Writer of the Year Award at Write-to-Publish Conference
Dir. Lin Johnson and Andrew Wheeler
WinePress sponsors the Writer of the Year Award at the Write-to-Publish Conference. Andrew Wheeler, a conferee of many years, was the winner.
When speaking about his book, Together in Prayer: Coming to God in Community (InterVarsity Press, June 2009), Andrew says:
“Like many books, this one didn’t start off to be a book. It was originally a training class given for small group leaders at our church, to help them lead their groups in prayer more effectively. At the end of the class, the other prayer leaders told me that I should try to develop the material further. That started the book.
Over the next several months, I worked on putting the book together. A friend at church suggested to me that I attend the Write to Publish conference, which I did in 2005. I had never heard of book proposals before and didn’t know the first thing about the publishing business. I downloaded the proposal format from the website, and submitted both the proposal and a sample chapter as manuscripts to be evaluated.
As it turns out, the manuscripts both went to David Zimmerman at IVP, which was actually my first choice of publishers for the book, based on my college experience in InterVarsity. I met with David at the conference in 2005, and he indicated that the book would be a good fit for IVP but wasn’t ready to take it on because I didn’t have enough of a platform to sufficiently promote the book.
Building a Platform
Over the next couple of years Andrew worked to expand his prayer ministry at his church he wrote articles, which were eventually published in Discipleship Journal and Indeed! magazines. (These also resulted from contacts made at Write to Publish, in 2006).
He once again met with David again at WTP in 2007 and he agreed that Andrew had developed a sufficient platform at that point. David took the manuscript back to the editorial committee and that fall the decision was made to publish the book. Andew worked with David through several edits over the next few months, leading to the publishing of the book in June of 2009.
Andrew has a passion for helping small groups to pray together more effectively. Multiple churches have used his book, Together in Prayer: Coming to God in Community, to energize their small groups in prayer. Andrew has written articles for Discipleship Journal and SmallGroups.com highlighting principles for praying effectively in a small group setting.
Andrew is a member of the Church Prayer Leaders’ Network and the Pray! Network, as well as the Presidential Prayer Team. He has led prayer groups for over 25 years, starting with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship in college. Andrew currently serves as co-director of the Prayer Ministry at Willow Creek McHenry County, where he has taught multiple classes on prayer. Check out his website and blog at www.togetherinprayer.net.
Tweet This!5 Great Investments Every Author Needs to Make
By Robyn Williams
“Can I afford that?”
When it comes to promoting your book, the better question is, “Can I afford not to do this?”
In other words, ask yourself if you can afford not to take advantage of certain promotional opportunities.
There are various ways to promote your message as well as spend your time and money. Say no to the ones that don’t reach your target audience or that aren’t a good fit for you, but invest in the others.
The more your book stays in front of readers’ eyes the better chance you have to reach them with your message. Most authors convey that they didn’t write their books just to make money. They truly desire to share the message that’s on their heart.
Here are 5 great investments to consider:
1. Launch a Publicity Campaign
This is one of the most effective ways to reach large audiences. Consider holding a book signing or appearing on TV and radio interviews. Be sure to work with a publicist since media outlets expect to be contacted by a third party on your behalf.
2. Attend a Conference
Watch for opportunities to participate in conferences or trade shows. These provide much-needed opportunities to network and connect with publishers, book buyers as well as other authors.
3. Develop a Web site
Having a Web site is no longer the wave of the future; it’s the here and now. And, blogging offers a great way to share your message, feature related articles or interviews and keep your writing skills sharp.
4. Invest in Advertising
Watch for advertising opportunities and grab hold of them quickly since spaces are generally limited. One author recently commented that she couldn’t afford to miss the chance to advertise in a magazine with a readership of over 400,000 readers!
5. Order Marketing Materials
Ordering quality book marks, business cards and post cards with your cover image and contact information allows you to be prepared for those unexpected encounters. And, these smaller items can make a big impact.
Remember to be patient and encouraged. What’s important to keep in mind with all of these investments is the large amount of exposure you’re gaining. And, sometimes, you really can’t afford not to take advantage of them.
Related Articles:
- Marketing Materials: Postcards, Bookmarks, and Covers
- How to promote your book at conventions and trade shows
- How to work with your publicist
- Author website: necessity, not a luxury item
As a member of WinePress’ Publicity department, Robyn Williams’ goal is to help authors promote their message and make media contacts. She loves getting to know authors, learning why they wrote their books, and helping them share their stories.
WinePress to Present Marketing Workshops at Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival
Josiah Williams
Jacob Walker
Josiah Williams and Jacob Walker will be representing WinePress Publishing and teaching several workshops at the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival.
Held June 3-8, 2010 at the LifeWay Conference Center in Ridgecrest, NC, Gideon is a unique Christian experience where cutting-edge media arts are combined with a Christian film festival.
Here are the workshop descriptions:
Promotions in Motion
In this practical workshop you will learn the many tips and tricks on building promotional videos. Explore how to select the right software and equipment as well as capture great film, sound, and design. Discover how you can build quality multimedia from technical to polished production as a one man operation.
The M & M’s of Marketing
Learn how to successfully implement the fundamentals of successful marketing plans. Get past theory and into practical action. Discover new ideas, be reminded of solid practices and have fun doing it. (Instructor: Josiah Williams)
Jumpstart Your Marketing
Successful marketing is built around combining and integrating the right tools. Discover the many channels available and how to choose the right ones to market your film, book, business or project. (Instructor: Josiah Williams)
It’s About Connection
Connecting with your target audience is essential to marketing. Explore how to indentify your target market, craft the right message, and build relationships. (Instructor: Josiah Williams)
There’s still time to register for this amazing conference. Act now!
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.
Cheryl Ricker Wins WinePress Poetry Award at Mount Hermon
At the recent Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Cheryl Ricker won the poetry award, sponsored by WinePress.
A lifelong poet, Cheryl has a degree in creative writing and worked as a staff writer for Campus Crusade for Christ. She’s published articles in ministry magazines and has won poetry awards in fine arts and literary magazines.
In addition to being a pastel and watercolor artist, Cheryl enjoys participating in drama at her local church where she also sings on the worship team. Cheryl lives with her husband and sons in Rochester, Minnesota.
Her passion to draw people closer to Jesus led her to Christ For The Nations Institute, Dallas, where she continued to express her evangelistic heart by ministering on the streets, on stage, and in prisons.
While visiting a young mother with terminal cancer, Cheryl discovered she could share peace, assurance and comfort using personal poetry from Christ’s point of view.
After nearly five years of writing and praying, Cheryl’s poetry was turned into a life-changing, Zondervan gift book, A Friend in the Storm
With fun, flair and transparency, Cheryl writes and speaks about God’s big-picture hope. She is passionate about helping people in pain keep their eyes on Jesus so they’ll experience Him in a deeper, more personal way.
I’ve known Cheryl for several years through Mt. Hermon and her spirit and inner beauty shines out, not only in her writing, but in person. Find out more about Cheryl at www.afriendinthestorm.com
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