Frequently Asked Questions

Click on a question to view the answer . . .

I’ve heard most publishers will only work with proven authors; is that true?

Nope. Publishers are always looking for great writers. I’ll admit that a track record helps, but it’s not true that they’ll only work with people who have done a lot of publishing.

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What genres are you actively pursuing?

In fiction, I am actively pursuing women’s contemporary fiction, suspense thrillers (I would love to find a writer of legal thrillers), and high-quality historical and literary fiction. In nonfiction, there is a wide array of projects I would consider: Books about the Bible, biographies, business, Christian living, crime stories, current events, entertainment, finance, grief, gardening, health, history, home, inspirational titles, marriage & relationships, narrative nonfiction, parenting, self-help, spiritual memoir, spirituality, sports, women’s issues, and writing.

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How important are writer’s conferences to the new writer?

I think writer’s conferences are a great way for newbies to get educated in the process of writing. Hanging around a bunch of experienced people in your chosen field is ALWAYS an excellent idea. If you want to be a mechanic, you hang around mechanics. If you want to be a millionaire, you hang around millionaires. It’s nice to find somebody a bit further down the path.

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What’s your best advice for aspiring writers?

Writing is hard work. Approach it that way.

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How true is the adage it’s all in who you know? Is networking really that important?

OF COURSE networking is important. Name the job in this country where networking is unimportant. (I’m waiting. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) Let’s say I have one slot to fill and two equally worthy projects. One of them is from a person I don’t know. The other is from a person I’ve met who has made an effort to get to know me and my company. A writer who has proven she knows how to listen to advice and put it into practice in her work. Someone I met at a writer’s conference and impressed me with her insight. An individual I like who I’m comfortable with and who has proven she’s not a pain. Given that scenario, and the fact that the two ideas are of equal worth to me, the writing in both proposals is good, and the platforms are about the same…who do I choose? Who would you choose?

Get to know people in the industry. Go to industry events. Attend writer conferences. Stop to introduce yourself to people. Be prepared to talk knowledgably about books and writing. Rub shoulders with people. Have a conversation about normal life—don’t make it seem like your book is the start and end of your life. You’re going to find some editors and publishers become friends. I met Julie Barnhill at a gathering of women writers years ago. She came over, introduced herself to me, and was both friendly and pleasant. We struck up a conversation. Eventually I became her agent. Ditto Mary DeMuth, who I met at the Mount Hermon conference several years back.

There are a bunch of others with a similar story. I found Siri Mitchell to be very talented as well as a knowledgeable individual. I thought Ginger Garrett was delightful, AND she could sit and talk Braves baseball with me. Sure, all of these people had talent, but they also came across as normal people who I might meet and be friends with.

Of course, the reverse of this is true as well: Don’t be a pest. I was at a conference recently, and I had this one guy more or less stalk me. Every time I turned around, he was there, a dopey smile on his face, pushing his lousy book idea, trying too hard to be my best friend. He gave me the creeps. I don’t care if he sends me something great, I’m not going to publish him because then I’d have to deal with the clown on a regular basis, and life is too short to be surrounded by Mr. Weirdness and the Children of Doom.

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How can an author take their work from good to great?

This is my favorite question, because I get to prattle on and sound like an expert, and I’m fairly certain the writers reading this will actually get something out of my answer.

  1. Improve your vocabulary. (It’s okay to find your readers occasionally have to get up and study their dictionary while reading your book. Growth is a good thing.)
  2. Find your voice. (This is my favorite writing topic, of course. Most writers seem to be pretending they are still writing an English paper. Kill the teacher in your head. You’re writing your life. You’re writing to a friend. You are NOT writing for a grade. You are NOT writing to show off. You are revealing yourself via verbs and nouns.) Get organized. (Every book requires research and planning. EVERY book.)
  3. Know your topic. (If you don’t, you’re wasting your time. And if you send it to me, you’re wasting MY time. I won’t waste it on you again.)
  4. Learn to set the mood. (Your emotional tone should shine through your writing.)
  5. Develop a sense of rhythm. (Short sentences speed up your pace.)
  6. Refine your ability to use imagery. (Your images should be as clear as a Siamese cat wearing a red coat and dancing the Highland Fling. Or something.)
  7. Be clear.
  8. Don’t belabor the obvious. Learn to create strong leads and stronger closings. (Grab me. Then send me off to ponder.)
  9. Meet great characters and reveal them on the page. (If you don’t know these people, if you don’t know their setting, you’re about to write a crummy book.)
  10. Read your dialogue out loud to yourself. (Your ear will catch anything dishonest.)
  11. Make sure you have a story to tell. (And remember that every story has conflict.)
  12. Write in scenes, and let every scene raise the stakes. (Every story has beats to it. Learn to think in paragraphs.)
  13. Show us the journey. (I want to be moved. I want to read your story and be changed.)
  14. Write with verbs and nouns. (Stolen from Elements of Style. Still the best writing advice I know.)
  15. Work as hard on every sentence as you do on your lead. (Don’t get lazy.)
  16. Shut up and listen to your editor.
  17. Write every day. (Nothing will move your career forward faster.)
  18. Go back and rewrite. (Don’t assume it was perfect the first time.)
  19. Read widely. (And read something different from your own stuff.)
  20. Depth is found when multidimensional characters that I can relate to face timeless questions in complex circumstances, then make decisions that are open to interpretation…so they may not be right. (THAT’S what causes me to learn, what helps me to understand myself, what leaves me thinking about your book. And this can’t be faked, so don’t write with an agenda. Nothing is more boring than reading a polemic. We’re tired of both Rush Limbaugh’s outrage and Al Franken’s posturing.

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One of the debates in Christian book review circles is a lack of harsh reviews of CBA books. Should Christian authors be brutally honest when we review other Christian authors?

One of the things I noticed several years ago is that the world of Christian publishing had become awfully "nice." Nobody ever got a bad review, even if the book in question was clearly awful. I remember reading this very polite review for a CBA novel about ten years ago. I read the novel, but the only way I could finish the stupid thing was to tear out the pages I’d read and light them on fire, in hopes that occasionally sticking my hand into the flames would keep me awake. Mourn the trees that died so this tome could see print.

That experience made me wonder . . . why can’t we be honest? I mean, how are we ever going to get better as Christian writers if we feel the Lord is somehow calling us to be eternally nice? I’d suggest that many of the Old Testament prophets helped the culture make strides not by being nice, but being honest, even blunt. Ditto Paul. Ditto Jesus, for that matter (take a peek at his criticisms of the upstanding church leadership of His day).

Okay, I understand that we sometimes do a nice review to help a book sell. Or to pay back a friend who said something nice on our own book. Or because we can’t think of anything else to say. Fine. But where does that author go to get better?

Think of it this way: Let’s say we have this nice young novelist who has just published her first book with a romance publisher. It’s a genre romance. (Daphne meets Buck. They fall in love. Buck, who is as stupid as his name would suggest, misunderstands something and they quarrel. The romance is off. Then the fire breaks out and threatens Daphne’s barn. Buck comes to the rescue. They both are too stupid to realize they’re just characters in a trite novel, so they fall back into love again. They move into each other’s arms. There is an ellipsis in which nonChristian readers will assume they’re going to have sex. And the story wraps up with everyone tired but happy.)

Okay. She (the author, not Daphne, who is busy having an ellipsis with Buck) gets her book reviewed in a couple places. The reviews all say, "It’s lovely." Her friends at church are impressed. She gets to sign copies at her local Christian Book Store (which is no doubt having a sale that week on Thomas Kinkade Napkins and Precious Moments Soap-on-a-Rope). She gets to hold it up at a writer’s conference and have all the wannabes fawn over her.

So . . . how does Ms. Novelist improve her craft? I mean, everybody is telling her that she’s suddenly a genius. She starts posting opinions on Christian writer web sites. Pretty soon she is mistaking her inexperience as experience; substituting immaturity for maturity. And she moves on to sharing her weakness with everyone as though it were a strength. I’m just trying to point out that Ms. Novelist needs to have a dose of reality. She needs somebody who is a bit farther down the path to suggest to her that she’s not all that.

Part of my job and the responsibility I have to the industry is to try and help Ms. Novelist improve. That means I get to be honest. And I should point out that I long ago stopped reviewing books for magazines, newspapers, web sites, and other places that are basically marketing venues. I never try to torpedo anyone’s book, so you won’t find a bunch of toasty reviews I’ve created in trade magazines. It is NOT my job to harm someone’s book sales. If Christian Retailing and Publishers Weekly want to give the book solid reviews, then I think that’s great for the author’s sales. My comments ALWAYS take place in venues that are followed by writers, NOT by the general reading public. (In fact, my ego stays in check by reminding the rest of my brain that, outside of the very small audience that is Christian writers, nobody really knows who I am.)

So what’s the harm in being honest? Can’t we all admit we’ve got stuff to learn? I read books about writing regularly because I really want to improve my craft. I listen when somebody I respect talks writing. I listen to writers I’ve worked with over the years because I represented some good people and I love hearing what they have to say. I figure if I’m going to be opinionated, that’s okay so long as I can back it up and remain teachable.

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