Out With the Old and In With the… Old

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How to Reinvent Your Merchandising Postcards, bookmarks, business cards and flyers have all been consistent elements in book promotion for several years. Together they make a standard part of a publisher’s marketing plan and an asset to an author’s promotion toolbox. And yet, they are just so… old. Marketing is about creating a splash and catching someone’s attention. More than that, our industry requires marketing campaigns to build relationships with readers. Merchandising pieces have traditionally offered a take-away that not only catch attention but also give the reader something to look at later to remind them of a book’s title,…

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Tips from the Pros: Susan Titus Osborn

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Hello from Sarah Sundin on a blustery day in northern California. Today I have the honor of interviewing a veteran writing professional, Susan Titus Osborn, author of over thirty books, including several on the craft and business of writing. Susan is also director of the Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service, and offers many on-line writing courses on her website. Susan, how did you get into writing? In 1978 while I was teaching Sunday school, I decided to write some stories for the kids. They loved my stories, so I thought I would sell them to church school take-home paper markets. A…

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Unshakeable Faith: 8 Traits for Rock-Solid Living

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Title: Unshakeable Faith: 8 Traits for Rock-Solid LivingAuthor: Kathy HowardPublisher: New Hope PublishersISBN: 978-1596692978 Women are usually prepared for everything from patching scraped knees to managing a huge work load to whipping up dinner at a moment’s notice. We keep ourselves and our families together and running smoothly. But is our faith prepared to withstand difficult trials or even persecution? Unshakeable Faith, an eight-week Bible study for women, explores the life of Peter to help you build a rock-solid faith that is strong enough to weather the harshest storms of life.

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Spread the News…in a Newsletter

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  Hi, all – Ava Pennington here. Happy Valentine’s Day a few days early! February is the month of hearts, flowers, and love notes. Whether or not you write love notes to that special someone in your life, every author should be writing love notes…to their readers! Okay, maybe not love notes, but we should be keeping in touch with our readers on a regular basis, and email newsletters are an effective, low-cost way to do it.

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CAN Book Feature: Drawing Closer to God by Dianne Neal Matthews

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Drawing Closer to God Dianne Neal Matthews The Bible is full of questions asked by God, Jesus, ordinary people, Satan, and even a donkey. Some are questions that we wrestle with but are reluctant to voice. Others are asked to comfort, to convict, or to reinforce spiritual principles. Drawing Closer to God: 365 Daily Meditations on Questions from Scripture explores 365 of these questions and shares practical application that can help deepen our relationship with God and strengthen our daily walk.

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Making the Most of Small Talk with Editors

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Aloha from Karen Next week I’ll be teaching at the Florida Christian Writers Conference. Preparing to go is also a time I reflect on all that happened over the years of attending conferences. Amazingly, it’s been short, quick chats that led to many books.That’s a good reminder to connect with anyone, and make the most of every opportunity. Let me share a few of those past chats and what happened.

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CAN Book Feature: When All My Dreams Come True by Janelle Mowery

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Title:  When All My Dreams Come TrueAuthor: Janelle Mowery Publisher: Harvest HouseISBN: 978-0-7369-2807-6   Bobbie McIntyre dreams of running a ranch of her own. Raised without a mother and having spent most of her time around men, she knows more about wrangling than being a lady. Still, the friendship of her new employer awakens a desire to learn more about presenting her feminine side…but ranch life keeps getting in the way.  Ranch owner Jace Kincaid figures the Lord is testing his faith when a female wrangler shows up looking for work. Bobbie has an uncanny way of getting under his skin,…

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OH NO! A Harsh Critique!

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Sherry Kyle here, writing from California. Last week was an exciting one for me. I signed two book contracts—one for another nonfiction girl’s book with Legacy Press, and the other for my second contemporary novel with Abingdon Press. I’ve entered the world of having deadlines before the books are complete. Kind of scary . . . yet thrilling! Thanks for allowing me to share my good news with you! Today I want to encourage you to keep writing even when you receive a harsh critique. If you’ve taken the step to submit your writing, you’ve experienced some negative response. Hopefully,…

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How to Send a Press Release

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Dear Fellow CANers: I’m Ann Byle, a CAN member from way back. I’m a freelance writer for The Grand Rapids Press in Grand Rapids, Mich., as well as other publications including Kyria.com and Publishers Weekly. Before turning freelance 13 years ago, I was the book review editor at The Press. I received many press releases then; as a freelancer I have often done stories based on hard copy or email press releases. There is a fine line between sending a press release too early and sending it too late. Too early and the assigning editor loses it in the pile…

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Tips from the Pros: Donn Taylor

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Good day from Sarah Sundin in northern California, where the fog is almost making it feel like winter. Today I have the privilege of interviewing Donn Taylor, a man with a diverse and impressive list of achievements. Donn led an infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, holds a PhD, taught college-level English literature, writes poetry – oh, and he has two published novels. I told you it was impressive. Donn, how many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles? I’ve published two novels and one poetry book. The…

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