Kathy Ide's Blog, page 26

CONGRATULATIONS TO LYNETA SMITH!

  Out of more than 200 entries, Lyneta has won the Promising Beginnings contest with her submission of “Curtain Call.” This prize covers a FULL scholarship to the 2015 Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, including registration, meals during the conference, and economy lodging. Curtain Call is a memoir for women ages 35-65. Here is a […]

Happy New Year!

  2015 looks like it’s going to be a great year, with many exciting events and activities scheduled. I wanted to share with you what’s happening with me during the first half of the year. I hope you’ll be able to join me at these events or participate in some of the activities.   EVENTS: […]

Hidden Gems

“Oh, no,” I groaned from the backseat of the car. “I lost a benitoite.” “What’s a ba-nee-toe-ite?” my five-year-old goddaughter questioned, always eager to learn new words. I stared at the ring on my right hand, which—last time I checked—had two royal-blue stones in it. The forefinger of my left hand caressed the empty setting. […]

New Writers’ Conference

If you follow this blog, I’m guessing you’re probably interested in writing, editing, or both. And I’m sure you’ve figured out how much I value conferences. After all, I recently ran a contest for a full scholarship to next March’s Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference. And The Christian PEN, which I’m the founder and director […]

Christmas Gift Ideas

It’s that time of year again! Time to get out all those dusty boxes of Christmas decorations. Fill in your calendar with lunches and dinners, pageants and concerts, get-togethers with friends, maybe a trip out of town or even out of state. Write an entertaining Christmas letter. Send out greeting cards—with those holiday stamps you […]

FICTION STORIES ABOUT CHRISTMAS

As we once more enter into the season of celebrating the birth of our amazing Savior, may I encourage you to consider writing a short fiction story related to Christmas? I’m putting together a series of compilations of short fictional stories, accompanied by Life Applications to help readers glean scriptural truths from those stories. Each […]

PENCON 2015

PENCON 2014 was the first editor convention sponsored by The Christian PEN. It was a great success, and next year’s will be even bigger and better! PENCON is the only convention for editors in the Christian market. The mission of PENCON is to equip and encourage Christian editors in cooperative competition through networking. Come meet fellow […]

WANTED: Short Fiction Stories!

I just signed a four-book contract for a fiction-lover’s devotional. It’s a collection of short fictional stories followed by brief Life Applications, suggesting how the lessons inherent in the stories can be applied to the reader’s daily life. Bios of contributing authors will be featured at the end of each chapter, so readers can get something new from the novelists they already know and love, as well as samples from other authors they can add to their favorites list.

The contract is with BroadStreet Publishing. They’re doing the devotionals as hardback gift books. The first one will come out in June, just in time for summer. Working title is 21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love. Book 2 will be for Christmas, Book 3 for Valentine’s Day, and Book 4 for Mother’s Day.

I already have submissions from some well-known and beloved novelists (including Angela Hunt, Deborah Raney, Cecil Murphey, Lynette Sowell, and others). But I’m going to need some more captivating, well-written stories to put into these books!

Guidelines are at kathyide.com/devotional-guidelines.

You may send submissions on any topic at any time. However, if you have something that would specifically fit with one or more of the upcoming titles, please submit prior to the deadlines below.

21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love

submit by December 1, 2014

21 Days of Christmas: Stories that Celebrate God’s Greatest Gift

submit by January 1, 2015

21 Days of Love: Stories that Celebrate Treasured Relationships

submit by May 1, 2015

21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Motherhood

submit by August 1, 2015

I’m going to need a lot of stories for this project! So please pass the word on to other fiction writers you know.

 

Even Best-Selling Authors Need Good Editing

“You know, I’ve always been a huge fan of hers. I’ve read every book she’s ever written and loved them all. Until this last one.”

My heart sank as I heard those words from the director of a writers’ conference I’d just spoken at. She was referring to an author I dearly loved myself: one of my all-time favorite authors and someone I’d met at several conferences and knew to be a sweet, lovely woman.

“The concept was intriguing,” she went on. “But it was so poorly edited and filled with mistakes, I couldn’t get into the story.”

“Do you know who published it?” I asked.

She got out her cell phone. Moments later, she confirmed what I had expected.

“That’s a subsidy publisher,” I explained. And not a small startup press. This company had been in business for years and had a positive reputation among industry professionals. I’d recommended it myself to several of my own author-clients.

“Didn’t anybody edit the book before they published it?” Her tone held incredulity.

I cringed at the thought that one of my most beloved authors had published something that had the potential to lose loyal fans instead of gaining new ones.

My friends, this story is not fictional! It actually happened, just as I related.

PLEASE DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!

If you’re a multi-published author with a huge fan base, and you’ve decided to dip your toes into the exciting new world of “indie” publishing, self-publishing, or “hybrid” publishing, please don’t risk losing your faithful followers by putting out a book that has not been as professionally edited as your traditionally published books.

I can help you maintain the level of editing professionalism you (and your readers) have grown accustomed to. For details, please check out http://kathyide.com/helping-authors/.

If you’re not a multi-published author (yet), I can help you too. Please check out http://kathyide.com/helping-writers/ to see what I can do for you.

I’m not the only professional freelance editor out there, and I’m not the perfect fit for every author and every book. So if you’d like some other options to choose from, check out the Christian Editor Connection. Just go to the website (www.ChristianEditor.com) and fill out the form for Authors Seeking Editors.

You’ll be doing your readers—and yourself—a huge favor by getting your manuscript professionally edited.

 

EVEN BEST-SELLING AUTHORS NEED GOOD EDITING

“You know, I’ve always been a huge fan of hers. I’ve read every book she’s ever written and loved them all. Until this last one.”

My heart sank as I heard those words from the director of a writers’ conference I’d just spoken at. She was referring to an author I dearly loved myself: one of my all-time favorite authors and someone I’d met at several conferences and knew to be a sweet, lovely woman.

“The concept was intriguing,” she went on. “But it was so poorly edited and filled with mistakes, I couldn’t get into the story.”

“Do you know who published it?” I asked.

She got out her cell phone. Moments later, she confirmed what I had expected.

“That’s a subsidy publisher,” I explained. And not a small startup press. This company had been in business for years and had a positive reputation among industry professionals. I’d recommended it myself to several of my own author-clients.

“Didn’t anybody edit the book before they published it?” Her tone held incredulity.

I cringed at the thought that one of my most beloved authors had published something that had the potential to lose loyal fans instead of gaining new ones.

My friends, this story is not fictional! It actually happened, just as I related.

PLEASE DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!

If you’re a multi-published author with a huge fan base, and you’ve decided to dip your toes into the exciting new world of “indie” publishing, self-publishing, or “hybrid” publishing, please don’t risk losing your faithful followers by putting out a book that has not been as professionally edited as your traditionally published books.

I can help you maintain the level of editing professionalism you (and your readers) have grown accustomed to. For details, please check out http://kathyide.com/helping-authors/.

If you’re not a multi-published author (yet), I can help you too. Please check out http://kathyide.com/helping-writers/ to see what I can do for you.

I’m not the only professional freelance editor out there, and I’m not the perfect fit for every author and every book. So if you’d like some other options to choose from, check out the Christian Editor Connection. Just go to the website (www.ChristianEditor.com) and fill out the form for Authors Seeking Editors.

You’ll be doing your readers—and yourself—a huge favor by getting your manuscript professionally edited.