WordServe Books Pubbed in 2009

We apologize for the length of this post but we wanted to give a little plug to all the WordServe authors who published books in 2009. So here is the list, divided by fiction & non-fiction, and listed in reverse chronological order (Dec. to Jan.). Wish we could have included book covers but there are just too many. Each one has a link to Amazon.

Congrats to all of WordServe's fantastic clients!

FICTION

The Appomattox Saga Omnibus 3 by Gilbert Morris

Honor in the Dust: A Winslow Breed Novel by Gilbert Morris

Christmas In My Heart, Book 18 by Joe L. Wheeler

Look to the East by Maureen Lang

Blind Sight by James H. Pence

The Blue Enchantress by Marylu Tyndall

Lost Mission: A Novel by Athol Dickson

The Sacred Cipher: A Novel by Terry Brennan

Snow Melts in Spring (Seasons of the Tallgrass) by Deborah Vogts

Sonnet to a Dead Contessa by Gilbert Morris

What the Bayou Saw: A Novel by Patti Lacy

Angel Train by Gilbert Morris

Shepherd's Fall (The Prodigal Recovery Series, Book 1) by Wanda Dyson

Appomattox Saga Collection 2 by Gilbert Morris

The Red Siren: Charles Towne Belle Series, Book 1 by Marylu Tyndall


NON-FICTION

The Marriage Project: 21 Days to More Love and Laughter by Kathi Lipp

50 Ways to Feel Great Today: Keys to Beating Stress, Worry, and the Blues by David Biebel, James MD Dill, and Bobbie Dill

The Eden Diet: You Can Eat Treats, Enjoy Your Food, and Lose Weight by Rita Hancock

Fat Chance: Losing the Weight, Gaining My Worth by Julie Hadden

Closer: Devotions to Draw Couples Together by Jim Burns and Cathy Burns

Regret-Free Living: Hope for Past Mistakes and Freedom From Unhealthy Patterns by Stephen Arterburn and John Shore.

Mansions of the Heart: Exploring the Seven Stages of Spiritual Growth by R. Thomas Ashbrook

Ask the Animals: A Vet's-Eye View of Pets and the People They Love by Bruce R. Coston

Battle Ready: Prepare to Be Used by God (Bold Man Of God) by Steve Farrar

Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder That Destroyed a Family, Restored One Man's Faith, and . . by Terry Caffey and James H. Pence

Fresh Start: God's Invitation to a Great Life by Doug Fields

Jesus: Why the World Is Still Fascinated by Him by Tim LaHaye

A Woman's Heart That Dances: Keeping in Step with God's Design for You by Catherine Martin

Raising a Spiritually Strong Daughter: Guiding Her Toward a Faith That Lasts by Susie Shellenberger

Religions of the Stars: What Hollywood Believes and How It Affects You by Richard Abanes

How God Makes Babies (Pure Foundations) by Jim Burns

God Made Your Body (Pure Foundations) by Jim Burns

What's He Really Thinking?: How to Be a Relational Genius with the Man in Your Life by Paula Rinehart

The Girl in the Orange Dress: Searching for a Father Who Does Not Fail by Margot Starbuck

We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers by Marcus Brotherton

It's A Wonderful Imperfect Life: Daily Encouragement for Women Who Strive Too Hard to Make It Just Right by Joan C. Webb

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister by Nonna Bannister, Denise George, and Carolyn Tomlin

Being Christian Group Leader's Kit: Exploring Where You, God, and Life Connect by John Shore, Stephen Arterburn, and Eric Stanford

Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood by Debora Coty

God Has Not Forgotten About You: ...and He Cares More Than You Can Imagine by Leslie Haskin

Paperdoll: What Happens When an Ordinary Girl Meets an Extraordinary God by Natalie Lloyd

God Is with Me through the Night by Julie Cantrell

God Is with Me through the Day by Julie Cantrell

Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion by Wayne Cordeiro

Working Mom's 411: How To Manage Kids, Career and Home by Michelle LaRowe

Reading Your Male: An Invitation to Understand and Influence Your Man's Sexuality by Mary Farrar

What Pastors Wish Church Members Knew: Helping People Understand and Appreciate Their Leaders by Denise George

Passionate Prayer: Discovering the Power of Talking with God by Catherine Martin

Passionate Prayer--A Quiet Time Experience: Eight Weeks of Guided Devotions by Catherine Martin

The Husband Project: 21 Days of Loving Your Man--on Purpose and with a Plan by Kathi Lipp

Midlife Manual for Men: Finding Significance in the Second Half (Life Transitions) by John Shore and Stephen Arterburn

Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God by Doug Fields

Godology: Because Knowing God Changes Everything by Christian George

This Is Your Brain on Joy by Dr. Earl Henslin and Dr. Daniel Amen

Power of a Man, The: Using Your Influence as a Man of Character by Rick Johnson

Thank you to all WordServe clients. We appreciate you!

Happy New Year,
Greg, Rachelle and Caleb

New York, New York

I recently returned from my fifth trip to Manhattan, the publishing Mecca—a trip I always look forward to. Meeting new editors and seeing old friends is something I just plain love. If an editor has made it at a Big-Six House (Harper, S&S, Penguin, Hachette, St. Martins, and Random House), they are book-lovers supreme. But, naturally, there are more houses than just the Big Six, with good editors, too. I was able to meet with many of them on this trip.

In 15 years as an agent, probably less than 10 percent of my sales have been to the general market (I've sold mostly in CBA). For a number of reasons, WordServe is deliberately going to be upping that percentage significantly over the next five years (hopefully 50/50). Why? There are authors with great projects that simply don’t fit in the increasingly narrow niche of CBA, including current WordServe authors: Marcus Brotherton has made five non-CBA sales (Penguin, S&S, Kaplan), Bruce Coston to St. Martins, Beth Lueders to Penguin, Bob Welch to St. Martins, and we have several authors at Guideposts, located just a block from the Empire State Building.

So with several proposals in my briefcase, I hit the subways, taxis and busy streets.

“I read a magazine article once,” an editor told me in one of my first meetings, “that the death of publishing was foretold; that books would soon be a thing of the past.”

“When was that?” I asked.

“They were talking about when movies/talkies started to take root. Then it happened again at the advent of TV. ‘Books will go the way of the Dodo,’ they all commentated. And when audio books came out, the bound book was again thought to be on the way out.”

“And now the e-book,” I said, knowing where she was going.

“Exactly. The truth is a bound book is the perfect product. It’s completely self-contained; packaged well, fits in the hands, affordable…it’s not a product that will ever go away.”

Okay, that was a good start. Looks like there is a bit of job security after all in this crazy publishing world.

I then met with a VP/Publisher at St. Martins. He gave me the lowdown on all of the trends he was seeing, including:

→ E-books are still only 1-2% of sales;
→ Mass market books are going down in sales;
→ Non fiction isn’t quite as strong as it used to be;
→ Marriage and parenting books are a tough sell because people are getting a lot of their content off the internet;
→ Mid-list male thrillers are down;
→ We’re doing more trade papers originals than we used to because the consumer doesn’t have the money for hard cover.
→ Diet and self-help is strong;
→ Current affairs and issue books can do well with the right author;

And the not-so-big news (but I’m sure glad to hear it from a NY pro) was, “TV producers are watching blogs for their stories. The more noise there is on the Internet (so to speak), the more the TV sharks start to circle.” He mentioned this in the same breath as saying “print media jobs (magazines/newspapers) are down by half.”

It’s (nearly) all gone to the Internet: reviews, promotion, ideas, and a lot of the great writing. Video on Amazon and You Tube is also getting noticed.

The upshot of this—and many other discussions—was that if authors are not VERY active themselves on the Internet, there’s a good chance no one will find out about their book.

My Monday consisted of meetings with four editors from Steeple Hill/Harlequin (fiction and non-fiction), Berkley, Penguin, Viking and Scholastic. The last one was very educational, since breaking into the non-CBA children’s market has always been a struggle.

Tuesday was four editors at St. Martins, lunch with the Guideposts publisher and Senior Editor, and a very profitable meeting with two editors from Sterling…a publisher wholly owned by Barnes and Noble. Sharp people doing gorgeous books.

Wednesday rounded out my trip with a breakfast meeting with a young editor from Holt, another two from Fireside and Atria (S&S), two more at Kensington (mostly a quality fiction house), and then I finished with a meeting with new VP Becky Nesbitt at Howard (S&S) who happened to be in NY for sales meetings (my wife, Becky, joining us for drinks).

Overall, a great trip and one I will make again. I was able to present a few current and many more “upcoming proposals” to various editors (including a couple from Rachelle and Caleb). And I was able to sort through my backlist of proposals that have so far not sold to see what they might interested in…and found a couple of projects they wanted to see.

To serve our authors better as the years go on, WordServe will have a broader stroke in the publishing world. And that means knowing more editors and what they’re passionate about acquiring. While most are not very interested in strictly Christian books (“That’s why our company bought/created an imprint”), we’ve got our toe in the general market waters a little deeper. Maybe an ankle next year.

Merry Christmas!

Greg

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Are You on Twitter Yet?

If you're on Twitter, please email Rachelle with your Twitter name, so we can start following each other. We'll post everyone's Twitter name on this blog eventually.

Also include your Facebook name if you want other WordServe clients to friend you, and your blog/website URL if you'd like it to appear in a sidebar blogroll on this blog.

Rachelle AT Wordserveliterary.com

Thanks!

Are You Going to ACFW?

If you are planning to be at ACFW, please email Rachelle (rachelle@wordserveliterary.com) so we can get a final WordServe count. We'd like to plan some kind of agency get-together.

Thanks!

Want to Be a Guest Blogger?

I'm sure most of you have seen Rachelle's blog (click here if you haven't). She's planning to use guest bloggers every Thursday this fall, so she is now looking for guest posts. Do you have something you'd like to say? Anything to help other writers along on their journey? Something you've learned along the way that you want to pass along?

This is a great opportunity to get exposure for your own blog and your books, since a couple thousand people read the blog regularly. Links to your URL and your Amazon page will be included in your mini-bio after the post.

Posts should be about 500-700 words. If you're interested, please email Rachelle (rachelle@wordserveliterary.com).

Finally, another post!

While no one (that I know of) has complained about not getting our WordServe client blog updates, it’s been awhile since we’ve updated agency and industry news. So, my apologies.

Google Update
We continue to get news and reviews from every source imaginable about Google’s plans to make ALL books available to anyone, anytime. They have already scanned and uploaded hundreds of thousands of out-of-print or public domain books, as well as books still in print. The settlement to authors for this privilege will be finalized (as of today) by September. As a former author with about 20 out of print books, I’m personally going to approve of the settlement. There will be small cash payments, but not enough to buy a round at Starbucks for your and your friends. More to come soon (I promise) as to the details and our recommendations. But I want to urge EVERY author to check out the site and do some research yourself on what you should be doing to protect your intellectual property. Click here for the official Google Settlement website.

An old friend and colleague in the industry, Chip MacGregor, blogged about this issue and I thought it was great stuff. Go to Chip's blog, click on "May 2009" in the sidebar, and read the May 26 post. It's worth it!

New Agent at WordServe!

While the industry is shrinking, WordServe is expanding. We’re very honored to have Caleb Seeling on board as a new agent who has joined the team. That means we will continue to search out new voices and great writers. Caleb will be a generalist, like all of us must be, but he will be looking for authors who speak to the 18- to 35-year-old crowd, as well as general market properties.

Caleb has a very broad range of work experience including community organizing Black churches in inner-city Detroit, teaching sociology, providing family and individual therapy, running a permanent housing program for chronically homeless people, and developing a communications package for the prevention department of an HMO. While these jobs paid the bills, his concurrent unpaid experience includes organizing artist gatherings, recruiting and publishing writers for community arts projects, initiating and facilitating film screenings, and most recently, founding a local branch of the International Arts Movement.

Immediately prior to joining WordServe, Caleb was an acquisitions and developmental editor for NavPress. He originated, developed, and launched the NavPress Deliberate line, initiated the partnership between NavPress and the Via Affirmativa artist group, and held the company’s first authors’ forum at Glen Eyrie which included Leonard Sweet, Spencer Burke, Makoto Fujimura, Margaret Feinberg, Scott Cairns, and John Armstrong. Immediately after leaving NavPress, Caleb founded Samizdat Creative Services which provides editing, writing, and consulting for self-publishing writers. He also writes for the online arts magazine The Curator and is a regular columnist for Examiner.com as Denver’s Faith and Family Examiner.

Caleb is a native Coloradan and lives with his wife—a doula and midwife-in-training—and four children in Littleton. He does not have a dog.

Click to visit Caleb’s blog.
Click to visit Caleb's Examiner column.


New York Times Bestseller?
Congratulations to Marcus Brotherton for hitting the New York Times extended bestseller list for his book that debuted in May, We Who Are Alive and Remain. On the Hardcover Non Fiction list, it was #34 the week of June 28th, #28 the week of July 5th, and #32 the week of July 12th. That doesn’t “officially” make it a New York Times bestseller, but it’s still darn good.


ICRS (formerly CBA)
As many authors are aware, the yearly International Christian Retailing Show (ICRS) happens in Denver next week. Rachelle and I will be our usual busy selves meeting with editors, but you will also hear how terrible the attendance will have been. We were told that as of two weeks ago, they had less than 1,000 attendees from retailers coming. While that number will most likely rise, it’s truly a harbinger for things to come in the Christian book selling industry. With retail down to less than 2,000 stores, and most sales happening through publisher/chain meetings months before, the need for ICRS as we’ve always known it is seriously doubted. Thomas Nelson and Waterbrook both are not even coming to the event, and next year in St. Louis, our guess is quite a few other publishers will stay home.

The face of CBA is changing rapidly as the economy hurts the book buying habits of everyone, but also as publishers and retailers struggle to find buyers of what has typically been a brisk industry. With fewer retailers to sell their books too, and those retailers stocking fewer books in less quantity, it remains to be seen how it will affect new and even established Christian authors.
In the months ahead, we will continue to report to you what is happening and why, but just know that the CBA book industry as we knew it over. It’s morphing, evolving…hopefully for the better. More to come.

Clients in the News
The tragic yet triumphant story of WordServe client Terry Caffey appeared in People Magazine the week of June 18th. His book, Terror by Night (written with James Pence) will come out from Tyndale in October. Hopefully with accompanying major media.

You Thought It Couldn't Happen But...
I have actually started a blog! It's only "sort of" related to the industry. I'll promote client books, as appropriate, but mostly I'll be posting thoughts about encouraging, comforting, and caring for others. My theme verse is, "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24) and the name of the blog is Touch Another Life. Stop by and say hi!

Summer Vacations
Greg will be traveling July 16th - 30th on the Oregon Coast, but will be connected by Blackberry, as always. Rachelle will be taking two mini-vacations, July 20-22 and July 27-29. She'll have her Blackberry, but can’t guarantee any responses while she’s gone since she’ll be camping in the wilds of Colorado.

And don't forget, we'll be harder to reach next week (July 13-15) while we're attending ICRS.

New Publishing Contracts!

Quiet Time Ministries president Catherine Martin continues her publishing career with another book, this time a women’s devotional, to Harvest House.

Lisa Velthouse, communications guru and writer at Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, writes a memoir called Craving, her story of a six-month period of time where she fasted from sweets and learned about her life and relationship to God in extraordinary ways, to InterVarsity.

James Bell, a whiz at collecting contemporary stories, was selected to be the compiler of an 8-book (what could be 12-book) series of books that Guideposts will publish in a “God Answers Prayer” continuity series.

Dale Black signed with Bethany in a book called My Flight to Heaven that details the story of his small plane crash, his near death and coma, and his remembrance of a trip to heaven. This event happened 40 years ago when he was 19, and Dale is just now telling his story to the world.

Pastors and church planting consultants Hugh Halter and Matt Smay signed with Zondervan for The Genius of the AND, a book for leaders on how any church can continue on in their normal Sunday gatherings AND start forming missional communities to reach out to sojourners; they don’t have to quit one to start another (a Leadership Network book).

Musician and speaker Bob Kilpatrick will write with his son and author Joel Kirkpatrick for Zondervan a book titled The Art of Being You, making the case that God is an “art” God and not as much a “math” God of details, debits and credits.

Receiving a bronze star in Iraq as a nurse, Army Reserve Lt. Colonel Susan Luz (with Marcus Brotherton) signed with general market publisher Kaplan Publishers for a memoir of her life and her time in the Middle East. The book is titled The Nightingale of Mosul and will be published in May of 2010.


New Releases!

April:

9-11 survivor Leslie Haskin published God Has Not Forgotten About You…and He Cares More Than You Can Imagine, with Bethany House Publishers.

Prolific and beloved novelist Gilbert Morris release Angel Train, the fourth and final book in an 1800s historical romance with Broadman & Holman.

May:

Paula Rinehart released What’s He Really Thinking? How to be a Relational Genius with the Man in Your Life with Thomas Nelson.

Joan Webb released It’s a Wonderful (Imperfect) Life: Devotional Readings for the Women Who Strive Too Hard to Make It Just Right with Regal Books.

Gilbert Morris released Sonnet to a Dead Contessa, the final book in “The Lady Trent Mystery” trilogy, with Thomas Nelson.

Patti Lacy released her second novel with Kregel called What the Bayou Saw.

June:
New novelist Deborah Vogts debuts her first novel with Zondervan called Snow Melts in Spring, first in the Seasons of the Tallgrass trilogy.

Margot Starbuck released her first book, a memoir called The Girl in the Orange Dress: Searching for a Father Who Does Not Fail with IVP.

Richard Abanes released Religions of the Stars: What Hollywood Believes and How It Affects You with Bethany.

That's the news for now. Have a great summer!

Recent Releases by WordServe Authors

The Holocaust Diaries
by Nonna Bannister with Denise George and Carolyn Tomlin

Born into an aristocratic Russian family, Nonna Lisowskaja fully expected to enjoy a cultured, privileged life. Her family had many advantages at a time when other Russians struggled to buy food. By her sixth birthday, Nonna spoke four languages. She had a good life.

But then her life fell apart. The Nazis invaded Russia. And though her family was not Jewish, she lost everything…except a few family photos and scraps of a journal hidden from the Nazis in a small pillow.

This is her story. Published by Tyndale, and co-authored by Denise George and Carolyn Tomlin



God is With Me Through the Day
and
God is With Me Through the Night
by Julie Cantrell

For a child, so many things can happen in one day. Sometimes the world outside is a scary place. There is so much to be discovered and understood and at times the adventure is simply overwhelming. This story reminds kids that God is always present. He is a protector who never stops caring for all children, each day. With an engaging message and comforting pictures of lovable critters that seem to have similar feelings, these books assure children that God is always near. Julie Cantrell authored both of these books, and ZonderKidz published.


Shepherd's Fall
by Wanda Dyson

Bounty hunter Nick Shepherd is fearless when it comes to chasing down criminals. It’s his difficult ex-wife, rebellious teenage daughter, and dysfunctional siblings that keep him awake at night. In charge of the family business, the Prodigal Recovery Agency, he thinks of himself as a shepherd of sorts. When his “flock” is out of his control, Nick’s well-ordered universe falls into chaos. A new novel by Wanda Dyson and published by WaterBrook Press.






Paperdoll
by Natalie Lloyd
Foreword by Shannon Etheridge

What happens when an ordinary girl finds the extraordinary love of God? Near a well in Samaria, one girl found out when she came face to face with Jesus. Today’s young women may be in a different culture, but they have something in common with that girl by the well: Sometimes they go looking for love in all the wrong places. Just as the Samaritan woman carried an empty jar to the well, they carry their empty, two-dimensional hearts, looking for one person, one more award, one glowing accolade, to fill it up and make it whole. True love is waiting at the well. In the eyes of the One, the woman at the well had infinite worth, meaning and purpose, and there’s a secret waiting for girls who take the time to listen to what Jesus had to say to her that day: When an extraordinary girl fills up on the love of an extraordinary God, unforgettable things happen. Written by former Brio columnist Natalie Lloyd and published by Regal Books.

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On another topic... here's an interesting New York Times article about book advances in the general market: "About that Book Advance..."