Posts tagged Leonard Goss
Little Handbook of Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing
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Subtitle is Getting Your Foot in The Publisher’s Door
Leonard Goss has years of publishing experience with major companies like Broadman & Holman. Co-author, Don M Aycock, is an author, seminar leader, and pastor. Their team effort on this handbook has produced an excellent resource for Christian writers seeking to get their work published.
Sharing experiences of famous authors like Max Lucado and Jan Karon, the authors start by pointing out that writing for publication is work—hard work. But, they go on to show that, if you are willing to work for it, you can “commit publishing.”
The book contains chapters on book proposals, contracts, the writer-editor relationship, and much more. The last portion is an excerpt from Goss’s A Little Style Guide for Great Christian Writing and Publishing (reviewed in this blog here). Although a chapter from the style guide is included in the handbook, I would recommend that writers new to the publication process acquire both the style guide and the handbook.
The Little Style Guide to Great Christian Writing and Publishing
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Notice the title of this book is not A Little Style Guide. It’s The Little Style Guide. That’s because this little book is the best, most affordable style guide and reference for any writer aspiring to have his or her work published.
Written by Leonard and Carolyn Stanford Goss, this book will educate you about book production. Then you’ll be guided through the grammar and style conventions common to the Christian publishing industry. You’ll find helps with publishing technology and electronic media, proofreading and editor’s marks, and a listing of recommended books for authors and editors. Top the content of with a detailed index, and you’ve got the handiest, most economical single reference book a Christian writer could own.
Need to know how to spell website, Web site, Website? Look on page 156, and you’ll find that the publishing industry prefers Web site. Or, maybe you are confused about spelling an capitalization of religious terms, there’s an extensive list on pages 39-60.
If you think grammar and style is not important as you write your book, think again. Publishing houses prefer books and/or proposals that need very little editing for grammar and style these days. It’s true that publishers often have their own style guides, but many of them adhere to the industry standard Chicago Manual of Style. This little style book gives you the Cliff’s Notes version of Chicago at a very reasonable price.
Both Leonard (Len) and Carolyn Goss have extensive experience in the publishing industry. Leonard has been with Broadman & Holman Publishers for a number of years. Carolyn has worked in marketing and sales for publishers and is an author and a teacher of composition and literature. They’ve been involved in the production of numerous books, either as author or as editor.
If publishing a book is your dream, you need to read this little book and keep it hand on your desk
