Several of my author friends recently attended the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Dallas. I stopped by at the book signing on Saturday to chat with some of the authors and to support my friends who were there. It was a blessing to visit with Mary DeMuth, Sandi Glahn, Randy Ingermanson, Susan Meissner, Camy Tang, and others. The conference was a phenomenal success! I definitely plan to attend next year.
Agent Chip MacGregor shares some of the highlights of the conference on his site on his blog. Read his post "The Best Conference Ever" at chipmacgregor.com. Chip also explains what he, as a literary agent, looks for when reviewing a manuscript. Here are some of his useful comments:
"As I've said before, every book should have great writing expressing a great idea, and be supported by a great platform. But on that first page, I'm not looking for platform yet. I may not even be looking at the quality of the idea. On the first page I am looking for great writing. Does the author know his or her voice? Do they have something to say? Is it interesting? Does it sound natural? Is it larded up with adjectives and adverbs? Does the author speak directly? Do I get a strong image? Is the presentation strong? Above all, do I want to continue reading past the first page? Those are the questions rattling around in my head at the start of a submission review."
Great points! Do any of you readers out there have other suggestions for budding writers? If so, please share your comments here. Thanks!
miércoles, 26 de septiembre de 2007
viernes, 21 de septiembre de 2007
More on Brands
I've been reading a lot about branding lately and am finding it quite intriguing. I discovered some great writers' brands/taglines and thought I would share them to help us get our "creative juices" flowing.
I met yesterday with "Mad Genius Writer" Randy Ingermanson. He's such a gifted, humble, kind person who really has a heart to help young writers achieve success. He told me that he's been working on branding himself for many years, and this is the brand/tagline he has chosen: "THINK FAITH." Don't you love it?
Author friend Mary DeMuth has chosen the tagline "Turning Trials into Triumph." I love that, too. It defines Mary's personal story and her writing ministry so well.
I've been thinking about what characterizes my ministry. Faith is vital, as it's part of my ministry title: Leap of Faith. Part of my passion is to help people break out of ruts and follow their dreams. For so much of my life, I lived in fear, afraid to take risks. But now that I am doing what I love, I feel so much more fulfilled.
Maybe "Risky Faith"? Or "Faith Makes It Possible"? Or "Making Space for Grace"? Let me know your thoughts.
Camy Tang, whom I just met last night for the first time, has been hugely successful with her line of Asian-inspired Christian chick lit. Her tagline for her new book, Sushi for One?, is "Romance with a Touch of Wasabi." Very fun! Cami won the Genesis Award for a new writer at the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. Congrats!
Camy features lots of great writing tips and exciting giveaways on her blog, including new books and iPods. Check out her website at camys-loft.blogspot.com. Blessings!
I met yesterday with "Mad Genius Writer" Randy Ingermanson. He's such a gifted, humble, kind person who really has a heart to help young writers achieve success. He told me that he's been working on branding himself for many years, and this is the brand/tagline he has chosen: "THINK FAITH." Don't you love it?
Author friend Mary DeMuth has chosen the tagline "Turning Trials into Triumph." I love that, too. It defines Mary's personal story and her writing ministry so well.
I've been thinking about what characterizes my ministry. Faith is vital, as it's part of my ministry title: Leap of Faith. Part of my passion is to help people break out of ruts and follow their dreams. For so much of my life, I lived in fear, afraid to take risks. But now that I am doing what I love, I feel so much more fulfilled.
Maybe "Risky Faith"? Or "Faith Makes It Possible"? Or "Making Space for Grace"? Let me know your thoughts.
Camy Tang, whom I just met last night for the first time, has been hugely successful with her line of Asian-inspired Christian chick lit. Her tagline for her new book, Sushi for One?, is "Romance with a Touch of Wasabi." Very fun! Cami won the Genesis Award for a new writer at the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. Congrats!
Camy features lots of great writing tips and exciting giveaways on her blog, including new books and iPods. Check out her website at camys-loft.blogspot.com. Blessings!
lunes, 17 de septiembre de 2007
Finding Your Brand
"Branding" seems to be a popular catchphrase among 21st-century authors. The term tends to make me feel like a box of Milk Duds; stick me in a box with a gaudy label, stash me on a shelf, and hope someone buys me!
But branding represents a vital part of marketing. As Christian authors, each of us has been granted an individual message to communicate to the world. If God has given you a message, shouldn't you communicate it as clearly as possible? Shouldn't you focus on getting your message out to the maximum number of people in your target audience? That's what branding is all about: helping people "get a handle" on your message and your ministry.
I'm still working on developing my brand and my tagline. It's amazing how your concept of your ministry, your writing and your brand can morph over time. One of my "branding struggles" has been to find a brand that encompasses all of my books and my ministry interests without sounding too vague. I had chosen the tagline "Redemptive Writing and Speaking," but that's probably not focused enough. So I'm still searching for the perfect brand.
Author and writing mentor Mary DeMuth has written one of the best articles I've read on branding. If you need help choosing a powerful brand, please read Mary's article by clicking the link below:
canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/2007/09/how-i-found-my-.html
I've love to hear your own brands and how you came up with them! Please post a comment here. Thanks!
But branding represents a vital part of marketing. As Christian authors, each of us has been granted an individual message to communicate to the world. If God has given you a message, shouldn't you communicate it as clearly as possible? Shouldn't you focus on getting your message out to the maximum number of people in your target audience? That's what branding is all about: helping people "get a handle" on your message and your ministry.
I'm still working on developing my brand and my tagline. It's amazing how your concept of your ministry, your writing and your brand can morph over time. One of my "branding struggles" has been to find a brand that encompasses all of my books and my ministry interests without sounding too vague. I had chosen the tagline "Redemptive Writing and Speaking," but that's probably not focused enough. So I'm still searching for the perfect brand.
Author and writing mentor Mary DeMuth has written one of the best articles I've read on branding. If you need help choosing a powerful brand, please read Mary's article by clicking the link below:
canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/2007/09/how-i-found-my-.html
I've love to hear your own brands and how you came up with them! Please post a comment here. Thanks!
viernes, 7 de septiembre de 2007
Great Quote
J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, wrote, "The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he hoped to make it."
I just read this quote in a curriculum I am editing and found it poignant and apropos for this time of my life. What are your thoughts, fellow writers?
I just read this quote in a curriculum I am editing and found it poignant and apropos for this time of my life. What are your thoughts, fellow writers?
lunes, 3 de septiembre de 2007
A Friendly Push: Get Your Work Out There!
Consistency is one of the keys to great writing. I have been helping a friend with the business of submitting his poetry and nonfiction to writing contests. I recommended that he schedule one hour of time per week to send out a poetry or prose entry. That’s a manageable goal, and if you do this EVERY WEEK, you will definitely get results.
Here are the addresses for several Christian literary journals that are currently accepting submissions:
1. Three One Six, P.O. Box 79, Westville, NJ 08093 or submissions@the316journal.com
2. IMAGE, 3307 Third Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119
3. Rock & Sling, P.O. BOx 30865, Spokane, WA 99223
One of the best poetry books out there is the 2007 Poet’s Market. Another resource that I use is Poets & Writers magazine. The new issue just came out, and it contains some great lists of new literary journals and magazines that are currently accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and artwork. Definitely check it out!
Also, for any poet seeking to improve his or her work, I must recommend the fantastic book The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo. It will free you to move outside your boundaries and create work you never thought possible.
Calling All Poets Under 40: Now is the time to start working on your poems to submit to the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg competition by Nov. 6, 2007. Check out their website at dorothyprizes.org to read the submission guidelines and also to see what types of poems won last year. This will be useful for you as you craft your work. Onward and upward!
Here are the addresses for several Christian literary journals that are currently accepting submissions:
1. Three One Six, P.O. Box 79, Westville, NJ 08093 or submissions@the316journal.com
2. IMAGE, 3307 Third Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119
3. Rock & Sling, P.O. BOx 30865, Spokane, WA 99223
One of the best poetry books out there is the 2007 Poet’s Market. Another resource that I use is Poets & Writers magazine. The new issue just came out, and it contains some great lists of new literary journals and magazines that are currently accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and artwork. Definitely check it out!
Also, for any poet seeking to improve his or her work, I must recommend the fantastic book The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo. It will free you to move outside your boundaries and create work you never thought possible.
Calling All Poets Under 40: Now is the time to start working on your poems to submit to the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg competition by Nov. 6, 2007. Check out their website at dorothyprizes.org to read the submission guidelines and also to see what types of poems won last year. This will be useful for you as you craft your work. Onward and upward!
domingo, 2 de septiembre de 2007
Digging Deep Foundations
Hello, friends! I was so impressed by author Mary DeMuth's last e-zine, titled "Writing: Dig Deep Foundations Today." Mary offers some excellent advice for authors and also touched on some vital issues - many of the same issues that I have been dealing with in my own writing life.
I have learned so much from reading Mary's book Authentic Parenting. It's excellent! I plan to apply many of her principles when I become a parent. I discovered when I taught 8th grade English last year that today's kids and the school environment are radically different than they were when I was in school. It was quite a rude awakening! :) But I loved my kids, of course, and I also coached girls' volleyball, which was really fun.
I also think what Mary said about celebrating accompishments and milestones is really important. I had always thought I would be on cloud nine and celebrate for weeks after I had signed my first major book contract. I WAS absolutely thrilled, no doubt! My husband and I praised the Lord for His goodness. However, then I had to move onto the next thing. I think a lot of writers find themselves in a constant search for the BBD... (the bigger, better deal). Instead of doing that, we need to take time to celebrate each door that God opens.
When you have a number of writing and editing projects on the table at any given time, it can be difficult to focus on celebrating the positives of each one, because you also experience struggles with some of them. Oh, the ups and downs of the writing life! I see why God made me such an "even keeled" person. I think being positive, maintaining a sense of humor and clinging to the ability to see the glass as half full are absolutely crucial to our success as writers. First and foremost, we must trust the knowledge that God has given us a unique message (and, hopefully, at least a smidgen of giftedness at writing) that He wants us to offer the world. I might be tempted at times to give up on MY message, but I will never give up on HIS message.
If you would like to sign up for Mary's e-zine mailing list, click on the following link and enter your e-mail address: visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101740695204. Enjoy!
I have learned so much from reading Mary's book Authentic Parenting. It's excellent! I plan to apply many of her principles when I become a parent. I discovered when I taught 8th grade English last year that today's kids and the school environment are radically different than they were when I was in school. It was quite a rude awakening! :) But I loved my kids, of course, and I also coached girls' volleyball, which was really fun.
I also think what Mary said about celebrating accompishments and milestones is really important. I had always thought I would be on cloud nine and celebrate for weeks after I had signed my first major book contract. I WAS absolutely thrilled, no doubt! My husband and I praised the Lord for His goodness. However, then I had to move onto the next thing. I think a lot of writers find themselves in a constant search for the BBD... (the bigger, better deal). Instead of doing that, we need to take time to celebrate each door that God opens.
When you have a number of writing and editing projects on the table at any given time, it can be difficult to focus on celebrating the positives of each one, because you also experience struggles with some of them. Oh, the ups and downs of the writing life! I see why God made me such an "even keeled" person. I think being positive, maintaining a sense of humor and clinging to the ability to see the glass as half full are absolutely crucial to our success as writers. First and foremost, we must trust the knowledge that God has given us a unique message (and, hopefully, at least a smidgen of giftedness at writing) that He wants us to offer the world. I might be tempted at times to give up on MY message, but I will never give up on HIS message.
If you would like to sign up for Mary's e-zine mailing list, click on the following link and enter your e-mail address: visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101740695204. Enjoy!
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