WordServe Water Cooler

February 7, 2012October 2, 2012

Building Your Author Platform Before The Contract

I remember attending a writer’s conference where the agent I was pitching stated debut authors needed a platform, even for fiction, in their proposal. She said if a query piqued her interest, she’d google the author’s name to see what came up. If there was hardly anything, she’d think long and hard before asking to see more of their book. And, she said editors do the same thing.

Yikes. I didn’t have anything up. I thought that all came after the book deal.

First thing do to is establish yourself as a professional writer. I recommend starting a Facebook page as a writer, not a profile, but a page. Announce to people that you are a writer and believe it!

Do the same with your Twitter account. Don’t have one, here’s my post on How to Effectively Use Twitter for Authors.

You need a website. Don’t panic. There are plenty of free sites that can provide you with a website. I use wordpress.com You don’t have to start a blog yet, though I would recommend it later. You can simply have an about page and a contact page. You can check out my about page here for ideas. Visit your favorite author sites to see what you like and don’t like.

Now, you’ve got these pages up, but what do you do with them. Here’s where it get’s a little bit harder. You need to figure out who your target audience is. You’ll need this for your book proposal, so now is a good time to start on it.

Who will be interested in your books? If you’re writing inspirational fiction, then you’ve already got a faith element. Christians are interested in your books. If you’re writing historical, then what time period? What groups of people or hobbies would go along with this?

This is just scratching the surface. Go deep with this. I recommend making a list of possible interests. Now, you can write some guest posts to blogs targeting this area. Tweet and share Facebook links with articles written by other people on these subjects.

Ask questions on Facebook and Twitter. If you’re coming up with a name for a new character, list two and have people vote.

You are well on your way to establishing a platform.

What ideas or tips do you have to make your platform even more effective? How often do spend social networking? Should you be engaging even more?

February 6, 2012February 3, 2012

Hero Worship

James Bond. Batman. Robin Hood. Every reader longs for a hero, and it’s not just a girl thing. Men admire champions as well. This means that as a writer who wants to gain readership, creating a heroic protagonist isn’t just a good idea.

It’s crucial.

But what makes a great hero? Six-pack abs? Bulging biceps? A smile that makes every woman within a 5 mile radius sit up and beg?

No. Even villains can look like Michelangelo’s David can still be rotten to the core.

So, outward appearances aside, what goes in to writing a heart-stirring fella that makes you want to whip out some pom-poms and cheer until your throat burns?

I’ve given serious thought about the ultimate hero I can use for a model. King Arthur wins hands-down for chivalry, but Atticus Finch trumps with social justice. After much consideration, I finally came up with one all-time, can’t-argue-with-this heroic figure…

Jesus.

I know. I know. To some it might seem sacrilegious to be so presumptuous as to try to create a fictional character based on the son of God. Far be it from me to think I can infuse divine qualities into a pen and ink creation.

But, hey, it’s worth a shot. So here’s a list of attributes to infuse superhuman memorable traits into your hero that will stir the heart of any reader.

Determination

This is the dude who never gives up. He’s got a mission, and nothing will stop him from completing it. Readers admire a hero who takes hardships on the chin, all in the name of carrying out his responsibilities.

Strength

I’m not talking merely physical might. A hero must be able to withstand any number of blows, from mental to spiritual. Notice I didn’t say he doesn’t stumble or get hurt. Strength has an undertone of perseverance.

Compassion

A leading character must be able to look beyond an outward situation, zero in on the heart, then respond with love—even if it’s tough love.

Defender

Any memorable hero is going to stick up for the underdog. There’s a time and place for righteous anger over injustice, and this character is willing to take action to do something about it

Confident

Who doesn’t admire a person that knows exactly who they are? Just remember there’s a razor-thin line between confidence and conceit.

Sacrificial

Giving for the good of others is an irresistible attribute that inspires awe and loyalty—not just from the other characters, but from your reader as well.

Those are just a few. I’m sure you can think of more. Obviously, there is only one, Jesus, so there’s no way a ‘real life’ fictional character could embody all these traits and still be believable. Don’t overdo it, and keep in mind that your hero still needs to have a flaw or two.

There you have it. Now that your character is super on the inside, go ahead…slap on some bulging biceps, and you’re good to go.

So, what traits are you working on incorporating within your protagonist? Or, on a lighter note, who was your childhood hero/heroine?

And for the procrastinators among us, which superhero are you?

February 4, 2012February 2, 2012

Write With Realistic Expectations

Aspiring or first-time authors sometimes hold the misconception that they will hit it big with their first book. Visions of bestsellers dance in their heads.

It’s time for a reality check from The Agent’s Desk. One of our jobs is to manage your expectations through every stage of this long process called publishing.

The statistics have not changed much in the years that I’ve been involved in the book industry. In the entire Kingdom of Books, which includes every title sold in every category—not just Christian—only ten percent of authors make a living solely by writing books.

The authors you meet at conferences may still have day jobs, or if they freelance, they edit manuscripts, ghostwrite books, or conduct their own writing workshops. Or they still have day jobs. They work all day and then come home and write their novels at night. Or if they’re early birds like me, they hop out of bed at 4 a.m. and sit down at the keyboard before rushing out the door to make it to work on time. Some pound out two or three pages every day while riding a commuter train.

Another group of writers may be blessed with a spouse who is the sole breadwinner of the family. Mothers who are writers take care of the kids and write during nap time. I’ve known stay-at-home writer dads as well. The whole family tightens the purse strings and lives on a budget.

Of course, a few authors inherited their fortunes and live on Fantasy Island.

Here’s the reality. The average Christian novel sells about 5,000 copies. Some sell less; some sell more. You notice I didn’t say that the first-time author only sells about 5,000 copies. No, that includes experienced and newbie authors as well. Do the math.

A smaller percentage may sell 10,000 to 15,000 books each time. This is our hope for you because it will assure you a place at the table and a long-term career. Now we enter more rarefied air.

A much smaller group sells 20,000 or 25,000 books, but those are usually long-time authors or a new author who happens to write a book that hits a nerve with readers. We hope you are the exception and will publish books in this range.

Only a handful of authors sell in the 50,000 to 100,000 or more range consistently. You know their names. They live on the bestseller lists. You see their names month after month and year after year on the CBA or ECPA bestseller lists.

Then, once in awhile, an author catches lightning in a bottle, and you have a series such as Left Behind or a single book title like The Shack.

So please, if you are a newcomer to publishing, adjust your expectations, and if you knock it out of the ballpark, you’ll be as ecstatic as your agent and your publisher. We pray for bestsellers!

Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

February 3, 2012February 2, 2012

Spiritual Warfare

Any author writing a story or a full length novel based upon spiritual warfare must first do his research. Spiritual warfare is an extremely interesting subject and offers a rich tapestry on which to weave an exciting and dramatic plot, and it presents the writer with fascinating materials through which to explore ethical, philosophical, and spiritual truths.

It is a very controversial subject, and in Christian circles the spectrum of opinion ranges from total skepticism and disbelief to obsessional beliefs that everything has a demonic origin. Clearly such extremes do not present the serious writer with a reasonable storyline. But the middle ground offers a fantastic backdrop to create fiction.

Spiritual warfare, simply described, is a range of Christian activity whereby satanic demons are combated, confronted, and defeated using prayer and faith. Christians who find themselves immersed in these battles and struggles are often aided by heavenly angels. Spiritual warfare is being fought out between two kingdoms vying for power, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness, ruled over by Satan.

For Christian writers the ground on which their research should be based is the Bible. There are many and various references throughout the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, to angels and demons in conflict with each other and with God’s people. The many examples in the Bible provide unequivocally proof that:

1. Angels and Satan and his demons exist and do interact with God’s people for good and ill.

2. God himself and Jesus, while on the earth, Old Testament peoples and New Testament Christians unequivocally believed in demons and their ability to inflict harm.

Anyone studying spiritual warfare will quickly find that, although there are numerous references and descriptions of angels and demons and their activities, there is not a definitive description of either. But this is not a disadvantage to the writer, for he can use his imagination, within the bounds of biblical truth, to create both angelic and demonic characters which are both interesting and, more importantly, believable. Their interaction with humans, as described in the Bible, shows that at least part of their personality must be human-like in order to have efficacious communication.

One aspect of angels and demons that I find very interesting is whether they have wings. I have done my research, and I strongly believe that they do not have wings. That is going to a topic for my next blog.

The introduction of angels and demons into a spiritual warfare story makes it possible to delve deeply into questions of good and evil which can then encompass all human faults and failings of character such as corruption, temptation and lust for power, money, and sex.

Of course it also allows the writer to paint a picture of redemption, healing, and salvation and access to the throne of God’s grace. The subject of spiritual warfare should not be labeled simply supernatural fantasy as it truly is a wonderful canvas on which to create a story that can have a direct and powerful affect upon readers’ minds and souls and all for the good. This is when fiction can be used to its fullest and most noble degree.

For those people who want to look deeper into this subject, I strongly recommend Dr. Karl Payne’s book, Spiritual Warfare, which is a balanced and very informative book.

Are any of you including elements of spiritual warfare within your book? If so, to what sources are you turning for your research?

February 2, 2012January 28, 2012

Agent versus Agency

If your agent leaves an agency, several issues may crop up that, as an author, you may find surprising. If you follow Christian publishing circles, recently an agent made a change between agencies, and several authors had to make a decision about what to do.

Stay with the agent or the agency.

Several details may play into your decision. What have you done for me lately? Perhaps you’re not on the best of terms with your current agent, and you want a fresh start. Staying with the agency may be a good choice. Or, you have a great working relationship with your agent and can’t imagine not moving forward with him or her. What’s the reputation of the new and old agency? Does it matter to you?

But the decision may not be as easy as just those questions.

Here are a few things I learned that surprised me.

1. You may not be able to leave. This sounds strange, so let me explain further. Your agent may not be able to take you away from the agency. This depends on the contract your agent signed with the agency when they developed their partnership. So, if you love your agent and never foresee parting ways, this may be an important piece of information for you to know. Personally, I never thought about asking this. Though, my agent is president of his agency, so he likely won’t leave himself.

2. Your contract will stay. Even if you leave the agency with your agent, the contract he/she negotiated will probably stay with the agency. This presents an interesting situation. It’s likely you’ll be working with both parties for the duration of the contract. The agency may handle some aspects, and your agent may handle others. Be sure you’re clear on these details.

3. You may have to reorganize. Perhaps your only social media presence was through your agency. Your picture was only on their web site. You blogged only through their outlets. This speaks to not having all of your eggs in one basket. Remember, your name is your brand. This should be developed separate from what your agency does. So, be blogging in multiple places. Have your own web site. The more internet presence you have, the less likely a change like this will affect your ability to get your message out.

What about you? Do you think you’d be more loyal to the agent or the agency?

February 1, 2012December 18, 2015

When Mom and Dad Split Up

Getting an early morning call from your agent can lead to adrenaline induced heart arrhythmias. Working in the ER, I’m trained to assume and prepare for the worst case scenario. That’s the nurse in me. But, what do you do when you get a cryptic message from your agent?

Me—assume the worst. What could he be calling about? Is it an issue with my publisher? Is he dropping me? What could it possibly be?

Not only am I an ER nurse but a suspense author—so I may lean toward the dramatic.

Quick dial back.

The news was not anything I expected. An agent was leaving the fold as Greg mentioned in late December as part of the agency news. What did that mean? The reason for the call was to discuss what would happen to this agency blog when several contributors were leaving.

The WordServe Water Cooler started in the middle of last year as an agency blog with the focus of helping authors a little further back on their writing journey navigate the publishing road. Since it is an agency blog, professionally, it needed to be maintained as such. Those authors choosing to go with their agent to the other agency would not be able to participate.

Problem was—we had become a family along the way.

Initially, when the blog was set up, a Facebook group was started as a communication tool to facilitate signing up for posts. What it morphed into was a true community of authors supporting, encouraging, and praying for one another’s triumphs and difficulties.

Personally, I didn’t want to lose touch with those who were leaving. It felt like my family was splitting up. Greg had tasked me and another author to take over administrating the blog. We began a conversation with the current overseers about how to handle the change.

How this multi-author blogging group handled this agency change has been humbling and inspiring and I believe has some lessons that can be learned by all—both on a personal and professional level.

Here are a few I’d like to highlight.

1. Do not gossip. On our group Facebook page, there would have been ample opportunity to gossip about the situation. Who was leaving? Why were they leaving? What do you think of such and such agency? Agent? I can honestly say this did not happen. Everyone was professional and supportive and prayed over those having to make tough decisions and over those who were most affected by the change.

2. Your decision is personal. Whether or not you decide to stay with a particular agent/agency is a private matter—not a group discussion. Only a few trusted people should be privy to the reasons. This is handling it professionally. Airing grievances publicly, particularly on social media, will come back to bite you. The world of publishing is small, and people will remember how you acted.

3. Create a neutral meeting ground. To meet the need of maintaining those relationships that developed via the Facebook group—a new private group was created where those who left could still interact with those that stayed. Of course, I can’t tell you the name. It’s a secret.

4. Be open to new opportunities. Change is part of life. The choice you make is how you handle it. You may be presented with opportunities to grow and stretch. Don’t be shy about stepping up and learning new things. This month, you’ll see several new talented authors contributing to this blog—including superstar agents Greg Johnson and Barbara Scott. You’ll learn more about marketing and social media from publicity expert Ingrid Schneider. Ever wonder what it’s like to intern at a literary agency? Check out Sarah Freese’s posts.

Question for you—what’s been the biggest change related to publishing/writing you’ve had to deal with?

January 31, 2012February 12, 2012

WordServe Literary News

Exciting things have been happening at WordServe Literary!

On the final post of each month you’ll find a list of Water Cooler contributors’ books releasing in the upcoming month along with a recap of WordServe client news from the current month.

February New Releases

From Santa to Sexting
By Dr. Brenda Hunter and Kristen Blair
Leafwood Publishers
Non Fiction/Parenting

Something New
By Dianne Christner
Barbour Publishers
Historical Fiction

Into the Free
By Julie P. Cantrell
David C. Cook Publishers

Sweeter Than Birdsong
By Rosslyn Elliot
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Historical Fiction

• • •

Agent News

Though Rachelle is “gone”, she’s still closing deals for her authors that were submitted last fall: Sandi Bricker got a 3-book contract with Moody for fiction; Billy Coffey a 2-book deal with Thomas Nelson for his next two novels; Susie Eller with Regal for a non-fiction book on forgiveness, and several others.

• • •

Barbara’s New Clients

Dianna T. Benson, EMT and Haz-Mat Operative, is a suspense/thriller novelist.

Terry Brennan, author of The Sacred Cipher published by Kregel, writes political thrillers and is Vice President of the National Organization on Disability in Manhattan.

Ann Lang Bundy, is a former police officer, home-schools her five children, and is a lay Bible scholar. She writes long biblical fiction.

Mary Davis, authored numerous bestselling Barbour/Heartsong books and is writing a longer work of fiction.

Sharon A. Lavy, a member of the Old German Baptist Brethren and author of traditional Old Order fiction. Sharon lives with her husband on a farm in southwest Ohio.

Sandra Dionne Mooore, multi-published Barbour/Heartsong author, has written a longer historical fiction novel.

Stephanie Reed, is a published author and currently in the editing stage of an Amish novel for Kregel.

Amy K. Sorrells, a registered nurse, writes women’s fiction.

Janalyn Voigt, will publish her first epic fantasy novels with Harbourlight and is also writing historical fiction.

• • •

Greg’s Request

Would appreciate prayers for Lauren Scruggs. She as the woman who was in that horrific airplane/propeller accident where she lost her left hand and eye before Christmas in Dallas, Texas. She’s the daughter of WordServe clients Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs (I Do Again). She’s getting major media constantly contacting her (People magazine, and all of the morning and afternoon talk shows), and I’ve (naturally) been getting calls from publishers. She’ll be making a decision about whether to write a book about it all soon. If she does, it will likely be a family written book, as this experience has tested them all.

• • •

Sarah’s New Client

Kimberly Vargas, Kimberly Vargas has created instructional design content for companies such as Capital One and GEICO, and she is the 2011 Reader’s Favorite award winner for the category of Fiction—Chick Lit for her novel, Gumbeaux.

• • •

Contract News from Greg

Heather James signed a three-book contract with Kregel Publishers for contemporary suspense. The novels are tentatively titled: Lure; Lust; Lies. These are Heather’s first books! Kudos to Sarah Freese for helping with the proposal and manuscript.

The Center for Bible Engagement CEO Arnie Cole and Senior Writer Michael Ross signed their second contract with Bethany for a non-fiction book titled: Tempted, Tested, True: A Proven Path to Overcoming Soul-Robbing Behaviors (their first book, Unstuck, comes out in May).

Using the research from nearly 20,000 surveys, the authors share the new research that reveals a solution to resisting its grip, untangling negative emotions, and breaking free from behaviors that rob our souls of the life God wants to give us.

Gilbert Morris signed a three-book contract with B&H Publishing Group for a historical series called “All That Glitters”. It’s a series set in turn-of-the-century San Francisco.

Rich Marschall got a contract from Dover Publications for a reprint of 1987 book he wrote called: The Tough Coughs As He Ploughs the Dough: Early Writings and Cartoons by Dr. Seuss. As a former syndicated cartoonist, Rick knew and knows all of the big-time cartoonists/authors from the day.

• • •

Other News from Greg

Author Ken Gire has decided to give back to authors everywhere and do a month or two-month mentoring intensive for new or seasoned writers (reasonably priced). Ken has written both fiction and nonfiction, and is considered one of the finest devotional writers of our time (Intimate Moments with the Savior, among others). If you or a writer you know is interested in hearing more about what it all entails, please contact me at greg@wordserveliterary.com or Ken directly at kengire@gmail.com. You can also find Ken on Facebook. Tell him you read about it on the WaterCooler. (He’s hoping to join us soon!)

• • •

That’s our good news for the month.

Please share yours in the comments so we can celebrate with you.

January 30, 2012

Creating a Book Trailer

A few years ago, there was a lot of talk in writing circles about creating a book trailer to help promote your book. Do you make it yourself or hire a professional? How much time and knowledge is required? Is it worth the marketing dollars spent? I don’t have all the answers, but I can tell you what I did and why . . . and then try to explain if it has been worth it.

Once I decided to spend marketing dollars on a book trailer, I began studying what other authors had done. I spent hours viewing different book trailers and noted which ones I liked and why, as well as what I didn’t care for in others. I also made note of who created the trailer. Let me tell you, there are a lot of lovely trailers out there. And a few of them were created by individuals using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.

I’d read enough online to know that it would take a great deal of time to make a trailer myself. However, I did have the option of hiring a friend who had been playing with home movies for several years and was interested in doing more. And yes, I’d been warned not to go the cheaper route, but after much thought and study, I decided to work with my friend and create a trailer together. Because neither of us had done anything like this before, there was a major learning curve involved, but it also proved to be a great opportunity for expanding our knowledge.

One of the first things you want to do is envision what you want for a trailer. There are a lot of trailers out there that simply scroll over the book cover while someone tells a brief blurb of the story. There are also those with still shots, those that have been filmed, or a combination of both. There are those that use scrolling words and those that have a speaker.

Before you tackle this project, brainstorm your ideas. I knew I wanted my secondary character from my debut book, Snow Melts in Spring, to tell the story about his son and the veterinarian who was like a daughter to him. I also had an idea of the music–something heart stirring yet almost forlorn–that reminded me of a horse running across the prairie.

I also wanted a combination of scrolled words mixed in with the speaker’s words, fade-out pictures as well as film. And then came the actual writing of the script–which surprisingly, came to me very quickly.

We filmed part of the trailer ourselves, but there are places online to find free music and pictures. However, most of those places didn’t have exactly what we were looking for so we opted to pay a minimal fee to get just the right effect we were looking for.

Free music:

http://www.freeplaymusic.com

Music for a fee (and the place we went for our music):

http://www.dawnmusic.com

Free photos:

http://www.sxc.hu/index.phtml

http://www.dreamstime.com/free-photos

http://www.freepixels.com

Royalty free photos (where we went for pictures):

http://www.istockphoto.com

The making of the trailer proved to be more of a challenge, mostly because my friend and I were inexperienced. We had many trial runs, a couple where we had to start over from scratch. But the end effect turned out quite beautiful and I am very pleased with it. You may view it on my website or on Youtube.

Now for the ultimate question–was the marketing dollars worth it in the end? I cannot in all honesty say that it has been that effective. Before my book came out, I had a few opportunities to show the trailer to two test audiences and that may have prompted a few people to order my book. Since then, most of the feedback I’ve received online has been from people who have read my book and then visited my website afterwards to view the trailer. And they have loved the trailer.

I think this is the answer you’ll hear from most authors. We simply have no way to track book trailers to sales. Am I satisfied? — Yes, I am. I have a beginning trailer for my book series for readers to watch and hopefully prompt them to read the series.

Will I make a trailer for all my books? No. I didn’t make one for Seeds of Summer, nor am I planning one for Blades of Autumn. However, I think I would consider creating a trailer for the first in any series I write.

If you don’t have the desire to take on the challenge of creating a trailer yourself, here is a list of professionals who create book trailers:

Trailer to the Stars

Book Video Production Services

Pulse Point Design

Bemis Promotions

Oh, and once you have a book trailer, do your research and take the time to upload your trailer onto your website and/or blog as well as the many different sites available to help promote it, such as: Amazon.com, Youtube.com, Tangle.com and Christianbookvideos.com.

January 28, 2012

SEVEN TIPS TO MAKE THAT NEW YEAR’S WORD WORK FOR YOU

As a writer, the idea of designating one word for the New Year, in lieu of resolutions, appeals to me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve always been a bit lackadaisical when it comes to actually making those resolutions (not to mention keeping).

Writers are wordsmiths and so it seems all the more appropriate. But wait. How does a writer select just one word for a whole year when there are myriad beautiful words floating around out there for the picking? Here are seven suggestions:

1) PRAY: After Christmas, I began tumbling words in my brain. I wasn’t sure how I would spot “my word”. I wanted something with a ring to it. Maybe something catchy. Pretty, musical, a poetic word, I hoped. New Year’s Day arrived and I still didn’t have my word. Every time I gave it some consideration the word “return” popped into my mind. What kind of “word for the year” is that?

As the end of January approached, I despaired of finding my word. And then I did what I always do when I feel hopeless: I prayed. I read my Bible. Of course, the answer I received was my word was there all of the time. And the lesson well learned? Don’t wait until you are discouraged to RETURN to our heavenly Father.

2) USE IT: Once you know your word, use it. At least once a day. Include it in your prayer time and if by the end of the day you find you have not used your word try to think of as many ways it fits into a sentence. A favorite of mine is to write a short story, one paragraph long, using my word as many times as I can. How refreshing to give yourself permission to break the rules!

3) SHARE: Don’t be afraid to tell people what your word is. You don’t really have to know how your word applies to you. Part of the fun is finding out why the word is “your word”. You will find your friends are curious about your progress and provide motivation to continually strive to decipher the meaning of the word in your life.

4) REFLECT: At the end of each month, think about how the word worked in your life. Or didn’t. Ask yourself questions. Does it have a different meaning for you than it did at the beginning of the month? Did it make a difference in your life? In what way? Does it make you view your world, your writing, your family and friends in a new way? In a positive way? Great! If not, why not? What can you do to change that?

5) REVISE: Begin each month afresh. Be flexible in your interpretation of your word and what it should mean in your life. That is the power of a word. It will not always mean the same thing to different people. And it won’t always mean the same thing to you.

6) BE OPEN: This is so much more than being flexible. Embrace the possibilities. It’s amazing how much one little word can mean to you when you open your arms wide and let it flow over you. Sing it, shout it, whisper your word. Think musically, think poetically, draw your story out. Express your word in a way that really moves you.

7) RETURN: This is your chance to shrug off those resolutions that frequently cause so much regret by the end of January and live your word. Then RETURN often with prayers of thankfulness and give the glory to God.

I can’t wait to see how my word RETURN directs my life next month! Returning to my roots come to mind. Hmmm, I write historical romance, so maybe. And I really look forward to finding the meaning of RETURN this December. I can’t wait!

What is your word for 2012?

Rebecca DeMarino is a retired United Airlines Service Director and worked as an Office Manager at the Natasha Kern Literary Agency from March, 2008 until September, 2010. She currently works part-time as a Carnival Cruise Line representative from her home office. She recently signed with literary agent Barbara Scott with WordServe Literary.

January 27, 2012January 27, 2012

Live Audience Taping: How Do You Prepare?

Speaking at an event is one thing. Teaching a Bible class is another. But when you film content to produce on DVD, it’s a whole new ball game.

I just released my first ever 8-lesson DVD Bible study series in November called Your Strong Suit, based on the Armor of God found in Ephesians 6. The live taping took place last May at my home church.

Over the course of 48 hours, we taped eight, 35-45 minute lessons. Gulp.

Believe me when I say I could hardly put a coherent sentence together after that. It was exhilarating, amazing, and absolutely exhausting.

As an author, you may be requested to put some of your content in video snippets. Or perhaps, like me, you plan on producing a series of some kind. I promise I’m not an expert at this. But I hope that my recent experience offers insight and information that may help you.

So how do you prepare?

First of all, writing to speak is vastly different from writing to print. You have a live audience to keep engaged (and hopefully awake), so injecting humor and stories is essential. So here goes:

1) Forget about the cameras.

I was very thankful the production crew suggested a mini run through the night before our live taping officially started. When I walked in the staging area and saw three large television cameras, my heart started going pitter patter. Actually, it was more like POUND, POUND. One of the cameramen would actually be walking around to catch close up shots and audience reaction. My heart came right out of my chest at that point.

Over the course of the run through, the tech team was incredibly helpful in showing me the stage’s walking parameters to ensure consistent, good lighting. They taught me how to slow down my talking rate to make more impactful statements. But most importantly, they reminded me to take several deep breaths, release the tension in my voice, and speak/connect directly with the audience. Their coaching made all the difference.

2) Know your content so well that you barely need notes.

Nothing is more boring than watching someone read. I cannot stress enough how vital it is to thoroughly prepare. I rehearsed each lesson several times in the weeks leading up the taping so that when that weekend arrived, it wasn’t the first time I taught them (so to speak). We were on a tight schedule and budget. Room for error didn’t exist.

Lesson preparation is essential. We only had 30 minute breaks in between each teaching session and it goes by at lightening speed. After each teaching, I’d head back stage to cool off, hydrate, take a deep breath, sit a minute, go through wardrobe changes/makeup touch-ups, pray, pull out my notes for the next session, read them through, and hit the stage again. If you’re not properly prepared, you won’t make it.

3) Put a team, buffers, and boundaries around you.

I cannot say enough about the team that surrounded me that weekend. My ministry assistant and a score of ministry volunteers handled the live audience registration, meals, and anything else an attendee needed. My stage manager (and best friend) never left my side except during taping time itself. She kept me on time and provided a buffer to handle anything that came up back stage. She handled all the technicalities so I could focus on preparing for the next session.

And then there’s the production team. I just can’t thank God often enough for those amazing professionals. They seamlessly ran the worship times, screen content, sound levels, and coordinated camera shots (both stationary and roaming) of me and the audience to produce a top level series. Joel, the Production Manager, even told jokes to keep the audience awake and laughing in between sessions. The main thing is that they are the professionals. Trust them and their instructions.

I hope you found a few helpful tidbits from my experience. What I learned during that amazing weekend put me on my knees in thankfulness, and taught me invaluable lessons that will play an important role in any future series.

If you’d like to see a 90 second snippet of the final series, click here.

Let’s chat: If you’ve done this type of thing before, what would you add or take away from this list? If you’re hoping to produce DVD content in the future, what did you find most helpful?