Your Responsibility As A Writer

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Through the years as an editor, I’ve spoken with many writers especially during my last eleven years with Morgan James Publishing. A number of these authors express their skepticism about the company. These authors have googled the publisher name and found critical reviews. It is a wise step on their part to do some research about the publishing house. Some of the worst comments are on reddit which allows anyone to write anything and it doesn’t use their name. These posts are forever preserved online--even if they aren’t true. Every publisher has detractors yet the publishing scams have pages and pages poor comments.

I believe it is healthy to have a bit of skepticism as you explore publishing opportunities. A number of companies use sales techniques to lure writers into their companies. I’ve met authors who have spent over $20,000 to get published and their books have poor covers and design with only limited online distribution. 

I encourage you to explore your options but have a healthy balance of disbelief until you hear the details of each publishing option. Many days I’m on the phone with authors for 45 minutes to an hour talking about their books and the unique ways Morgan James publishes books. How many editors and people with experience in publishing, can you get on the phone for that length of time? From my experience such an opportunity for any author (mostly unpublished) to interact with an editor or agent would be extremely limited. Many editors and literary agents never respond and the only way you know they aren’t interested is their lack of response. 

Because I am connected to the writing community, I hear some of the horror publishing stories from other authors. For example, one author’s book is supposed to release in the next couple of weeks--yet her publisher hasn’t loaded the cover and marketing copy on Amazon (or any other website). Because of the publisher, the launch plans for this author are in limbo. 

Through my years with Morgan James Publishing, I have watched our authors and they are happy with my colleagues and how their books get through the system and into the marketplace. Several years ago New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins interviewed me for his writer’s guild. We’ve known each other many years and spoke during our conversation about the details of Morgan James. Jerry affirmed that the company operates with integrity and distinction in the publishing world. Follow this link to watch our interview.  

Authors have many options to publish their books. Even when I ask for a submission, some authors don’t submit it--which is the first step in the exploration process. I’ve had other authors interrupt my presentation about Morgan James and disconnect without hearing the entire program--which in my view is not a good reaction. 

Authors have many choices for their books. I encourage you not to believe the lies which are out there without gathering the facts. Every author should explore your options and listen  to the possibilities, look over the contract--then make a decision.

I understand this article is a bit of a rant but for me it is an important responsibility for every author. After you explore your options, seize one and move forward. We live in one of the greatest times in human history--but only if you take actions on what crosses your path. Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

Tweetable:

As a writer, you have created a pitch and a proposal or even written a manuscript. What is your responsibility as a writer with your creation? This prolific editor and author gives you some ideas and options in this article. (ClickToTweet)

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Interview Insights When The Roles Are Reversed

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Over the years I've interviewed New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins a number of times for different magazine articles. When we met at least three decades ago, both of us were magazine editors and attending the Evangelical Press Association convention. One evening at EPA, three of us (all editors) played scrabble against Jerry—and Jerry won. He is a world-class scrabble player and knows all of the strange three letter words.

When Jerry and Tim LaHaye wrote the first Left Behind novel, Jerry sent me a review copy. I read it while on a trip and was skeptical about the plot. The opening scene where half of the people in a 747 are raptured (disappear) seemed unbelievable (even though I understood this concept from the Bible). Then I got hooked with the characters and read every one of those books (which have sold over 60 million copies).

Jerry graciously agreed to write the foreword for my newest book, 10 Publishing Myths. Both of us have appeared on the same stages at various writers' conferences yet Jerry had never interviewed me—until recently. Jerry runs the Jenkins Writers Guild and each month has a Master Class interview (follow this link to see a sample and even sign up.) Several months ago, the Jenkins Guild released our interview. I asked (and received) permission to post this 36-minute interview here. Either click the link to open the video in a new window or use the video below.

 

We covered a wide range of questions including:

• the legacy of Billy Graham

• advice from 10 Publishing Myths

• how writers can get a literary agent

• why go to a writers' conference

• how to turn off the critic when writing my first draft

• key mistakes I've seen writers make in their submissions

• the details of Morgan James Publishing (some people will be surprised to hear Jerry's endorsement)

• the importance of blogging and The Writing Life

• what makes a book proposal standout

• and much more.

Yes there is a great deal of valuable content packed into this video. I had fun answering Jerry's questions and I hope each of you will enjoy and gain value from this video. It was a different experience for us to reverse roles for this interview and Jerry interviewed me instead of my interviewing him.

Have you experienced this interview reversal? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins interviews this prolific editor and author. Watch this valuable video when the roles are reversed. (ClickToTweet)

Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

 

 

Courage to Face the Changes

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I'm writing these words from a hotel room in Nashville. Later today, I'm flying home from a several day Morgan James event for our authors. It is my ninth trip to this city in the last four years. Yet it was my first time to walk the red carpet with my fellow Morgan James Publishing authors. It was in celebration of my new book, 10 Publishing Myths. While I've watched others be interviewed in the past, it was fun and exciting to be interviewed and be able to tell others about my book. I'm including a photo. I understand in a few weeks I will have a video clip of my time on the red carpet. 

By the way, my flight home was "different." My plane backed up from the gate, then they told the passengers the ski resorts in Colorado had closed. The plane returned briefly to the same gate and about half the plane got off since they were headed to ski but now couldn't.  The airline wouldn't remove their luggage but straightened that out later.  It was something in all of my years of traveling, I had never seen. 

The news is full of changes in our world. Events are being cancelled and because of this coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty, many plans are changing. 


For example, last Thursday night I planned to see one of my publishing friends who lives near Nashville. She and her husband didn't come to the event so I texted her to ask if she was coming. Her response was telling about our current situation. She leads a large Christian organization with a huge annual conference in June (several thousand people normally attending).  She had only slept a few hours all week and been consumed with leading her organization. She was not coming to our event. 

While I was on the road, I received an email about the cancellation of a convention in April which I often have attended over the years but was not planning to attend this years. It is probably the first time in the long history of this organization that they have cancelled their national meeting.

In this article, I want to give several ways to find courage in face of these changes. This time in history is an unusual time but publishing is always changing--now more than usual. 

1. Have courage and continue writing. Books and magazine articles will continue to be published. Deadlines still need to be met and you will stand out from others if you continue to  produce and write. Some people will be stuck and not write so if you do, you will be different.


2. Use your common sense about protecting yourself and keeping yourself healthy in the midst of these changes. The news is full of advice about cleaning and washing your hands and just simple actions you can take.


3. Eventually the situation will pass and everything will return to normal. History shows us this will be the case even though it might not feel like it at the moment.


4. Look for opportunities in the midst of the changes. Is there an online way for you to do something which you can't do face to face? Many teaching opportunities are moving in this direction. 


5. Keep learning from others and growing in your skills and craft of writing. I have some new things I'm trying and learning. I will be showing you these new skills in the coming days. I hope you will take this type of action as well. 


The world needs the stories only you can tell and only you can write. Yes there are many changes in our world but I encourage you to keep your fingers on the keyboard and find the courage to face these changes and keep going.

Let me know what steps you are taking to handle the changes and keep going in the comments below.


Tweetable: 


How do you find the courage to face the changes? Get ideas from this much published author and editor. (ClickToTweet)

Five Reasons I Read and Respond to Email--And You Should Too

In various online and print articles and from time management experts, I have read repeatedly that we should take control of the number of times we read our email. Some people recommend you do it only once or twice a day rather than checking your phone or email many times during a day. I understand the reason for this suggestion since most of us check our email too much—to the annoyance of our relatives sometimes. You do have to be controlled about when you check it—but in this article I want to give you a contrarian type of answer—about reasons you should be reading it”

1. Opportunities come in various emails. Recently another author asked me to write the foreword for their book. I looked at the book and agreed then wrote my foreword and sent it via email.  I have a new forthcoming writing book and I've been gathering endorsements for this book and a foreword. I've done this work through email. Edtors ask authors to write articles for magazines and much more via email—provided you are faithfully reading them and responding in a timely way.

2. Book contracts come via email.  Years ago, contracts were sent in the regular snail mail. Today with secure servers and such, contracts are often sent via email. You can also print, sign, scan the pages and return the contract to the publisher through email. It is how I have been working with authors on their book contracts at Morgan James for the last several years.

FREE Ebook click image

3. Money comes in email. As I've mentioned in these articles, I am involved in affiliate marketing. Some of the emails that I send through my email list promote others and their products. If you attend their event and buy their products, then I get a percentage of the sale as an affiliate. I explain more about affiliate marketing in this free ebook, You Can Make Money (use the link to get it and learn more and become one of my affiliates for my products).

Click Image to learn more

4. I learn about writing reading my email. I'm on other people's email list—and I have an email list. I believe every writer needs to be growing an email list. If you don't know how to get started on an email list, I have a little product called The List Building Tycoon After you have an email list, you need to be using it on a regular basis.

5. I communicate with authors through email. As an editor, I send a lot of email to authors. It's how I set up phone meetings and for some people, I send them book contracts from our Morgan James publication board.

I'm certain there are more than five reasons why I read my email and respond but these will give you ideas for your own email reading. It's why I read my email and respond to it throughout the day—every day.

Do you have boundaries for reading and responding to your email? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Learn Five Reasons to Read and Respond to Your Email. (ClickToTweet)

 

Find A Job That You Love

For over three years, I've worked for Morgan James Publishing. I love my job—admittedly not every detail but I love the process of finding the right author and good books. It is a constant search and rewarding to interact with authors.

Recently one of my authors felt like quitting and not completing their book. From my experience, all of us feel like that at one time or another. I know I have wanted to quit the writing process. I emailed her with some ideas how to get it done—and then I went on to something else in my work day. My words had impact and about a week ago, this author emailed again saying she had finished her book. It was exciting to receive that email!

If you are considering a career change or looking for a new position, the classic book which instantly comes to mind is What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles. This book has sold over 10 million copies. I knew about this book but I had never read it. Now I wish I had turned to this book several years ago when I went through my own intense job search.

During my job search,I followed seasoned advice and treated my unemployment like a job. Every day I spent a considerable amount of time working at my job search. I created an excellent resume, searched job boards for appropriate positions and filled out many applications. I did it day after day and week after week—with no response and no calls for interviews or even consideration. Yet I persisted in looking and speaking with my publishing network. Nothing happened.

Looking back at that time in my life, I believe the publishing world was changing and numerous publishers were downsizing and cutting back on staff. Downsizing alone sent many people into the job market and my qualifications didn't stack up when compared to others. I could have used the wisdom in What Color Is Your Parachute? The book is updated and revised every year.

In the last few weeks, I was offered a review copy of What Color Is Your Parachute? 2016 I'm not looking to change jobs but wanted to see what this well-known book contained. I read the review copy and discovered this book is packed with insights and lessons — no matter whether you are not thinking about changing jobs or searching.

For example in a section called You Are Not As Powerless as You Think, Bolles writes, “So it is, that in any situation you find yourself, no matter how overwhelmed you may feel, no matter how much you may feel you're at the mercy of huge forces that are beyond your control, some part of it is within your control: maybe 2%, 5%, who knows? There is always something you can work on. Something that is within your power. And often, changing that little bit results in changing the whole lot. Maybe not as dramatic a change as Mary (in the previous paragraph); but change nonetheless.” (Page 47)

As part of Bolles' training he attended an Episcopal seminary and in the appendix includes a large section about how to find your mission in life. Every reader can personally profit from working through some of the checklists and information in this book.

I conclude this article with my review of the book for Amazon and Goodreads:

Valuable Insight -- Whether You are Searching for A Job or Not

No job lasts forever--whether we admit it to ourselves or not. This classic book (updated each year) is loaded with encouragement and insight for every reader. The step-by-step insights are valuable to any reader at any place in the job market.

I loved what Bolles said in the first chapter, "In today's world, he or she who gets hired is not necessarily the one who can do that job best; but, the one who knows the most about how to get hired. If you can learn new advanced job-hunting skills you can not only survive. You can thrive." (Page 14)

This book is packed with ideas and action steps for every reader. I highly recommend it.

The Unexpected Discovery of My Book

Last weekend I was in Hershey, Pennsylvania at the Hershey Lodge for a conference called Writer to Writer. It was a terrific event which will be repeated in the fall and I met some new writers. Also I got to hang out with a couple of my long-term friends. Jerry B. Jenkins taught the fiction track and Cecil Murphey taught the nonfiction track of the conference. I had the opportunity to speak at a breakfast to the group and also to teach a couple of workshops.

After the conference was completed, the Hershey Lodge was hosting a regional Christian bookseller conference. On Sunday afternoon, I signed over 125 copies of my Billy Graham biography as a way to introduce the book to these retail stores. The experience was a terrific way to help retailers know about the book and its availability. Also it gave me a chance to tell them about the benefits and distinctions of my biography for their customers. My biography is an easy-to-read 172 pages and in a couple of evenings readers can gain an overview of Mr. Graham's life. I included a number of new stories and the book is completely up-to-date.

If you don't know, I worked for Mr. Graham about 20 years ago as the Associate Editor at Decision, the official publication of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I gathered endorsements and a foreword from Luis Palau for my book. You can see these endorsements and a short book trailer on my website. You can order it different ways from my website—even get an autographed copy if you want.

Depending on the time of year, traveling can be challenging. It's exactly what I found on Monday when I traveled home. I was on the early flight from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. I had an hour and a half to change planes but my flight was delayed for over an hour. Supposedly it was because of weather—some other place than Harrisburg where the sun was shining with a blue sky. I missed my connection from Philadelphia to Denver and the next flight was about 6:30 p.m. Yes, I was stuck all day in the Philadelphia airport. 

Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I wandered into Heritage Books. As I looked around, I discovered copies of my Billy Graham biography:

I asked the shopkeeper if I could sign my books. She called her manager to check and the manager said, “Yes.” I pulled out my pen and autographed all of the copies. Throughout November, December and January, my book has been in 25 different airports besides other bookstores across the country. Here's the list:

Travel delays are a nuisance but I made an unexpected discovery of my book in the Philadelphia airport. Fun.