Y o u r W r i t e r s G r o u p

Seeing Beauty, Part 3

2010-03-10T17:00:43-07:00

I’m finally feeling like myself today after a full 10 days of the worst flu symptoms I’ve ever experienced—6 days of 102 temperature, complete fatigue, and every nasty thing that comes with it. We all caught it but finally have been smuggled through back to the land of the living. Charlotte never really got it and we realized she probably has natural immunity from her tendency to eat more of what comes from her nose than any other kind of food. Apologies to any other OCD types; it’s generally enough to make my wife gag just thinking about it.

But I promised some reflections on story and structure and I’ve been thinking about it from my drug-addled haze...

We long for story to help explain our lives’ meaning. Stories help us define our experience, validate it and give us comparisons, like juxtaposing contrasting colors. Personalities can clash and reveal countless mysteries to ponder. We thrill in those alternations between confusion and discovery. And this is beauty.

There’s a hint here of the deeper order at work beneath the workings. We didn’t invent stories, just like we didn’t invent language or words or the ability to understand them. We’ve developed them, adapted and changed and manipulated them, but just like we didn’t create the materials we use to create with, we didn’t create the words. The great order did. The deeper order. Even when we don’t see the structure, it’s there always at work underneath.

And the deep romance in this is what we’re ultimately after. How unthinkable it is that God would do all this, create all this, for what reason? We’re not told, and it’s they kind of mystery that’s needed for the romance to thrive. The greater the mystery, the greater the thrill when the answer is revealed. Just like the greater the dissimilarity between the players, the greater the thrill when peace is finally reconciled. This is the story going on and when redemption finds its way to the unlikeliest of characters, we shake our heads and remember how amazing it all is and how little we really know of it. How small we really are. And how grateful must we be….

To see this and explore its supernatural reality through the evidence we have—nature and metaphors and the Bible and prayer—this is the fuel for the journey. Is seeing it something we can choose? Of course, and it starts with as simple an act as recognizing that it’s there for us to choose to see. And it does become easier with practice. When life is hard, sometimes it’s harder to recognize, harder to pry our eyes open. We can never assume it’s truly easy.

But that’s why I want to make it as easy as possible to find for others and to share my amazement. To remind myself and whoever else wants it that just beyond this ordinary, familiar 3D world (the one they’re so excited about recreating for us through technology these days) is a far more interesting one with more unbelievable wonders than you could ever dream up.

And it’s there I want to be deeply exploring, constantly waking myself up to the beauty, order, and romance behind everything we see, feel, smell, hear, taste, and experience.

These are the clues. What’s really behind them?

Seeing Beauty, Part 2

2010-02-26T16:25:11-07:00

The current state of publishing has me thinking about the future.

It’s hard not to these days. Everywhere you look there’s another announcement of the electronic squashing print. I imagine this big trash-can-head robot stomping books into the mud and I have to set down my quill and cry a little into my ink-stained tea mug.

But soon I regather my strength and then I start thinking of all the cool things to come. Futurists and other people who are paid to think about such things say that in 2020 you will be able to talk to anyone with auto-translator apps in your primary devices. But that’s just the start. Computers will be inside things and inside us and not on the desk. We’ll be able to enter full-immersion VR with images downloaded directly to our retinas, augmenting and even replacing reality in various ways. We’ll be interacting with virtual personalities and relying on them for several things—news and information, entertainment and companionship.

And according to one cyborg brainiac currently known as Ray Kurzweil, by 2029, the fastest computers ever heard of today will be affordable for virtually everyone on the planet. Many of us will be bio-engineered in several senses, both through implants and through computer-enhanced mental and physical capabilities in the computers embedded into our everyday objects. Cellular robots will be programable to repair anything at the molecular level, reversing aging, global problems, economic vulnerabilities, climate disruptions, and every manner of decline and decay. These robots will improve our brains and body functions and also make it possible to experience others’ emotional states and their attendant physical experiences. Organs will be created and recreated from tissue within and outside the body. Human life expectancy will increase and several common diseases will disappear. New ones, especially psychological disorders will continue to proliferate. (Much of this was mentioned by Ray here, toward the end of his talk:

And all of this makes me struggle to believe there will be much more beauty and sane people around to appreciate it in the coming decades. Sure, there will be advances and technologies never before seen and they will be widely appreciated and then mostly taken for granted as usual. But will much of the real beauty beneath, behind, and all around it be missed and inadvertently destroyed, as much or more than is happening today?

When I think about my kids growing up in this ever-more identity-variable landscape, I easily become overwhelmed. It’s bad enough thinking how Facebook and Twitter are making our boundaries more permeable and unreliable, but it’s a plink of acid rain to the sheer suffocating volume of inescapable existential asteroids hurtling toward us just beyond our perception.

(Imagine people wanting to move to the space station on Mars just to get away from the disturbing technological society we’ve created on Earth. It isn’t so far fetched to consider--the sci-fi writers are all wondering why I’d even bring it up.)

Normally all the unknown out there would be enough to make me want to move into a well-ventilated cave and take up the piccolo, but thanks to the current publishing environment, I’m about all out of freak-out these days.

Where will beauty be if we can’t even find it in our current world? More than ever, we need a different kind of futurist who sees where we’re heading and is holding us to the solid source of truth, love, and beauty. So often writers get frustrated that they aren’t getting the attention they think they deserve, but the hard truth is that they haven’t really found what deserves our attention. It’s easy to look around and excuse ourselves from responsibility—plenty of garbage gets published, why not this? We can dodge and remain stubbornly focused on what we want to say.

But what if there’s something higher, something more universal you haven’t considered? Even in your own small story the particulars point to a bigger, broader picture. And that picture has implications for all of us. What meaning are you making of your experience for others to glean? What fuller awareness are you making possible through sharing your discoveries?

And what transcendent beauty are you illuminating by the light of your simple words?

Seeing Beauty, Part 1

2010-02-19T16:29:42-07:00

I want to start a new series on seeing beauty today. I wrote to my brother this morning with some thoughts on being a man, so I feel sufficiently bolstered in my masculinity to attempt this. But if this starts to get a little too "sensitive fairyland," I may pull out some of that email just to rebalance…so there’s your full disclosure.

Very few things frustrate us more than injustice. A friend told me of a recent high school basketball game she attended where the ridiculously blind, idiot, stupid, fat, ugly refs shook their fat little power hungry fists just to sabotage the game.

Have you ever felt this way too? “Let me show you how to wear that whistle, ref.”

Injustice. We HATE it. And yet, benefactors of grace, we never seem to bristle when it’s God who’s bearing the injustice of our inadequacy, our insufficiency, our complete unsuitability to be so lavishly loved. We don’t even blink at our ingratitude for the undeserved gift. My better self (probably after the game) would thank God for the reminder, the chance to identify and see his love anew. Don’t I deserve injustice? Surely God doesn’t, but he takes it anyway. Why should I even get to assume he should be the one to bear all injustice? Can’t I handle just a thimble full?

I can. But it’s hard. So hard to believe that so much love really could be ours.

But this is about making the "opposite move," the one Jesus taught. The one that turns our natural self-preservation inclinations on their heads. God started it at the very beginning drawing meaning out of chaos, light from dark, shape from void. The world isn’t meant to exist. But look! It does! And we get to join in the holy upside-down resistance, defining of everything we see.

We get to draw on the endless depth, the insights, the talents we’ve been given, the longings which lead to devotion and the eye-popping delight of seeing order come about out of seeming randomness. In chaos theory, there’s a principle called SDIC, Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions, and it’s there that strange order tends to arise from seeming chaos. How, science doesn’t know. There’s no way to measure all the variables. But God holds all those things and creates new experiences for us out of them every day right under our noses. James Gleik doesn’t mention it in his book on chaos and the beauty of fractals that mirror nature—in ferns and pine cones and underwater sand formed of waves—but the initial conditions that hold all the outworkings of the final result are predicated by a more sentient creator than our minds can ever comprehend. The beauty of everything begins in a seed—whether the seed of a tree, a human, or a thought. And the life that grows out of it is ours to be inspired by and listened to and learned from, and then synthesized and said in endlessly new ways. That’s our job as human beings—to point meaning out of seeming chaos. And it’s a good life!

So to bring that back to where I started this rambling diatribe, what injustice is there in this high call to define reality and give it shape and meaning, in joining in that first act of creation until we’re finally rejoined to that first Word? What possible injustice is there for us to claim?

When we focus on our selves, our wounded pride, our anger over injustice, our rights, we may miss the real possibility hiding underneath.

Most everyone out there is sound asleep. We must wake them up. We have to point it out with every chance we get. “Do you see? Can you feel? Will you hear?” And maybe then they will transform too.

Imagine the excitement you could spread today, an excitement for the hidden beauty beneath the most ordinary rocks. Search for it and once you see it, don’t let anything keep you from rushing to share it.

Next time, reflections on story and structure, the deep romance and finding beauty for the journey….

This Dangerous Platform

2010-02-05T12:46:16-07:00

The title of this post makes me think of this. Poor Bob.

But that's a visual of what many beginning authors fear will happen when their book releases. Most honest writers struggle with this. The initial excitement and hope fades into something else, and those fears can blossom into putrid black blooms.

Did you know there's a guy leading seminars on how to make videos go viral who intentionally falls of a stage and posts the videos on YouTube as examples? The quest for fame does make people do some pretty stupid things.

I get this question from authors who find themselves about to be published. "What if I become a phony?" Well, you know what? Phonies are people who fake it. They don't feel real, so they have to pretend they know what being real is. And they desperately have to prove it to you. But even if you have "coolness" shoved on you, the problems only come when you worry about it. We know the real deal when we see it.

"But won't I have to change?" they ask. I get the concern. It's Holden Caufield's big fear. Maybe the reason Salinger disappeared. I can't jump in and condemn him for it if it is. How do you write without being affected by all that noise? I don't know. May God save us all from that level of public scrutiny. But people will like and not like what you wrote. And everything changes you and everything is an opportunity to invest a little more. Sure, many people say, “God, if you make me famous, I’ll use it for your glory” and then end up having to repent for their screw-ups later. I’ve told several authors I’d only take their book forward if they promised not to become a phony when the accolades came. But most have no trouble b/c they expect very little accolades anyway. And if you're like most people, you are far from the danger of falling off your platform, big or little as it may be. I haven’t seen any dramatic changes in authors who went on to become "famous" in their genre or area of expertise. No matter what you might get from conferences and reading the trades, this publishing thing isn't American Idol.

I once read a great email from Dave Eggers whose postmodern memoir Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius went on to become a #1 bestseller for several months, and launched the resurgence of memoirs, including Lauren Winner, Don Miller, and several others. By the way, here's a great one I'm reading now from an author we could probably all learn something from about this "fame" thing: Thin Places, by Mary DeMuth. In the email, Eggers denounced the perception that fame had made him a phony, contesting that he didn't much care if people thought he'd sold out to success because he was able to do so much more good with it than he'd been able to before. I thought how I'd been so concerned at one time about "selling out" and how adolescent it really was, so I decided to be done with it.

The right question is, "Am I sold out to changing things for the better?" And that's entirely up to you. I’ve had a half dose of fame and I mostly don't like it. Sure it’s nice being “known,” but you’re not really known. And what people do know, they want that from you, so they act as though they have some claim to it. But they don't and you don't have to pander to that. I grew up the oldest son of the senior pastor at a growing church. I was known in our family’s little circle. We were the pastor’s family in our small town, so when I became a big important Christian book editor after college, it took me a while to embrace it. And I still don't embrace the "big" and "important" part. People still expected me to know what I was doing, to share from my inside knowledge, and lead others in the right direction. And like anything worthwhile, my portion of “fame” has been both a challenge and an opportunity. But mostly now, it's an opportunity.

So will I become a phony? Am I sold out to changing things for the better?

People who become phony don’t know themselves. They want to present an image and fit in because they lack assurance about who they really are. Most of us know this, but I know plenty of folks who still fear self-promotion, as though it’s going to overwhelm their fragile egos and make them crazy attention-grabbing loud mouths. If there’s no misunderstanding about where your identity is secured, I don’t see the danger. On the other hand, if there’s a question about you wanting to be liked, affirmed, comforted from a surrogate daddy, or if you smell desperate to be published, that’s pretty hard to miss. The real phonies in publishing usually come in with their entourage well before they have a book. Or any ability to write. The book is just their next panacea in a long line of affirmation fixes that haven’t quite fixed them. And regular folk don't have to worry about becoming one of them.

My best advice for those worried about self-promotion is to do some soul work and ask God to point out any place where there’s still a desperation to be loved, affirmed, comforted, or known. He'll show you if your eyes are open. Then give that to him and let him fill that void in you. If you find your peace in him, no substitute will ever look attractive. You won’t have to shun the limelight and you can use all his gifts for his glory and end up with him smiling on you, praising you for investing wisely. Be realistic and don't expect it to be easy, to have ravenous fans falling at your feet, or ravenous mobs trying to stone you. Most people won't care. It normally takes a long time in publishing to gain people's attention.

Your real goal is that you want to hear those words: “Well done, my wonderful, faithful daughter.”

Faith is gift, not an ability to gain, or a commitment to muster. God supplies faith to those who ask for it. So ask. And use your platform building the same way you’ll use your platform, to highlight the wonders you’ve been shown and to point people to the source, the one who provided your eyes to see it, the people to help you craft it, the readers to receive it, and the opportunities to share it.

As a good friend of mine likes to say, all is grace. And I've discovered it’s really true.

So what part of ALL do we yet not understand?

Christmas Is a Child

2009-12-18T12:06:02-07:00

These next 2 weeks with Christmas and New Year's always present a unique opportunity for reflection. And barely hidden depression.

The holidays are always a mixed bag for me. I'll love brief moments of it, feel carried back to a time of childhood safety and love surrounding me. And the rest of the time I'll be Charles Grodin, flinging little socks into overnight bags and searching for those fleeting moments of peace while I strive not to say what I'm thinking and just do all that needs to be done. Bringing those moments back is the very reason I'll operform all the duties and preparations. But I'll still miss many of them. And I will get so fat. And like everyone, I'll excuse my self-discipline from the party and join the collective fool's errand for joy, taking full leave of my senses.

For I deserately need to forget how much older I am; I need to ignore it for just a while and accept the bad substitutes for my lost wonder with food, wine, and sappy music. Like a thick old electric blanket, I'll pull it all around me, the memories of beauty, love, hope, and the pure possibility of new discovery, the ratty old things that along the way became coping mechanisms, compensation for a perspective I'll never recover.

There's so much I can't remember. Somewhere along the way I became old and I suspect those little thieves I live with. They stole all my youthful energy, these same ones I gave life to. They enjoy everything about the holidays, the pretty little midgets. And they never gorge themselves on pie and alcohol because they're too busy soaking up all my happiness. My Christmas cheer will be in their cups again and I'll be left with dirty coal because Christmas is for children and now I'm not one. Now my role is to give it to them and protect it for them the best I can.

But God in heaven, I want a break. A real break from all this adultishness. I want to go back for just a little while. I don't want to think about all the suffering in the world. The wars and famine, the family problems behind all the laughter. There is always so much pain and evil just outside the door, out in the cold dark night. And damn it, I don't want to see it! Please, why can't it just go away for a few moments so I can see through the eyes I used to have again, the eyes that used to know it was all right, that everything was as it should be and would be now and forever? Now nothing is as it should be. Nothing. Even home doesn't feel like home anymore. There's too much I know, too much responsibility for everything to be put right as it should be. And the worst part is I know it will never be put right again.

My parents and grandparents used to work so hard to make sure everything was put right. Christmas would arrive to all kinds of treats. The preparation of months of effort, waiting for its arrival. The food, decorations, presents, activities, and conversations all carried a dense, full-flavored weight. Like a big old fruitcake. Everything was thought out and amazing. Now that's my job and I don't know how to do it. I know now it wasn't really up to the adults how things went, but they fooled me and I loved my ignorant bliss. The frustrations hidden, the strings all under perfect control. Now I know the tremendous effort to hold even the smallest celebration together, to preserve the integrity of "celebration." So easily it can become anything but.

And so often today, the ties of family, the significance of our all being here at all, it seems to go unnoticed completely. We turn blinded eyes to the very things that make seeing worthwhile. And for want of seeing, we gouge our eyes out with selfishness and fear. I know why I get depressed--I'm afraid of losing that child I was. Selfishly, I try to stuff in the trappings and wrappings to bring him back. But he can't come back, and that's good. That's as it should be. Let me put that right, at least. If I can let that child go, I can embrace the new ones better. And maybe somethere in there I'll find the very things I've been fighting to recover.

Why shouldn't we use them to get back a little joy through osmosis? Their happiness should be our escapism, our escape from all the reality outside. Isn't that what Christmas is about? A child bringing hope in the darkness that we might escape. We've been waiting so long, fighting so hard, seaching to recover this small truth. But of such as these is the very kingdom. And a child shall lead them...

So come now, little ones. Come into our broken-down world and make us whole again. Let us look in your eyes of unbroken innocence, those eyes that so willingly believe. And let us see your shining faces, bold and bright, turned to watch the great star shining through the dark.

Four-Minute Blog Post for Time-Starved Writers

2009-12-10T17:13:58-07:00

This is an experiment in speed--how much can I say in 4 minutes? That's all that's left of my time today. It's been getting away from me, as some have noticed, this writing regularly thing. I could blame the season of preparation, or the insane cold we've been having, the mountain of work waiting to be checked off before vacation travel, etc. But priorities are priorities, and I've always considered this blog a top one (ridiculous as that may be to some).

So how do YOU stay on top of the things you really want to do? When duty and responsibilities dictate your time, how do you remain active in pursuing those things that don't produce a quantifiable result, but that take you to where you really want to go?

My own process of prioritizing has changed several times over the course of my adult life. The decade I've been in a professional role, I've probably changed 6 times, adjusting as needed or as the inspiration struck. Basically, I'd find myself under water and realize that I needed to do something besides sputter and thrash. You may think others don't struggle with this, but any writer or publishing pro who's not drowning has surely experienced their share of sputtering. And you can take that to the bank.

I've got 30 seconds, but I think the secret is making use of the time you do have--whatever it is. Stolen minutes are all we have anyway. Using them wisely is a matter of recognizing what's driving you and doing it. Making no excuses and hacking out the precious moments where they appear (Yes, that was a hidden ad, did you notice?).

I'm going to quit complaining about the time I have or don't have. I'm going to take the few minutes I can and just write them full. Let this be your inspiration to do the same and we'll see what comes of it in the new year. I'm thinking it's the only thing that will really work and the rest of our responsibilities will fall in line. Or not. But either way, we'll have produced something.

And that's saying something. Which is better than nothing.

Ding.

Some good reading

2009-11-12T17:03:15-07:00

Two worthwhile reads:

"If publishers feel unable to 'make' a book and increasingly depend on word of mouth and the new bottom-up zeitgeist it will surely complicate a publishing business model that makes massive bets on progressively fewer books in the hopes that those books readh the 'phenomenon' status that pads margins and launches careers."

and

How to Write a Great Novel

On Quality and Excellence and What Does It Really Matter?

2009-11-05T17:15:37-07:00

I think it’s about time for another of my old fashioned diatribes on high quality. It's been a while since I picked up the old saw, and I found this today on my local classical music station and couldn't wait to share it.

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) was a contemporary of Bach’s who has nearly disappeared for even classical music lovers and admirers of 17^th century music. Yet in his day, Telemann was apparently more famous and respected that Bach ever was. And according to the several websites Google brought me, he was chosen as cantor of St. Thomas in Leipzig (a position Bach held as well) and out-produced Bach’s weekly cantata output 2-to-1. Bach’s music was considered overly artful, laborious and too complicated by then-modern culture and critics. It didn’t give enough space for “proper” reflection and respect for natural melody, whatever that meant to 17^th century musical tastes.

So now those times are long gone and people grew different ears. I won’t even speculate how that happens (a journey for another day perhaps), but the lasting quality of Bach’s work compared to his simpler, less labored, and proficient contemporaries is unmatched. So why? Who knows Telemann, Graun, Hasse? Even Bach’s own idol Handel isn’t as recognized. And there are many reasons for this, but it’s not a matter of opinion that Bach’s music has remained because of its superiority in form, style, beauty, and originality. As one site puts it, “In some aspects, he has no equal, and in all aspects, his music is unique.”

But so what? How does it help him now? He gets no bonus points, no enjoyment or benefit from posthumous praise. What if he had tried to be more productive and efficient, to churn them out more? Why didn’t he? Sure he still produced a major body of work, but he never enjoyed the fame his music would eventually produce. What’s his payoff for pursuing quality over quantity? A legacy? What could that matter to him while he was alive? Respect of people he’d never meet?

Why commit to excellence? Practice and sacrifice is hard! It’s takes too much time and energy, especially if the struggle isn’t practical or doesn’t produce a better life. Why push so hard for so little? After all, more people will experience it if you produce quick and disposable. You'll have more chance for fame, money and immediate benefit. Less lasting, but so what? Who wants to pay and wait for visionary/beauty/quality in our world anymore?

This great destruction going on throughout the world is of course, nothing new. Yet it does seem to be getting worse, doesn't it? Our food, our products, our cars, our writing, our music, our culture, our idols, pundits, and politicians—and inescapably our opinions, ideas, relationships, and every other form of “output”—each exhibit the short-sighted self-focused decisions we’re forced to accept today, dispensing with high quality in favor of necessarily-immediate results (we might call it the McDonald's Effect or Wal-Martization), even when those results are vastly inferior in quality. But why should we care if the food/work/product/image does its job? It won’t last anyway? Nothing lasts! Why should we waste time and effort when there’s no benefit but some uncertain effect in the far future?

Everyone must make the pragmatic choice to push for higher quality or not, which may not become Bach's choice to forfeit keeping up with his contemporaries, suffer to produce far less, and miss his chance for greater recognition and prosperity. Indeed, for novelists, the choice seems ludicrous. Produce slowly? Less? That can mean poverty. It can mean unfulfillment too when others get the contract for producing quickly and we're forced to survive doing what we’d rather not have to.

So why strive for high quality? Why care about developing good taste? What is a superior work or product really worth and why not appreciate the compromises that enable our hyperspeed world to exist? Why make our goal one of dogged faithful service to a higher cause and not production, fame, survival, or even a lasting legacy? Disposable life is important now; it's how we've come to survive. A return to quality is what's short-sighted and selfish.

And still, some people can’t stop pointing at the beauty for the thought of one person stopping long enough to look up at what he’s missed and be captured by the idea of something greater.

Refined art! It sits and languishes, waiting to be noticed. It says, “Here is your lost dignity! Here’s your roots! Here’s solidarity with the real humanity and strength you possess! Here is a sacrifice for a creator and creation we’ve forgotten.” Inspired work reminds us of the incredible value of life before conveyor belts and utilitarian necessity and mass production forced our souls into exile.

Art is the truth of life in a microcosm—an object, a work, a piece fashioned from creation!—a chance to wonder at the reminder that all is to the glory of God reflecting his holiness. All is for this. Commit to pursuing the height of your potential and you will find your purpose.

Give of your best. Sacrifice your chance to pander to the masses. Sacrifice your lesser life and you will find the greater.

Can we get off the conveyor? Do our lives really depend on it? And can you really influence those several others around you for this?

If we are made in the image of the creator, then every day is a choice to reflect that or to slowly die.

Do you agree? Do you think this is an important topic or not? Leave a comment; let’s discuss.

Incidentally, classical music is one of the arts the Obamas strongly support. Michelle Obama went way up in my book when I watched this, from a White House classical music workshop for middle and high school students she recently hosted (check out the kids at 33:45—why does that make me so happy?).

12 Random-but-Pretty-Good Ideas for Selling Your Book

2009-10-13T19:34:47-06:00

A lot of what I usually do here falls into the general area of intangibles. Craft. Meditations. Inspirational soap-boxes to pitch my nefarious positivity and that sort of thing. So I figured it’d be nice to apply some practicals to the discussion of spiritual publishing, particularly in the area of author marketing and publicity. And since there’s really no other kind now that social media has taken over the world, that’s another vast area of intangibles that could use some filtering for nuggets of use. So here’s a round up of random-pretty-good ideas for selling your book (intending at least a reasonably fair impersonation of Seth Godin).

1. The best sell is still the hand sell because YOU are what drives effective promotion. So the law of diminishing returns applies for every equivocation thereof. For example, short of direct, face-to-face interaction between you and your reader, indirect, but live “face-on-screen” (like the vid-casts WaterBrook does on LiveStream) is a good alt (maybe even preferable since more people, in theory, can see you on that way). The best ideas are iterations of this “face time” and hand-sell advantage.

2. Find an excellent, experienced webmaster. "A lot of companies make the mistake of trying to use social media and those involved in it for a quick transaction, when really it's about building a lifelong relationship with the consumer, incorporating all aspects of her life, including products," says Stephanie Bryant, DaySpring's business development manager.

To EFFECTIVELY and CONVINCINGLY prove that your book fits squarely in the center of the new market as more than a stand-alone repository of information, but as the anchor of a multi-faceted lifestyle choice of content and experience, you need the most professional web guy your money will buy. You could include any number of devisings (many of which are discussed below), but without an effective, convincing online presence, your extensive blog tour, multi-city launch parties, giveaways, and all the rest will mean, in a word, “Pppfffttt.” It has to go viral to sell well and the web is where the spiritually interested audience talks now. A strong online presence is established through many things—trailers, interviews, reviews, and unique creative promotions. But if crawlers and surfers don’t know it’s there or it doesn’t look good or it doesn’t work right, guess what it means? (see above).

3. The endorsements of some A-level and high B-level authors are essential. It may surprise some of you to hear that from me, but endos and forewords that can identify your trustworthiness, newsworthiness, and uniqueness, as well as help position you amongst the other known names on the shelves are irreplaceable. We all want to know our money isn’t going to be wasted. What provides that assurance better than someone we trust telling us exactly that? I know it’s hard, but to the victor go the sales.

4. In all your speaking about the book, aim for the broadest appeal with a vital, felt-needs emphasis that can grab attention. What will the book do for the readers? How are you solving their deep needs? Why can’t they live without this? Do that and you’ll never have to worry about your publicist calling to say she can’t find you any interviews.

5. Send advance-release manuscripts to influencers to generate buzz. Though you have little control over getting an early run printed with a traditional house, you can request galleys be sent and include personal notes with them that include requests of #3 and the info of #4. I’ve even seen some authors offer “prizes” and monetary payment for the evangelists who will talk about the book on a blog, amongst friends, on Facebook, and on Twitter. (Not sure if the new FTC guidelines prevent this, but most industry sources agree you probably wouldn’t be convicted).

6. Coordinate with your publisher to offer a free e-book for 30-60 days at initial release. Again, this generates buzz. They might not do it, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

7. Book tours may be passe, sort of, but you can still do a stunt of some kind to get attention. (Traditional tours still can be effective, though maybe not the most cost-effective). Launch parties in influencer’s homes are good if you’re well-connected and have well-connected friends. Book-club interviews and signings are usually small change, but a good reading can get people fired up about your book and create a spike in local sales (as anything live that’s done well can). But again, not all author events are equally valuable for face time with readers. So things like booktour.com are a nice alternative.

8. Cross-promote music and other free bonus content with downloadable product coupons or the like. Recipes, privileged information, even the promise of increased web traffic and heightened social-networking status can get influencers moving.

9. Interviews are good, but debates are better. Cause a stir. Say what others aren’t already saying. This is also how you’ll avoid that dreaded call from your publicist.

10. Unique/unusual trailers and author videos. This is more crucial than you think, and more so every day. Let me risk repeating myself here: do not duplicate others! You want to be real and authentic and original and all those things? Do your own thing! Then put the video(s) several places—your webpage, Youtube, BookVideos.tv and Facebook to name some. Check out Henry Cloud's Secret Things of God video. Simple. Short explanation by the author with some cut-aways of speaking, signing, and book cover (produced by TurnHere Internet Video) (read this for tips). Some other favorites here and here. (A lot of videos produced for books by amateurs try to mimic film trailers. My advice: if you don’t have the budget, don’t even attempt something slick. You can’t come close (unless you’re Rob Stennett) . Make yours entirely different (did that sink in yet?) and go low budget. If your publisher doesn’t put some real money behind it (and don’t count on it) this is your only option.)

11. Be gimmicky. Invent creative games utilizing technology, like exploratory websites, or a “find the logo” campaign offering a prize drawing or money for those who find the most participating websites or complete a publicity challenge. I don’t know. Think of something fun that doesn’t require a lot of effort on your #2’s part.

12. Last thing: Involve your reader base. Plenty of people are available to rent if they like what you're selling. And you need them to multiply your time. Your book’s success should be a group participation experiment dedicated to furthering its critical message and inviting more people to get on board. Solicit ideas for promotion and listen to people. Then respond! Your book will reap the benefits.Don’t forget to design this as a campaign from the beginning with a page or two in the back of the book describing some of the things a reader can do to help out.

This isn’t a complete list by any means. So if you have ideas, names, websites, or anything else I forgot to include here, let me hear about it. I’ll offer a recap of the best stuff in a future post.

Middle Ground Marketing

2009-10-02T12:58:40-06:00

How do we get past the separatism in today’s book market? How do we invite readers to consider the created beauty of life? Defeating current market restrictions requires books that go to the middle ground, that show and/or talk about God and the world, about Jesus and fallen man. And the middle ground for these books that don’t fit the Jesus-sanitized ABA or the fallen-man-sanitized CBA is emerging. So how do we find it and become a part of it?

So the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at how to find it and become a part of it here, here, and here. These books are different. They go to people seeking to unify their lives in a full body-mind-spirit experience, who reject leaglism, hypocrisy, and prejudice, and aspire to live beyond categories that blind people, to make responsible choices to further those goals.

Middle ground authors are different too. They don’t promote agendas. They promote simple values like those described above. They don’t do phony. Authentic writing pours from their authentic living. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Duplicity and negativism crush joy. And joy is their point.

This is the cresting wave of middle ground publishing to the spiritually curious, those interested and interesting people. “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” So when these authors promote their writing, a spiritually-interested “marketing plan” certainly looks different. There’s a pared-down quality, a simplicity that attempts to conjure that other other all-important city, authenticity. If authors don’t live there in spiritually-interested publishing, they end up in Falacity (Feel free to leave your favorite Bushisms below.).

Manipulative marketing is contrived and ignorant. “The moment there is suspicion about a person's motives, everything he does becomes tainted.” And if there’s anything antithetical to middle ground books it’s manipulation. No God-respecting author can “spin” their work. It’s obvious when marketing becomes a con. Viral marketing can have no strategy, no manufacturing. Yes, YouTube killed the commercial and ads (or launch parties) for consumer products don’t work anymore unless the customer is specifically looking for that product. Many people are looking to be sold books, so author launch parties are a good idea. But without word-of-mouth, the book will still die. You can’t get a million readers without being talked about. And you'll soon fade if you aren't visibly real.

A better way to see book marketing is as it is: a service. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” It’s not easy. But “unwearied ceaseless effort is the price that must be paid for turning faith into a rich infallible experience.” Your purpose in marketing must be the same as it is in writing: to offer an experience readers will want to live daily. Because the life-giving experience of your book comes from God and is God. “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” Both are about filling people with the word of life and celebrating God’s work in passing on your observations, insights, and the beauty you’ve witnessed. To help others see what you see.

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

To believe in “selling” that message, your aim must be to connect, not sell. “We do not need to proselytise either by our speech or by our writing. We can only do so really with our lives. Let our lives be open books for all to study.” Do you love people? God does. If you struggle, try seeing with his eyes. A middle ground book or marketing campaign isn’t about converting readers, it’s about inspiring, encouraging, and reminding.

Is it possible to change people with a book? Of course. But there’s a common, cynical theory that says to sell well, spiritual books must give people what they want, pat them on the back, and not offer any deeper challenge. Tickle ears. Sure, some readers may be a lost cause, but “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” So here’s a challenge: if heresy is anything short of full gospel, then heretics are those who speak of God yet fail to inspire people to join His redemption orchestra. And in your quest for the middle ground, remember “pandering” to reveal words that cause people to change is very different than pandering to tickle ears. It’s taken me several years to realize that distinction, let alone put it into practice.

“All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take.”

Remember the true goal when you write and when you promote, and you’ll be fine.

(Quotes are from Mohandas Gandhi who Google reminds us earns 140 candles on his cake today.) (Also, in case you missed this other birthday, Guiness turned 250 recently.)

When Taking the Next Step

2009-09-25T16:42:57-06:00

This week, I've been looking for a new used car. Nothing too fancy. On top of slaving to finish the basement before the darkness of winter saps my energy, my wife has helped me realize that I need new wheels. Now that I'm driving Ellie to school, my 1990 Honda Civic wagon, beauty that she is, doesn't cut it. No airbags, no all-wheel drive, no traction control, no anti-lock brakes. I told her there's no remote start or heated seats either, but she didn't seem to mind that so much. Or the fact that I've been driving it to work all these years.

Now adding value to a house, increasing features, upgrading a car, I'm acutely aware how all this comes with a price. And there are lessons here for a spiritual writer. I can relate these things to the depth and "value" I'm striving to infuse into my life and writing.

Generally, simpler is better. Ask me how much trouble the Honda or the unfinished basement has been. None. But like with God and in writing, when it's time to develop beyond where you were, there are costs. And I think I'm getting a better sense of what those costs really look like. I believe learning to write well is like learning a musical instrument. It's also like learning to hear and follow God's leading. What we're really talking about in all these things is deepening relationship. Learning to hear. And respond. I read a great little article by a car enthusiast (which I am not, yet) that said, in essence, "You can't really love a simple car." I know what he means. Once you realize you're in a limited relationship, you have to develop it. Or sell it.

I know that once I'm finished with my basement (and my novel, for that matter) I'll appreciate it in a whole new way. So what I've had to do is evaluate the costs. We're not going crazy. Just the next step. Still, the personal costs involved in these investments are extensive.

Time-- For relationships. For other involvements. A strained schedule.
Money-- Reduced income from time spent on this. Reduced future income for neglecting that potential current income. Increased expenses.
Effort-- Inevitable challenges. Need for increased awareness of those. Decreased mental space/sanity. Decreased productivity in other areas. Increased frustration.
Stasis-- Need to find a new "normal." Find balance. Rediscover new perspective. New priorities.
Reach-- Impact to reputation. Decreased ability to pursue other goals/relationships.

That's just off the top of my head, but this short list of costs shows something to me. It shows that at least on paper, the investment may not be in my best interest. Depending on the specifics, pushing for progress in any relationship--whether human or machine, living space or written word--can be perilous, as advancing into any new territory. Yet not deepening my relationship with these things, while safer, is not better. Considering the featureless Honda, it's not even safer. Come to think of it, none of these things really would be "safer" without development. They'd be simply lesser. Underperforming. Incomplete.

I know. Evaluating like this is something of a luxury--it seems I do it less and less (probably another area to develop a deeper relationship with). I don't see many Twitterers or Facebookers or even bloggers doing it much; Google brain damage is our unstoppable epidemic, after all. We have to fight to think, force quit all the applications we're running, and reboot to process where we're really headed. Otherwise we'll keep clicking the mouse, like mice clicking that loaded trap, and wind up tail up, out of time. Time is all we have. What relationships are we spending it on?

But the other thing this list shows me is that all of these relationships are interconnected. They'll end up saying something about me (and not only in my Facebook pics). My ability to reach people and form more relationships is dependent on effectively evaluating the costs and choosing only the next step that's right in front of me with the relationships at hand. If I try to skip over a couple steps or form new relationships beyond my reach, I'll find the curse rather than the blessing. God, keep me from overextending my reach!

Anyway, I hope you find some of this useful in your thoughtful time. But more importantly, make sure you break away to think about the relationships you want to deepen over the next few months. Then look at each week and decide the costs you're willing to pay to get there. Are they reasonable? Can you pay them? And what are the real costs?

Christian Pop Culture and the "Missing Middle"

2009-09-11T17:47:27-06:00

You may not share this mission.

Maybe you feel more strongly for something else. Maybe your creative spirit soars to different music. Maybe you don't know what I'm on about discussing books for this "missing middle."

That's okay.

Do your thing and do it well.

But for nearly 20 years, maybe longer, I've been disappointed by Christianity. I've lived in the shadow of something I considered an embarrassment. It seemed to follow me around wherever I looked. I was guilty by association. In the popular parlance of my childhood and early adulthood which took place in the early 80s and 90s, the adjective "Christian" was largely synonymous with "a shoddy, reduced copy."

Some of you know what I'm talking about. Some of you don't.

Sure we had Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. Frank Peretti wrote that big thriller. And there were a number of excellently produced boycotts. But for every reason to be proud, there were 100 reasons to cringe.

Now that is finally changing, after all this time--in music, in movies, and in books. In my industry--books--the popular interest in spiritual things is welcome indeed.

The Christian pop culture was described well in Rapture Ready! by Daniel Radosh. This is the parallel universe I grew up in. An old article/reviewby Hannah Rosin said:

"A young Christian can get the idea that her religion is a tinny, desperate thing that can't compete with the secular culture. A Christian friend who'd grown up totally sheltered once wrote to me that the first time he heard a Top 40 station he was horrified, and not because of the racy lyrics: 'Suddenly, my lifelong suspicions became crystal clear,' he wrote. 'Christian subculture was nothing but a commercialized rip-off of the mainstream, done with wretched quality and an apocryphal insistence on the sanitization of reality.'"

Where souls are at stake, it seems, creative work is restricted. And where creative work is restricted, it becomes a clanging gong, serving only those already in the club. That's one reason (as Rosin says) “it's always been a stretch to defend Christian pop culture as the path to eternal salvation.” So now can we write books that are Christian but not for Christians? That's where this middle ground is opening up between CBA and ABA through books like The Shack and others. Will we escape the confines of these walls and face up to the fact that a Christian pop culture does not save souls, has never really been about that underneath anyway, and conflicts and confuses converts with its “eternal oxymoron?”

Here’s my answer: No. Some can’t. And some shouldn’t. They have God to answer to. Some have been called to preach to the choir to encourage them to sing, and to keep singing even in the face of incredible opposition. Yes, these folks are needed. Let me not stand in their way.

But here’s my answer to the new voices: Yes. You don’t have to produce the Jesus Junk and the Kinkade Kommemorative Kolection just because you’re a Christian. There’s a big world out there waiting for your junk, er, work, and Andy Crouch and Mako Fujimura and many "covert Christians" are working to define that space and help it survive its infancy and get off the ground. You'll take some flak for it, but less than you'd expect. It's pretty well established by now--in books like Don Miller's and Rob Bell's and David Kinnaman's unChristian--that there's a problem here and it's not going away until we deal with it.

So if you are a writer (elitist, hack, or otherwise), who has a vision for something nontraditional that doesn't fit in the current Christian pop culture market, several modern-world changes are contributing to (as Paulo Coehlo says in The Alchemist) "conspire in your favor." And this should give you all the confidence you need to step out and not accept confinement to your previous notions.

Start by reading all the authors and books mentioned in this post. And by sharing your thoughts here. And coming back.

The Spiritually-Interested Publishing Revolution

2009-09-04T17:51:05-06:00

Christian publishing may be more recognized than ever. But that doesn’t mean anyone knows how to sell to the avowed-unaffiliated, spiritually-interested audience.

In fact, there’s strong evidence a big house can’t because more readers are moving “off the grid” every day. Someone said recently that a quiet cultural revolution is underway, especially in publishing—the anti-establishment sentiment seems to be at a fever pitch amongst certain readers and growing louder by the day.

Oh, you’ve noticed? That’s good. Because whether or not CBA survives its uncertain and awkward teen years (never threatening the reach of its big brother ABA, even in a good year), the association of Christian retailers and affiliated Christian suppliers is scrambling to keep up with the morphing and fracturing that’s shifted into high gear. The addition of viable self-publishing, new indy publishers, and a welcoming general market have all but destroyed the arguments that we need more acceptance of Christian books. And while the lingering effects of the recession are preventing many publishers from risking on new authors, there has never been so much opportunity for diverse messages in this industry.

Let the good times roll!

CBA gatekeepers and storeowners can continue to keep “seeker” books out of their stores all they want. Christian publishers can be wary. But those authors and houses who want to do more seeker-friendly books have plenty of ways to reach that broader audience. Outside CBA lies the open sea of the general market and the bottomless Internet. Is viral and guerilla marketing as effective as store placement, big ads, and catalog spreads? It’s hard to argue “No,” when talking about the spiritually-interested book. Spiritual forum discussions, videos, blog tours, downloadable bonus content, interactive web interviews, and other creative promotions are generating interest and sales. Traditional live events, media coverage, reporting, and book reviews, are morphing into online content through alternative news and spiritual websites like Salon.com, Beliefnet, and book clubs. And anecdotal evidence says more people are seeing an author’s self-promotion in regional independent ABA stores more often and faster than those going through the traditional grueling channels (targeting an agent to sell to a big house, re-shaping to fit standards, and hiring a publicist to get you into chain stores while hundreds of other books arrive with yours). Maybe for the first time, the odds of success in spiritually-interested publishing are shifting toward small and independent.

By the way, we know it’s been building for several years. These readers have always been a fairly …unusual breed…okay, nerdy nonconformists. Sure, they liked believing they could be accepted in the establishment in-crowd, when it was still new. But marketing has changed all that. The big houses now feel phony and old and sad trying to target the unaffiliated. So for authors, this means the vision you construct for convincing retailers to take your spiritually-themed book will be easier to pitch as unique and desireable (and money-making) for not being mainstream. Because here’s the sound-byte of the century: aligning with big mainstream publishing—general or Christian—can be a liability to spiritually-curious readers.

Plenty of people still like the establishment, including myself. But that doesn't change the fact that these are interesting times in publishing. Any case studies? Leave a comment and we'll discuss.

Answering Cross-Market Questions

2009-08-25T12:01:57-06:00

Welcome spiritually-curious readers and writers. If you have questions about the audience of The Shack or wonder about the best ways to reach this nebulous psychographic of readers, you're in the right place.

Ready to look at our burning questions from last time?

Q: Why are these [spiritually-interested] books without a clear goal or “take-away” so vastly superior for this audience?

This is an answer you need when it comes time to pitch your book. Bottom line: the experience of these books IS the take-away. The story is the appeal. Fiction and non-, the point is in the journey, not the goal or destination. This means the emphasis is on allowing the entire progression of the narrative to “teach” the message, and not offering the usual didactic, message-driven approach propped up by illustrations or manipulated scenes in a novel. Authors of these books start at a different place, often intending to discover alongside the reader, not to design a coersive read. Largely, these are writers seeking after mystery and beauty, not answers or reassurance.

Q: What's the best way to prove I can reach these readers?

By doing it. Reaching this audience absolutely requires a satisfying read like the one I just described. Whether that’s self-help, memoir, fiction, or investigative journalism, you have to get people talking about the amazing and unique experience your book is. And that writing skill goes hand-in-hand with your skill in marketing. The shift toward more author-driven marketing is strong proof of our increased desire to hear an authentic individual’s story as opposed to the familiar hard-sell coersion tactics of ad campaigns and publicity spin-doctors. You either embrace this new-world thinking and feel passionately about it, or you don’t. As I always point out to potential authors, if you’re onto something and you know it, it’s just a matter of time before others know it too. Ultimately, your marketing should be an extension of your passionate search in your writing. How you prove that is by being an authentically passionate connector (We’ll get more specific about this in next week’s post).

Q: Should I just self-publish my spiritually-interested book?

Good question. It follows a more important one: Do I have one book or several? If you are a career writer, you need to put in the time to your craft and learning the business to find a partner you feel best understands you and serves your ambition level. If you have one book or one burning story within you, it might be best to look outside of professional publishing. I make this distinction when it comes to spiritually-interested books because few writers can (or want to) write several. Staying in a perpetual state of searching is hard to keep up (ask Don Miller). There’s something of a life-stage consideration here—an age where self-awareness and spiritual evaluation is where you are, and a possibly more spiritually-mature stage where you are more decided in your outlook. Your comfort with mystery vs. assurance may change over time and that’s normal. Another reason is producing your book on your own can actually be a benefit in reaching this audience since you aren’t affiliated with any established, traditional house and won’t have to cater to them or compromise to fit their assumptions about the audience. Smart readers like yours are very aware of that dynamic and actually like the idea of an undiluted read (The Shack as exhibit A here again).

Q: Are some publishers and retailers really actively seeking these books?

Absolutely. In fact, I’m not sure you can find an adult general trade publisher in Christian or general market who wouldn’t be open to looking at a book for the spiritually-interested audience. All will have their own particular flavors and assumptions, but again, self-publishing is a great way to prove you have an audience and can connect with them before attempting to find a publishing partner. Of course, you need to consider how well a potential Christian publisher partner is able to reach the general market, because the place these readers are generally not is Christian bookstores or the Christian shelves at Barnes and Noble. If you see yourself next to John Eldredge and Bruce Wilkinson, you might want to reconsider your approach.

As always, your questions, comments and complaints are welcome and appreciated. Next time we’ll talk about what you can specifically do to find readers and build a following. Until then, don’t sweat any of this--and keep writing!

Promoting Your Cross-Market Book, Pt 1

2009-08-17T17:26:35-06:00

Congratulations, you've just finished your cross-market book. So how are you going to increase visibility (and all-important sales) to your audience? Will you choose:

A. By reading Mick's brilliant blog post here.

B. What? Promote? That's the publisher's job. Or

C. I figured I'd learn all that once I get a contract.

If you answered B or C, give yourself a little slap. Wake up. While you were sleeping, it became your task to prove why your book is important. And the best way to do that is to show how it's a part of a sizeable movement—the "spiritually-interested" movement.

The top Christian publishers owned by larger NY parent houses may be positioned to exploit this large area, but their awareness of it and how to reach it is still fairly, well, not always stellar. Some have seen moderate-to-big success with these kinds of books, but whether by accident or intent is largely conjecture. The encouraging news is that many of the authors of these books had modest platforms, or no platform at all before, and whether or not a particular publisher is heavily personality-driven in its philosophy, the appeal of these books is often message-driven, content-driven, and reader-need-driven. In short, there’s a strong “heart incentive” here for readers you can tap into in your marketing. The author best positioned to succeed in winning readers in this audience is the one who proves he or she can lead the way to defining and even shaping this newer category (I like the word “psychographic”) of publishing.

And you thought you were just writing a book.

Some big reasons to take control of your publicity:

1. This new territory is wonderfully wide open. That means you can largely define the shape of your approach (more on that in following posts).

2. This spiritually-curious audience is media-saavy and uber-connected. There's a good reason top-Twitterer Ashton Kutcher found The Shack.

3. Existing CBA stores are closing at a faster rate than new CBA stores are opening, and commerce in general is shifting away from brick-and-mortar stores to the Internet. This has been going on for some time, but most CBA retail commerce is controlled (and limited) by just a handful of channels—including FCS, LifeWay, Mardel, CBD, Choice, Parable, and a collection of independents. When you add up all the units typically sold through these channels, first-year sell-through projections are rather low for all but a handful of Christian authors. So publishers are finding it necessary to follow authors' leads who can effectively identify and sell into the new online and viral sales channels (to which, spiritually-interested books are especially suited). This means you're much more likely to find a top publisher if you're already active in promotion.

4. Most importantly, you need your message to go to more than book-readers, believers, or any other category familiar to a publicity team. Let's just say these spiritually-interested folks don’t typically shop in CBA stores. Christian and general market retailers are generally averse to new genres (and even to many established genres). They like their usual areas--Christian living, genre fiction, diet books, whatever--and maybe a few others (proven best-selling authors and really cheap books). This limits publishers commercially. Taking on a new mission like this is attractive to a house and spurs greater innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. And again, authors have a huge opportunity to be the lead entrepreneurs here.

In short, as author of a spiritually-interested book, you have the opportunity to identify and test new strategies in sales and marketing, in line with the present and future of book publishing. And that's attractive no matter what kind of book you've written.

As authors, we must define this vision and ensure it’s understood in our proposals and manuscripts. We must incite passion in our publishing teams for reaching this large audience. And we need to explore nontraditional ways to “pitch” the appeal of these books.

We'll unpack much of this with more practicals in the posts to follow. Some questions we'll answer next time:

Q: Why are these books without a clear goal or “take-away” so vastly superior for this audience?

Q: What's the best way to prove I can reach these readers?

Q: Should I just self-publish my spiritually-interested book?

Q: Are some publishers and retailers really actively seeking these books?

Come on back. I think you'll like the answers.