Author Interview ~ Sally Stuart

Sally E. Stuart is the author of thirty-four books and has sold over one thousand articles and columns. Her long-term involvement with this market guide as well as her marketing columns for the Christian Communicator, Oregon Christian Writers, and The Advanced Christian Writer, make her a sought-after speaker and a leading authority on Christian markets and the business of writing. Stuart lives in northwest Oregon.

Some people may have maybe never heard of this book. How long have you been writing The Christian Writers’ Market Guide?

The 2007 is the 22nd annual edition. I began writing the book in the early eighties. It started as a series of informational pamphlets and grew into a reference title.

Tell us some success stories of authors who have used your book.

The truth is that most successful authors—as well as new ones selling their first books— rely on the market guide to some degree. Authors like Jerry Jenkins, Lauraine Snelling, and B.J. Hoff buy it every year. I like to joke that you can measure the success of the market guide by how many publishers refer to it in their rejection letters. When a publisher feels that an author has submitted work that is either needs significant revision or isn’t a good fit with their house, he or she will recommend the guide in hopes that it will point the author in the right direction. Successful authors are familiar with the resources and information in the guide.

What are the three most important pieces of advice you would offer to someone who wants to get published?

First, read a lot of what you want to write. You might think that you like the Christian romances, but can you rattle off the two or three top-selling romances in the last few years? Have you read them? That’s important.

Second, learn how to write. There are resources that can help you bring your writing to the next level. Do as much as you can on your own to improve your work before submitting it for publication.

Third, write for specific publications—don’t write and then try to find a market. I especially mention this for those writing non-fiction. A great way to build a platform as a non-fiction author is through publishing magazine articles. Seek publications that share your vision and passion, and write in a style that will be appealing to them. This may mean cutting your article to a word count that’s typical for that publication, or adding features that those readers would appreciate. Be sure that you know who you’re writing for.

Why is it important to use the guide to differentiate between one house and another?

Every publisher has their own unique set of needs and wants—you make a mistake if you assume they are all alike. The market guide highlights those differences and leads you to the right publishers or publications. I recommend that you use the information from the guide to check out the websites of publishers that interest you—when you write the letter introducing your work, cite specific books that they’ve already published that you think are comparative titles.

Editors tell me repeatedly that they are looking for writers who understand them, their periodical or publishing houses, and, most of all, their unique approach to the marketplace. The biggest complaint that I’ve gotten from publishers over the years is that the materials they receive is not appropriate for their needs.

Are there any unique features to this particular edition of the Guide?

Just this year we’ve added the searchable CD-ROM. The CD has given the writer a great deal more easy access to the specific information they are seeking—instead of flipping through an index, one can just type the word into a browser. Also, as in every new edition of the guide, the publishers have been updated. People might think, “There’s not that much turn over in the publishing industry,” but that’s not true.

Just this year I’ve added 36 new book publishers and 86 new periodical publishers. That bumps the total number of listings in the book to well over a thousand markets to which one could submit their manuscript, not to mention the agents, writers’ conferences and editorial services that are included.

What can you say to those people who want to write, but don’t know how to get started?

My best advice it to attend a writer’s conference where you can learn the craft in a concentrated period of time—from the professional writers, editors, and agents. There are so many conferences available. Next year I’ll be speaking at one—The Christian Writer’s Guild. The Guild was founded by Jerry Jenkins, author of the best-selling Left Behind series (and many new titles).

Just to give you a snapshot of what happens at these conferences, attendees can listen to best-selling authors like Jerry discuss writing, and then break down into small groups to focus on their own projects. Editors from various Christian publishing houses attend the conferences and will actually read through samples of the attendees’ writing and give them focused, specific advice. You can’t do much better than that!

How do would-be writers find out about these conferences?

Of course I would suggest using the market guide to learn about the conferences! But seekers can also search online—though that will take you to a particular website for a conference, not to a complete listing. I also suggest using my website.

What has changed in Christian publishing over the life of the market guide?

Christian publishing has really grown up. The quality of both the writers and the publishing houses and publications has vastly improved. There has been a real change in the content of Christian books and publications. They are written more clearly and artistically, the layout and design is on par with the secular publications, and they address with candor subjects that would have been sidestepped just ten years ago.

Also, independent Christian houses—like Multnomah, Thomas Nelson and others—are being purchased by New York houses, giving them the opportunities that come with the increased exposure and financial stability. Specifically Penguin partners with Strang Communications, Random House has two evangelical imprints: WaterBrook and Multnomah (Multnomah just acquired this year), and Zondervan, the largest and oldest Christian publisher, is owned by HarperCollins. Time Warner invented a book imprint titled Warner Faith. The fact is that the publishing industry has recognized in a very real way how profitable Christian books are.

Why do you think the popularity of Christian titles in growing?

As more Christian books get public attention—and are read by non-Christians—those readers are very likely to seek out a local church for answers to the questions those books generate. I absolutely think that Christian fiction offers an interesting side-window opening to larger discussions.

It’s a great time to be a Christian writer with an important message. I do believe that new writers have been given a specific mission in the field of writing. You and I often feel inadequate to the task, but I learned a long time ago that the writing assignments that God has given me cannot be written quite as well by anyone else. Keep working away at your projects, and I hope that this guide is useful for you.