Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. Keynote Speaker Tracie Peterson Jeremiah 1:9–Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. Father God, You know the hearts and minds of every person who …
Forty Days of Prayer: Day Thirty Nine
Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. The Conference Committee Romans 15:5–Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. Dear Jesus, Thank You for the many individuals You have brought together to organize the …
Forty Days of Prayer: Day Forty
Please join us in today’s prayer, written by a member of ACFW’s Forty Days of Prayer team. God’s presence and blessing at the conference Psalm 127:1–Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. Lord, we pray that even now a sense of your …
Polishing Your Opening Chapters
Are you headed to the ACFW conference or preparing to submit your proposal to an agent and editor? If so, you need to polish those first three chapters until they shine. The synopsis, marketing ideas, platform and bio are important, but the strength of your writing in those chapters is what makes the agent or editor keep reading and ask …
Librarians–Authors’ Best Friends
By Mary Ellis Often writers are curious to learn which marketing and publicity ideas work for other writers and which do not. I, too, am curious about the very same thing. We blog and interview on various blog-sites; we e-mail newsletters to established fans and snail-mail publicity postcards to announce upcoming books; we FaceBook and Twitter and network and wonder …
ACFW Volunteer Spotlight
Another volunteer whom I’m privileged to spotlight is Jan Warren, a member of WIN-ACFW. Jan Warren was one of the founding members of WIN, the first ACFW local chapter. She was the original “Rose Lady” who presented silk roses in celebration of member raves (contest wins, signing with an agent, signing a contract, etc.). She’s opened her home for fellowship …
My ACFW Conference Journey
by Gina Conroy Since I started writing fiction seriously and pursuing publication in 2005, I never missed an ACFW conference…except last year. Each year my motivation to attend ACFW was different. Each year I had new goals and dreams. Each year I grew as a writer and took home something specific I would need on my journey ahead. And each …
ACFW Conference Appointments: Ashley Clark
Remember that high school feeling of getting caught talking in class? Maybe it wasn’t your fault. Maybe your friend in the seat beside you wanted to cheat, and you were actually saying, “No, I will not give you my answers,” but all the teacher heard was your mumbling, and next thing you knew, you were rambling on and on in …
Elevating Your Elevator Pitch
by Janice Thompson You’re wrapping up the best book you’ve ever written. It’s all you can think about. You can’t wait to go to that next conference to meet with an editor or agent. However, you realize that your face time will be brief. How will you pitch your novel in a way that will garner the attention it deserves? …
If it weren’t for writer’s conferences . . .
Maureen Lang I wonder how many authors I know, myself included, would be published today without having been to a writer’s conference? The publishing industry has always been a competitive field. According to one study I read, approximately 80% of the general public believes they have a book in them. Understandably with the advent of computers, this number is probably …