancers, and one of the best for Christian short stories. Evangel will be missed.
SPEAKING TIP OF THE DAY
Our
greatest fear is making a mistake and looking foolish.
Everyone in
the audience has made similar mistakes, and
will think no less of you
if you make one.
COPYRIGHTS & QUOTES
Q. I know that copyrights
on writing run out after awhile—that is, if you use an old enough
song book, you don't have to get written permission to use the
songs. Likewise, if you use an old enough version of the Bible, you
don't have to get written permission to quote the verses. My question
is: (1) What is that length of time? and (2) Is it possible to get
permission to quote from versions like the New International or New
American Standard or other translations as long as you give credit?
A.
These are important questions and you are wise to seek answers to be
sure you are functioning within the guidelines of the copyright law.
Copyright
length is currently the author's lifetime plus 70 years. This time
period applies to books, as well as music. Even if it's in public
domain and can be used without permission, you still have to give
credit. Note that this length changes when there are co-authors. For
exceptions to this rule, go to www.copyright.gov
for specifics.
If
you are not familiar with the term public
domain, it means that
the written material either was never copyrighted, or that the
copyright has expired; and you are free to use it without permission
as long as you give credit.
The
only translation of the Bible that is already in public domain is the
King James Version. You can quote from it without having to worry
whether or not you need to ask permission. Be sure you always
identify the version with a Bible reference, such as John 3:16 KJV.
As
far as other versions of the Bible are concerned, they are all
protected much the same as any other published book. However,
guidelines for quoting are somewhat different. Most versions have a
blanket agreement with book publishers that they can quote up to 250
or 500 verses without having to ask permission, as long as the quoted
portion does not include a certain number of consecutive verses or a
complete book of the Bible. Periodicals have a similar agreement.
In
all cases it is critical that the quote is rendered exactly as
written in that version, and proper credit is given. Houses that
publish Bibles provide more specific guidelines on their Websites for
using quotes.
SELLING REPRINTS
One of my projects
right now is going through a box of files that contain the records
and contributor’s copies for articles I sold years ago.
First, I was
surprised at how many of them there were—some I didn’t even
remember having written. Then, as I read through some of them I
realized that much of the information was still relevant and many of
them could easily be updated and sent out as reprints. (Of course, I
have to find the time to type them into my computer as most were
written on a typewriter.)
So, this is just a
reminder to you that you may be overlooking a goldmine in reprints
that could be sold to the many publications open to them. That’s
also a possibility for out-of-print books that need only be updated
to reflect the current culture or information. Just be sure that with
articles you only sold first rights or one-time rights originally (if
you sold all rights you can’t sell reprints without the original
publisher’s permission). I’m challenging you to find at least one
article in the next week that you can submit as a reprint—and
submit it!
Friday, March 20, 2015
SCIENCE-FI & FANTASY ONLINE WRITING CONFERENCE
| ||||||
|
WM. B. EERDMANS HIRES NEW EDITOR
Lil Copan was hired as senior acquisitions editor – general trade for Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Copan brings trade line development, project management, author and platform cultivation, editing, and cross-platform development to the company, having worked in acquisitions for Abingdon Press, Ave Maria Press, and Paraclete Press, among other publishing houses.
Copan brings trade line development, project management, author and platform cultivation, editing, and cross-platform development to the company, having worked in acquisitions for Abingdon Press, Ave Maria Press, and Paraclete Press, among other publishing houses.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUBLISHERS
As more and more subsidy/cooperative publishers become a part of the Christian publishing scene, I am getting more and more questions about the different types of these publishers—and what the various terminology means. This month I want to give you a few definitions that will hopefully clarify some of those terms for you.
1. royalty Publisher—also known as a Commercial Publisher, Mainstream Publisher, or Traditional Publisher. With this type of publisher, they pay all the expense of producing the finished book—the author pays nothing. These publishers are very selective, as they are footing the bill. Many of these publishers now expect you to be represented by an agent.
2. Vanity
Publisher – The author pays the full cost of publishing the book.
These publishers will publish any book as long as the author is
willing to pay for it. Some may offer help with editing, marketing,
warehousing, and limited promotion—but don’t expect much.
3. Subsidy
Publisher – The author pays all or most of the cost of producing
the books. Usually they are more selective about the books they
publish. In some cases the author is responsible for the final
editing and making decisions as to interior design and cover design.
The books belong to the publisher and the author buys books from the
publisher at an established discount. They sometimes pay royalties
on the books they sell, but the author will be responsible for most
or all of the distribution/sales.
4. Co-op
Publishing - The author pays part of the cost of production and the
publisher pays the rest. Or, the publisher may pay the cost of
production and the author pays for the promotion. There are a number
of different scenarios that include a sharing of costs.
5. Self-Publishing:
The author has full responsibility for the production of the book.
They must arrange for the final edit, cover design, printing, etc.,
finding the best prices for all these services. The author owns all
the books and makes all the profit from the sales.
SPEAKING TIP OF THE DAY
The
fear of speaking is no different than the fears
we face for any other
new endeavor—such as skiing,
cooking, acting, or driving. Practice
overcomes all our fears.
Monday, March 16, 2015
NY TIMES CHRISTIAN BESTSELLERS - WK OF MARCH 22
- THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES by Gary Chapman (Northfield) is #1 in Relationships; #3 in Advice, How-To & Misc.
- JESUS CALLING by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson) is #1 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
- GHOST BOY by Martin Pistorius with Megan Lloyd Davies (Thomas Nelson) is #2 in Health; #11 in Paperback Nonfiction; and #20 in E-Book Nonfiction.
- THE BEST YES by Lysa TerKeurst (Nelson Books/Thomas Nelson) is #5 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
- KEEP IT SHUT by Karen Ehman (Zondervan) is #7 in Relationships.
- THE MYSTERY OF THE SHEMITAH by Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine) is #8 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
- THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN by Gary D. Chapman and Ross Campbell (Moody) is #8 in Family.
- LOVE DOES by Bob Goff (Thomas Nelson) is #11 in Relationships.
- BOUNDARIES by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (Zondervan) is #11 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
- THE LOVE DARE by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough (B&H Books) is #12 in Relationships.
- BEFORE AMEN by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson) is #13 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
- FOR THE RIGHT REASONS by Sean Lowe with Nancy French (Thomas Nelson) is #14 in Relationships.
- CHOOSING TO SEE by Mary Beth Chapman and Ellen Vaughn (Revell) is #18 in E-Book Nonfiction.
CBA RELOCATES
CBA, the Association for Christian Retail, is moving to new headquarters offices with the address change effective March 16.
The new address is:
CBA
1365 Garden of the Gods Rd., Suite 105
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Phone numbers and email remains the same.
The actual office move will be completed by March 30.
The new address is:
CBA
1365 Garden of the Gods Rd., Suite 105
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Phone numbers and email remains the same.
The actual office move will be completed by March 30.
ZONDERVAN - NEW DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Today, Zondervan announced Robin Barnett as the new director of public relations for the Nonfiction Trade Team. Barnett is located in the Grand Rapids, MI offices and reports directly to the team’s vice president of marketing, Tom Dean.
“Robin has a history of working with bestselling authors, such as Rick Warren, Mark Batterson, Shauna Niequist, Renee Swope and John Ortberg,” says Dean. “I believe that she will make an immediate impact in our interactions with authors, agents and the media.”
In 2008, Barnett joined Zondervan as the associate public relations manager where she gained knowledge and experience with bestselling authors and top Christian agents. For the past three years, Barnett served as Baker Publishing’s senior publicist where she was able to strengthen her experience in the field.
NEW LEADERSHIP AT DAVID C. COOK
David C Cook is pleased to announce that Verne Kenney has been hired as the Executive Publisher. Kenney will be assuming the responsibilities that Dan Rich held as head of David C Cook Trade Books and Media, until a long term Chief Publishing Officer is hired. “Dan and his team have built a solid and sustainable Trade Book and Media unit over the last nine years,” said Chris Doornbos, Chief Executive Office, “with Dan’s pending retirement at the end of May 2015, along with the dramatic changes and challenges in Christian publishing overall, I see this as a window of opportunity to intentionally re-visit our publishing strategy and develop a long term strategic model. Once we determine the best ‘Go Forward Strategy’ we will resume our search for a new Chief Publishing Officer.”
Kenney is a trusted and respected colleague within the Christian publishing industry. While at Zondervan, Kenney led the team that collaborated with Randy Frazee and Max Lucado’s “The Story” campaign, which has been adopted by thousands of churches worldwide. Concurrently with his role as Executive Vice President of Sales for Zondervan, Kenney also was appointed trade book publisher and head of marketing, leading those teams on an interim basis. In addition, he ran the Spanish Vida publishing business, turning it profitable and increasing its reach significantly in subsequent years.
WORTHY PUBLISHING RELOCATES
Worthy Publishing will relocate to an 11,500 square-foot space in Cool Springs, TN from their current 4,700 square-foot Brentwood office. The move is planned for May 1. Plans are also being made to expand the staff, currently at 32 employees.
Worthy Founder and CEO Byron Williamson attributes the move to “booming” growth within the company. Contributors to this growth include the acquisition of Ideals Children’s Books as part of the WorthyKids brand and the success of the children’s book The Sparkle Box and New York Times best-seller Four Blood Moons.
WATERBROOK MULTNOMAH HONES THEIR MISSION
With the leadership change last fall, WaterBrook Multnomah has focused on honing their religious publishing mission and strategies, establishing the following missions and making the following changes for the company:
“WaterBrook’s mission is to create and publish content that both intensifies and satisfies readers’ elemental hunger for a deeper relationship with God; it seeks books for an evangelical Christian that draw on experiential learning, story, self-help, and inspiration to help readers flourish in their faith.”and publish content that both intensifies and satisfies readers’ elemental hunger for a deeper relationship with God; it seeks books for an evangelical Christian that draw on experiential learning, story, self-help, and inspiration to help readers flourish in their faith.”
“Multnomah is committed to advancing the mission of the church in proclaiming and living the Gospel around the world. It looks for life-changing, culture-defining messages from a conservative Christian perspective that challenge and inspire readers to their fullest potential.”
In keeping with this focus, Convergent Books, an imprint dedicated to general-market nonfiction titles from diverse Christian perspectives, has been returned to parent company Penguin Random House in New York under the editorial leadership of Executive Editor Dave Kopp.
“The Crown Publishing Group remains fully committed to its religion publishing program and we have worked to establish clear and distinct editorial missions for each of our Christian imprints,” said Senior VP & Publisher Christian Publishing Tina Constable.
“Our recent decision to relocate Convergent to New York and to provide it with its own dedicated editorial, marketing, and publishing support team was based on our recognition that there is a segment of the Christian reading public whose needs are not fully met by more traditional Christian publishing imprints. At the same time, separating Convergent’s operations from those of WaterBrook Multnomah has the additional benefit of enabling those Colorado Springs-based imprints to focus fully on their core areas of strength and expertise in order to be able to even better serve their respective audiences. The changes announced this week will, we believe, further strengthen our ability to focus on our mission of publishing books that meet the interests of a full spectrum of readers within the theologically diverse Christian community.”
In addition, Catholic-interest imprint, Image Books, will continue to maintain its backlist of Catholic books and publish all Image books under contract; however it will no longer acquire additional new titles. The Image Books publishing program will be discontinued as a frontlist imprint.
As a result of these decisions, the positions of Image associate editor and publicist will be eliminated after a transition period, as will the position of VP, associate publisher, WaterBrook Multnomah, Convergent, and Image Books.
“WaterBrook’s mission is to create and publish content that both intensifies and satisfies readers’ elemental hunger for a deeper relationship with God; it seeks books for an evangelical Christian that draw on experiential learning, story, self-help, and inspiration to help readers flourish in their faith.”and publish content that both intensifies and satisfies readers’ elemental hunger for a deeper relationship with God; it seeks books for an evangelical Christian that draw on experiential learning, story, self-help, and inspiration to help readers flourish in their faith.”
“Multnomah is committed to advancing the mission of the church in proclaiming and living the Gospel around the world. It looks for life-changing, culture-defining messages from a conservative Christian perspective that challenge and inspire readers to their fullest potential.”
In keeping with this focus, Convergent Books, an imprint dedicated to general-market nonfiction titles from diverse Christian perspectives, has been returned to parent company Penguin Random House in New York under the editorial leadership of Executive Editor Dave Kopp.
“The Crown Publishing Group remains fully committed to its religion publishing program and we have worked to establish clear and distinct editorial missions for each of our Christian imprints,” said Senior VP & Publisher Christian Publishing Tina Constable.
“Our recent decision to relocate Convergent to New York and to provide it with its own dedicated editorial, marketing, and publishing support team was based on our recognition that there is a segment of the Christian reading public whose needs are not fully met by more traditional Christian publishing imprints. At the same time, separating Convergent’s operations from those of WaterBrook Multnomah has the additional benefit of enabling those Colorado Springs-based imprints to focus fully on their core areas of strength and expertise in order to be able to even better serve their respective audiences. The changes announced this week will, we believe, further strengthen our ability to focus on our mission of publishing books that meet the interests of a full spectrum of readers within the theologically diverse Christian community.”
As a result of these decisions, the positions of Image associate editor and publicist will be eliminated after a transition period, as will the position of VP, associate publisher, WaterBrook Multnomah, Convergent, and Image Books.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
SPEAKING TIP OF THE DAY - MARCH 16, 2015
One
way to help avoid nervousness is to know exactly
how you are going to
open your speech, and exactly
what you're going to say to close it
out.
Friday, March 13, 2015
IS MY WRITING A BUSINESS?
Q. I am starting to have more success with my writing and am concerned about what I need to do—tax-wise or business-wise—to call my writing a business. At what point is my writing actually considered a business?
A.
It's probably too late to start calling your writing a business for your 2014 tax return, but now is a good time
to start setting up the business and begin keeping records the IRS
requires for 2015. Here are a few of the things you need to know to
get started:
The
IRS will want to know if you are writing as a hobby or you consider
your writing a business—the difference being that you are either
doing it for fun or you have a profit motive. If you are doing it as
a hobby, you can deduct the expenses associated with your writing but
only up to the amount you actually made during the year.
If
you consider it a business, you can deduct most or all of your
expenses, even in excess of your income; but the IRS expects you to
make a profit three out of the first five years. For that reason, you
need to plan your switch to the profit motive when it looks like that
is likely to happen. However, you can get around that three-year
requirement if you can prove you have tried hard to make a profit and
have the evidence to prove it. Such evidence would include keeping
detailed financial records with receipts, submitting regularly, and
having the rejection slips to prove your submissions.
Learn
what the IRS considers legitimate deductions. These include such
things as postage, office supplies, business travel, conference fees,
and office equipment. For some of the trickier deductions, these free
IRS publications help you make those calculations: Publication 535,
Business Expenses; Publication 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and
Car Expenses; and Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home.
Some
possible deductions have certain limitations on them, so checking out
these IRS publications is important. For example, some of the larger
deductions are allowed only if you make enough income to cover them.
As a self-employed writer, you may also be eligible to deduct a part
of your health insurance costs, as long as you are not eligible for
health coverage through your regular employer or that of your spouse.
One
of the more difficult deductions to claim is a home office. This is
one you will have to hold off on until your business is well
underway, and then you will need to carefully check out the
guidelines and restrictions for making such a deduction.
All
of the above are federal laws. State and local laws vary from state
to state, so check the laws for your city and state. Some states will
require a business license, payment of state taxes, etc.
By
the time your business is in full swing and you are making
significant income, you may want to hire an accountant to do your tax
returns. Just keep in mind that every accountant may not be familiar
with the tax laws as they relate to writing, so it helps if you can
find one who does tax returns for other writers.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
ACHIEVING WRITING SUCCESS
Q.
I’ve been writing on and off for years but never seem to get over
the hump of actually getting anything published. Now I’ve decided
I’m going to make a real effort to become a selling writer. Do you
have any tips that will help me achieve success?
A. Find a critique group to join. If there isn’t one in your area, consider starting one. If you don’t know writers in your area, post signs in large churches or Christian bookstores. You may be surprised how many closet writers are out there. It is also possible to join or start an online group. For an online group, you e-mail your manuscript or chapter to the other members; and they send back their responses and suggestions. The feedback you get from an in-person or online group can be invaluable. Even well-read people—whether they write or not—can be helpful.
Start collecting writers
guidelines and sample copies or book catalogs from periodicals and
publishers you want to target with your writing. Most now have their
guidelines available on their Web sites. Although it helps to see
sample copies of magazines and book catalogs, you can also learn a
lot by spending time studying their Web sites. Magazines often
include sample articles or whole issues (read them), and book
publishers list their current books. A word of caution: Never submit
to a new or untapped market without thoroughly studying the
guidelines and Website. Editors don’t have time to waste on
writers who have not done their homework and will often toss
submissions that don’t follow their guidelines.
Learn what you need to
know about rights and copyrights. Although the Copyright Law can be
intimidating in its entirety, only a small portion of it applies to
you as a writer. You especially need to know what rights to offer and
what rights to sell when submitting a manuscript to a periodical
publisher. Keep in mind that when selling a book, the rights are
covered in the contract, so you don’t need to be concerned about
them when submitting a book manuscript or proposal.
Determine what age groups
you want to target with your writing: young children through senior
adults. Once you know what age groups, use the Christian
Writers’ Market Guide to identify
periodicals and book houses that target those ages. Keep in mind that
every periodical has a specific, target audience, so your chances of
selling increase when your manuscript is of specific interest to that
age group or audience. Note that in some cases the audience will
share a common interest, rather than be for a specific age group,
such as a magazine for pastors.
Make reading an important
part of your preparation for writing. Read a lot of the kind of
manuscripts you want to write. If you want to write for magazines,
read as instructed above. If you want to write novels, read a lot of
the genre you want to write. If it’s nonfiction books, then read
books on the same topic to be sure you have something new or
different to say. Your reading should also include how-to writing
books, classics, and bestselling books in both the Christian and the
general markets.
Collect ideas for your
writing. It always helps to have a notebook handy where you can jot
down ideas as they come to you. Every time you have an idea for an
article or a book, write it down and start collecting additional
ideas or resources for that topic or plot and keep adding them to a
file folder until it includes enough ideas and inspiration to start
the writing project. Your notebook should also include a section of
brief ideas you might develop in the future.
Of
course, this list could go on for several more columns, but I’ll
end it here and add one more tip. Pray over every project to
determine first if it is taking you in the direction God would have
you go and then to ask His blessings on the writing and on those who
might read it after publication.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
AND THE AUTHOR SAID . . .
“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened.”
—Ernest Hemingway
DEALING WITH REJECTION - PART 3
In
today’s tighter market, it is even more critical that you carefully
study the guidelines and sample copy or book catalog of any publisher
you plan to submit to. With many more writers out there competing
with you in the marketplace, it is even more important that you study
the publisher carefully and follow the guidelines for each one
exactly. Never assume that your book is so special that you can send
five sample chapters when they clearly asked for three. With
something like a book proposal, it may mean that you need to tweak
the proposal between submissions to better fit the next publisher you
are going to approach.
It
is also important that you keep up with the changes in the industry,
especially in regards to submitting electronically. Although some
publishers were slow to keep up with the changes in technology, these
days most publishers have a Website and correspond with their writers
and potential writers through e-mail. And even if they don’t want
the initial contact to be through e-mail—some actually still want a
snail mail letter—many will prefer to correspond with you by e-mail
over the length of your involvement with them. I've heard some new
writers swear that they don't want to get involved with the Internet,
but in today's publishing culture that involvement has become
mandatory.
Since
most publishers now do have a Website, many of them have their
guidelines available on the site, as well as a lot of information
about their company and what they publish. You can learn something
about their ministry or denomination, find lists of the books they
have published or samples of articles from their publication. Such
resources improve your chances of getting that manuscript to–the
editor who can appreciate your work. It’s your job to find the
right address.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
DEALING WITH REJECTION - PART 2
Because
of my long involvement with the Christian
Writers’ Market Guide, I Have talked to a
lot of writers about marketing over the years--and the inevitable rejections that come with it. I know how
disappointing and frustrating those rejections can be. What it takes
some writers a long time to learn is that rejection is just part of
the publishing business. In our insecurities, we always assume the
rejection is an indication that the piece is bad—or at least poorly
written. While that might be the case if you have not taken the time
to learn your craft, more often it is just a matter of not finding
the right editor or the right publisher at the right time.
There
are many reasons for rejection, including: having already done
something similar or having it in the works from another author;
being overstocked with good manuscripts; having a tight budget this month or
year; the piece doesn’t fit their guidelines; has the wrong slant—or the
editor just had a fight with his wife that morning. Some of these reasons we can
avoid—others are inevitable.
WATERBROOK MULTNOMAH ANNOUNCES NEW STAFF PROMOTIONS
Alexander Field, VP and Publisher of WaterBrook Multnomah, announces the following promotions and staff changes effective immediately. Laura Barker has been promoted to Vice President, Editorial Director, WaterBrook Multnomah. Susan Tjaden has been promoted to Editor. Kendall Davis has been promoted to Assistant Editor. Debbie Mitchell has been promoted to Vice President, Director of Operations, WaterBrook Multnomah. Beverly Rykerd has been promoted to Publicity Director, and Ginia Hairston will be joining the company on April 6 as Vice President, Director of Marketing. More
STANDARD PUBLISHING LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
| ||
Register Now On Our New Website (StandardPub.com) to Win One of Our Award-Winning VBS Kits In Our 3 Kit Give-Away Drawing April 17th! 
CREATING WINNING LANDING PAGES
Sally,
Imagine just getting into your office, logging into your email and seeing that you have a long list of emails telling you that people have registered for your event or purchased your products, programs and services.
Learn How To Use the Precise Words to Capture the Undivided Attention of the Right People Who Will Take Action to Easily Invest in Your Tools, Techniques, Insights and Products
Touch and Agree Christian Women's Business Network Presents A 90-minute Teleclass Training and Live Q&A
Touch and Agree Christian Women's Business Network Presents A 90-minute Teleclass Training and Live Q&A
Make The Connection:
The 12 Must-Have Components of Creating Winning Landing Pages (even if you don’t like technology)
Thursday, March 26th
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EST
Live Q&A - 9:00 pm - 9:30 pm EST
The 12 Must-Have Components of Creating Winning Landing Pages (even if you don’t like technology)
Thursday, March 26th
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EST
Live Q&A - 9:00 pm - 9:30 pm EST
There is one simple tool that is indispensable to your business levels the playing field of business and enables you to build the case for the value you offer on a regular basis and so much more...the Landing Page (you may sometimes hear it called a 'Sales Page.').
Learn How to Constantly Increase The Number of People Who Connect With and Say "Yes" To Your Products and Services So You Can Free Up Your Time To Do More of The Things You Love.
Landing pages hold the power to make building your business easy, fun and exciting again without feeling "salesy", "pushy" or like you have to chase people down to get them to pay attention to what you have to offer. This will show you how to have them eagerly pursue you.
I have spent YEARS perfecting the art of utilizing Landing Pages to share my life's work with countless people I would otherwise never have met, increase my income, extend my brand's reach, and make money while I slept (this was a HUGE goal of mine as a single mother called to build a business).
For the FIRST TIME, I am going to lay out 12 of the must-have components I have tested and proven to work without fail time and time again that will shave years off of the time it will take you to get really good at using Landing Pages to g row your business.
Demystify the process of knowing exactly what to say, how to say it and how to appeal to the people who will say "Yes!" to you every time.
I have spent YEARS perfecting the art of utilizing Landing Pages to share my life's work with countless people I would otherwise never have met, increase my income, extend my brand's reach, and make money while I slept (this was a HUGE goal of mine as a single mother called to build a business).
For the FIRST TIME, I am going to lay out 12 of the must-have components I have tested and proven to work without fail time and time again that will shave years off of the time it will take you to get really good at using Landing Pages to g row your business.
Demystify the process of knowing exactly what to say, how to say it and how to appeal to the people who will say "Yes!" to you every time.
Learn how to create powerful landing pages and let them become your 24/7 sales force to market your business and share your ministry message.
Can't make it live? No problem. Get registered and you will receive a complimentary recording and the full training packet.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Ericka D. Jackson
Master Business Trainer
"The Results Accelerator"
Touch and Agree Christian Women's Business Network Co-Founder
Ericka D. Jackson
Master Business Trainer
"The Results Accelerator"
Touch and Agree Christian Women's Business Network Co-Founder
Ericka D. Jackson
7413 Six Forks Rd.
Suite 110
Raleigh, NC
27615
US
info@erickajackson.com
(919) 713-2283
ONLINE WRITING CLASS
Take Our Online Writing Class
Secrets to a Successful Writing Career
Is God calling you to write?
Here is the perfect place to start or even enhance your call.
Learn the "big picture" and key tools to establish a writing ministry/career, while building portfolio and platform. Includes how-to books, markets, social media, and other aids. How to submit writing like a pro and work with editors/agents.
 |
| Linda Evans Shepherd. |
When: March 12
Time: 9:00 pm EST, 8:00 pm CST, 7:00 pm MST, 6:00 pm PST
Where: Live Webinar online; or sign up and you will automatically get the replay.
Sign up: Click HERE.
Instructors: Angela Breidenbach with Linda Evans Shepherd
We have handouts plus, we will be there to answer your questions.
About our Presenters:
Angela Breidenbach is a captivating speaker, coach, and author. Angela serves nationally as the Christian Author Network's (CAN) president. With a volume of appearances online, television, stage, and radio Angela loves to share her knowledge to build up others. (And yes, she's Writer in the #Muse & Writer comedy duo.)
Linda Evans Shepherd is an award-winning, best-selling author of over 30 books. She's the president of Right to the Heart, the publisher of Leading Hearts Magazine, an international speaker as well as the director of Instant Writers Conference and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)