One of the perks of my job is I get to see authors hold their books in their hands for the very first time. You should see their faces! It is truly a priceless moment…for both of us. You see, I just helped someone’s dream come true.

I know what that’s like. I remember holding my first published book in my hands. It was exhilarating! And the fourth book wasn’t any less so. It’s a feeling I want everyone to experience at least one time in their life.

As an acquisitions editor I see a lot of manuscripts. Some are good, some need some work, some just need to be thrown away and started anew. Whatever my opinion of that manuscript, it is someone’s baby. An author has put a lot of time and effort into that story and he loves it. 
 
My mother was a writer. She was the one who helped me get started. She provided me with unvaluable information and contacts when I was still in high school. Unfortunately, she passed away while she was in the process of sending out her manuscript to publishers. Years later I was able to get her book published. While she may not have seen the fulfillment of her dreams, I was able to make it happen and that feels good, better than good.

Sometimes people just have a story they want to share with family and friends. They are not looking to make millions, or even care if anyone outside their circle reads it; they just have a treasure they want to give to those they love. 

Don’t think that it’s too late for you. It doesn’t matter how old (or even how young) you are, there is still time to tell your story. 
 
Can I help your dreams come true? Send me your proposal through my contact page and together we’ll see what we can do. 

Psalm 66:1 says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.” That statement is repeated many times throughout the scriptures. If I had a list of misapplied verses, it would probably be a pretty long list, and that one would have a prominent place on it. We usually interpret “make a joyful noise” to mean, “If you can’t sing, sing anyway.”  After all, God gave you that voice, such as it is, and He knows your efforts are sincere, so it doesn’t really matter how it sounds.
 
That attitude might be all right between you and the Lord when you’re in the shower, but you can take the word of a lifelong non-singer; the other people who sit near you in church do notice and care about the quality of your singing.
 
Sad to say, that attitude of indifference to quality has crept into much of our Christian music, visual art, and more significantly for us, our Christian writing and speaking. Sometimes I’m uncomfortable with using the word Christian to describe my work. It’s too bad we categorize everything as either spiritual on the one hand, or secular on the other.  Many Christians want nothing to do with the secular, and that’s a shame, because it limits the areas of our writing, and limits the ways in which the Lord can use us. I believe those divisions were contrived by men and are not from the Lord. 
He is interested in every area of our lives. Every single thing we do, say, and write can and should be pleasing to Him.
 
We have a creative God

We represent many backgrounds and schools of thought within the body of Christ.  One thing we surely can agree about is that we have a creative God. Creativity is one of His main characteristics, and as creatures made in His image, it ought to be one of ours. Christians, of all people, should have an appreciation for the creative arts. 
 
Most of us believe, or at least suspect, that we have a call from God to write and speak to groups.  I
don’t believe He calls any of us to do any part of our job in a mediocre  fashion. He is a Holy God.  He calls us to be perfect. He is concerned about and involved in our writing and speaking. He can enable us to do those things with excellence.
 
Why then are so many of our Christian magazines full of nonsense articles that have no real meaning for most of us?  Why are so many Christian songs simply a rehash of worn-out phrases and
rhyme schemes that have lost their freshness and meaning?
 
I’m disturbed by what I see in Christian biographies we give to our children. Sometimes a protagonist is presented as a Christian hero and role model, but the book contains misconceptions or even outright errors in reporting of documented facts.  I’m not saying the same problem doesn’t
exist in secular history, but if an author who makes no profession of faith does a poor job, it reflects on no one but himself. When a Christian does a sloppy job of research or shows an attitude of disregard for facts, it reflects on the Lord as well.  He compromises his integrity. Not only does he lose respect as an historian, but also in spiritual matters. Who’s going to believe you know what you’re talking about in Biblical truth, if you can’t get anything else straight?
 
Too often when we attach the word Christian to something, the world has come to view that adjective as synonymous with “second rate.”  It’s not necessary to debate how this happened or when it started, or why. We could discuss that for a month and not come to any conclusion, except to say that the problem exists.
 
Even if we aren’t interested in writing so-called Christian literature for a so-called Christian publisher, we need to be just as concerned about quality in our work. I believe our Christianity is discernible in everything we write. Besides, someone we have dealings with through our writing may find out we’re Christians. Or someday we may change our minds and decide to write something of a religious nature.
 
If we really are called to write or speak, each of us is going to be unique. Because of who you are, where you live, how you live, who you know, what you know, and what you’ve experienced, you can tell something no one else can.  
 
The challenge
I have intended these words as a challenge. I don’t want to be negative. If we really regard our writing and speaking as a gift form God, we’ll want to offer it back to Him as a sacrifice, even an act of worship. Quality shouldn’t be a problem. The God who calls us will enable us to write and speak with an excellence that is glorifying to Him.

It seems that the first time we do anything is memorable. Remember your first kiss, your first dance, or your first best friend? They stick in your mind, don’t they? Then there are the firsts that we wish would not have such a prominent place in our memories, such as our first car accident or our first break-up.
 
There is definitely one thing about first times that is true – we can learn from them. When authors look back at their first story or article, they may cringe. Writing evolves and develops, just like anything else we work at in life. 
 
Even today’s famous authors were not always household names. They were rejected just like us. Stephen King recalls that his first novel Carrie  was rejected by publishers many times before finding a home. He took his rejections and used them as motivation. 

The Diary of Anne Frank was rejected by 16 different publishers. One stated that “the girl doesn't, it
seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level.” Both the book and the movie captivate readers still today.
 
George Orwell’s Animal Farm and William Faulkner’s Sanctuary were also not picked up by the first, second, or even third publisher. 
  
John Grisham’s first book A Time to Kill was not only rejected by publishers, but he was also rejected by agents that refused to work with him. 
 
And my personal favorite is that Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind was rejected 38 times before being picked up by a publisher. I realize it was first published in 1936 and all the editors are dead, but can you imagine those 38 editors kicking themselves for not picking it up when they had
the chance?
 
Do you see a pattern here? All of these authors mentioned are common household names today. Why? Because they were persistent. They believed in their own work. They kept going even when the going got tough. 
  
We’ve all heard the statement, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Use these failures as learning experiences and keep on moving forward.

It seems to be a trendy thing for celebrities to write a book, whether it is a memoir, a tell-all, or even a novel. And let’s face it – how many of these celebrities actually pick up the pen and paper or type away on a keyboard to do the writing of the book? Probably not many. They instead use ghost writers to do most of the work for them. Some claim that the story was all theirs, but when listening to some of these overly articulate people in interviews (note the sarcasm) you wonder how they can put enough sentences together correctly to complete an entire book.
 
So, why do publishers pick up these manuscripts? Because celebrities already have a platform. People who follow those celebrities will immediately go out and buy the book, bolstering it to the top 10 on the New York Times Best Seller  List.  It doesn’t even necessarily matter the reviews that the book gets, the people have already bought the books, making the publisher a ton of money.
 
Take the Kardashian girls for example. They published a novel entitled Dollhouse. After tragedy happens in three sisters previously glamorous lives, everything changes. While the sisters are very close, one does get back into the glitz and  glamor of fame bringing jealousy, pain, and backstabbing into the relationships. The reader wonders if the family can stay a tightly knit family. Is the writing great? No. Do they sell a lot of books? Yes, because they have a platform of ready buyers.
 
However, just because you don’t have a platform yet does not mean you do not need to write books. Stephen King’s first book, Carrie, was published in 1973. At that time, it did not make the New York Times Best Seller List. Why? Perhaps it was because he didn’t have a platform. However,
King has written almost 50 novels; more than 40 of those have since made it to the NYTBSL. Why? Because once he built a platform of readers, every time he came out with a new book, those readers would go and buy it, bringing even more readers with them.

John Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill, did not immediately make it to the best seller list. He did
what all writers should do; as soon as he completed his first novel, he started work on his second, The Firm, which did make it to the best seller list, because by then he had a built in following.

Your name may not be well-known enough to help sell books, but don’t let that discourage you. This is why it is important for you to build your own platform. Your platform must extend beyond your family and friends. What will that sell? 100 copies? 
 
How do you build a platform? There are several ways. You must shamelessly promote yourself and your book. Use Twitter. Use Facebook. Create an email list and send out a quarterly newsletter. Start a blog. Use any other media means available to you to get the word out about you and your work. Be consistent and persistent. It will pay off in the end.

The header of this site is an open book with blank pages. There is nothing more inviting to me than a blank page waiting to be filled with words. Words are a powerful tool that you can use to change people’s minds or to
entertain. Words can make a person laugh or make one cry. 

When people find out that I write, I often hear, “I’ve always wanted to write!” I love helping people see their dreams fulfilled of getting their work in print. Here I will give some direction as far as writing and ideas for selling your work. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I will write a blog entry about that; helping you and others who may have the same question.

For now, find a pen and a blank page. Write whatever is in your heart; even if no one will ever see it. What is important is that you write.