An Interview with David Fessenden

Tags

Christian Writers, Editing, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Non-Fiction, Publishing Contract, Writing, Writing Conferences

Article by Jerome W. McFadden

 

We first introduced David E. Fessenden with a recent article in the February 9 GLVWG Conference Blog.

GLVWG author, Jerry McFadden, had a chance to ask David a few questions.

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Jerry: If I were to meet you at a conference, what is something you would tell me about yourself that would be intriguing? Pls do not use anything from your bio.

I have double-jointed elbows!

Jerry:  Who are your favorite authors and why?

A.W. Tozer — He said that a really good book should be read slowly, and often cause you to pause in your reading, to meditate and pray; that’s what his books do for me. C.S. Lewis — He taught me to think more deeply about my faith. Alton Gansky — With his novels, he always seem to write himself into a corner, then resolves his impossible plots by pulling a rabbit out of his hat! 

Jerry: There are times when people relax at home – they read, crochet, and color in the Mandela pattern books. What are your favorite pastimes, other than reading?

Watching old movies — and I mean O-L-D — early talkies!

Jerry: What are the common traps for aspiring writers?

Trying to write books as your earliest attempts at writing, instead of articles, short stories, etc., etc.

Jerry: If you wrote a letter to your younger self, what would you say?

The more you write, the more you’ll get published.

Jerry: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? Do you have plans for them?

Probably a half-dozen. I hope to finish most of them, though a couple are real dogs, I have to admit — so I probably won’t ever get those done!

Jerry: What age did you start writing? What was your favorite genre at that time and why?

I started in earnest in high school, and liked to write short stories, probably because I didn’t think I’d ever be able to finish a full novel.

Jerry: What kind of research do you do and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I don’t know — I start researching after beginning a book. How do you know what to research until you know what you’re writing about? I research on and off all through the book writing process.

Jerry: What one thing would you give up to become a writer?

I really should give up more of my free time — and I’m going to have to if I want to get some of those unfinished projects done.

 

 David will be at the The GLVWG Write Stuff Writer’s Conference™ on March 23, 2019 to speak about Publishing Contracts, the Author-Editor Relationship, The Dreaded Outline, and Edition Your Own Material.  

To read more on David, visit:

• Nonfiction writing blog: www.FromConceptoContract.com
• Author/publisher website: www.DaveFessenden.com

And don’t forget to visit his Amazon Page for books he’s written.

 

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Article by Jerome W. McFadden

Jerome W. McFadden’s stories have appeared in various magazines, e-zines such as Flash Fiction Offensive, Eclectic Flash Fiction, and several anthologies –  River Tales , Over My Dead Body, Trails End, including Hardboiled: Crime Scene, Once Around the Sun, A Christmas Sampler, A Readable Feast, and Let It Snow.  Jerry has also been a prolific contributor to the BWG Author Roundtable series. 

Jerry has also won honorable mentions in Writer’s Digest Magazine annual national fiction awards, as well as in several regional writing contests. He received a Bullet Award for the best crime fiction to appear on the web. Two of his short stories have been read on stage by the Liar’s League London and Liar’s League Hong Kong. You can find his published short story works on Goodreads. 

 

 

An Interview with Stephanie Kehr – Agent with Cyle Young Literary

Tags

Christian Writers, Cyle Young Literary Agency, Literary Agent, Writing, Writing Conferences, YA

Article by Donna Brennan: 

Stephanie Kehr is a Junior Agent for the Cyle Young Literary (C.Y.L.E). She currently lives in Northern Virginia and serves on the publishing board of Illuminate YA Fiction, an imprint of LPC Books. She’s an adventure lover with a special place in her heart for travel and culture. Although she grew up reading books, writing and representing them became an accidental passion.

Stephanie will be taking pitches during the GLVWG Write Stuff Conference™ March 23, 2019, and is looking for skillfully crafted stories that stir the soul and sharpen the mind. In fiction, she’s seeking young adult, middle grade, historical, children’s picture books, romance, fantasy, inspirational, and authors with strong platform, unique ideas, and diverse characters. She also represents non-fiction, including religious genres.

NOTE: To sign up for a pitch session, follow the instructions on the registration form. Your actual times for your pitch will be assigned after registration is closed, and will be attached to conference materials upon signing in.

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GLVWG veteran member, Donna Brennan, caught up with Stephanie to ask her a few questions.

DONNA: Your agency places a lot of emphasis on platform and discoverability. How important is platform to you versus a well written book with an engrossing story?

Our emphasis on platform does seem to intimidate a lot of authors – but it’s really not as scary as it looks. The publishing industry is changing, and with it, platform has become more and more important for authors to have in order to sell their books. Platform isn’t a request to “be famous,” it’s simply a venue used test your product, and see if people are interested in what you have to say.

For non-fiction authors, I do require some form of platform. However, fiction allows me to be a little more lenient—and I look primarily for solid writing talent and storytelling skills. Across the board, I’m looking to be impressed. It’s hard to turn down a book that’s incredibly done.

DONNA: Many authors have a full-time job and/or family responsibilities; they need to fight their overburdened schedules just to find time to write. What are some tips you can offer regarding what platform building tools they should try to squeeze in, and how could they go about doing that?

I tell most of my authors just to start with Twitter—it’s a great platform with a fantastic writing community. If you’re a non-fiction writer, find creative ways to test your content by posting on blogs or by writing articles for magazines. It’s easy to draw small pieces from your book and rework them into a post, newsletter, or even talk about them in an Instagram story. It’s a lot more productive to find one avenue that works for you, and focus on that. Find the best way to create community.

DONNA: In one of your blog articles you wrote about the importance of authors being confident—both in themselves and in their work. But I know many authors who, although they might have confidence in other areas of their lives, seem very vulnerable where their writing is concerned. What advice can you give to these authors?

Know why you write your story. I see so many authors struggle—bouncing from one piece of writing advice to another, and applying these to their manuscripts, without really taking the time to figure out for themselves why their book isn’t working. Advice from other authors, agents, editors, and professionals is fantastic—but at the end of the day, you know your book better than anyone.

One way you can work to gain confidence in your writing is simply to spend time with it. Save pieces of encouragement people have given you, and read over the chapters or scenes you’re most proud of. Work so hard on your book that you can’t help but be confident in it.

DONNA: What advice or encouragement can you offer to authors whose work has been rejected—not just once, but multiple times?

Keep going! Let rejection motivate you to submit more. There are so many reasons an agent or editor might reject your manuscript—sometimes, simply because it isn’t a good fit. Research the industry, agents, and become your own advocate.

DONNA: I know your faith is an important part of who you are, and one of the types of writing you seek is inspirational—or Christian. Can you give a brief description what is meant by this category? How important is it for authors to mention God or faith for a work to be considered inspirational?

Absolutely! It’s becoming less and less important for Christian authors to mention God or faith in their fiction to be considered “inspirational.” A lot of Christian publishers are looking simply for books that show good morals and character, and aren’t “preachy” or trying to sway readers one way or another. Think about “show” vs. “tell” and apply that to Christian literature. We’d rather be shown how God can impact a story, rather than told.

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Article by Donna Brennan:

 

Meet David Fessenden — Speaker GLVWG Write Stuff Conference™ March 23, 2019

Tags

Christian Writers, Editing, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Non-Fiction, Publishing Contract, Writing, Writing Conferences

Article by Write Stuff Conference Chair – Dawn Sooy

 

 

David E. Fessenden has launched out as an independent editorial and publishing consultant after 20 years in editorial management for Christian publishers. Dave has a B.A. in journalism, an M.A. in religion, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. In his previous positions, Dave has edited scholarly and popular journals, served on the staff of a Bible Institute, and edited a regional edition of the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.

GLVWG was delighted when Dave agreed to speak at the GLVWG Write Stuff Conference™ on March 23, 2019, the only problem, he has a robust presentation list and choosing between the topics difficult. We decided on these:

• The Publishing Contract

Just when you are rejoicing that your book is going to be published, you receive a thick envelope in the mail — the dreaded publishing contract. This seminar will explain the clauses in a standard book contract, from a layperson’s perspective. [Disclaimer — I’m not a lawyer, and I don’t dispense legal advice!]

• The Writer/Editor Relationship

Writers and editors sometimes have a love/hate relationship — but it doesn’t have to be that way. This workshop covers what an editor looks for in a writer, and how you can be the kind of writer-editors love to publish!

• The Dreaded Outline: What Your English Teacher Never Told You

Do you dread preparing an outline? It’s not surprising if you are doing it the way you were probably taught in grade school. This workshop shows you how to break free of strict and silly rules so that you can use an outline as a writing plan.

• Editing Your Own Material (Muhlenberg)
  It’s a basic fact of human nature — we tend to be blind to our own mistakes. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t make the same ones over and over again!) These tips on self-editing show you how to step out of your skin — to be “objective” in the truest sense of the word — and smooth out the rough spots in your manuscript.

 

Who is David Fessenden?

During my 20 years in Christian publishing, I have learned to wear a lot of hats. Let me tell you about a few of them:

Editorial Coach

I can come alongside you to find ways to bring focus to your manuscript, making it more oriented to a specific audience, more effective and more publishable. I can also help you hone your proposal into a dynamic presentation that will spark the interest of a publisher.

Publishing Consultant

I can assist publishing houses, whether large or small, with editorial services and advice in acquisition, publishing agreements, copyright issues, subsidiary and international rights, production (including printed, e-book and audio formats) and promotion.

Academic Literary Agent

I am available to represent a limited number of authors on a per-project basis at a standard 15% agency rate. I capitalize on two decades in editorial positions with CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) publishers and my seminary training to specialize in the nonfiction Christian book market, with a bent toward authors and manuscripts that are more theological, academic or semi-academic.

Among many of the hats David wears, songwriting is another. He has delighted music lovers with songs that can be heard on http://fromconcepttocontract.com/daves-songs/

Dave’s God: There is one thing I really want you to know about me: my life is not my own. I have put it in the hands of the One who created the universe. To read more on this “God stuff,” select this link: Dave’s God

My wife and I live in southcentral Pennsylvania; we have two adult sons/daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren.

 

To read more on David, visit:

• Nonfiction writing blog:www.FromConceptoContract.com
• Author/publisher website:www.DaveFessenden.com

 

And don’t forget to visit his Amazon Page for books he’s written.

 

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Dawn Sooy, GLVWG’s Conference Chairman, is a native of Eastern Pennsylvania, with plenty of experience the four seasons have to offer. Armed with a Computer Science degree, she worked in the tech industry until 2012. As an animal lover, she volunteers at the local animal shelter, sneaking in treats for the four-legged residents.