Finding Faith: Vote the Cover

So I've been crazy, crazy busy and less than diligent about posting updates. My apologies for that but this is the life of any writer who is under deadline. And in the case of Finding Faith I'm past deadline. While this stings a bit professionally, and I've had a number of personal circumstances that slowed me down, my publisher has been very gracious and understanding. That said, I couldn't think of another organization I'd want handling my novels than Köehler Books and Morgan James Publishing.

Now, to give you the status update that's so long overdue: the manuscript is just about there now, and I've committed to turning it in this Friday, May 17. Once that's done, the editor will go to work and get back to me with whatever changes he and the copyeditors may deem necessary. I imagine that will involve a few rounds of exchange but the process should go quite smoothly. The book will be edited by the inimitable Joe Coccaro who I can attest has the creds every writer dreams of in an editor.

But wait, that's not all! (Is this beginning to sound like an infomercial?) John Köehler has just posted a "Vote the Cover" announcement for the book on their website. Now you, faithful readers, get some potential say in which cover will be used for the final book. This is exciting for me because not only is it a sneak peek of the plot of the book well ahead of the slated Winter 2014 Catalog release (something I've been keeping a pretty closely-guarded secret up until now) but this captures the direct opinions of readers. That's highly valuable information for my publisher. So go now and vote for your favorite! And thank you for your support.

Video from My Publisher: John Köehler (Köehler Books)

Hellhole Awakening: Book Review

My latest review for Hellohole Awakening by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson was posted on March 1 at SFRevu.com. Check out my thoughts about this second novel in the Hellhole Trilogy.

And by the way, if you love to read SF&F and would like the chance to get free books, you can submit your interest in becoming a reviewer to the editor of SFRevu.com, Gayle Surrette. Just go to SFRevu.com and click on the Editorial Matters link for details.

Finding Faith: Running the Race

Are you familiar with Hebrews 12:1-2: ¹Therefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ²looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There are exactly two weeks remaining this date to the deadline for my book. I'm furiously writing and rewriting. At one point, I was in a panic because my internal writer began to look at the book in its present state, and I questioned the entire middle act. I asked myself, "Do I have a story here—at least the kind I wanted to tell?" Unfortunately, I got my answer as a resounding NO! and my pre-readers confirmed as much.

What to do? Realizing I couldn't fix this problem on my own—being Mr. Independent is usually how I get into trouble to begin with—I turned to God for help. Three days went by and nothing. I began to worry and panic, concerned I might have to ask my publisher for more time. That's not something I like to do, ever, especially not since this is my first book with them. Then suddenly I had the answers I sought and I've been hitting the manuscript every free moment, tooling and rewriting until I'm satisfied it's back on course.

About two weeks back I was on a conference call with my publisher, John Köehler, and something he e-mailed to me shortly after that call triggered in me a profound memory. This book, like every Christian novel I write, is a race to win as many souls to Christ as possible. Because the obstacle(s) of sin can slow me down, or stop me altogether, and because Satan's fighting me every step, I must turn to Him who can pick up the pieces, put them together and finish the story for me. After all, it's really His work and not mine.

Independence and self-reliance aren't necessarily bad traits, but apart from God I am nothing and they are worthless vanity. Acts 17:28 reads: In Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring. If you are to be a Christian writer, run the race and do not falter. God will bless you for it.

No Easy Day: Human Trafficking and My New Book

I had to step away from my book for a little while to refresh my perspective. Those familiar with my books probably realize I tend to write about some rather controversial topics. Soul Runner: A Novel of High Adventure was about Christian persecution, for example. I've also tackled abortion, child slavery, pornography, teen drug use and host of other ills in the world.

Despite what some might think, I do this neither to sensationalize nor to "sell books." I do it because first, I think it needs doing. I think good writers, especially today, have to be unafraid to stand up for what they believe by taking a side in these issues, and in particular for me a Christian worldview that falls in line with the message God gives me. Sometimes that view is blatantly obvious to my readers, other times it's subtle. Second, I do it because I want to illustrate the love of God in these kinds of things and not in spite of them. That's not always easy to do because I have to assume some things about my intended audience while still trying to break through with entertainment worthy enough to hold their attention until the end of the story.

With my new upcoming novel (working title Finding Faith), I've set the book in the world of human trafficking within the United States. In the course of my research, I recently watched a somewhat stirring documentary on YouTube called Journey to Freedom—produced by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center—that draws a striking comparison between the slave trade in U.S. history and the human trafficking of today. It gave me some fresh material to think about but that's not really my point in this book. You see, the plain fact is that no matter how bad our situation or how cruel the acts that the minions of Satan may dream up for people to visit one upon another, at the center of it all a loving God observes and knows and understands. So I've wondered, long and hard, why God permits these things to happen. Why doesn't He do something? You know what I ultimately discovered? That's not even the question we should be asking. I think the question should be: "Has He already done something about it?" Answer: yes! He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem every one of us to Him (yeah, even the "bad guys").

The veterans of the U.S. military Special Warfare Operations Groups have a catchphrase: "No Easy Day." That's the catchphrase of the Christian life, too; there is no easy day. But there is and always will be victory in every day we live our lives and devote ourselves to obeying His commandments. That takes faith and a lot of it.That will be the point of this book, and I pray many will embrace that point when they read it.

Steve Harrison: Teleseminar on 2/21/2013

I just received this email about a teleseminar opportunity from my Acquisitions Editor at Morgan James Publishing, Terry Whalin. Reprinted here with Terry's kind permission:

Have you written a book or thinking of writing one some day?

If so, you're invited to a free telephone seminar to teach you what rich authors know that poor authors don't.

My friend Steve Harrison has worked with over 12,000+ authors over the past 20 years.  He's learned that the most successful authors simply do seven key things differently than the rest.

Steve has worked with and interviewed some of the most successful authors alive today, like the creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Rich Dad, Poor Dad, as well as some not-so-famous authors who are still very successful.

Join Steve for a free 75-minute telephone seminar this Thursday, February 21st at your choice of two times.

https://m164.infusionsoft.com/go/QL20RAPA/A10887/

What you'll discover on the call will arguably be the most important information you've ever heard about publishing.

I realize that's quite a promise, but I'm totally serious. You'll discover things like:

• Why the seven key differences between rich authors and poor authors aren't obvious things like getting publicity or having a good title (though those things are important).
• The 'secret reasons' behind bestsellers like Rich Dad, Poor Dad, The Purpose Driven Life and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
• Why understanding the rich authors' strategies is critical even if you don't really care about money and just want to share your message with others.
• How rich authors overcome the many problems and frequent obstacles of the bookstore distribution system.
• The 'unfair advantage' rich authors use to win the publishing game which 99.9% of all authors don't know anything about.
• How you can use the rich authors' secrets to make a nice living from your book even if you only sell 10,000 copies and never get booked on Oprah (not that you shouldn't try!).
• An incredibly simple thing you should immediately do to dramatically increase the profit you make from every book.

To register for the 75-minute teleseminar, go here now:

https://m164.infusionsoft.com/go/QL20RAPA/A10887/

I look forward to 'seeing' you on the call this Thursday and Steve will teach you the seven things rich authors know that poor authors don't. Who knows ... it may be a phone call that changes your life!

To Your Writing Success,

Terry

Book Review: Farside

My latest review for Farside by Ben Bova was posted on February 1 at SFRevu.com. This was really quite a good book (although I've come to expect that pretty much all of Dr. Bova's books are consistently good).

And by the way, if you love to read SF&F and would like the chance to get free books, you can submit your interest in becoming a reviewer to the editor of SFRevu.com, Gayle Surrette. Just go to SFRevu.com and click on the Editorial Matters link for details.

Due Diligence: Reviewing Publishing Contracts

So a goodly number of you may remember from a few days ago I posted about a publisher who really liked my proposal for Finding Faith and offered me a contract. I received this contract via email from the publisher and completed the review process. After only a single round of revisions, I signed the contract and mailed it off.

For writers who've never had the distinct privilege of reviewing a publishing contract, count yourselves lucky. They're not easy, especially when you don't have an agent or can't afford to have a literary attorney at hand to help you negotiate what can be murky waters. However, publishing contracts are not too dissimilar from any other type of contract; they're written in plain English (mostly). So let me leave you a few pointers here on what to look for and how to avoid some potential pitfalls. And understand, I'm not attempting to give you any legal advice here. These are common sense matters you should consider with any offer of publishing:

Your Rights vs. The Publishers Rights

It's important to remember that a publishing contract all boils down to who has the right to do what with your literary property. And while you may not like the idea of looking at your written works as property, it's an absolute must in the business of publishing. When you sign a publishing contract you are, essentially, giving the publisher the right to publish the work. That's just about the same as ownership, so know what rights you're giving away before you sign. You need to look at everything related to this:

• Book formats (e.g., e-book, paperback, trade paperback, mass market paperback, hardback, comic books, graphic novels, etc).
• Merchandising (e.g., toys, games, t-shirts, posters, etc.)
• Dramatic Production (e.g., which can include audio and movie options)

Term

This is about how long your rights will be under the publisher's control, and should include stipulations about under what conditions those rights revert back to you. Also, look for non-production clauses (this is what happens if a publisher doesn't publish a book or produce a work in a certain amount of time). If a publisher wants e-book rights, for example, do your homework and find out if they've widely published e-books of their titles in the past. If not, you may be better off retaining those rights so you can exploit them elsewhere.

Advances and Royalties: 3QA

When it comes to money, I typically take the 3-Question Approach:

• How much will you pay me?
• When will you pay it?
• Under what circumstances would you not pay it?

It might seem like I've over simplified it here. Not really. A lot of old school pundits will tell you, "Get as much money as you can up front because the publisher's going to find a way to screw you out of your dough down the line." Others say, "The size of the advance gives you an idea of how the publisher thinks the book will do." More still will say, "Well, you're going to need as big an advance as possible to help pay for all the marketing, because the publisher's not going to market your book."

None of these positions are based in reality. A publisher is paying you for your rights. Most publishers pay an advance but not all of them; moreover, some publishers pay no or low advances. Frankly, you have to look at it from their perspective. They're taking a huge risk in an industry where up until just a couple of years ago, 95% of authors never made back enough to cover the advance. That's not even accounting for the fact it costs most publishers an average of $55,000 just to get a book completed.

What's my personal preference? I'd rather a publisher pay me a low advance, or none at all, than offer me big bucks. What if I get a bunch of money up front and the book flops? Think I'll ever get another contract with that publisher? Not likely. Bottom line is that you understand what the royalty rate will be (and that the royalty will be on net receipts), and the structure of royalties and advances.

I hope something I've written here will help you better understand some of the key elements of publishing contracts. Above all, be nice and be professional and be fair. These traits will serve you many years in your writing career as you deal with editors and publishers. Simultaneously, you will develop a reputation as an honest author who is easy to work with. Good writing to you!

Upcoming Web Site Maintenance

In anticipation of the publication of Finding Faith, I’ll be making some changes in the upcoming days and weeks to better help me consolidate my website domains. Thus, I thought it prudent to let my readers know what to expect. Those of you who may have been following my blog by going to http://jonguenther.com will soon be directed to a “parked” page at my domain registrar. This is in preparation for the hosting that will eventually take place on the same company’s servers. In other words, within the next week or so you will be able to get to my new website by navigating to either http://jonguenther.com or http://jonguenther.net.

For those who have been patiently (and not so much) waiting for my technical books, the site for my technical writing will be http://binaryguerrilla.com. I’ve created the Focused ASP.NET Series for beginning and intermediate developers. The series will consist of e-books, sample code and videos on a wide variance of topics related to developing web applications using ASP.NET, C# and SQL Server. The first e-book will cover Object-Oriented Programming using C# class libraries. And just so you have a taste of the kind of material I’ll be self-publishing, you can download an excerpt of Focused ASP.NET: Fundamentals #1 here. I hope you enjoy it.

Teleseminar/Webcast: Jerry B. Jenkins

Today, I received this from my friend W. Terry Whalin, author and acquisitions editor for Morgan James Publishing:

For more than 25 years, The Christian Writer's
Market Guide has been the most comprehensive and
highly recommended resource on the market for
Christian writers, agents, editors, publishers,
publicists, and writing teachers. In addition to
providing a wealth of ideas and tips for
publishing in the Christian industry, The 2013
Christian Writer's Market Guide also includes
up-to-date information on more than 160 book
publishers, more than 140 periodicals, and
hundreds of agents, contests, conferences,
editorial services, niche markets, self-publishing
services, and more. This is the ultimate reference
tool for Christian writers.

Have you heard of Jerry B. Jenkins?

To refresh your memory, Jerry B. Jenkins is the author
of more than 170 books with sales of more than 70 million
copies including the bestselling Left Behind series, is the
chairman of the board of trustees for the Moody Bible
Institute of Chicago. His writing has appeared in Time,
Reader’s Digest, Guideposts, Parade and dozens of Christian
periodicals. Twenty of his books have reached the New York
Times Best Seller List (seven of them debuting at number one).
Jerry also owns the Christian Writers Guild.

I'm telling you this because I have convinced Jerry B.
Jenkins to grill him during a LIVE  70-minute telewebcast
on Tuesday, January 29th!

* * * Here's My Small Request * * *

Rather than have the "content" come out of
my head (or Jerry's head) for the January 29,
2013 telewebcast at  4 p.m. PDT / 7:00 p.m.
EDT, I have decided to let you ask Jerry a
question.

Sound fair?

So, if you could ask Jerry ANY question you wanted
about writing or marketing for the Christian writer,
what would your question be?

Here's your chance to ask Jerry directly and get
registered for the call on Tuesday, January 29,
2013 (starts promptly according to www.Time.gov).

Click the link below:

http://www.askjerryjenkins.com

* * * Get FREE chapter on What to Write
from Jerry's book "Writing for the Soul" * * *
You will receive a full chapter from "Writing for
The Soul." It's FREE if you ask a question and
register for this telewebcast.

Click the link below:

http://www.askjerryjenkins.com

After your question gets submitted, you'll find
out how to get phone access and webcast access
to Jerry B. Jenkins and I for the LIVE
telewebcast, January 29, 2013.