Write His Answer

It’s taken almost a month to switch my focus from the Colorado Christian Writers Conference to the July 29 – August 1 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. I’m definitely in the catch-up mode! It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by all that needs to get done in the next five weeks were it not for the staff working alongside me.

I’m especially excited about the chart of editorial needs our Appointment Coordinator, Barb Haley, has compiled that show the specifics of what our 5 agents and 24 editors are looking for. This is helpful info whether or not you’re able to come to the conference. Here’s a bird’s eye view of page 1 of the four-page chart:

The conference website provides lots more info. For example:

Sally Apokedak is an associate agent with the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency. She has been studying, reviewing, and marketing children’s books, as well as giving writing instruction for a dozen years or more. In a six-hour continuing session she will teach How to Break In with Middle Grade and Young Adult Books.

Other continuing sessions are:

• Heart of the Storyteller with Allen Arnold
• Master the Memoir with Marti Pieper
• Writing Nonfiction Books that Change Lives with Jim Watkins
• Indie Publishing with Scoti Domeij
• Take Your Fiction to the Gym with Tim Shoemaker
• Take Your Publishing to the Next Level with Suzanne and Shawn Kuhn
• Fiction Practicum with Eva Marie Everson

Along with the rest of our faculty of 56 authors, editors, agents, and other professionals Sally and will meet with conferees in 15-minute one-on-one appointments. (The next 21 people who register for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are entitled to FIVE free 15-minute appointments with the faculty of their choice based on availability.) Sally is interested in representing picture books, middle grade and YA books (fantasy is her favorite), nonfiction for all ages, and adult inspirational books.

Blythe Daniel is a literary agent and publicist helping authors publish and market their book. She is acquiring 18 categories of nonfiction! In her workshop,How to Promote Yourself and Your Book, she will talk about how to step out of your comfort zone to sell yourself and your book wihtout feeling like you are selling your soul. In Position Yourself she will help participants undertand what makes them and their book unique and audience/publisher friendly.They will learn how to discover and meet true felt needs in a format that works. (These are just two of the 58 workshops at this year’s conference!)

Something new in The Blythe Daniel Agency for everyone – not just conferees!
Blythe says, “We want to be on the cutting edge of practices that embrace the ever-changing publishing landscape. We want to connect publishers, authors, and bloggers for more exposure to books and bloggers who play an integral part in highlighting books and films. We have put together a community of bloggers called The Blog Spot that reviews books and movies from publishers and film production companies we work with like Thomas Nelson, Tyndale House, Abingdon Press, NavPress, Exploration Films, and others. Since January, we have 70 bloggers in our network reaching over 2.5 million people!

“We have a monthly drawing for a $50 gift card to a major retailer, and those who post at least one review during the month will be eligible to enter the drawing. Each review will also be posted on The Blog Spot’s Facebook and Twitter pages to help bloggers reach a broader audience.

“We are looking for active bloggers with all sizes of platforms. If you are interested in participating in the network or having your book or film reviewed through The Blog Spot, contact Stephanie Alton: stephanie@theblythedanielagency.com. We will be reviewing books, movies, and participants in the network can decide how often they are available to review products.

“In essence we want to help get the word out about new books and movies while helping bloggers increase the traffic to their blogs. Go here to sign up!”  http://theblythedanielagency.net/the-blog-spot

If a family vacation or finances (some scholarship help is still availabile) makes it impossible for you to come to all or part of the July 29 – August 1 conference, I hope you will still visit http://philadelphia.writehisanswer.com for the information you’ll discover there to help you grow your writing ministry. There are also almost a dozen free writers’ helps.

• Lay a Solid Foundation – Bible study
• Write Your Testimony
• Bear Fruit – Bible Study
• Making It Happen – Chapter 3 from my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers
• Overcoming Procrastination – Chapter 9
• Needs of Christian Periodicals
• Writer’s Statement of Faith
• Crisis of Confidence
• Put on the Armor – Chapter 12
• Overcoming Doubts

Remember His promise:

I can do everything God asks me to
with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.
Phil. 4:13 TLB