I know I’d said the whole Ted Dekker subject was closed, but wanted to mention literary agent Chip Macgregor’s interesting blog post about the incident. I believe Chip eloquently expressed the views of most of the Love Inspired authors. Also, I forgot to mention in my earlier post, about Love Inspired’s list that Ted was talking about…I’d forgotten all about that list until Ted mentioned it. Most inspirational romances have to follow strict rules, and when I’m writing a Christian romance, I barely pay attention to a list. I just kind of know what needs to be done, and if the manuscript needs some changes, the editor will tell me and I’ll change it. So far, it hasn’t been a big deal. Okay, so this subject is now closed…for real this time!

Now, onto a writing question!

Philip wrote to ask the following:

I’m a twice published author, both are inspirational fiction. I enjoyed reading your blog and you seem to be very open and willing to assist others in the writing business. I’m working hard at getting into a larger publisher as mine is only a print on demand and seems to be more like a self-publishing company.
I’m currently working on a supernatural thriller. I would enjoy hearing from you as to if you ever refer other authors to your publishers or agent. I look forward to hearing from you.

Philip, I wish I could help you with a referral, but I can’t! I write Christian romance novels, and the publishers that I deal with don’t publish supernatural thrillers. It’s difficult for me to give you advice without knowing what steps you’ve taken to find a publisher. Since you say you are working hard at finding a publisher, then I’m assuming you’ve been submitting your work to commercial publishers? Read this post, and in addition to that advice, I wanted to mention the importance of researching a publisher before submitting to them. You need to know the market – which publishers currently publish works that are similiar to yours? Go to a bookstore or go to Amazon and see if you can find titles similiar to yours. Once you’ve targeted some publishers, then you can go to their website and find their submission guidelines. Chances are, nowadays, you’ll need an agent to submit to them.

I can’t refer you to an agent because I don’t have one. As I mentioned in this post, I’m searching for an agent now. I’ve sold five Christian romances, and all of them I was able to sell without an agent. I suggest, after you do your homework in researching publishers, that you attend a writers conference. You might want to make sure your targeted publishing house will be attending the writers’ conference that you choose. Meet with an editor from your targeted publishing house at the conference. Usually, most writers’ conferences have a limited amount of one-on-one appointments. I landed my first two book deals as a result of attending writers’ conferences.

Philip left me a link for his website! Stop by and check out his novels! I think the covers are very tastefully done…very striking!

I hope my suggestions helped! If you have any more questions, feel free to send them to me!

~Cecelia Dowdy~