Publishing Matters ~ My Recommendations

One of my friends, Janice, has just finished her book. It's been edited four times. She's had two rewrites and I'm very proud of her patience. Now she's searching for an inspirational publisher.

First things are first. Are agents necessary? Of course not. While they may make your job easier, they take a sizable cut of your money too. If you're not afraid of elbow grease and endless Google search nights, then you can do their job yourself and keep your profits.

In publishing, nothing is quick, fast and in a hurry. It's more like hurry up and wait. In most of the big houses, your manuscript can languish for up to two years before they publish... that's assuming they don't change their minds and simply return your rights. It's happened before. There's rarely any that publish in less than 12 months, but there are a few for those of you who have time sensitive information you need published in less than a year. One of them for adults is Living Waters Publishing Company. If it is children's material, you should try Guardian Angel Publishing or Writer's Exchange. All three of these publishers move faster than most of the others in the business. For those who want a bigger house without an extended wait, try Bethany House. My friend has submitted to Bethany House. Pray for her, please!

Review ~ "Dare to Dream" by Carol Jones

Carol Jones tells her story in her freshman work, Dare to Dream. In the first three chapters, I tried to figured out how all those hardships related to dreaming. That made me reconsider the cover. I'd just gotten it, but my friend asked me to give her a rush review. It took until chapter six to finally get the significance of darkness into wide open space, something that signifies freedom. Then, it all made since.

If you can hang on past the rather run-of-the-mill issues of life, you'll get a real treat. Her topic was great, as was the whole moral of the story. It wasn't a full length read, and as part of the Living Waters mini-motivational line, it is the perfect size to provide reading entertainment on a trip or to wind down after a long day of work.