February 27, 2013 by Karen Baney

Writing in InDesign by David Bergsland

Writing Journey

When and why did you begin writing?

I failed English my first year of college, but after my military experience when I went back to school at the University of Minnesota, the composition professor passed me out of the course in the middle of it. She said I knew what she was teaching—but I had no idea what that meant.

I wrote newsletters and such, but primarily I edited writing for my graphic design customers at the print shop where I was the art director. When I started to teach commercial printing there were no teaching materials or textbooks to help me.
So, I developed the coursework using handouts I wrote myself. My writing career began when Delmar Publishing asked me to convert my handouts into a book for them.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

The Lord was showing me how to teach my students. I was way over my head and needed help. When I started teaching digital publishing in 1991, the available books were only usable as bad examples. I was forced to create handouts to show my students what to do. A major textbook publisher asked me to use them as the basis of a book for them. I started writing Printing in a Digital World in 1994 and it was released in the summer of 1996.

For me it immersed was in the joy of creation when I was given the opportunity to write, format, design the fonts used, produce all the graphics, produce the book, and send the final print-ready PDFs to the publisher. I was working all-digital and no one at the publishing company was doing that yet, so they allowed me to do it all myself. The creative joy of being completely responsible for a book and everything in it is a wonderful thing for me.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Basically I started writing what I would lecture. Hopefully I’ve gotten a bit better than that. I just try to share what I have learned—clearly and concisely.

Where do you get your ideas?

They always come as a result of prayer and from asking the Lord what he wants me to write next. So, technically they are inspired by the Holy Spirit.

How many books have you written?

I have over three dozen listed in Author Central at Amazon. I’ve done seven traditionally—all training materials in digital publishing written from 1994 to 2003. Looking back, they are ghastly.

**Is there a message in your technical books that you want readers to grasp?

I want to share the immense help available from the Holy Spirit to help an author create and self publish a book. If He has called you to write, he will enable you to get your book published—excellently. You can do it—with His help.

**Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

The Lord works in our lives intimately, hour by hour. One of the ways we are made in the image of God is our creativity. He can enable us to write and publish books that will truly change the lives of our readers.

What are your current projects?

Christian Writing & Self Publishing Handbook: I’m covering the process of writing, designing, producing, publishing and marketing your new book from a Christian perspective. A Christian Self Publishing Guide to Sell Books & Ebooks Online (released Jan 21, 2013) is one of the sections from the new book.

God’s Creation: 7,000 years of glory is out for proofing. It may be broken into two books.

The Intimacy of Betrothal: Learning to Know the Soon Coming King is nearly complete.

How to Teach the Old Testament: just started.

**Can you share a little of your current work with us?

What I have always wanted to do was write a book on how Christians write, produce, and publish books. With our direct tap into the mind of Christ, we have access to a level of creativity unheard of in the world. The booklet I just released is the selling & marketing section of the book. What a joy it is to talk about how our life as Christian writers and designers differs from what’s in the world.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Get it settled about the Lord’s call on your life, and clarify the visi0n he gives you. Nothing else matters. Then write and publish. Repeat and repeat until you have a body of work. Every book will be better than the last. You will be amazed at how different and how much better your tenth book will be. Your early work will be an embarrassment ten years later.

Where are you from?

I was raised in Minnesota—Stillwater in particular. But my heart is in New Mexico. We lived there for 25 years and we loved it. Now we’re back in southern Minnesota near our daughter and the grandchildren.

Tell us your latest news?

After forty years in graphic design, typography and writing, I am finally free to share how it differs to do these things as a Christian.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Before I finally blew it, dropped out to become a flower child (not one of those disgusting hippies , and turned to drugs to deal with the pain of reality, I was primarily a scientist. The drugs liberated a part of me I never knew existed—my creative side.

After I got a degree in fine art printmaking, I quickly became involved with publishing and printing. In the 1980s I was the in-house art director for a commercial printer. In 1991, I was given (by the Lord) the opportunity to head up the Commercial Printing Department at Albuquerque TVI (a large, 25,000 student, community college).

That completely changed my life as I was forced to begin teaching desktop publishing on a Mac (PCs weren’t capable of desktop publishing until many years later). Since then the Lord led me into situations where I became a font designer, an author, and now a publisher.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I’m with my wife. She’s a pastor and much of my life over the years has been in support of her ministry. We still do whatever the Lord gives us to do, primarily Bible studies at this point. I play with landscape design for our yards, read a lot (around 200 books a year), cook, bake, full-time house husbandry (my wife has been under a massive time of testing with physical issues), and play with our dogs.

—•••†•••—

David Bergsland

Publisher: Desktop publishing using InDesign: tips, tricks, and training for ministries and church secretaries

• Writing In InDesign http://www.bergsland.org/writing-in-indesign/

The Skilled Workman: http://bergsland.org

Twitter: @davidbergsland

The Christian Authors of Radiqx Press: http://radiqx.com

Twitter: @radiqxpress

• Easily Understanding Scripture & Advanced Discipleship Bible Studies

• Christian Fiction: Daniel’s Mighty Men

• Creationist: The Earth Is Young; The Triad

FaceBook: radiqxpress

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/davidbergsland

January 9, 2013 by Karen Baney

A Year of Book Marketing by Heather Hart

Genre: Nonfiction

Format: ebook

Buy: A Year of Book Marketing Part 1

Do you dream of selling books, but don’t know how to reach that goal?

Perhaps you’ve heard someone say that you should do something every day to market your books if you really want to be successful. For a new author (and even some experienced ones), that can be a bit frightening – we don’t believe it’s possible or that we have the time. But that simply isn’t true!

Instead of telling you to market your book daily, author Heather Hart offers to come alongside authors to HELP them market their books daily.

The goal presented in “A Year of Book Marketing – Part 1″ is to master marketing through persistence. It includes some basic book marketing material, but also includes book marketing quotes, tidbits encouragement or useful information, and marketing prompts for 180 days to get you started.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sure! I just moved to Texas with my husband, Paul, and our four children. My two most favorite things to do are read and write – although book marketing ranks pretty close up there as well. I’ve been helping other authors since 2009 and currently work as a self-publishing-coach.com liaison, author, and author assistant.

2. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

That’s easy for me. Shelley Hitz hands down. While I’ve always loved writing, and longed to be a writer, it was volunteering for Shelley’s website that actually gave me that opportunity. I’ve now been working with Shelley for 4 years, and she’s taught me a lot about both writing and marketing. I continually thank God for bringing us together.

3. Tell us your latest news?

I was hoping you’d ask that. I actually just published a new book, “A Year of Book Marketing.” Part one was released on January 1^st, 2013 and is available on Amazon.com. You can learn more about it on my website at:

http://authorheatherhart.blogspot.com/p/book-marketing.html

4. How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

There are lots of different marketing methods that I use. In fact, I’m a believer that successful marketing doesn’t just come from one thing, but millions of things working together. But as far as the best avenue for marketing, no matter what the genre, I think the answer for me would be e-mail lists. Having a dedicated list of followers who want to hear what you have to say is something you can’t go wrong with. Of course, in order to build that list you have to use multiple other marketing methods. So again, there’s not just one thing you can do to be a successful book marketer.

5. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Market early, market often, market continuously. Marketing is what makes or breaks an authors career. Without marketing, no one will ever read your book to know if you are a good writer or if your words were for them. Without marketing, your book is just another book in vast sea of published works. Marketing is what sets you apart from the rest – don’t take it for granted.

6. What is the most challenging part of being an indie author? The most rewarding?

The most challenging part would definitely have to be dealing with people who try to tell me I’m not a real author because I’m not backed by a big publishing house. I’m not a real author because no one has ever paid me an advance for one of my books. To face people who don’t see me as an author even though I have multiple books with my name printed on the cover. Even though the income from my book sales help pay our bills. Even though I work more hours than my husband between writing and marketing my books – there are still those who don’t see me as an author, and to be frank, that hurts.

7. As an indie author, what would you say to a potential reader who has never read anything from an indie author?

Honestly, I don’t think that there is that much of a difference between today’s self published books and today’s traditionally published books. I have seen some mistakes in traditionally published books that I have never seen in self published books. The bottom line is that no one is perfect. Not traditional publishers and not indie authors. I do admit that I respect indie author more, simply because they had a hand in every aspect of their book. They didn’t write it and then sit back while a big staff did the grunt work, they put in time, sweat and probably tears. They edited their book. They designed the cover. Sure, they might have hired some of that out, but all of the final decisions were theirs, and they had to take charge and make the calls.

8. What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Time. I have a husband, 4 children, a dog, a cat, 3 birds, and a whole slew of fish. My time is limited. My undisturbed, dedicated writing time is nonexistent. Finding the time to write is most certainly my biggest challenge and the hardest part of being a writer.

9. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

That’s a tricky question. I’ve authored 2 solely by myself, but I’ve also co-authored 3 and contributed to several others. As far as my favorite goes, I would have to say the first book I ever wrote, “Teen Devotionals… for Girls!” (Vol. 1) will always have a special place in my heart. There’s just something about your first book that you never forget.

10. Do you see writing as a career?

No. I see writing as my hobby and favorite pastime. I see marketing as a career. I could write all day every day and never make a dime. It’s marketing that makes the sales and pays the bills

Helping other authors since 2009, Heather Hart is the author of “Book Marketing 101” among other titles. She lives in Texas with her husband, Paul, where she fills her days caring for their four young children, typing away on her computer, and brainstorming new marketing ideas. Heather works as a self-publishing-coach.com liaison, author, and authors assistant whose desire is to glorify Christ through her work and to help other authors do the same. You can learn more about Heather by visiting her website: http://authorheatherhart.blogspot.com/ or, connect with her online in the following places:

Twitter: @_HeatherHart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherhartauthoreditor

If you’re looking for even more help marketing your books, check out “Book Marketing Success” where book marketing experts Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart work together to give authors inside access to marketing their books on a shoestring budget.

January 7, 2013 by Karen Baney

Changing Zip Codes by Carol Stratton

Genre: Christian Living

Format: ebook, paperback

Buy: Changing Zip Codes: Finding Community Wherever You’re Transplanted

When your entire life drives off in a moving van, it’s easy for doubts to flood your mind. Will I ever be organized again? Will I find good friends? Will my children like their new school? Carol Stratton has experienced twenty-two moves and counsels others seeking stability in a culture of change. In Changing Zip Codes, Carol helps readers explore the fun of new possibilities, the magic of new friendships, and the excitement of fresh starts. With humorous stories and biblical insights, Carol reminds us God is in the midst of every move, leading us to new beginnings.

Perfect for the unemployed, uprooted, cast off, deployed, transferred, and outsourced.

22 moves! Carol, you’ve got me beat. I’m at 17 moves, so I can relate. Thank you so much for being my guest today!

1. How long have you been writing?

My first published work was in sixth grade where I was published in the “Youth Said It” column of the Palo Alto Times. I knew then how I loved to communicate and of course see my name in print! I didn’t return to serious writing until my kids were pretty much raised. I’ve been doing freelance writing for twelve years and started my website: www.ChangingZipCodes about four years ago.

2. How did you happen to write this book?

I had been going to various writing conferences trying to get a Middle Grade novel published and I kept getting people telling me I needed to write about moving. One new friend at a writer’s conference even yelled at me for going to the fiction instead of the nonfiction class. “Okay, I get it,” I told the Lord!

3. What was the most difficult part of writing this book?

Probably sharing my awkward and lonely moments; I share lots of personal stories. But, it was also a blessing as it forced me look back on my life and see God’s hand in each move.

4. What would you like to see your book accomplish?

I look at my little book as a literary Barnabus to help encourage anyone who has had to relocate. Really, my book is for anyone facing a big transition in his or her life.

5. How do you deal with the inevitable rejections all writers face?

It used to really bug me because I thought I was following God’s plan and didn’t see much success. My first novel has about 32 rejections. But God calls us to obedience and to leave the success to him. I have to believe if even one person can have a change of heart while reading my book, it was worth it.

6. If you weren’t writing, what would be your dream job?

I took voice in college and never did a lot with it so I’d love to be a lounge singer in a piano bar in a slinky dress with cigarette smoke wafting around me and requests yelled out from the small audience. If not a singer, then I’d love to be part of a blue grass band. (I play guitar and mandolin).

7. What advice would you give to someone facing a move?

Let go of trying to control your life. Allow God to uproot you and transplant you in his ultimate wisdom. I don’t think I’d be as mature in my faith if I had not had so many chances to trust him for friends, selling a house, new schools…all the things that a new address entails. Moving can be an adventure if you let go of resentment or sorrow in having to move.

8. What have you learned from your moves?

God has always been at the new address. What I mean by that is I’ve seen him provide friends for my kids, great neighbors, fellowship, and good housing for our family. That is not just a platitude but something I’ve seen over and over. It takes the fear of moving away.

9. Are you working on another book? Tell us about it.

Yes, I have an inspirational novel with a working title called Lake Surrender. It’s a story about Ally Cervantes, a woman who loses her marriage, house, job and has to start a new life with her two children (one an autistic son) as a cook in a camp in Northern Michigan… and she can’t even cook! Only at the bottom of a stock pot in a rustic old camp kitchen does she find the God who pursues her and teaches her how to be a servant.

10. Anything else you’d like to add?

Yes, parts of the proceeds of the book are going to help military couples enjoy a free weekend retreat sponsored by Family Life ministry. We need to support these families as they have given so much to our country and many are struggling to keep it together. The divorce rate for military couples has risen sixty percent in the last few years.

Carol Stratton

Carol Stratton, wife and mother of four, from Mooresville, North Carolina, is a writer and speaker. Her articles have been published in national magazines. Her devotional, Changing Zip Codes: Finding Community Wherever You’re Transplanted published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas shares encouragement and humor learned in twenty-two moves. Contact her on Facebook or at http://www.ChangingZipCodes.com/contact.

December 31, 2012 by Karen Baney

True Power & Real Peace by Staci Stallings

Genre: Christian Living

Format: ebook

Buy: True Power & Real Peace

Why is life so very difficult? Can anything make it any easier? Why do some people get all the breaks, and I’m always struggling?

Now, from #1 Best Selling Christian author, Staci Stallings, learn the secrets to living with True Power and Real Peace– no matter what storms come up in your life! Stop struggling. Start living.

Learn the importance of taking “this step.” Learn how to work with God’s Will instead of against it. Learn how to live with the Source as your strength instead of trying to get strength from resources that are bound to fail.

Every page is packed with deep insights and real life solutions to your deepest problems. Be a better parent, a better friend, a better you!

Today can truly be the day to start on your path to True Power & Real Peace!

1. Tell us about your new release.

This one is a little different for me–okay, it’s a lot different. First of all, it was not one I planned on writing or even knew I was writing until huge chunks of it were already done. Crazy, I know. I thought so too.

You see, I was writing this book called “A Light in the Darkness.” It was the third book in this romance series I was writing. In the book, the guy is into reading good books–like life-inspiring books. Now, I’ve read countless types of these books, so that should have been easy, right?

Not so fast. I quickly realized that I had two problems–I couldn’t just lift whole sections out of some other book, and I needed my character to actually read with the reader what he was reading. So what to do? I finally decided I would have to write the book he was reading.

This didn’t start out to be a big deal, but as I wrote, I fell in love with what this other book was saying. So after finishing “A Light in the Darkness,” I went back and wrote “True Power & Real Peace.” The funny thing is, after A Light was published, several readers contacted me. They had been searching and searching for “True Power and Real Peace,” but they couldn’t find it.

Why? Because it was sitting on my computer! After the fifth person asked, I decided it was time to take a deep breath and let God have what amounts to my spiritual journey and the things I’ve learned on the deepest level of living and being with Him.

2. Can you share a little of True Power & Real Peace with us?

Here is one little excerpt that appears both in “A Light” and in “True Power & Real Peace”

True Power lies in following God’s lead and letting His Power flow through you at every moment, in every situation—no matter how big or small. Doing so gives the rich soul as the Gifts of the Holy Spirit imply: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Right Judgment, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear of the Lord. Perpetually acknowledging His presence in you and in your life will lead you to see that His Power works. Your power doesn’t. The power of the world doesn’t. Only His does.

The Bible says it best: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Seek Him, put every moment in His hands, watch how He handles them, get to know Him, and you will begin to derive your power from The Source of True Power.

3. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

This is one of the most personal books I’ve ever written because it is how I live spiritually–surrendering to God, letting Him work in my life, breathing and stepping into what He’s asking me to do–even when it’s hard and especially when it’s scary. To be honest, I’m not even sure that a lot of people will “get” what the book is talking about because it is so 180 from how we normally live. However, if you can ever get off the treadmill of the world, and really get your life meshed into this way of living, it is a freedom that is literally indescribable.

4. What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The way it came about. Most of the time when you write a book, first of all, you know at least some of what you’re going to write. With this one, in the novel, Gabe would pick this book up, and what he read had to speak to where he was in life, what was going on, what he was facing. In many of those instances, I didn’t know what God would want to say to this young man. I knew it couldn’t just be nice words and platitudes because he’s going through some very dark and confusing times. So I would put my fingers on the keys and ask God what He would want to say to this young man.

When I then went to put all these pieces together, that’s what I had–a bunch of pieces. I then had to link them with bridges that helped the reader to make sense of them. So it tends to be written all over the place in terms of tense and person, but it was the best I could do at wrapping some semblance of understanding around the immensity of what it means to really live with God at the center of everything.

5. Who designed the covers?

The story of my covers is one only God could write. For a long time, I had a hodge-podge of okay but not incredible covers. After putting one of my books for free on KDPSelect, a very good writing friend of mine posted a new cover for one of my very old books on a writing site we were a part of–literally out of the blue. I had not asked for one. We had not talked about it. Suddenly there it was. He then said that my books would take off with the right covers.

So I had him redesign two of my covers. But he’s busy with his own stuff, so I went on a cover design site, hoping but knowing the chances were slim that I would find somebody great. Well, God had other plans. This guy came on and posted the most incredible cover for “Deep in the Heart.” Within 2 days I had hired him, and over the course of the next 2 months, we redesigned every one of my 15 covers.

When I was going to do “True Power & Real Peace,” I asked my friend, that original one, to do this cover because he had done several that I just loved for other books much like this one. And that’s how this cover came to be. I will tell you though that I am incredibly blessed by BOTH of my cover designers! They truly are gifts from God!

6. What books have influenced your life most?

I read a lot of nonfiction Christian self-help. John Ortberg’s work is mentioned in “True Power,” and he really taught me the true meaning of love. Others that have shaped and influenced me are Steve McVey, Brennan Manning, and Joe Beam.

7. How did you come up with the title?

As I was writing, I knew the title had to capture what Gabe needed most in his life. In the story, he really feels powerless because of circumstances. He’s the son of the head groundskeeper and as such feels “less than.” However, I knew he is far more powerful than he feels because he has learned to put his life on The Rock and trust God. So the book title had to be something about power, but not like worldly power that’s selfish and harsh, but actual power that comes from God.

The other thing was, poor Gabe was just not at peace. He was fighting against so many things–how he feels about himself for past mistakes, how he feels about his parents, going to school, chasing his dreams. There is just this… yearning for something more than striving and searching and worrying. Of course, that is peace. But not just any peace, not peace that could be gone tomorrow if you mess up. Real Peace.

And thus the title, “True Power & Real Peace.”

Amazingly, the title is exactly what I have found in God. Don’t you just love how He works?

A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, #1 Best Selling Christian author, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Staci touches the lives of people across the globe every week with her various Internet endeavors including: http://www.stacistallings.net, http://ebookromancestories.com, Facebook, or Twitter.