The Contract, Part 3

I e-mailed Dennis Hillman, the publisher, with my questions about the contract. Part of the challenge was sorting through the questions/concerns raised by both attorneys and deciding what was worth contesting. The puzzle was determining what was really important and what was just nitpicky. I don't want to begin my relationship with Kregel on the wrong foot by being a royal pain. At the same time, if an issue could be a problem, this stage is the time to raise it.

I chose eight or nine areas I felt strongly about and sent my questions to Dennis. He responded graciously and answered all of my questions. I feel much better about this process now and am satisfied with his answers. He agreed to change wording in a few places and to send the contract to me again so I can check the areas of concern. If I'm satisfied with his changes, then we're theoretically "good to go" on the project. He is mailing me two copies of the contract, which I need to initial, sign, and return. He is also sending me a marketing sheet and an author info. sheet. I need to fill those out and return them to him as part of the next stage.

I'm eager to actually begin the production process. Check back for more reports on the steps to publication. I hope this info. is helpful to those who have wondered about the process.

The Contract, Part 2

This past week, I finally heard back from both attorneys on the contract. For those who haven't read the first post on the contract, let me summarize. The contract is a legal agreement between the publisher and me for the publication of the novel. The contract outlines many guidelines, procedures, and penalties if guidelines are not met. Examples include when I need to get the manuscript file to the publisher, how long I have to make revisions the publisher wants, who decides the cover (it's not me), what happens if I plagiarized, what my advance will be, what happens if someone sues me for copyright infringement, what my royalty will be, how many free copies I get, what happens when the book goes "out of print," etc. Several established authors advised me to get legal counsel since the contract is legally binding. I have read through the contract at least three times, and some of it is clear as mud.

Anyhow, I heard back from both attorneys. One had only four concerns and recommendations. The other had tons of concerns and recommendations. Now I have to decide which concerns have merit and determine which requests I can/should make. Yikes! I feel out of my realm.

I do have a few questions/preferences: I want to be consulted about any final edits the publisher may make. (After all, my name goes on the cover.) I want to know what expenses are required of me for the final proofs. I want to know what is required of me (financially or otherwise) for the book's advertising and promotion.

I'm new at this. I have no idea how the publisher will respond to my questions/preferences. I don't know what's reasonable and what isn't. We'll see. Check back later for more on the contract. I hope to sign it this week.

Hunting for the Right Website, Part 1

One of the first things established authors have told me is that I need to set up a personal business website, an adamblumer.com. The website needs to do three things:

1. Tell visitors about me and my novel in an attractive way (publicity),
   
2. Provide a way for them to purchase the book from my website,
   
3. And provide a way for visitors to sign up for an electronic newsletter or an "e-zine." I'll send out periodic updates.
   

This prospect opens the door to considerations like domain registration and hosting fees. Then I have to think about programming the entire site and making lots of decisions about what goes on each page. Thankfully, I did lots of website programming and updating at Northland Baptist Bible College for their website. (I guess God had a reason for all that experience, huh?) I'm most familiar with Joomla, which is a website content management system (CMS). Once you have the website template in place, you pretty much just login and add pages and content. It's really pretty simple . . . well, once you know how to do it. But once you get into forms and the installation of more components and some of the more advanced features, then things can get more complicated. And I haven't even thought about how to sell the books online. PayPal? VirtueMart?

And who has the time for all of this? I have editing projects keeping me busy all day and a second novel to finish.

And that's not even taking the financial aspects into consideration. A business website means monthly expenses just to "keep the light on" for visitors. And I'm not exactly rolling in dough. Okay, I'll think about the financial demands later. But for now . . .

My first question is this: "Where do I go for domain registration and web hosting?" There are TONS of companies out there that do that, and I want Joomla to be my content management system (CMS). I Googled "Joomla hosting" and found several companies that provide specific hosting for Joomla and at cheap prices. Okay, that's a start. I also know a couple friends into web programming who have offered their services and can install Joomla for me, but their fees are actually higher than I expected.

Not sure yet about the right course of action. We'll see. Check back later to see what I decided.

See Photos from the Family Reunion, August 2007

The Contract: What Does It All Mean?

Oh my! The publisher at Kregel Publications recently sent me a 17-page contract for my Christian suspense novel. It covers every eventuality: if the author (that's me) plagiarized, if the author doesn't do revisions in a timely manner, if the author writes a sequel (understandably, Kregel wants to be the first to see it), if the publisher doesn't produce the novel within the next year. I'm learning so much about the process. A big help on the contract has been The Little Handbook to Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing by Leonard G. Goss and Don M. Aycock. (Thank you, Rosey Dow, for the recommendation.) This handy book has an entire chapter that dissects the publishing contract and makes it understandable, especially for someone who is totally in the dark like I am.

I have two attorney friends who have agreed to look the contract over. I've been told that legal expertise is a must. I'm sure the contract is pretty standard and that no one will take me to the cleaners, but it's nice to have some protection.

Author friends are also encouraging to start my own marketing plan for the book -- all this on top of the work I need to fit into each day. I'm buying a couple marketing books and waiting on the Lord for wisdom as I tread along this mysterious path.

I'm Going to Be a Novelist

August 16, 2007

Dear family and friends,

I want to preface this announcement by giving glory to God for all He has done. If He hadn't given me the ability and the drive to write, I would never be writing this letter today. I just worked hard and refused to give up. Yes, this has to do with my writing, and I've been sitting on needles and keeping a secret all summer until I had the green light. Because of a meeting today, now I can tell the world.

Kregel Publications in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has agreed to buy and publish my Christian suspense novel.

This news is the fulfillment of a dream I've had since I was a child, and I'm feeling a little numb at the moment. I'm not exactly sure when the novel will be available; most publishers take a year before the book is on the shelves. I'll let you know when I find out. I'm sure I won't make much money off the first novel (few first-time novelists do after the publisher covers his expenses), but this is exciting news for us, and it opens a new door of opportunity. Once you've published a novel and seen even moderate success, future projects are taken much more seriously.

I've been told that I need to start promoting myself all over the place, not in a prideful way but in a way that will get myself noticed as a new author and ensure good sales. I wrestle with aspects of this self-promotion. I would appreciate your prayers as I determine how to balance good business sense with what God has called me to do. Obviously, I want to keep writing novels, and good sales will help me continue to do that.

Again, I want to give all praise to the Lord. Whatever ability I have is not of myself but only of Him. Thanks!

Adam

Monument for David and Goliath to Be Built

Memorial foundation triumphs in battle of David versus Goliath

March 1—David and Goliath may soon have a memorial worthy of their classic struggle. After six years of planning, approval for a monument in the Elah Valley near Beit Shemesh has been obtained from both the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council and the Interior Ministry after much promotion by the David's Victory Foundation. The foundation has already raised just over $200,000 for the project, but needs a total of $3 million to start construction. "It will take us six months to a year to raise the rest of the money from donations, and the names of the donors will be inscribed forever in the stone," said Foundation chairman and father of the project Prof. Vladimir Berginer. The monument is a 10-meter representation of the slingshot David used to slay Goliath. Its planners say they wanted the design "to focus on David's victory and the positive aspects of the event," and not on the defeat of Goliath. "The site is given an optimistic, universal character, without militant connotations," said a representative of David's Victory Foundation.
—Jerusalem Post

For Thine Own Sake, O My God

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

Wearied of sinning, wearied of repentance,
Wearied of self, I turn, my God, to Thee;
To Thee, my Judge, on Whose all-righteous sentence
Hangs mine eternity:
I turn to Thee, I plead Thyself with Thee,–
Be pitiful to me.

Wearied I loathe myself, I loathe my sinning,
My stains, my festering sores, my misery:
Thou the Beginning, Thou ere my beginning
Didst see and didst foresee
Me miserable, me sinful, ruined me,–
I plead Thyself with Thee.

I plead Thyself with Thee Who art my Maker,
Regard Thy handiwork that cries to Thee;
I plead Thyself with Thee Who wast partaker
Of mine infirmity,
Love made Thee what Thou art, the love of me,–
I plead Thyself with Thee.

Moved into the office

God has been very good to me and my family. A couple weeks ago, after a summer of working from the dining room table, I finally moved into my "new" office. It's really a renovated basement rec room. It still needs trim, Roman shades, book shelves, etc., but we'll get it done one day at a time, as God leads and provides. As my father-in-law likes to say, "They didn't build Rome in a day." Both sets of parents poured lots of time and money into the project (demolition, lumber, insulation, drywall, electrical, drop ceiling, ceiling fixtures, paint, etc.); without them, I don't know how the office would have become a reality. (Now that it's almost done, Kim says it's the best room in the house.) Praise God! I've been humbled to see their vote of confidence when I've so often struggled with my own uncertainties about what God is doing in our lives.

I still get my early-morning workout at FedEx five mornings a week, and then I work two hourly part-time jobs at home. One is www.sharperiron.org (where I coordinate the author calendar, edit and post articles, solicit advertising, and post ads), and the other is Shalom Ministries (Craig Hartman), based in New York City. I update the website and do other tasks; in addition to homeschooling, Kim answers the main ministry phone calls from our home (even though the folks are calling a New York City number, if you can imagine that!) and serves as part-time secretary for Craig. Then I'm editing, writing, and proofreading a couple books, one of which Kim and I recently completed as a team for Christ Life Ministries. It's called Our Family Time with God: Family Devotions for Every Day of the Year. I'm also developing a website for another ministry, and that will hopefully be done in a month or two.

Busy? Oh yeah. Way more than I ever was at NBBC. The hours have been long and the challenges daunting, but God has been opening our eyes to more ministry opportunities than we realized. God has taught me so much about trusting Him when the outcome is unclear and when His leading doesn't seem to fit into any of our personal goals and dreams. Please write when you can. Thanks to many of you who have prayed for us.

Recently, I reviewed photos of our family over Christmas and New Year's. This photo of Laura hugging Grandma Melzer (Kim's grandma) particularly struck me as poignant. You can see a look of sheer joy on Grandma Melzer's face. Photographers, even amateur ones, are always looking for that split second to capture an emotion. I'm glad I caught this special moment. Grandma Melzer lives in Milwaukee near Kim's parents. She lives alone in an apartment complex for older folks. Her husband, Howard, passed away a few years back; he worked for the Milwaukee railroad for many years and never got over his fascination for trains. That fascination has been passed on to Kim's Dad, Dick. Every time we visit her parents in Milwaukee, Dad Melzer knows where and when Amtrack is passing through.