Call to Christian Writers to Burn It Up on This Forum - Page 24

David Poellot · 11-10-2011, 06:53 AM

So, is that something I should be targeting, or keep going the route of finding an agent? Maybe that's just the classification my novel falls into if I get published?

callalily61 · 11-10-2011, 04:08 PM

David, Deb can tell you more than I can (PAGING DEB!!!

), but IIRC most of the big CBA publishers only deal with agents. So, yes, you need to snag an agent for those. However, smaller ones I think accept unagented subs. Oh, dead, we really need Deb. Take everything I'm saying with a hunk of salt.

Robin Bayne · 11-12-2011, 12:27 AM

Just popping in to say hello! Haven't been on the board lately, haven't even had much writing time lately.

And hey, to any veterans who may be on be online, thank you!

Deb Kinnard · 11-12-2011, 07:30 PM

CBA is a term that (for me) has outlived its usefulness. There are many, many Christian publishers that don't belong to the association, and to call the C-fic market "CBA" now seems disingenuous to me. As though they were all a vast amorphous bunch, with little or no variation in the types of stories they'll accept.

Therefore I gave up using the term as a synonym for C-fic. Thank heaven there are houses that will take stories a little out of the box, or I never would've sold a thing. I still may never sell to an actual CBA house. Who can say?

Deb Kinnard · 11-12-2011, 07:36 PM

Okay, I hear the call!

Most major C-fic houses currently accept submissions only (1) from agents; or (2) after a face-to-face pitch session at a conference. I know of two large houses that accepted unagented, and one of them is Harlequin's Love Inspired lines. The other (Barbour) I believe just recently went agented-only. Besides, these are both exclusively romance houses, which limits things still more.

Smaller presses do accept unagented queries. Some of the ones that come to mind are: OakTara, Desert Breeze, Sheaf House, WhiteFire Press, Port Yonder Press, DeWard, Whitaker House, Treble Heart Books (at certain times of the year--check their website), possibly Kregel and Marcher Lord, plus some of the denominational niche presses may.

Of course they all have preferences. I know OakTara accepts romance, while Port Yonder prefers it as a minor subplot. THB is known to be very slow at both communication and the contract-to-release timeframe. Desert Breeze is an e-press who's branching out into print for some of the better-selling writers. This house also loves Christian spec fic and gets very little of it submitted -- they're looking for more subs.

About the others, other folks with experience will have to weigh in, as I know very little.

callalily61 · 11-12-2011, 08:32 PM

Thanks, Deb! The only thing I can add is that Marcher Lord focuses on spec fic.

Deb Kinnard · 11-13-2011, 01:49 AM

That. Yes. I believe if I understand Jeff correctly, he's willing to look at spec fic with a romantic subplot, but the spec fic aspect would have to be the strongest element in the book.

Sorry for leaving that vital fact out.

In news from Casa Chaos, the unwilling rewrite is going very, very well indeed. PEACEWEAVER in its new incarnation is now only 50 pages from "the end." So I'm not unhappy with my productivity today! Even the yard work was a pleasure 'cause I could think about what to tweak next, while raking leaves.

How goes everyone else's writing life?

David Poellot · 11-13-2011, 01:57 AM

Currently working my way through the synopsis, then I'll take my beta comments and do a final rewrite. After that, it's time to see if agents are interested.

Of course, work completely took over my life this week, so everything got put off by a week or more. This novel will sell millions the first print, and I'll be able to quit my job and write professionally, right?

callalily61 · 11-13-2011, 02:41 AM

On sub tomorrow.

Aagh.

writingismypassion · 11-14-2011, 08:07 PM

~~Shattered Innocence~~ Shards of Glass is finally ready for betas. I put a post up in the beta forum but no takers there so far. Thankfully I already have one beta. (Thanks, Dave!) While waiting for his critique, I will be working on my query. And it will probably get shredded in QLH.

Gravity · 11-14-2011, 09:44 PM

I'm working with my agent on final edits for Pitfall before she starts sending it out.

Now that I'm finally putting the CBA in my rearview mirror and heading into the general market, I can't say I'm not a bit nervous; exploring new territory will do that to a person.

But truth? I think this is gonna be fun!

DMac · 11-14-2011, 11:05 PM

Greetings all. This is my first time on this thread. I have yet to wade through all 24 pages but what I have has been educational.
Miss Lily I hope I missed something when I checked out their web site.

Quote:

Originally Posted by callalily61

The only thing I can add is that Marcher Lord focuses on spec fic.

According to it they have quit taking submissions or are at least 12 to 18 months out. It would be fantastic to find out this is not generally true. My book(s) is C-spec fiction and it may be right up their ally. But to be honest, it may be too edgy by that I mean it probably should carry at least a PG-17 rating. Graphic violence, strong sexual over tones most of the time combined. Bad guys are very bad. Good guys aren’t always saints. God also shows up, not in overt ways yet, but the story would not work without Him. I am afraid I have written a story that no one will touch.

callalily61 · 11-14-2011, 11:12 PM

Welcome, DMac!

I don't write for the Christian market, so I'm not up on the subbing news for them. It wouldn't surprise me that Marcher Lord's got a long wait now. They're doing very well. Gerke knows his niche and how to get attention for his press's books.

David Poellot · 11-14-2011, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by writingismypassion

~~Shattered Innocence~~ Shards of Glass is finally ready for betas. I put a post up in the beta forum but no takers there so far. Thankfully I already have one beta. (Thanks, Dave!) While waiting for his critique, I will be working on my query. And it will probably get shredded in QLH.

You're welcome, Charity!

Hey, if Charity agrees to beta something of yours at some point, take her up on it. She gave me great comments. I'm just hoping I can be as helpful to her on her ms.

And, Charity, let me know when the query hits QLH. I'd like to give that a read also.

David Poellot · 11-15-2011, 12:01 AM

Welcome DMac! From what little I've learned, and that's very little, I don't think the Christian market will take strong sex and violence, but again I'm very unexperienced when it comes to this. I may be wrong, but it sounds like you'll have to go with the mainstream market for that.

writingismypassion · 11-15-2011, 12:48 AM

Dave, I will definitely let you know. Thanks!

@DMac, hello. Hopefully you'll find a home for your story, but if not you may have to tone it down. Hoping for the best for ya.

K. Victoria Chase · 11-15-2011, 05:05 PM

Hi Everyone!

I'm a Christian romance novelist and I write historical and romantic suspense. Great topics on this thread. I look forward to celebrating everyone's success!

callalily61 · 11-15-2011, 05:25 PM

Welcome, Victoria! Congrats on all the books!

writingismypassion · 11-15-2011, 08:49 PM

Hi, Victoria.

Deb Kinnard · 11-16-2011, 01:17 AM

Victoria, welcome! Tell a little about what you're working on, why not -- we all seem to be ~~dumping on~~ sharing with each other.

As far as Marcher Lord -- I don't know specifically what Jeff will take in terms of graphic violence, but in the bigger C-fic market, there's a higher tolerance for violence than sex. Read almost anything by Kristin Heitzman -- I bailed on her when she showed a teenager being murdered "on screen." I'm told Brandilynn Collins writes suspense with lots of violence in it, though I've never read anything of hers (not my thing). But have your characters (even married ones) get too close to the boudoir, and you're crossing a line.

Why is it that we have so huge a tolerance for violence and so persnickety a view of God-created male-female interaction?

K. Victoria Chase · 11-16-2011, 02:45 AM

Thanks for the welcome!

Instead of doing NaNoWriMo, I'm doing my own version of NaNoEdMo on a historical for a submission. I've been working steady and have 29k left to revise/edit.

I've just submitted my draft of Serial Games, my first book to be published by Desert Breeze, to the editors and am waiting on their edits.

Next month, I'll revise a romsuspense and will sub that one out.

I've been trolling this forum for a bit but just signed up to actually post comments.

DMac · 11-16-2011, 03:35 AM

Welcome Miss Victoria.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deb Kinnard

I don't know specifically what Jeff will take in terms of graphic violence, but in the bigger C-fic market, there's a higher tolerance for violence than sex. But have your characters (even married ones) get too close to the boudoir, and you're crossing a line.

Why is it that we have so huge a tolerance for violence and so persnickety a view of God-created male-female interaction?

My book is a post apocalyps - pre rapture spec fiction. Think Christian Road Warrier. Or more like The Postman. Bedrooms are a luxery. No, all sexual content is committed by bad guys and girls as acts of violence. Once I get past the 50 post issue I will put up sections and if you folks arnt too busy then you could take a look and see if I have have a chance or should I just continue to write these for myself. Which is why I started writting them in the first place.

K. Victoria Chase · 11-17-2011, 04:26 AM

Hi DMac!

I don't think I can create a post yet, but I was wondering if anyone has had any dealings with Whitaker House. I just submitted some material that was requested at a writer's conference and wanted to get an idea on wait times and just personal experiences.

Thank you!

callalily61 · 11-17-2011, 04:50 AM

Victoria, go to the Bewares, Recommendations, and Background Checks forum (on the home page), click "Search this forum" on the right-hand side, and type "Whitaker" in the drop-down. If there's any info on them, it'll come up.

K. Victoria Chase · 11-17-2011, 05:02 AM

I did and other than them being listed as a publisher, I didn't see any threads for them. I'll check again tomorrow. Thank you.

11-10-2011, 06:53 AM	#576
David Poellot practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 663	So, is that something I should be targeting, or keep going the route of finding an agent? Maybe that's just the classification my novel falls into if I get published? __________________ THE PARK (Christian) 66,395 wds - completed, sitting on a shelf DISAPPEARED (Science Fiction) 30,100 wds

11-10-2011, 04:08 PM	#577
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 26,015	David, Deb can tell you more than I can (PAGING DEB!!! ), but IIRC most of the big CBA publishers only deal with agents. So, yes, you need to snag an agent for those. However, smaller ones I think accept unagented subs. Oh, dead, we really need Deb. Take everything I'm saying with a hunk of salt. __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

11-12-2011, 12:27 AM	#578
Robin Bayne ~writes for Him~ Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: ~the old line state~ Posts: 1,820	Just popping in to say hello! Haven't been on the board lately, haven't even had much writing time lately. And hey, to any veterans who may be on be online, thank you! __________________ Robin Bayne

11-12-2011, 07:30 PM	#579
Deb Kinnard A stormy day in Cornwall... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Casa Chaos Posts: 1,777	CBA is a term that (for me) has outlived its usefulness. There are many, many Christian publishers that don't belong to the association, and to call the C-fic market "CBA" now seems disingenuous to me. As though they were all a vast amorphous bunch, with little or no variation in the types of stories they'll accept. Therefore I gave up using the term as a synonym for C-fic. Thank heaven there are houses that will take stories a little out of the box, or I never would've sold a thing. I still may never sell to an actual CBA house. Who can say? __________________ THE FAITH BOX - three book series - book one, PEACEWEAVER, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book two, THE HEALING TREE, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book three, WHEN THE ROSES BLOOMED, coming November 2013 from Desert Breeze An inspiration... ...I have a serious case of Grobanosis

11-12-2011, 07:36 PM	#580
Deb Kinnard A stormy day in Cornwall... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Casa Chaos Posts: 1,777	Okay, I hear the call! Most major C-fic houses currently accept submissions only (1) from agents; or (2) after a face-to-face pitch session at a conference. I know of two large houses that accepted unagented, and one of them is Harlequin's Love Inspired lines. The other (Barbour) I believe just recently went agented-only. Besides, these are both exclusively romance houses, which limits things still more. Smaller presses do accept unagented queries. Some of the ones that come to mind are: OakTara, Desert Breeze, Sheaf House, WhiteFire Press, Port Yonder Press, DeWard, Whitaker House, Treble Heart Books (at certain times of the year--check their website), possibly Kregel and Marcher Lord, plus some of the denominational niche presses may. Of course they all have preferences. I know OakTara accepts romance, while Port Yonder prefers it as a minor subplot. THB is known to be very slow at both communication and the contract-to-release timeframe. Desert Breeze is an e-press who's branching out into print for some of the better-selling writers. This house also loves Christian spec fic and gets very little of it submitted -- they're looking for more subs. About the others, other folks with experience will have to weigh in, as I know very little. __________________ THE FAITH BOX - three book series - book one, PEACEWEAVER, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book two, THE HEALING TREE, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book three, WHEN THE ROSES BLOOMED, coming November 2013 from Desert Breeze An inspiration... ...I have a serious case of Grobanosis

11-12-2011, 08:32 PM	#581
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 26,015	Thanks, Deb! The only thing I can add is that Marcher Lord focuses on spec fic. __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

11-13-2011, 01:49 AM	#582
Deb Kinnard A stormy day in Cornwall... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Casa Chaos Posts: 1,777	That. Yes. I believe if I understand Jeff correctly, he's willing to look at spec fic with a romantic subplot, but the spec fic aspect would have to be the strongest element in the book. Sorry for leaving that vital fact out. In news from Casa Chaos, the unwilling rewrite is going very, very well indeed. PEACEWEAVER in its new incarnation is now only 50 pages from "the end." So I'm not unhappy with my productivity today! Even the yard work was a pleasure 'cause I could think about what to tweak next, while raking leaves. How goes everyone else's writing life? __________________ THE FAITH BOX - three book series - book one, PEACEWEAVER, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book two, THE HEALING TREE, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book three, WHEN THE ROSES BLOOMED, coming November 2013 from Desert Breeze An inspiration... ...I have a serious case of Grobanosis

11-13-2011, 01:57 AM	#583
David Poellot practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 663	Currently working my way through the synopsis, then I'll take my beta comments and do a final rewrite. After that, it's time to see if agents are interested. Of course, work completely took over my life this week, so everything got put off by a week or more. This novel will sell millions the first print, and I'll be able to quit my job and write professionally, right? __________________ THE PARK (Christian) 66,395 wds - completed, sitting on a shelf DISAPPEARED (Science Fiction) 30,100 wds

11-13-2011, 02:41 AM	#584
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 26,015	On sub tomorrow. Aagh. __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

11-14-2011, 08:07 PM	#585
writingismypassion ~Charity~ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Podunk, Illinois Posts: 915	~~Shattered Innocence~~ Shards of Glass is finally ready for betas. I put a post up in the beta forum but no takers there so far. Thankfully I already have one beta. (Thanks, Dave!) While waiting for his critique, I will be working on my query. And it will probably get shredded in QLH. __________________ Shards of Glass ~ Revising based on beta feedback. Rekindle ~ Working Title ~ 8,695 words. ON HOLD. THIS IS LIFE (My Blog) The Olive Branch (A Devotional Blog) And I Tweet.

11-14-2011, 09:44 PM	#586
Gravity Seen 'em come, seen 'em go Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Land o' Goshen, and packed with nougaty goodness Posts: 3,387	I'm working with my agent on final edits for Pitfall before she starts sending it out. Now that I'm finally putting the CBA in my rearview mirror and heading into the general market, I can't say I'm not a bit nervous; exploring new territory will do that to a person. But truth? I think this is gonna be fun! __________________ John Robinson commercially published: Until the Last Dog Dies, When Skylarks Fall, To Skin a Cat, Last Call, and The Radiance agent Chip MacGregor presently querying: Pitfall http://www.johnrobinsonbooks.com http://www.johnrobinsonbooks.com/blog.htm check out my blog; c'mon, you know you want to.

11-14-2011, 11:12 PM	#588
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 26,015	Welcome, DMac! I don't write for the Christian market, so I'm not up on the subbing news for them. It wouldn't surprise me that Marcher Lord's got a long wait now. They're doing very well. Gerke knows his niche and how to get attention for his press's books. __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

11-15-2011, 12:01 AM	#590
David Poellot practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 663	Welcome DMac! From what little I've learned, and that's very little, I don't think the Christian market will take strong sex and violence, but again I'm very unexperienced when it comes to this. I may be wrong, but it sounds like you'll have to go with the mainstream market for that. __________________ THE PARK (Christian) 66,395 wds - completed, sitting on a shelf DISAPPEARED (Science Fiction) 30,100 wds

11-15-2011, 12:48 AM	#591
writingismypassion ~Charity~ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Podunk, Illinois Posts: 915	Dave, I will definitely let you know. Thanks! @DMac, hello. Hopefully you'll find a home for your story, but if not you may have to tone it down. Hoping for the best for ya. __________________ Shards of Glass ~ Revising based on beta feedback. Rekindle ~ Working Title ~ 8,695 words. ON HOLD. THIS IS LIFE (My Blog) The Olive Branch (A Devotional Blog) And I Tweet. Last edited by writingismypassion; 11-15-2011 at 01:07 AM.

11-15-2011, 05:05 PM	#592
K. Victoria Chase practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 351	Hi Everyone! I'm a Christian romance novelist and I write historical and romantic suspense. Great topics on this thread. I look forward to celebrating everyone's success! __________________ K. Victoria Chase Romance Novelist Amazon Amazon UK B&N Sony Rafael-Aug 2012 Astraea Press Marked by the Mob (VJ2)-Nov 2012 Desert Breeze Publishing

11-15-2011, 05:25 PM	#593
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 26,015	Welcome, Victoria! Congrats on all the books! __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

11-15-2011, 08:49 PM	#594
writingismypassion ~Charity~ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Podunk, Illinois Posts: 915	Hi, Victoria. __________________ Shards of Glass ~ Revising based on beta feedback. Rekindle ~ Working Title ~ 8,695 words. ON HOLD. THIS IS LIFE (My Blog) The Olive Branch (A Devotional Blog) And I Tweet.

11-16-2011, 01:17 AM	#595
Deb Kinnard A stormy day in Cornwall... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Casa Chaos Posts: 1,777	Victoria, welcome! Tell a little about what you're working on, why not -- we all seem to be ~~dumping on~~ sharing with each other. As far as Marcher Lord -- I don't know specifically what Jeff will take in terms of graphic violence, but in the bigger C-fic market, there's a higher tolerance for violence than sex. Read almost anything by Kristin Heitzman -- I bailed on her when she showed a teenager being murdered "on screen." I'm told Brandilynn Collins writes suspense with lots of violence in it, though I've never read anything of hers (not my thing). But have your characters (even married ones) get too close to the boudoir, and you're crossing a line. Why is it that we have so huge a tolerance for violence and so persnickety a view of God-created male-female interaction? __________________ THE FAITH BOX - three book series - book one, PEACEWEAVER, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book two, THE HEALING TREE, now available from Desert Breeze THE FAITH BOX, book three, WHEN THE ROSES BLOOMED, coming November 2013 from Desert Breeze An inspiration... ...I have a serious case of Grobanosis

11-16-2011, 02:45 AM	#596
K. Victoria Chase practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 351	Thanks for the welcome! Instead of doing NaNoWriMo, I'm doing my own version of NaNoEdMo on a historical for a submission. I've been working steady and have 29k left to revise/edit. I've just submitted my draft of Serial Games, my first book to be published by Desert Breeze, to the editors and am waiting on their edits. Next month, I'll revise a romsuspense and will sub that one out. I've been trolling this forum for a bit but just signed up to actually post comments. __________________ K. Victoria Chase Romance Novelist Amazon Amazon UK B&N Sony Rafael-Aug 2012 Astraea Press Marked by the Mob (VJ2)-Nov 2012 Desert Breeze Publishing

11-17-2011, 04:26 AM	#598
K. Victoria Chase practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 351	Hi DMac! I don't think I can create a post yet, but I was wondering if anyone has had any dealings with Whitaker House. I just submitted some material that was requested at a writer's conference and wanted to get an idea on wait times and just personal experiences. Thank you! __________________ K. Victoria Chase Romance Novelist Amazon Amazon UK B&N Sony Rafael-Aug 2012 Astraea Press Marked by the Mob (VJ2)-Nov 2012 Desert Breeze Publishing

11-17-2011, 04:50 AM	#599
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 26,015	Victoria, go to the Bewares, Recommendations, and Background Checks forum (on the home page), click "Search this forum" on the right-hand side, and type "Whitaker" in the drop-down. If there's any info on them, it'll come up. __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

11-17-2011, 05:02 AM	#600
K. Victoria Chase practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 351	I did and other than them being listed as a publisher, I didn't see any threads for them. I'll check again tomorrow. Thank you. __________________ K. Victoria Chase Romance Novelist Amazon Amazon UK B&N Sony Rafael-Aug 2012 Astraea Press Marked by the Mob (VJ2)-Nov 2012 Desert Breeze Publishing

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