God’s Call to Witness

, by

  You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NKJV) Have you ever read an article, book, or story that really touched your heart? Did you ever think about what had to happen for that piece to get into your hands? I attended a Christian writers’ conference about thirty years ago, and it opened my eyes to the many steps that have to take place for a piece of writing to get…

Read More

Rejection

, by

  Lord Jesus, I guess if anyone knows how rejection feels, you do. I know it’s a part of being a writer, hearing “not right for us” and “not right for our audience” and “not a good time” or, worse, nothing at all. Sometimes it seems so few and far between acceptances. I know, I know: You set your face like a flint even when you knew what lay ahead. So, okay. I’m not trudging to Calvary. I’m not carrying a cross. I’m learning to do better, to write to the reader’s need, to study the editor’s requirements, to hone…

Read More

How do we face bad news?

, by

Hola from Janet Perez Eckles…Igniting Your Passion to Overcome “Unfortunately, we cannot offer you a contract at this time.” Gulp. How do we face this bad news? How to handle this reply from publishers has been a quest for me for years till I heard this story.

Read More

Writer’s Paralysis

, by

Dianne Neal Matthews here, hoping to encourage you on the second Monday of September (can you believe it’s almost autumn already?). Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about “writer’s paralysis”—not that cramped feeling in your hands when you’re pushing against a tight deadline, but another kind that’s more serious….  

Read More

Ups and Downs of Acceptances and Rejections

, by

Aloha from Karen Whiting, CAN treasurer Yesterday I received news that a promised contract arrived and news that another proposal had been rejected. In reality, the current contract is all I can handle well so that’s okay with me. But there’s a story behind the responses and reasons why the contracted book received a comment from the editor, “This is the best book proposal I’ve seen this year.” As a member of CAN I’m often hearing news of acceptances and rejections friends receive. That’s normal in this industry. The acceptances increase as authors gain experience and learn to market better…

Read More

What Matters Most

, by

Dan Walsh here, writing from Daytona Beach, FL. I know some of you were able to attend ACFW’s annual conference a few weeks ago in Indianapolis. Many who could not, have probably read some of the great articles written about the wonderful time we had (just remembered that old postcard line: “Good time was had by all”).

Read More

The Words We Long to Hear

, by

  Happy Monday from Dianne Matthews! Can you CANners believe that it’s November already? I’ve been tied to my computer since spring, working extra-long days to finish a one-year devotional book in five months. The spiritual warfare has been ongoing but at the midway point, it really intensified.

Read More