Writer – Editor – Blogger
emilyakin
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Posts by emilyakin
Working on New Look
Jan 27th
The New Year is the time to make changes, right? Well, I decided I wanted to drastically change my Web site. I had been using Microsoft’s Front Page 2000 to design the site, but I was not very skillful with it. In order to make my site look up-to-date, I either needed to learn more about the software or buy another. So—I decided to check out hosting companies that offered sitebuilder software along with their hosting plans. More >
Free “Ask Sally Stuart” Teleseminar
Jan 21st
In my last post, Start the New Year with Sally Stuart, I hope I convinced readers that Christian writers must own a copy of the latest edition of Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide. Near the end of the post, I provided a link to the “Ask Sally Stuart” teleseminar hosted by Terry Whalin of Intermedia Publishing. More >
Starting the New Year with Sally Stuart
Jan 7th
Just this week, I received my copy of the 25th anniversary edition of Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Market Guide, compiled and edited by Sally Stuart. What a great way to start the New Year and to jump-start my planning for my writing this year. I haven’t subscribed for the entire 25 years, but, since I received my very first copy, I realized that this is a must-have resource for Christian writers. More >
Online Bible Resources
Jan 4th
I’m running behind schedule with my blog posts, but maybe I can get back in routine now that the holidays are behind me.
Part of observing the passing of the old year is looking back, sometimes with nostalgia and sometimes with thanksgiving. This year, as I made my writing plans, I looked back to how we used to get our writing done—with a typewriter, paper, and an eraser. A writer had to be truly dedicated to persist with those tools. Today, my job as a writer is so much easier with the technology available to me.
It’s hard to say which of the computer-based tools are the most useful, but for Christian writers, I have to say having numerous online Bible versions has to be near the top of the list. For my writing, I’ve tried to find one online source that offers all popular translations. I submit regularly to publishers who use the New International Version (NIV) or the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). In addition, I like to use The Message on my devotional blog. More >
Elements of Style: Strunk & White
Jan 1st
This little book has been recommended to me by numerous writers and editors since I began writing for publication in 1999. Since it has been around for a long time, there are several editions, my copy being the Third Edition. The 50th anniversary edition was published in 2008 and is available at retailers.
In the beginning, the book was developed by William Strunk, Jr., as a teaching aid in college classes at Cornell University. E. B. White was a student of Strunk, and, in 1957, he was asked to revise the book for publication after Strunk’s death. More >
Twitter Bible
Dec 3rd
I’m working on an article about the various online Bible study tools, but I’m not ready to post it yet. However, I recently discovered Twitter Bible, and I think it’s something everyone needs to see.
The Twitter URL is http://twitter.com/WWGT (What would God tweet). The writer’s moniker is Holy Ghostwriter, and the location is listed as “heaven.” The Twitter page shows a link to an article on a Web site named Not the LA Times. Huh? And, God Himself is supposed to be the writer.
The writer attempts to craft Bible verses in the latest modern language while keeping it under the 140-character per-tweet limit. Spiced with humor, the writing is very creative. On the Twitter venue, the writer is sure to reach some people who don’t know or have lost interest in the Bible.
Check out this example of the Twitter “translation.”
“Jesus foresees Twitter, shortens 10 Commandments to under 140 characters: Love God 110%, love neighbor like self. (Mark 12.30-31)”
OK, so I should have called it a paraphrase instead of a translation. I’m going to follow WWGT for a while and see where it goes. Check back next week for my article on the online Bible study tools.
Should You Publish Your Own Book?
Nov 21st
Have you developed a book proposal and had no luck selling it to a traditional publisher? Have you written a book but haven’t taken the time to prepare a proposal and market it? If you can answer “yes” to either question, you’ve probably thought about self-publishing.
There’s been a lot of discussion about self-publishing on the Internet lately because of recent announcements by royalty publishers that they are going into the self-publishing business. That must mean that self-publishing is the wave of the future. Or, it could mean that the royalty publishers are just looking for another way to enhance the bottom line. More >
Life Journal™ Software
Nov 14th
Journaling is a great way to collect subject matter and organize your thoughts for your articles and stories. I still do most of my journaling on in notebooks, and I’ve tried to organize and index them as I complete a volume. However, over time, the sheer volume of my journal content has made it hard for me to find my notes on a given topic when I need it.
Last year, I purchased Life Journal™ software which was developed by Ruth Folit, a writer with 30 years experience with journaling. Lee Jones, the programmer, also is a journaler. I chose the version for writers, but there are also versions dubbed For Staying Sober, For Christians, and For Educators. It’s not as expensive as some software, and you can try it for free before you buy.
Before I share my evaluation, see this excellent summary of the features and benefits of Life Journal™ . More >
Accepting Your Role as Salesperson
Nov 12th
“Writing is an art. Publishing is a business.” These words jumped out at me in a workshop given recently by Lawrence Wilson, pastor and former editorial director at Wesleyan Publishing House. This simple statement encapsulates the aspiring writer’s problem with getting published.
Writers see themselves as artists, resisting the idea of putting a dollar value on their writing. Perhaps you write because you are passionate about a particular subject or about writing itself. Once you begin the quest for publication, though, you have entered the realm of business. For any business to be successful, somebody must sell something to someone. In my experience, writers abhor the whole idea of “selling themselves.” You, the writer aspiring to publication, must sell your work to publishers who, in turn, sell their publications to the end user (reader).
Does the idea of selling your work conjure up images of door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen or network marketing gurus? You’re not alone. Intrusive and manipulative sales techniques have given sales a bad name for most people. I think that’s why some prefer to call it “marketing” rather than “selling.” The term “marketing” suggests that you put your work out for people to see in hopes that someone will see it, like it, and buy it—like at a flea market.
Flea market vendors don’t sell much unless they offer quality products that shoppers want. They must know the market, the customer demographics. They must also interact with the shoppers to convince them to buy the product (selling). As a writer, you submit your work to publishers, making sure that you have followed the guidelines. Your customer, the publisher, states the demographics and preferences of his customers (readers), along with the technical requirements of the documents they are willing to consider. Still, you may need to “sell” the editor on your work. Extra-mile features will entice the editor to buy your work instead of someone else’s with identical specifications. For example, including sidebars and pull-quotes will make your article more attractive. For book proposals, mention an established speaking ministry or other platform for selling your books.
If you believe in the quality and value of your product, selling it is an honorable pursuit. You won’t sell to every customer, but you won’t get your work published unless you try.
