Congratulations to Terry's client Suzanne Hartmann

Congratulations to Suzanne Hartmann on signing the contract for her "The Race That Lies Before Us" with Oak/Tara Publishers.

A top-secret agent with enhanced strength must use her extraordinary abilities during several high-profile assignments—from the White House to NASCAR tracks—but struggles with trusting God to protect her secrets when unwanted publicity and interest from a NASCAR champion threaten to expose them. As the danger builds, she becomes a terrorist target and realizes the only way she can save her life as she knows it is through death.

This novel will appeal to those who love character-driven suspense stories and readers who enjoy Ted Dekker’s books. The novel will also draw readers from the 75 million NASCAR fans.

Suzanne has a B.A. in Composition and Linguistics, is an editor with Port Yonder Press, and operates the Write at Home Critique Service. Milliken Publishing included four of her short stories in one of their reading workbooks. She is a member of the 2000 member American Christian Fiction Writers, actively involved in several critique groups and on-line writers’ forums, and maintains a blog that goes out to over 1500 contacts.

The novel will be released on a yet to be determined date in 2012

 

Accessing Google's Free Hidden Apps

For those of you who have or are contemplating purchasing a domain name through Blogger, there may be a few free hidden apps you're entitled to that you don't know about. I call them hidden because Google doesn't advertise them or make them well known. If you do a general search--even on their technical support forums--you will mostly find links to their "paid" apps for businesses.

Want an email that has your name@domain.com? 
It's available, right now, without having to pay for it if you've purchased your domain through Blogger. They don't tell you about this feature when you register your domain. If you do a general search for domain emails, one of the first options that comes up is Google Business Apps, a paid service that you can try for free for the first 30 days.

Here's what it looks like:

What you want to do is be sure to search for "Free Google Apps". The paid Google Business App will still come up first, but keep scrolling down to where it says, "Google Apps helps groups build communities". I know it "sounds" like you'll be taken to some group forum discussion page, but you won't, so click this link. It will actually take you to the Google Free Apps that you want.

Here's what it looks like:

Click the "Get Started" button and you'll be taken to a login page with the option to buy a new domain or to enter a domain name that you already own. Now comes the tricky part. If you type in your domain name, you may see a red X and bold red letters that say "This domain name has already been registered with Google Apps. Please contact your domain administrator for instructions on using Google Apps with this domain." Duh! You own it. This is where you may have to "prove" you own your domain. Please be aware that if you try and pay for an email with your domain through Google Business Apps, you will still have to "prove" domain ownership. You won't get out of this just because you're "paying".


Here's what it looks like:

If you purchase(d) your domain from Blogger, it could only be hosted by two companies, Godaddy.com or enom.com. If you have not yet purchased your domain name through Blogger and plan to do so, I recommend going through this process so you can get your emails and Google Free Apps set up all at once. Don't go to Blogger's main page and purchase your domain, unless you don't plan to use the Google Free Apps and access the name@domain.com email options.

Now you need to find out which one is hosting your domain. You can do this through a "Whois domain" search. Do this through Godaddy.com. Type in your domain name in the big option box. You may have to type in a code to prove you aren't a computer automated system trying to pull up this info. Once you've done that, A page will pop up showing that your domain is purchased with several NameMatch Recommendations on the right-hand side. This is to try and entice you to purchase domain name options. Ignore them. This page still doesn't tell you if GoDaddy.com or enom.com is hosting your domain. They hide it very well. So scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "See Underlying Registery Data".

It looks like this:

Now it will say Registrar: GoDaddy or Enom. In my case it's Enom.Inc. You can do a search for contact info on these companies. I was able to call Enom.com and get a person on the phone immediately. He didn't even try to sell me email, but told me about the Google Free Apps. I already knew about the Google Free Apps, but I was impressed that he didn't try to "sell" me something additional. When I told him how I wasn't getting anywhere on the Google Forums, he gave me two email addresses that were not posted ANYWHERE on the Forums. If these email addresses are posted, they are well-hidden and I've yet to find them.

The bottom line is this: Google automatically assigns you a user name such as bloggeradmin@domain.com, but they don't TELL you this. You'll have to choose the "Reset Password" option. You'll be denied because you won't know the correct user name, which is "bloggeradmin". Instead, they send you around in circles to all these links and eventually you'll end up on a page asking if you would like help resetting your CNAME for your domain. This isn't necessary, but if you click "yes", you'll be taken to a list of links to several companies who will be happy to assist you for a "fee".

Hopefully, today's navigation process will help you avoid these headaches without paying for additional services that you shouldn't have to pay.

Don't Give UP!

Terry's client Jonathan Wakefield signs contract

Jonathan has just signed a contract with Oak/Tara for his title "Fatal Reality."

Kyle Borders simply wanted to share his faith with a huge audience as he participated in the first reality show broadcast live on the Internet. But that faith is tested when Daniel Vats—the show’s creator—thrusts Kyle into a fight for survival, kidnapping the contestants and forcing them to run a race on a South Pacific island where only the winner will be allowed to live.

Fatal Reality will attract anyone who enjoys an action-packed thriller that also addresses challenging spiritual and cultural issues. This encompasses primarily a Christian audience, but it may also reach a segment of the secular audience seeking stories that delve deeper into morality and philosophy than what they normally read. Fatal Reality could be the perfect alternative for those who enjoy authors like James Patterson or David Morrell. And as reality shows continue to draw and fascinate a large number of viewers, a thriller focused on a reality show gone awry featuring a life-and-death struggle may attract some of those viewers.

The author has had short stories published in The Rose & Thorn, The Messenger, and Parables, has have written articles for various magazines and journals, including New Man, Men of Integrity, Live, The Gem, VP1, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. This is his debut novel but he has a sequel well underway and is working on a third book. He is a member of the Christian Writers Guild and has completed the Apprentice, Journeyman, and Craftsman levels of their “What’s Your Story?” curriculum. He has trained under authors Jerry B. Jenkins, John Perrodin, James Scott Bell, Jeff Gerke, and Douglas Hirt.

CHANGES AT HARTLINE LITERARY

“We are pleased to welcome Linda Glaz as the newest agent at Hartline,” said Hartline Literary Agency owner and principal agent Joyce Hart. “She brings energy and enthusiasm to the agency and will be a great addition for us. Linda is an experienced editor, reviewer and writer, and for a couple of years has been a final reader for Wild Rose Press, then for White Rose Publishing and she worked as an editorial assistant for Hartline Agent Terry Burns. She was a judge for the Genesis contest for the American Christian Fiction Writers, a judge for the Emily Award for the West Houston Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, and on the faculty for Faithwriters.com annual conference in 2010 and again this year.

  Jennifer Hudson Taylor is now working with Hartline in the role of in-house publicist and marketing advisor. She works with new clients helping them to develop their platform, visibility and name identification prior to getting a contract. She helps them when they do get a contract to do the buildup before the release of the book, then shifts gears again when they do have a book release to shift into full marketing and promotion mode. Jennifer is a very powerful new addition to the Hartline team. For those who need assistance beyond what Jennifer offers them at Hartline she is the owner of Upon the Rock Publishing (http://www.upontherockpublishing.com/ ) where she can perform direct services for authors for a fee.

  Also new to the Hartline team is Emily Hendrickson, replacing Linda Glaz as editorial assistant to Agent Terry Burns. Emily graduated from Gordon College in Wenham, MA, with degrees in English and Biblical & Theological Studies. She’s earned her living as a professional wedding photographer, newspaper copy editor, piano teacher, administrative assistant, and women’s self-defense instructor. She is an experienced editor and experienced in evaluating and critiquing manuscripts.

Hartline has a reputation of helping writers launch their career. It also has a reputation for launching the career of agents as Joyce has a history of recognizing potential and launching new agents as she did with Terry Burns, Tamela Hancock Murray, Diana Flegal, Andrea Boeshar and Janet Benrey to name a few. Joyce truly has a servants heart which is just one reason why she is nominated for American Christian Fiction Writer’s “Agent of the Year.” We are strongly pulling for her to win that distinction.

Stay tuned for more on the Hartline Horizon as a program is being developed to assist Hartline clients in getting the maximum use of new e-publishing trends. A new PR and marketing discussion group is allowing clients to interface and have discussion on what is working and not working in marketing efforts. Publicist Jennifer Taylor Hudson is working on a Hartline speakers bureau, and other new and exciting things are in the works.

Terry's Client Caron Guillo Wins Indie Award

Client Caron Guillo's An Uncommon Crusade from Written World Communications was honored recently to win Religious Fiction category of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards - she now has that award on the front of the book which sports a terrific new cover (below).

It isn't the first recognition of this title,  in the Amazon / Publishers Weekly "Breakthrough Novel Competition," ( the writing equivalent of Dancing With the Stars) Caron made the cut for the 5,000 to be considered, the 1,000 semi-finalists and on to the top 100 before losing out in the finals. Along the way she got terrific reviews and feedback. 

A quick thumbnail of the book:

Elisabeth, Simon, and Hugo join an ill-fated crusade to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim occupation. Blinded by their desire for power, glory, and vindication, they pay a terrible price for their ambitions, suffering disease, hunger, shipwreck, and enslavement in Egypt. A work of fiction based on historical events that has strong implications for today's world. The author weaves an unforgettable story of hope and perseverance set in a very dark period of history.

Caron is a pastor's wife and a former world history teacher. Past publishing credits include numerous short stories, articles, and/or feature articles for Christian Woman, Choice, Church & Family, and Church Growth magazines. Authored “Real Family Values,” a parenting and family life column for Choice Magazine. Contributing author for God Answers Prayers Military Edition (Harvest House, 2005) and the “Line of Departure Training Journal.” She is currently working on a third full-length manuscript in between trips to lead tours to Italy.

Congratulations to Terry's Client Lynda Schab

Sincere congratulations to Lynda Schab for signing a contract for her "Mind Over Madi" with Oak Tara Press.

At twelve years old, Madi received her first lesson from her passive-aggressive, recently-burned mother that all men cheat. A lesson that included a tad too much information about Madi’s father’s numerous affairs. Twenty-six years later, Madi is convinced her own husband, RICHARD, is having an affair.

Lynda Schab got her writing start in greeting cards. From there, she went on to write articles, web content, and dozens of short stories, many of which have been published in articles and anthologies. Lynda has been a ACFW Genesis competition finalist for four straight years. She has also been a finalist in the RWA chapter’s Get your Stiletto in the Door and was a Page Turner winner at Faithwriters in 2009. Currently, she handles several monthly freelance assignments and is the Grand Rapids Christian Writing Examiner for Examiner.com.

More on Lynda at www.LyndaSchab.com
www.on-the-write-track.com

Do Pre-published Writers Need a Website or Blog? by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

I receive a lot of questions from new authors about online marketing and building a presence on the Web if they are pre-published. These are great questions and my answer is always the same, whatever you can do--do it. Don't wait until publication. Marketing yourself as an author is going to cost time or money, or both. The less you can afford to spend, the more time you're going to have to invest. Even if you have an unlimited budget, if you wait until the last minute, you won't have time to build that network of support for your platform. Time is a necessary key.

Most pre-published authors mistakenly believe that their publisher will handle all their marketing needs when they finally sell their first book--especially if they're seeking a traditional publisher. While a publisher will help, most likely your book will appear in long lists with other new books printed in the same week or month as yours. Authors with a proven history of sales and great print-runs will receive the bold listings, call-out features, highlights, store displays, aisle displays and cover racks. New authors are blessed to be on the shelf.

Promoting and marketing your books will be YOUR responsibility as the author. All the years you spend polishing your writing and promoting your work to agents and editors is a test of preparation. It prepares you for the real thing--promoting and selling to the public. This is hard for writers as 80% of us have introverted personalities. We dislike being in the spotlight. We just want our writing to shine and make a difference in the lives of others. That's fine, but in order to make that difference, your writing has to produce sales so your editor can justify why they need to keep publishing your work. Without publication, people won't experience the benefit of your work. 

If you're a pre-published author, do you need a website?
Yes. Yes. Yes.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on a professional website with all the bells and whistles with the latest flash craze, nor do you need to learn a lot of html hand codes. Start out with a simple blog through Blogger or Wordpress. They are free or you can buy a domain name for $10/year on Blogger and secure your domain name. Blogs now have static pages on them that function like a website. The bottom line is to create your special place on the Web that tells agents and editors all about YOU as an author. One of the first places they will go to learn more about you after reviewing a proposal is the Web. You can't make a great impression if you don't have anything for them to view.