Beware of these blunders in writing for children

Avoid these common misconceptions when writing children’s books. Award-winning children’s author Emily Lim shared these points in her recent MAI webinar, “Writing for Children: Commandments to follow & sins to avoid.” 1. Writing for children is easier than writing for adults. This is very far from the truth. Adults may be willing to stay with
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Dan Balow’s 5 Steps to Begin Publishing for a Digital Market

By Joanne Kim, MAI intern 1. Learn… about digital trends First, learn and be aware of what kinds of digital trends are working in your region/country. Different countries are on different tracks. For instance, has Amazon moved into your area yet? If so, take note that it is a major turning point in the region’s
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Challenges in publishing in West Africa

By Ramon Rocha The Economist recently described Africa as “a hopeful continent.” I had the joy of visiting Ghana and Nigeria in August. Dan Balow and I led a publishing training with 28 participants from 20 publishers in Accra, Ghana. I also enjoyed a consultation visit with Africa Christian Textbooks (ACTS) in Jos, Nigeria. In
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How to Collect on Unpaid Accounts

By Ramon Rocha The bottom line for accounts receivable is: “Books sold on credit are fictitious until the amount due is collected!” I used to preach this at the publishing house I led. While traveling this past year for MAI, I heard several Christian publishers cry out that they are facing the problem of rising
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Win over Your Reader in Your First Chapter

Your opening chapter is your most important one because that is where you strike your deal with the reader—his or her reading time in exchange for what you’re offering. The cover, title, back cover and table of contents are all selling opportunities to bring the reader to this decision point. By the end of the
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Four Vital Ways to Improve Your Success in Book Sales

By Tony Wales During my 40-plus years in publishing, I learned that these four principles were always the key to successful sales. If I forgot even one of them, failure followed. These principles are rooted in Christian love for God and love for my neighbor. The first principle for successful selling is PREPARATION. When we
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Do you love to read?

Then pray for writers. By Beng Alba If you are passionate about the written word, why not carve out a space to pray for writers?  Here are a few points to help you get started: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7hlBmOJ6Aw Growing relationship with God.  Pray that Christian writers continue to increase in their knowledge and love for God.  More
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Thank God I am a journalist

Nigerian journalist Lekan Otufodunrin is online and special publications editor at The Nation Newspapers. As president of Journalists for Christ International Outreach, he wrote this devotion to encourage other writers. Lekan is also a Trustee of the newly-formed MAI-Africa. At an interactive session with a group of students recently, Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka revealed
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Invisible Handwriting: What editors need

By Julie Ackerman Link The role of an editor is to correct an author’s writing, which introduces the potential for conflict. Editors must convey to authors that the manuscript they worked so hard to write still has areas of imperfection. They must then show authors how to fix the flaws. Some authors are eager to
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Write from the Heart

Are you writing a book that exposes your soul?  Different writing techniques are required when writing a book from the heart.  These books are not designed simply to present facts or information.  Award-winning author Robin Jones Gunn cites a few tips to keep in mind. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy-Y6Qtsx98 1)       Pull stories from your own heart. The story that comes
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