All faculty are available for free one-on-one 15-minute appointments!
Be sure to complete and return your Appointment Request form that you will receive when you register. For your appointments to be booked in the order that you registered, your form must be submitted online by July 1. That means early registrants do NOT need to rush. It is wise to wait until all the editorial needs are posted. All appointment requests must be received by July 15.
IMPORTANT
Be sure to study the helpful info
under the Appointments tab above:
More Appointment Tips
Preparing for Your Appointments
Appointments – Making the Best Choices
Paid Critiques
For more information on editorial needs, be sure to check the The 2018 Christian Writer’s Market Guide available at a discount from the Write His Answer Bookstore. To help you prepare for GPCWC, I encourage you to also check out the other titles in our bookstore. There is no shipping charge for orders over $35, and all the books are discounted. Book sales help us meet conference expenses.
Click here to view/print as a PDF.
Dan Balow
Literary Agent, The Steve Laube Agency
CEO and Publisher, Gilead Publishing
Dan started in Christian publishing in 1983 and over the last 30+ years has been involved on the business side of the industry. He joined The Steve Laube Agency in July 2013 and works with authors of nonfiction exclusively. He blogs on the company blog every Tuesday. Dan’s strengths would be his understanding of what it takes to be successful in the current publishing environment and how all the pieces of the publishing “puzzle” fit together.
In 2016, Dan started Gilead Publishing, a publisher of Christian-themed fiction. He serves as CEO and publisher of the company. Click here for chart of editorial needs.
Dan is also is a founding member of the advisory board of the Christy Awards and is involved in training and mentoring Christian publishers from around the world through Media Associates International (www.littworld.org). He is a graduate of Wheaton College (IL) with a degree in Communications. He is married to Carol, a speech therapist in the public schools. They live in Wheaton, Illinois, and have four grown children and four granddaughters.
Continuing Session 2 – The Successful Author of Nonfiction
Sitting down and writing a book is not the first thing you should do. The successful author of nonfiction books will start in a different place. Time is a precious thing. If you skip steps along the way in an effort to get your book written and published and ignore those things that give the book a purpose and platform, you are probably wasting your time. Dan will present practical steps to developing your platform, your personal ministry, and your relationship with your readers—all the things that make for a successful author of nonfiction, except for the writing.
Click here for genres Dan is interested in representing.
David E. Fessenden
Literary Agent, WordWise Media Services
Publisher and Proprietor, Honeycomb House Publishing LLC
Author – www.davefessenden.com
Dave has degrees in journalism and theology, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. He has served in editorial management positions for Christian book publishers and was regional editor for the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.
Dave has published seven books, written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and edited numerous books. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. Two of his books, Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract and A Christian Writer’s Guide to the Book Proposal, are based on his experience in Christian publishing. The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy, Dave’s first novel, reflects his love for history and for the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan-Doyle.
Dave and his wife, Jacque, live in south-central Pennsylvania and have two adult sons.
Early Bird Workshop 2: Get the Most Out of Your Appointments (Thursday, 2:15 – 3:15)
One-on-one appointments with an editor can be pretty intimidating. This workshop shows how, aside from hyperventilating, you can prepare for your appointments.
Workshop: That Reminds Me of a Story (Friday, 1D)
One of the nonfiction writer’s greatest tools is the use of anecdotes and illustrations. This workshop shows you where to find good stories, and gives practical examples of how they can enhance your writing.
Workshop: Ether Dreams and Great Ideas (Saturday, 5E)
Nothing beats hte power of a ocmpellng idea. What constitutes a good idea, and how do you judge whether an idea is good, or just an ether dream?
Click here for genres David is interested in representing and availability for paid critiques.
Diana Flegal
Literary Agent, Hartline Literary Agency
www.hartlineagency.com/blog
Diana has been an agent with Hartline Literary Agency for ten years. She represents mainstream and inspirational titles, fiction and nonfiction, but nothing that conflicts with the Christian worldview. She is currently looking for nonfiction authors with a substantial platform, as well as outstanding contemporary women’s fiction, upmarket fiction, and formula romance. When she is not reading submissions or stealing away with a recreational read, she is hiking in the mountains, or kayaking the many lakes of her home state, North Carolina.
Learning Lab 3 – The Making of a Nonfiction Book (Thursday, 1:00 – 4:30)
Do you have a nonfiction book idea, outline, or sample chapters? This lab will test your idea and determine what criteria it meets. Does your nonfiction idea fulfill the criteria needed for a book or is it better suited to a blog series or an article? Come away with a clear nonfiction writing career action plan. Tools needed: Laptop or notebook.
Click here for genres Diana is interested in representing and availability for paid critiques.
Jim Hart
Literary Agent, Hartline Literary Agency
http://hartlineagency.com/blog
Jim is also a singer/songwriter/worship leader and has been involved in youth and music ministry for several decades. He is credentialed with the Assemblies of God.
See Hartline’s website for helpful info on a proper proposal, structuring a fiction and a nonfiction proposal, a checklist to help you determine if your manuscript is ready to submit.
Workshop: Starting Strong (Saturday, 3D)
The first pages of your nonfiction book need to hook, inform, and persuade your reader. How to begin unpacking your Big Idea in the early pages of your book.
Click here for genres Jim is interested in representing and availability for paid critiques.
Michelle S. Lazurek
Associate Literary Agent
WordWise Media Services
Author, www.michellelazurek.com
Michelle is a multi-genre award-winning author, speakear, pastor’s wife, and mother. Winner of the Golden Scroll Children’s book of the Year, the Enduring Light Silver Medal, and the Maxwell Award, she is a member of the Christian Author’s Network and the Advanced Writer sand Seakers Association. She is also an associate literar y agent with WordWise Media Service. When not working, you can find her sipping a tall latte at Starbucks and collecting 80s and 90s records.
Workshop: From Conference to Contract: Turning Your One Sheet into a Stellar Proposal (Saturday, 3E)
PURPOSE: To encourage and instruct writers who may feel overwhelmed after the conference. This will give them specific instructions as to where to start.
PREMISE: You’ve gone to the workshops. You’ve met with publishers. They’ve shown interest in your book. So now what? In this workshop, Michelle shows you the five essential elements to flesh out your book idea and turn it into a proposal that captures a publisher’s attention. At the end of the workshop, each attendee will receive the resources needed to create a proposal worthy of submission to agents and publishers.
AUDIENCE: Beginner and intermediate non- fiction writers who need to create a proposal for submission to agents and publishers who demonstrate interest in their work (fiction proposal requirements will also be discussed).
CONTENT: 5 elements to any proposal, 3 ways to beef up a thin resume, Resources for further help, including link to Michael Hyatt and Mary Demuth’s template.
Click here for genres Michelle is interested in representing and availability for paid critiques.
Bethany Morehead
Jr. Literary Agent
Hartline Literary Agency
Blogger, www.bethanymorehead.com
Bethany is a quirky millennial, award-winning author and Jr. Literary Agent. She is deeply in love with Jesus, her hubby and puppy. You will find her sipping on sweet tea sharing her deepest feelings with a pen to paper, rather than speaking them. Though introverted, she loves meeting and connecting with new people-especially while playing "nerd-tastic" board games.
Workshop: Crafting Submission Emails that Sparkle (Friday, 1E)
We often are found sitting at the computer and drawing a bank on how to craft an email that will not simply be ignored by an agent, editor, and publisher. This workshop takes you through crafting an email that will sparkle with content that is needed to be seen and how to get your work noticed.
Workshop: Instagram for the #Instaless (Saturday, 3F – Please note this workshop has been switched with 4F and moved to 9:45 – 10:45)
Instagram is the second largest social media app, and is actually foreign to many writers and those trying to build their platform. The class will offer a crash course on how to utilize Instagram in growing your platform; how to take appealing, attention-grabbing photos; the need for hashtags; and how to take “your story” by storm.
Click here for genres Bethany is interested in representing and availability for paid critiques.
