Sail to Mexico with Cec Murphey
Sailing Toward Success!
Traveling through today’s publishing world can be a confusing and sometimes you face treacherous waters.
Sail with WinePress as we bring on experts who have charted these waters before: Nick Harrison, editor at Harvest House Publishers and Cecil Murphey, best-selling author and writing mentor to thousands.
Nick approached me several months ago to take this cruise with him and his wife. My husband Timothy, Executive Director at WinePress, decided it would be a great way to celebrate twenty years of business. Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas — you couldn’t find a more relaxing environment to fine-tune your writing!
How do you spell Success?
We will look at what makes a successful Christian writer and what success really means. Workshops will include instruction for fiction and non-fiction writers.
NotationPrinting and Marketing Executive Director, Josiah Williams, will provide ideas on how to build a successful marketing campaign. The trip promises to be a great time of networking, writing, and relaxation. Join us to chart your journey for success!
For details download the brochure, Sail with WinePress.
More about our featured guests
Cecil (Cec) Murphey is my long time friend and mentor. An award-winning author and international speaker, Cec has written or co-written more than 100 books, including the New York Times’ bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven
His books have sold millions of copies, have been translated into more than 40 languages, and have brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. There isn’t a bigger encourager in Christian publishing.
For more information, visit www.cecilmurphey.com.
Nick Harrison was a speaker on previous writer’s cruises that I have directed. He is a great speaker, teacher, and mentor.
He has the gift of encouragement and has encouraged me in my own writing.
Nick is not only an editor, he is an wonderful multi-published author as well. For a regular dose of encouragement in your writing check out Nick’s blog.
Tweet This!WinePress Editorial Director Carla Williams a Finalist for 2010 Editor of the Year
By Laura Christianson
Carla Williams, Editorial Director for The WinePress Group, is a finalist for the 2010 Editor of the Year award, part of the Golden Scroll Awards that recognize the editors and publishing houses that best demonstrate outstanding ministry partnerships with their authors.
Sponsored by the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association (AWSA), the awards banquet will be June 27 at the Crowne Plaza St. Louis Downtown, prior to the opening of the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). AWSA consists of more than 250 Christian women authors and speakers.
Other finalists for Editor of the Year include Lonnie Hull DuPont (Baker Publishing Group) and Cindy Lambert (Zondervan).
Fiction Editor of the Year finalists are Sue Brower (Zondervan), Melissa Endlich (Steeple Hill) and Barbara Scott (Abingdon Press).
Publisher of the Year finalists are Guideposts Books, Harvest House Publishers and Tyndale House Publishers.
Carla says she was “totally shocked” when she was notified of the nomination. “I never considered myself as ‘one of them’ and feel honored to stand with those I respect in the industry.”
Carla believes that her nomination reflects how hard WinePress works to ensure that their books are of the highest quality possible, both inside and out.
Carla Williams and her good friend, Cec Murphey, at the Florida Christian Writers Conference 2010.
Carla has a long history in the publishing industry, both as an author and an editor. I asked her to share her story with us:
Tweet This!What started out, over ten years ago, helping a friend turned into a new adventure in my publishing career. WinePress had a big gap in the editing department and needed direction. I started out consulting and soon created the Editorial Director position.
Since I had been in the industry as a freelancer and conference director for over a decade, I had connections to find information on how to set up an editorial department, and later the publicity and marketing department.
Clueless, I begged God for help—which of course he supplied abundantly. I began hiring acquisitions editors from the major houses who had encouraged me along the way.
About five years later, my pastor husband Timothy was asked to direct the business as the Executive Publisher. He took the company, now incorporated, to an extremely high standard of organization and publishing excellence.
As the industry changes and WinePress has proven to be a superior company to work with, more professional editors asked to work with us. We also have been blessed to provide work for stay-at-home moms, which is one of Timothy’s and my strong passions.
One of my biggest challenges has been to keep our writing guidelines updated and at a level of excellence. I periodically spend hours and hours looking over our guides, talking with other editing experts in the industry about types of edits, costs, and methods to continually raise our bar of editing excellence. Our editorial goal is to bring our authors’ writing to the highest level of quality possible.
Because of our publishing mission to craft every book–including editing and marketing–to fit each author and message, we are known in the industry as partners in “custom” publishing. This is especially seen through the gentleness, honesty, and tact of our thirty-plus editors. All our editors are wonderful to work with and love mentoring and guiding our authors. They are a joy to work with and make my job easy.
As an AWSA member myself, I feel deeply honored to stand with some of the best in the industry, many of whom have taught and encouraged me in my own writing career.
Book Promotion Tip: Exhibit at a Conference
You would be amazed at how many conventions are held each year, all with exhibit areas where attendees browse resources to help them do their job better.
Most denominations have regional and national annual pastor’s gatherings. Associations have quarterly or annual training meetings geared towards equipping their membership with the means to best accomplish their mission.
Check to see if there is a convention held specifically for a group for which your book serves as a resource, and consider becoming an exhibitor at that conference.
If you become an exhibitor, you’ll want to create a professional presentation. Don’t just take the table, chair and black & white sign that comes with your booth fee. Create a booth that communicates you are serious about your message.
Contact the WinePress Marketing department for information about how you can promote your book to special markets and to learn how you can create a table top display for your book.
Tweet This!How to Stay on Your Local Bookseller’s Good Side
By Athena Dean
Over the years I’ve heard of writers going to great lengths to become a successful author. 
While some of the stories are borderline comical, others make me cringe. I’ve also known authors who have discovered great professional ways to support their local stores. Authors should build relationships with local booksellers and become a resource to them, not become someone they want to cross the street to avoid!
Here are eight guidelines to help you make friends with your local bookstore staff.
1. Introduce Yourself
If you don’t already know the folks at your local Christian store, stop by and introduce yourself. Let them know about your book, and that you’d love to make yourself available for a signing or special event. Don’t take a lot of their time, be brief and to the point.
2. Don’t Be Overzealous
Don’t call or stop by more than once every few weeks to ask how your book is selling. Your zeal can come across as nagging if you’re not careful.
3. Don’t Push Them to Hand-Sell Your Book
Don’t ask the sales staff at your local bookstore to hand-sell your book or recommend you to local church leaders. That kind of suggestion is best coming from them as a result of their excitement about your message.
4. Don’t Assume They’ll Read Your Book
Don’t constantly ask if each staff member has read your book yet. If they want to, they will read it, and if they are sold on it, you’ll be the first to know.
5. Don’t Push Your Book on Store Customers
When you are in the store and there are other customers browsing, don’t try to talk them into buying your book. Nothing will alienate the staff more than this kind of behavior.
6. Send Friends to the Store
Do send people in to buy your book. If your local Christian store is going to stock your book, then support them in return by sending customers in to buy your book.
7. Help Promote Your Book Signing
Should they set a book signing for you, find out what their goals might be and see how you might help meet them. To help advertise the event provide the store with bag stuffers and posters prior to your signing?
8. Make Your Book Signing an Event to Remember
If possible, develop a festive theme or workshop event that you can provide your local booksellers to build around your book signing. 
This gives them a special event to offer, rather than a simple book signing. Customers look for an experience. Think of creative ways you can turn a book signing into a unique happening for those who attend.
Athena Dean is a Solutions Advisor for the Pleasant Word division. She works with new authors who need to test the market for their book using custom print-on-demand technology.
Tweet This!A Great Time at ICRS 2009
Many of us are back in the office today after attending the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) last week. The event was a great success for WinePress and Pleasant Word authors, with over 20 joining us for book signings and special features, and many others represented by their books and advertising. Overall, the mood was upbeat with a general upswing in business and orders.
The WinePress presence at ICRS was bigger than ever – with a brand new booth, banners on every aisle featuring our authors’ books, huge signs, book signings, giveaways, showcases, and many other highlights. For a brief taste of the WinePress preparations and ICRS “experience” – with a dash of humor – watch this video:
As a result of all the work we put into ICRS, and the big marketing opportunities that WinePress always provides, there was a high level of interest throughout the show. Over 4,000 books were “seeded” by our authors as influencer copies and everyone took advantage of the time to make some valuable personal connections.
Check out some great pictures from ICRS, including some of our author signings and other features.
We want to thank all of our authors who participated at ICRS, both those who attended and those who didn’t. The WinePress “family” truly worked together and everyone contributed to a unified presence that rang of care, quality, and genuine enthusiasm.
If you could not attend ICRS this year, or even if you did, why not consider coming with WinePress and Pleasant Word next year? Authors with a WinePress package or a Pleasant Word Blue Ribbon package are eligible for an invitation. Find more information at our websites: www.winepresspub.com and www.pleasantword.com
Despite the great success of ICRS 2009, we’re looking forward to making ICRS 2010 even bigger and better. Come and join us.
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