Celebrate The Joy of Anticipation

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As you read this article, I’m attending to one of the largest Christian writers conferences in the country--the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. Last year there were 600 people at this event which translates into a wide variety of types of writers and publishing professionals. It’s been my privilege to attend this event numerous times through the years. I’m teaching a continuing class and a single workshop plus meeting one-on-one with many people throughout the event. 

In this article, I want to capture some of the preparation steps and the joy I’ve been feeling about this event. I wrote these words to give you a hint at the diverse activities and how they can be life-changing for you and your writing.  I encourage every writer to make plans to get to at least one or two of these events each year. At each one, you will make new connections and expand your worldview and resources for your writing life. Admittedly it takes effort and planning on your part to attend these events but the opportunities are priceless from them. 

For over ten years, I’ve been working with hundreds of authors through Morgan James Publishing. Many of those authors I have never met face to face. A number of them (less than a dozen) are coming to this event. It will give me an opportunity to get to know them better and strengthen a bond which is already in place. I’m excited to have such meetings. Several of them have already published their books with us and I’m bringing my copies so they can sign them for me. I’m a genuine fan of their work and I have joyful anticipation about these forthcoming meetings.

While to some the Christian publishing world seems large, it is actually a small community. I have not seen a number of people on the faculty for many years. For other faculty, I’m familiar with their name but have never spoken with them. The opportunity to talk with these seasoned professionals face to face is precious. There are things which aren’t easily put in an email or a phone call that will be said. As you go to these events, I encourage you to do what I’m doing. Be curious and be prepared to ask questions. I’m praying for the opportunity to have those conversations--early, late or during the day. These things happens at these events.

Also a conference is an opportunity meet new people and form new friendships. One of the faculty is a children’s author coming from Australia. I’ve already connected with her on LinkedIN. I noticed her book had no Amazon reviews. I purchased her book, read it and reviewed it. Since she is traveling internationally, she is limited on the number of books she can bring. I’ll be bringing my book to get her autograph. Also I’m anticipating a possible opportunity to work together. I have other Australian authors. Morgan James prints and distributes in Australia--or maybe my reason for meeting this author is to encourage her. 

During the conference, I’m teaching four parts of a continuing session on the actions every author can take to make a difference in their publishing experience. I’m taking some of my former teaching and reworking it around these themes and developing new material. This information comes from my working writer and editor perspective. I’m praying and expecting it to be life-changing for the conferees.

Each faculty member and attender have a full life and we are stepping away from that life for a few days of different activities. It’s not easy but we do it because of the immense value each of us find from these events. 

There are many of these writer’s conferences around the country. My encouragement is for you to get it on your schedule and then plan your interactions (to a degree). Select your classes and then let the Lord guide your steps. How do you anticipate going to a conference? Let me know in the comments below. 

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The Importance of Online Writing Groups

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

For many years I've been an active participant in several online groups. Some of my writing colleagues have criticized those efforts and wondered why I did it. I see the importance of these online groups in a number of areas and want to capture some of those reasons in this article.

 

One of the groups where I'm active began in September 2001 (yes the month when the September 11th attack came). The person that began this group selected different “panelists” to lead discussion in various areas of publishing. I have been participating in these discussions for over 20 years. The format is simple. Each week one of the panelists lead the discussion on a single topic. There are several hundred writers in this group and some weeks have much more active participation than others. The posts are stored on the site and have created a rich resource of ideas and teaching.

 

I participate in these groups as a way to give back to the writing community. As a writer I've learned so much (and continue to learn) from others. This group is a way to pass to others what I've learned. It's also a place to learn from others. Through the years I've gained great insights from what others have written in this group.

 

For example, last week I led the discussion and focused on writing for Sunday School Take Home Papers. Admittedly Sunday schools have been declining for years but there is still a group of these denominational publications. The editors produce 52 issues or one for each week instead of a monthly publication. They take nonfiction, how-to articles but also short stories (fiction). It's a wonderful place for new writers to break into the market and begin to learn about publishing. In our discussion last week we covered a variety of topics related to this topic including which publications, reprints, theme lists and much more. 

 

The participants in these online groups come from all over the world. I know one of our active members is an American but living overseas. If you aren't in an online group, you can search groups on yahoo or Goodreads or any number of places. Many organizations have their own online groups where you can participate. I recommend this resource as another way to be growing and learning as a writer. 

 

Do you participate in an online writing group? How did you find it and why do you participate? I look forward to reading your experiences in the comments. 

 

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Why Live Events Are Valuable

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

After a two-year delay because of the pandemic, last week the Evangelical Press Association meetings took place in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While I'm a former board member of the EPA and have worked planning a number of their conventions, I had not been to one of their meetings in 20 years—because I'm mostly in the book world with some continuing magazine work. It was a great experience to return to a live event. In this article, I want to give you some of the distinctions and value of these opportunities.

 

The Give and Take Conversations

 

Whether you are standing around drinking coffee at a break or meeting people around you during a workshop, there is a give and take in the conversation that does not happen on the phone or virtually but does happen at live events. I saw a number of old friends and had the opportunity to get an update, hear about their work, tell them about some of my work and exchange business cards (because this information often changes over the years). A number of these people I had not encountered face to face in years and the exchanges were priceless in my view. As I've often said in this publishing  business, who you know is almost as important as what you know. These types of exchanges happen over and over during these types of events.

 

Meeting and Making New Friends

 

Whether I was sitting at a meal at the event or any other place, these events give the opportunity to get acquainted and learn about each other and exchange business cards. In a publishing world that is often saying “no” or sending a silent rejection (no response), I was one of the few (if not the only book acquisitions editor) at this event. I made a point to often say and show that I am actively looking for new authors and new books. Who knows what will come from it but I was certainly trying in my conversations and actions to open the doors of opportunity.

 

The Opportunity to Teach

 

At the EPA meetings, I taught two workshops—one on social media and a second on book proposals. The first one on social media was a part of the overall conference with a much larger attendance. The second one about book proposals was added to the schedule when the overall event was delayed two years with the pandemic. For each of my handouts and presentations, I appreciated the opportunity to give back to others and provide value from my resources and experience. I also appreciated the opportunity to hear other speakers and workshop leaders. I found great value in attending different workshops during the event.

 

Open to the Unexpected

 

I made a point to introduce myself to several of the main speakers at this event. To my surprise, one of them followed my work on social media and was appreciative of what I do in this area. Until I had this exchange face to face, I had no idea that he was aware of me and my work. I suspect there will be opportunity to work together in the days ahead—particularly if I follow-up (which I will). From attending live events for years, I know the follow-up emails and other connections are some of the most important actions for anyone attending these events.

 

In the next few weeks, I will be attending other events. Follow this link to my schedule and I hope to see you at one of these events and talk face to face.

 

There were many more things which come from these live events but these are a few of the distinctions from these opportunities. What am I missing? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Live events have returned. This prolific editor and author explores why live events are valuable. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Does your fiction or nonfiction book have a business plan? Every type of book needs a proposal—even if you self-publish. Get this resource.