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Ellen Vaughn ~ Contact

Regarding writing and publishing:

Note: I’m flattered that I’m often asked for coaching on manuscripts and advice regarding the writing and book publishing process. Because of the volume of requests and my own ongoing deadlines, however, I can’t give such help. My friend Nancy Guthrie has said it well, and gives some helpful tools in this note I’ve shamelessly cribbed—with permission—from her website.

In regard to input about whether something is publishable, it is really only a publisher who can tell you whether or not it is something they want to publish. I only consider endorsing books that are written by people I know personally.

My best advice to you is to use this book proposal guide to create your book proposal to submit to a publisher. Working your way through this proposal guide will help you to understand what a publisher is looking for and help you to organize your thoughts and dreams about writing a book. Michael Hyatt, the author of the book proposal guide also offers lots of great publishing advice on his popular blog to authors as well as a list of agents.

While only a few years ago I would have never recommended that someone pursue self-publishing a book, the advance of technology that allows for smaller print-runs, and the proliferation of the internet to get your message out has really changed that. But I would also say that many companies that will help you to self-publish your book promise much more than they can deliver and that many people who choose to self-publish who have no mechanism or skill for promoting a book beyond the people they know personally often end up with boxes of books in the garage they don’t know what to do with.

When people who have a story they want to tell ask my advice about writing a book, I often suggest to them that they first consider writing an excellent article and seek to get it placed a popular website or blog. This helps you to refine the telling of your story and the key “take-aways” or points you want to make with your story. It serves as an outlet for your desire to minister to others with your story and as a reality check in regard to the interest those who are not connected to you will have in your story….But the most important thing I would want to tell you is this: the most important thing about telling your story is that you use your story to tell God’s story.
Amen!

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