Is
it really August already? Where has summer 2013 gone? I hope your summer has
included some great writing time and maybe even a writers conference or two.
And that you are already marking your calendar for the 2013-2014 LCW year,
beginning with our Fall Kickoff on Saturday, September 28, at Lancaster Evangelical
Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543 from 9:30AM-12 noon (*please note change of date from usual third Saturday of month to
fourth, for September only).
As
speaker, we are delighted to welcome back well-known publishing consultant Dean
Drawbaugh, who shared with us last March his acclaimed seminar
"The BookSeller: Nine Qualities that Generate Book Sales." Author,
public speaker, former general manager of Destiny Image Publishing Company, and
now President at Drawbaugh Publishing Group, Dean Drawbaugh has been in the
business of producing successful book titles for over 40 years. He has engineered
600+ books in the last 7 years alone.
Last
March Drawbaugh was able to offer our LCW group an overall synopsis of his groundbreaking
seminar on the nine qualities that allow a book to continue
selling or cause the sales process to stop (I can personally testify to their
practicality as I've put to use several tips for my own most recent release,
Tyndale House title, Congo Dawn!). All
of which left members clamoring for a more in-depth coverage on how to apply
these principles specifically to our own books and writing. So we are delighted
to welcome Dean Drawbaugh back for a full three-hour clinic that will expand on
his original presentation. During our September 28th meeting, Drawbaugh will
provide a short review of his last presentation, walk through case studies to
show how to fine tune a manuscript and prepare it for publishing. Finally, he
will conduct an open workshop that allows participants to experiment and ask
questions.
So
whether you attended Drawbaugh's original workshop or not, you won't want to
miss this opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at what makes a book
successful, above all, your book!
Critique groups: There will also be opportunity for our usual peer critique groups after the clinic. As per guidelines, bring ten printed copies of no more than 1500 words. For any who want a peer critique and cannot stay on after the clinic, we will be offering one time slot for critique during second half of clinic.
Critique groups: There will also be opportunity for our usual peer critique groups after the clinic. As per guidelines, bring ten printed copies of no more than 1500 words. For any who want a peer critique and cannot stay on after the clinic, we will be offering one time slot for critique during second half of clinic.
Writing opportunity: Also, LCW has received an invitation
from Donna Balon, editor of Midlife Collage, to submit stories to their short-story
contests, prizes up to $100. She writes, "Midlife
Collage is looking for submissions in our free-entry contests. We run weekly,
online writing contests for a cash prize. Perhaps some of the writers in the
Lancaster group would be eligible and interested in submitting a short story.
Please see our Submissions page at www.MidlifeCollage.com for the
guidelines and contest rules. Go to our Calendar page and watch the short
videos for topic ideas."
2013
Golden Scroll Novel of the Year: On a personal note, at our last meeting in June, my most
recent Tyndale House release Congo Dawn
had just been named a 2013 Golden Scroll Novel of the Year finalist. For those
who've been asking how that turned out, Congo
Dawn did win that award, truly an unexpected if delightful surprise since
the other three finalists-Susan May Warren's You Don't Know Me, Eva Marie Everson's Waiting for Sunrise, Jocelyn Green's Wedded to War-were all 2013 Christy Award finalists. Here is the CBA Press Release.
As
always, regular news bulletins for LCW can be found at our blogsite: http://lancasterchristianwriterstoday.blogspot.com/.
Blessings,
Jeanette Windle
President, Lancaster Christian Writers
www.jeanettewindle.com
http://lancasterchristianwriterstoday.blogspot.com
