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Mary Rosenblum
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Hello, all, welcome to our
Professional Connection Live Interview...where you get to ask the pros
questions.
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Tonight we'll be chatting with
Nick Harrison.
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Nick Harrison has spent the
past 25 years in the Christian publishing arena. He's been a bookseller, an
author, and an editor. During our visit he will offer tips on breaking into
Christian publishing and will give us an assessment of the current market
for manuscripts. Nick enjoys teaching and nurturing writers, both through
Long Ridge and through the several writers conferences he attends each year
as an instructor.
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Nick Harrison
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Hi all!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Nick, welcome! I'm so glad that
you agreed to visit us again!
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Nick Harrison
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Happy to be here.
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Mary Rosenblum
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How about a bit of an
introduction? How did you get started in the Christian market?
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Nick Harrison
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I was a retailer and always
wanted to write. Started with queries to magazines and did quite a few
articles,
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then God opened doors for me
to do some books and further opened the door for me to work at Harvest
House Publishing four years ago.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What kinds of articles did you
break in with?
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Nick Harrison
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Humor, mainly. One of those
articles ended up in Chicken Soup for Couples years later...what a
surprise.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Oh, how cool! I have enormous
respect for people who can do humor!
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Are your book length works
humor, also?
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Nick Harrison
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I've done less lately, but
would like to do more. No my books are mainly devotionals. And two out of
print novels
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brooke
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Nick, have you had any
experience with writing or editing fiction?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Clearly you've written it, LOL
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Nick Harrison
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I prefer to edit fiction. I've
discovered a couple of wonderful novelists.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Good for you! We need good
editors. I value them enormously! And whom have you discovered?
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Nick Harrison
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Roxanne Henke, Susan Meissner,
Raymond Reid (buy their books!)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Here that, all? So where can we
find them? Chain bookstores? Amazon.com?
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Nick Harrison
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Yes, to both.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Good distribution!
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roe
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How did you come to edit their
books?
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Nick Harrison
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I met Roxanne at a writer's
conference (go!). I found Susan on First Edition, and I found Raymond over
the transom (shhh...I probably shouldn't say that!)
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Mary Rosenblum
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Aha! See, you all? Writers CAN
get published 'over the transom'! Told ya!
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And now, before I get the
questions...you'd better explain what that means!
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Nick Harrison
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It's a submission that comes
in through the mail, unsolicited. But before you rush to do that, please
know that almost all publishers
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Nick Harrison
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including HHP will not accept unsolicited
manuscripts.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Most publishers now require
agented submissions and won't even look at an unagented ms. But a few still
do.
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What about your publishing
house, Nick? Do you want agents?
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Nick Harrison
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We don't really care. We're
very kind to our authors and most don't feel they need agents. I do
appreciate though that agents have
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Nick Harrison
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already served as a sort of
"first reader" and they're more likely to offer me good fiction.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Many writers I know get along
fine with small publishers without an agent. Maybe you'd better explain
'unsolicited' and 'solicited' books, too.
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Nick Harrison
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Unsolicited means we've had no
contact with you, but you send your manuscript any way. Solicited means
we've asked to see your work.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Let me give you the question I
have here about First Edition.
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jean9
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What do you think about
"First Edition" where you have to pay to have your manuscript
looked at?
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Mary Rosenblum
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I am not familiar with them, so
I'll learn something, too. :-)
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Nick Harrison
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I honestly don't think most
editors look at it....but I do! Every Thursday. But in over a year, I've
only bought one manuscript
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though I've asked to see
probably 25 or 30.
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Mary Rosenblum
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This is a review service
then...sort of a first reader?
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Nick Harrison
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First Edition is one of two
online manuscript listing services (the other is The Writer's Edge). Yes,
you pay a fee to have
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a portion of your proposal
listed where only editors can see it. If they like it, they'll ask for
more.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Aha, interesting. Does this
cover all genres or nonfiction only?
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Nick Harrison
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All genres.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So it sounds as if it's a
gamble. It will put your work in front of editors, but perhaps not as many
as could be. Is that a fair evaluation, do you think?
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Nick Harrison
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Yes, but some other editors DO
look at it. It's just one more way to get noticed...and sometimes pays off.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I would say it sounds as if it
might well be worth the money, if you are unpublished.
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patchworkcat
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How did Raymond's book slip
through?
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm curious, too, Nick! :-)
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Nick Harrison
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Well, patchworkcat, on the one
hand, it was a God thing. But on the other, he was so new as a writer, he
didn't know the rules.
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He self-published his book and
then sent it around to several editors. He also CALLED them on the phone
(NO, NO, NO!)
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and for some unknown reason my
assistant gave me his book and I reluctantly started to read it...and I
loved it! It needed work
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so I worked with him for over
a year, helping him tweak it. He was very teachable.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Hooey, he did EVERYTHING wrong.
And folks, this is the exception that proves the rule. You can make
yourself very noticed in a negative way by doing things like that.
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But it's a GREAT story, Nick.
Good for you for 'breaking the rules'!
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Nick Harrison
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There are many ways to be read
by an editor. Be creative.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Let's talk about this for a
bit, if you don't mind. Most of our audience are either unpublished
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or have published only a couple
of articles. How DO they bring themselves
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to an editor's attention in a
good way?
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Nick Harrison
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Several ways: 1. Go to at
least one writer's conference a year. They're all over the place. I'm
teaching at seven this year.
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2. Look in the acknowledgments
of a novel or book you loved and if the author has thanked his or her
editor
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write to them by name at their
publishing house. Most mail that is addressed to an editor by name will be
read.
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3. Use First Edition and
Writers Edge.
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4. Coincidence...yes, even
that. I ran into an author who recognized me at a deli about 200 miles
away. She approached me
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and I agreed to look at her
work. Just pray, write, improve your craft (through Long Ridge, where I used
to be an instructor, by the way).
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I'm sure there are many other
ways too. Oh, another coincidence. One author we published because her
husband sat next to our president on plane and he
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agreed to look at his wife's
proposal. We ended up publishing it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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What should they say to that
editor when they write? Politely pitch their book?
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Nick Harrison
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Sure. Something like, "I
noticed your name in Jane Smith's novel and my writing is similar to hers.
Keep it to one page
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and just be cordial. Oh,
another thing. Nowadays many publishers have their submission guidelines on
their website.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes! Find them and FOLLOW
them!!!!!
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ejamortizer
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I read in one of the writer's mags
that calling for follow up after submitting a MS was important. Are you
saying no to that? I think we all need to know what to do after we submit.
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Nick Harrison
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Only call if the guidelines
say this is appropriate. I don't think most editors want calls...but some
magazines may, I guess.
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Mary Rosenblum
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None that I know of, Nick. It's
a great way to alienate most editors, actually. And you generally won't
reach them unless you have their private number.
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Nick Harrison
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Yeah, that does surprise
me...that a writer's magazine would say that.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Me, too. Bad advice, in my
opinion.
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anne shiever of ks
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What if your piece of work is a
self-publication and not in a manuscript form?
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Nick Harrison
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Anne, this year we've
published two books that were originally self-published (both novels). And
I'm looking at a couple more now.
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The same rules apply. But of
course if you've sold a lot of copies of your book, say that as early as
you can! We like books
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that have already proven they
can sell!
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Mary Rosenblum
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There you go. Self publishing
through something like iUniverse can work for you.
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anne shiever of ks
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And if the publisher is a
scam...how do you know? There are thousands of publishers on the internet
these days, and many call themselves "Christian publishers"
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Nick Harrison
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Anne, do you mean the
self-publishing people? Get recommendations. For regular trade publishers,
ask your local Christian bookstore manager. He'll know.
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I don't know of anyone who has
been scammed. I'm sure it happens, but I never hear of it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I do know some, Nick.
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There are quite a few websites
that list scams.
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Nick Harrison
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Self-publishing outfits?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes, Nick, but pretending to be
for pay publishers
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with lots of 'fees'.
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I have a link on the website:
Predators
and Editors Website Always search a publishing house's name
on Google. If they are a scam, you will find the information there.
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Nick Harrison
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The ones I know best are
Winepress and Xulon. They have websites. There are other good ones too
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roe
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If we send a proposal to you do
we send the proposal and three chapters or do you want the whole MS since
we are basically unpublished?
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Mary Rosenblum
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But of course, this has to be
something you requested, right Nick?
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Or do you prefer self published
books to ms format?
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Nick Harrison
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Roe, send a query first to any
other publisher or follow their guidelines. If any of you want to send
something to me
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you can e-mail me a query at
nick.harrison@harvesthousepublishers.com (put the dot between my first and
last names).
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I will gone for the first two
weeks in August and then playing catch up, so it may be a while till you
hear back from me.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's very generous, Nick.
Folks, if you are going to send a query to Nick, go to Writing Craft:
Nonfiction and read the article on how to write a good query letter. Send
him a good strong query.
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Don't waste his time! This is a
VERY generous offer! Thanks, Nick.
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Nick Harrison
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Hey, I'm a writer too! I
understand, really I do!
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Mary Rosenblum
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And you're a shining example of
'Editors are Nice People Not Monsters!' :-)
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margieh
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Maybe you answered this earlier
but what kind of work do you get too much of and what kind of work would
you like to see more of?
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Nick Harrison
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Well, you'd have to speak to
some of those who have been rejected by me!
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Mary Rosenblum
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LOL
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Nick Harrison
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I like original stuff. No
clones of what's already out there. Nothing related to Jabez, Left Behind,
or The Purpose Driven Life.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Fiction, then?
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Nick Harrison
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Fiction, yes, original. No
female characters named Heather, Tiffany, or Megan. No men named Rock,
Biff, or Lance...
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I think you get the point.
Now, as to non-fiction
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we really want books that
address the "felt need" of a reader. We also ask what is the
"take-away" value for the reader. Very important!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Do these tend to be personal
narrative, personal experience books?
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Nick Harrison
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No. Those don't do well.
That's why it's really much harder to break into non-fiction. You have to
be a credible author
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to tell people how to improve
their marriage, overcome depression, or raise good kids. Our ability to
market the nonfiction book
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is very important. Most of us
really aren't well enough known to speak authoritatively on these matters.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I had a question from 'Jackie',
who couldn't be here tonight. She wanted to know if a book about her devout
grandmother's battle with Alzheimers was something
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that would fit the market well.
Sounds as if perhaps not?
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Nick Harrison
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Not unless she's an UNUSUALLY
gifted writer. I do get a few queries about this. Also about women dealing
with...
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post abortion issues. And
depression. In fiction we get a lot of people who want to do biblical
fiction, but we're not the right publisher for that.
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roe
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Can you please explain those
terms - 'felt need' and 'take away' value?
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Nick Harrison
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Roe, well, for a book on
overcoming depression in women--that's the felt need--a woman who has
depression. And her
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take away value is gaining the
ability to overcome her depression. We sell a LOT of books in
what's called the "rack market.
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These are books you see in
grocery stores and the like. They appeal to a lot of people. That's why the
felt need should
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be one that will relate to a
lot of people. We had an author propose a book for grandparents who are
raising their
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grandkids...but that's too
small a market, even though there are a lot of grandparents in that
position.
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paja
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Do devotional books require a
"credible author" with a platform?
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Nick Harrison
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Ha! Oh, you've touched a
nerve. I just got word that two of my four devotionals are going out of
print...no doubt for that very reason!
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However, the other two have
done well. The reason is that the first was tied to the Promise Keepers
movement somewhat
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and the second related to the
WWJD craze of a few years ago. The publishers were able to promote those
without me being a "name”
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because of the timeliness. But
the other two are MUCH better devotionals, but not trendy enough. And no one
knows who I am, so...yes,
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it does help to either be
known or to write a devotional that's trendy.
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paja
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I've done devotions for
denominational quarterlies. What would it take to get an editor to review a
devotional book?
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Nick Harrison
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Paja, does your denomination
publish books? Many do. They would be your best bet. Otherwise, the
devotions must be
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as I say somewhat trendy or
tied to something really focused like prayer or dieting or being a
mother...something like that.
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kayo
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I love Christian mysteries (Blackstock,
Henderson); are you interested in this genre?
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Nick Harrison
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Kayo, yes! They're hard to do
though. Read our mysteries by Mindy Stearns Clark and you'll see what we
like.
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dluke
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What qualifies one as credible?
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roe
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And how do we become known?
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Nick Harrison
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Dluke, we've done books by
authorities like psychologists who can write well. One man deals with many
patients who have
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problems communicating with
his or her spouse. There's a huge market for that kind of book and his profession
lends
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itself to him writing a good
book with lots of examples. His first book for us is "Men Just Don't
Get It...But They Can." You can surely see the market potential there!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Is there any way to gain
credibility without having a PhD, or some other similar credential?
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Nick Harrison
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You might start by doing
articles on your specialty, getting known. It depends on the subject,
actually.
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Articles. Speaking
engagements. Many of our writers speak as much as they can to groups. Some
have been able
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to become affiliated with
large ministries to moms or wives or whatever. Learn to promote your books!
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margieh
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Is there a market for Christian
SF or Fantasy that isn't apocalyptic?
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Nick Harrison
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Margieh, yes, but it's very
hard to write these well. Most attempts I see fail. One more thing about
non-fiction. WRITE WELL! I have more than once championed a book by a
person who wasn’t' known but whose writing was so good I desperately
wanted us to publish their work. And when we can't, I'll refer the author to
another publisher that I think may like their work.
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jean9
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How is the market for young
adult fiction/coming of age books about Christian teens dealing with
temptation?
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Nick Harrison
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Jean9, Tyndale, W, and Zondervan
all have YA lines. Sadly we don't yet...although this is a growing area. I
saw today that Kmart
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is building up a large YA
section of books in all their stores.
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roe
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Do you have a word limit for
novels?
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Nick Harrison
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No, roe. By the way, before
you all send me emails tomorrow, please visit our website and see what we
publish. Harvest
House Publishers
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anne shiever of ks
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What if you are known as an
artist/author in your own state, and a featured poet in England....would that
help with the letter to the editor?
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Nick Harrison
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Anne, marginally. Poetry is
hard to sell. But just tell what you have to tell in your letter. It may
help.
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marly
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What novels are currently
popular in the Christian industry?
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Nick Harrison
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Marly, of course the Left
Behind books, authors Dee Henderson, Francine Rivers, our own Roxanne
Henke, Lori Wick. Browse at your local bookstore.
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Even the big secular chains
have huge selections of bestselling Christian fiction
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ccollier
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Nick, do you publish many Bible
Prophecy books?
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Nick Harrison
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Tons, ccollier. But, praise
God, I'm not the editor for those! And this again is an area where you need
to have some credentials.
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Check our website to see some
of the books we do with LaHaye, Randy Price, and others.
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kayo
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Would you say the Christian
fiction market is growing? Or just gaining wider attention?
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Nick Harrison
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Both. The problem with the
growth is that we see so much that's just not ready. We can now afford to
be very choosey
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about the fiction we publish.
But yes, we're in Costco, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. so it is certainly getting
wider attention.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Wow, you really are getting excellent
distribution!
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Nick Harrison
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Yes, we are.
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rtnmi
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What are the top three criteria
you examine for submission?
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Nick Harrison
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We're about the sixth or
seventh largest Christian publisher.
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Mary Rosenblum
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WOW Nick. I'm impressed.
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Nick Harrison
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Hmmm. Well, for fiction, it's
the first page or two. How well does the author usher me into the story. I
want character-driven fiction
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not message-driven or
plot-driven fiction...although those do get published in our market.
Generally they're weaker books in my opinion.
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For non fiction, it's writing
ability, the market for the book, and the promotability of the author.
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shannon
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Did HH publish a rebuttal to DaVinci
Code?
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Nick Harrison
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Yes, and it's selling very
well, Shannon. I think it's the best because it's shorter and less
expensive than the others...and yet very thorough.
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Richard Abanes is a fine, fine
writer.
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barbe
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Nick, what's the best use of a
15-minute appointment with publishers/editors at a writers' conference?
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Nick Harrison
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Wow, that's hard, barbe. I
look for several things: Is this writer talented? If they're not yet top
notch, do they have that potential?
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Is there a market for their
book? And finally a very subjective appraisal. Can I work with this writer?
I guess for ME the best thing
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is for me to get to know you
during that time and discuss your idea. Oh, that reminds me....it's a
strike against you (usually)
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if you tell an editor you have
an idea for this one book you plan to write and then you want to go back to
being whatever it is you do.
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We want writers who we can
nurture over the next several years if necessary. You need to have a long
range plan for your writing.
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Not just one book. Think of
this as your writing CAREER. Not just selling one book. You want a long
term relationship with an editor...and that's what we want too.
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marly
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What do you do at a writers
conference?
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Nick Harrison
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I teach workshops and meet
with writers. I teach both fiction and non-fiction, but prefer the former.
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For those who may live in the
northwest, the Oregon Christian Writers Conference is up next. It's in the
first week of August
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and Francine Rivers is the
keynoter. Lots of editors there. I think there's an OCW website if you're
interested. Oregon
Christian Writers
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Mary Rosenblum
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Gosh, Nick, where is it, Portland? I'll buy you
lunch!
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Nick Harrison
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It's in Canby.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I've had a couple of business
questions from the audience. Do you pay an advance
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and what rights do you buy?
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Nick Harrison
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Yes, it's pretty standard. We
buy most rights, but it's negotiable. One author had an in with a movie
producer and wanted to retain the movie rights...and that was no problem.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Foreign rights? Do you publish
outside the country at all?
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Nick Harrison
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Oh yes. We sell in many
countries. So yes we would normally want foreign rights.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Very nice. You folks are doing
publishing well! Clearly you're one of the better small publishing houses.
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Nick Harrison
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Thank you. Come to Eugene sometime and
I'll buy YOU lunch.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The compliment is quite
sincere. I know a number of small press publishers. Your success is unusual
and you are clearly doing things right. You get my applause.
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tkat_2
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What do you mean about seeing so
much that is not ready? I don't understand.
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Nick Harrison
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Well, tkat_2, one of my
favorite quotes is that good books aren't written, they're REwritten. That
means that a good book will go through several, if not many drafts.
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Many writers are, alas,
sending out first or second drafts of their material. And that is rarely a
good idea.
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Mary Rosenblum
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NO KIDDING
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Nick Harrison
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But another word on drafts. I
have a writer right now that shows promise but is truly not ready. I will
make suggestions on how
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he can improve if he keeps at
it. Many writers get discouraged if they aren't published right away. They
don't want to put in
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the extra hours and days and
weeks that will spell the difference between rejection and acceptance.
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write4him
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I would like to know what you
look for in an unknown author.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Nick, I know you sort of
covered this, but I think it bears repeating, because your advice is sound
for ANY submission to ANY editor.
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Nick Harrison
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Honestly, I think I'm a little
different. I like to see if there's a sort of subjective connection with
the writer. Do I "get" what he or she
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wants to do with their
writing? Can I help? Or will this waste time for both of us? Of course, I
must also determine if the actual material
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is right for HHP. If not, I
really can't spend my time at work helping for a project we'd never
publish. You really need to do your market research.
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Who are the publishers
publishing the kind of books you're writing. Or magazines. Or whatever. I
think that fully 40% of writing
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isn't writing at all, but
doing all the other stuff: the research, the querying, the trips to the
post office...all those things. I hate them
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but I must do them if I want
to be published.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Hear hear!
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I got a lot of questions about
how to find an agent, how to find the link for the 'scam' website and so
forth. For those of you looking for agents.
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do visit the Association of
Author's Representatives homepage. They teach you all you need to know and
provide contact info for agent members. Association of Authors
Representatives
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Nick Harrison
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And agents always show up at
the writer's conferences. You really MUST go to at least one writer's
conference a year. Also check Sally Stuart's Market Guide for
Christian Writers. I'm sure it's on Amazon. Title may be off, so check
under her name as author.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Nick, before we run out of
time...
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I want to ask you to talk a bit
about the books you work on and what it means to YOU, creatively, as an
editor
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to work with an author. I don't
think most new writers
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realize that the editor invests
himself/herself in the process, too, that they're not the English teacher
with a red pen.
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Your thoughts?
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Nick Harrison
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Well, I totally enjoy working
with writers. And for the most part they enjoy working with me. But it
doesn't always work.
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We had one novelist who I just
couldn't connect with and I'm having someone else edit this author's next
book. And that's fine.
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I do use a red pen and mark up
your manuscripts, but hopefully to make them better. I will say that I
enjoy this so much
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that it has caused me to put
my own writing on the back burner. I just come home from editing someone
else's work and.
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I'm pretty drained. But that's
how much I enjoy it! (Usually).
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paja
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What is the market for books of
short stories? Should they be themed or is unthemed better?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Do you publish story
collections, Nick?
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Nick Harrison
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In our market there is really
no book market I know of for short stories. Perhaps the magazines. And some
publishers do
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some anthologies of two or
three novellas. But I honestly don't know of a book market for short
stories in the Christian market.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The short story collection
market is very poor in all genres that I know of
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unless your name can sell the
book.
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Nick Harrison
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Yes, that's true.
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jean9
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I am a homeschooling mom of 4
young kids. Since I really can't travel, would it make sense to stick with
articles as opposed to books?
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Nick Harrison
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Jean, you should write what
you feel most passionate about. (I hated that when an editor told it to
me!). Articles would be fine...but
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many writers don't travel far
from home. My books were all written from home. If you're talking about not
being able to travel
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to a writer's conference, then
you should find a good critique group...and continue of course with some
Long Ridge courses.
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Actually I had one mom tell me
that she found more time to write when her kids were little than after they
were grown and had left home.
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Every writer does have to
prayerfully figure out how to proceed with their writing career, given
their unique circumstances.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And if you're not a LR student,
then spend time on the website. There is a lot to learn here.
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anne shiever of ks
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Will you reprint your
out-of-print novels?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Good question. Will you?
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Nick Harrison
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I'd love to. I have a personal
"wannado" project list with more than fifty projects on it. The
reprinting of those books and writing sequels is near the top of the list.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Good! Top is the right place
for 'em!
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ccollier
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Are you published in any of the
Focus on the Family magazines
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Nick Harrison
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I used to be the editor for
the California insert to Focus's Citizen magazine...but no I haven't
written anything for them since then (five years ago).
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Mary Rosenblum
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What do you have out there that
you'd like to recommend...either work you've edited or your own?
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Nick Harrison
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For a great two-hanky novel, I
want you to read "After Anne" by Roxanne Henke (and its sequels).
Raymond Reid's book.
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The Gate Seldom Found is of
course a favorite, but some find it hard going. Others love it. Susan Meissner's
novel, Why the Sky is Blue is great.
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My own books are still
available at Amazon.com under my name. They make great gifts!
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm sure you'll sell a few
after tonight, Nick. :-) The LR audiences
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are wonderful about buying the
books written by my guests! Thank you so much for
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taking the time to answer all
our questions.
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Nick Harrison
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I loved it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You do a great job of showing
us the field of Christian publishing!
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And you offered some GREAT
insights about how to break in, period.
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roe
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Thanks for a great interview.
Hope you will come back again.
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tkat_2
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Thanks for coming. It was a
pleasure.
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Nick Harrison
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And it's only the tip of the
iceberg. There's so much there. For more info visit the Christian
Booksellers Association website.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It was indeed! We'll let you go
and rest your fingers, and I will certainly ask you back again. You'll
never be rid of me, heheh.
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write4him
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Thank you Mr.Harrison.
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anne shiever of ks
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I thoroughly enjoyed your
speaking, and it was an honor to meet you
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Nick Harrison
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Thanks so much.
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shannon
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THANK YOU, Nick! I learned a
lot.
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marly
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Thanks a lot! You were very
helpful!
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Mary Rosenblum
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You really are a great guest,
Nick. Thanks again!
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Nick Harrison
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By the way, I'm working on a
book on writing fiction. Next time I come I hope I'll have found a publisher
for it.
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Goodnight all!
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Mary Rosenblum
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Oh, great! I hope so! Keep me
posted, so I can review it for the website.
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Good night, Nick!
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Thank you all for coming!
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