Impress an Editor in 9 Steps: Part 4

Dear Editor,

I have a book. Books are my best friends. I spend my entire day reading and talking to the characters in my head. And my goldfish, Betty. I want to be a best-seller so that someone besides my mom and my twin brother will know my name. What type of television exposure will you offer?

Signed,

Herman from Hermitville

There’s no getting around it. Publisher’s don’t sell books; authors sell books. The authors are the ones who engage the people around them (whether on the Internet or in person) and interest them in their stories. People read books that they hear about, in person, from their friends much more often than those they see on a general media shout-out.

Best-sellers get to that spot by having people interested in their books. If you never talk to anyone, who will care to buy? It’s like the crowd in the middle of a power failure. They won’t know the person standing next to them has a flashlight if he doesn’t turn it on.

So turn it on! Start a book club. Online is okay, but in person is better. Visit your local library often. Join a readers’ group, an entrepreneurs’ group, a Bible study group, hobby or civic clubs. Writers are notorious for being introverts, but they must break out of their shells to engage folks who might become their biggest fans.

Get online with your passions. Search for blogs, forums, Facebook groups, and Pinterest groups that offer gathering areas for the things you love. Get involved with others, as much to have fun as anything else.

Then when you do have a book that’s ready, you have a variety of people interested in your book if only to support your dream.

My best advice: Step out of your comfort zone. Don’t only mingle with other writers. Engage!

Light the Darkness Around You

Guest post by Ruth O'Neil

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness 

rather than light, because their deeds were evil" 

(John 3:19 KJV).

This verse may have been written sometime toward the end of the first century, but it is still relevant to us living in the twenty-first century. Maybe even more so.

People are obsessed with the dark. Have you noticed the themes of entertainment lately? Many movies and books are “dark.”

The Christian is commanded to be a light in the dark. In a conversation with other writers, we were commenting that many places where an author can advertise his book are full of other books that are simply filth. At first I didn’t really want to advertise my book in those places because I didn’t want it mixed up with the trash. However, as I thought about it later, and as one of my writing friends commented, that book would stand out because of its light.

Sometimes people make fun of me because of what I won’t watch. I let them have their fun, because my convictions may not be theirs and vice versa. However, I am convinced this is how Satan sneaks into our lives and pulls people way. He makes the dark look inviting and exciting.

That is why I have devoted my life to writing good things. Where there is utter darkness even the smallest of light will be seen. Yes, I could make more money writing things that were more sinfully appealing, but I won’t. I want to be able to stand before God and not have any shame in anything I wrote. I want to meet people that, because of my writing, were led to Christ, or at least deepened their relationship with Him. That kind of success is something money can’t buy.

I challenge you to pray and ask God to open your eyes to the light. Take thirty days and only watch, read, and participate in things that are wholesome. You know – the things that you wouldn’t be embarrassed by if your grandma or your kids were there with you. Take note of your attitude and demeanor after those thirty days. Has anything changed?

I hope so.

~ ~

Ruth O’Neil has been writing for over 20 years. She has published hundreds of articles in numerous publications, including one of the letters in Love Letters from the Heart, published by Pix-N-Pens, and a chapter in the bestselling novella, The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt, published by Write Integrity Press. She has also published a cookbook for kids and a novel Come Eat at My Table. She homeschools her three children (well, one now really, as two have graduated). She and her husband have been married for 20+ years. In her spare time she enjoys quilting, crafting, and reading.