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There’s a couple of good writing blogs I’ve been subscribed to for the past month or two. Rachelle Gardner, Terry Whalin, and Chip Macgregor have all provided some great insight into the publishing industry. Check them out if you are looking to learn more about books and writing.

It was about a year ago that I decided to write a book about the intersection of sports and faith from a Christian’s perspective. That journey has had its ups and downs, but mostly I’ve enjoyed it. I spent a solid 4 months writing from September until the end of last year. I got about half of the book written and even found an agent who was willing to shop it around for me.

As most of you know, we couldn’t get any Publishing Houses to bite. Most of them were not comfortable with my small platform. They want authors who will sell books based on who they are and the readership they already have. I know you, dear reader, will probably buy my book when it is finally finished, but unfortunately there’s not enough of you yet to make a big splash.

(I had one editor at a smaller House get the book most of the way through the process, but he couldn’t convince the seller - the person at a Pub House who sells the book to bookstores - to jump on board. They were a Christian Publisher and they were afraid of the sports angle because it hasn’t really been done before.)

Anyway, the point of this post was to say that I’ve spent the past 4 months with the book on the shelf, and I’m ready to get back to it with a slightly new direction. I’ve refocused everything about the book, including the title, and I’m excited to give it another go.

And in terms of what I’m up against, here’s a few quotes from the aforementioned Rachelle Garnder’s blog:

[with regards to whether a non-fiction writer needs to have a book complete before submitting a proposal] “(If you are a) non-fiction writer, no published books, small or modest platform (or no platform): It’s not required to have the whole book written, but the more you have, the better. Since publishers will have to make their decision on the book itself and not the platform, they’re going to want to see as much as possible unless they love the three sample chapters so much they spontaneously start throwing money at you.

And also:

But remember this caveat: if you have a huge platform, if you’re a celebrity or a well-known politician or Jerry Seinfeld’s wife, all bets are off. Pay no attention to what I’ve written here. All you have to do is whisper in someone’s ear “I’m thinking of writing a book” and agents will beat down your door to represent you, and publishers will fall all over themselves to publish you. That’s the way the world works, folks.

Tags: Non-Fiction Proposal, Writing Platform

a few things going on around these parts…

+ Some of you know that the CBS show Big Brother has been a guilty pleasure for Erica and I since its first season. We’ve caught every incarnation of the show since its inception and continue to enjoy the “fly on the wall” view of life in a house where backstabbing and manipulation rule the day. Half “How-To” and half “Tongue-in-Cheek”, I’ve written 3 short articles on how to win Big Brother based on the way the show has played out over the last few years. There’s no real formula for winning the show, of course, but I thought it would be fun to take a stab at it…and it was. Here they are if you’re interested:

How to Win Big Brother: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

+ My friend Stephen Brewster was excited to unveil a new website yesterday that Integrity Music has launched in support of the new Hillsong Music CD. The site revolves around the song “Healer”, written by Mike Guglielmucci. They’re believing that God is going to heal people through the song and they’ve set the website up for people to post prayer needs and praise reports. I’m a firm believer that God can move through anything, and I think He will use this. Even if you don’t agree, check out the story behind the song.

+ I’m going to be debuting a new blog soon. It’s going to center around what life is like here in the middle of Intercourse, PA. Can’t wait to share it with you once it’s up and running…

Just wanted to give y’all a heads up that I’ve been asked to do a little bit of writing for a new online men’s magazine that’s launching next month. I’ll primarily be writing sports articles for the site, so it will be right up my alley.

I’ve seen a working demo of what they’ve put together so far, and I’m pretty excited about joining the team. More to come on this one, so stay tuned…

I’ve always thought “The Bachelor” on ABC was a terribly cruel show. (same goes for The Bachelorette). Sure, 1 girl ends up engaged to the man of her dreams. But what about the other 24? Some of them never get a chance to connect with the Bachelor and are booted at the beginning. Others are dumped only after they’ve fallen in love. I’m not saying it doesn’t make for great TV, I just think it’s a brutally cruel show. So much so that I wrote an article about it over at Suite101. To find out how i worked polygamy and vomit into the article, click here.