Authors Need Approval

“Everybody needs approval, but nobody needs it more than authors: approval of editorial alterations of manuscripts; approval of cover art and copy; approval over reprint, book-club, and foreign licenses; approval of titles, ad texts, and more.”1

I work with quite a few aspiring book authors and I find that many are easily hurt by criticism even when it’s delivered gently.  Writing a personal journal or blog is more suited to them because they don’t have to contend with all of the “approvals” needed for getting books and articles published.  The problem is that writing for personal benefit or enjoyment can give the impression that “everyone has a book in them.”  A book?  Maybe.  A published book?  Probably not.  The lack of approval is too devastating for most aspiring authors.  That’s why many editors and agents recommend writing a book only if you have to.

1 Richard Curtis, How to Be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Book Published, Rev. Ed., Houghton Mifflin, 2003, p. 19.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Mutual Communication

The Protestant Reformer John Calvin used the term “mutual communication” to refer to mutual service rather than selfish careerism.  “It is not enough when a man can say, ‘Oh, I labor, I have my craft,’ or ‘I have such a trade.’  That is not enough.  But we must see whether it is good and profitable for the common good, and whether his neighbors may fare the better of it.”

John Calvin, Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians, rev. trans. (Banner of Truth Trust, 1973), p. 331.  Modernized English by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Until Justice & Peace Embrace (Eerdmans, 1983), pp. 78-79.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Loving Strangers

May 17, 2009

“Christian teaching … in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) would say … love can and should be shown not only to those close to us but also to casual acquaintances and strangers, to those one merely stumbles upon.”
— Walter J. Ong, The Presence of the Word: Some Prolegomena for Cultural and Religious [...]

Read the full article →

The Power of Speech vs. Writing

May 17, 2009

“Few people fail to communicate their messages and much of themselves in speech, whereas writings, unless produced by one with literary gifts, carry little of the writer and are interpreted far more according to the reader’s understanding or prejudice.”
— J. C. Carothers, “Culture, Psychiatry, and the Written Word,” Psychiatry, 22 (1959), 311.

Read the full article →

Interview about Public Speaking

May 5, 2009

Andy Rau of Think Christian interviewed me about my book An Essential Guide to Public Speaking: Serving Your Audience with Faith, Skill, and Virtue. Duration: 30 min
Quentin Schultze on Servant Speaking

The interview addresses not only how to speak skillfully but also how to do so virtuously and faithfully. Both the interview and the book [...]

Read the full article →

Human Communication as a Gift

May 4, 2009

When I began studying communication in college I discovered various theories about the origins of human beings’ communicative capacity. I was intrigued — and still am.
We don’t know precisely how human language “evolved,” but we can discuss one interesting thought: Communication is a gift.
You and I did not create our communicative abilities. We did [...]

Read the full article →

Human Communication as an Act of Faith

May 3, 2009

Each time I listen, speak, read, or write, I assume that something positive could occur. I assume that I will be able to understand and to be understood. I believe that my utterances, like those of others, are worth the time and effort.
Why?
This is one of the great questions about human communication: Why do we [...]

Read the full article →

Speak Only if You Can Improve Upon the Silence

May 3, 2009

Why did the monastics sometimes take vows of silence.   Is silence better than speech?  Is there anything fundamentally wrong with speech?
It’s probably true that if we are busily talking we might be less inclined to listen to others. To observe them. To pay attention to them. Monologue does not guarantee intimacy. (Does dialogue? That’s a [...]

Read the full article →

Born to Communicate in Time

May 3, 2009

Augustine of Hippo believed that human beings were originally created as perfect communicators, living in complete unity with each other and God. I’m not so sure he was correct.
How could we creatures commune perfectly with other persons, let alone God? We’re finite creatures. Even if we could communicate perfectly with each other surely we couldn’t [...]

Read the full article →

Diversity in the Information Age

May 3, 2009

Among the popular words of our day is “diversity.” Writer and Kentucky farmer Wendell Berry, who refuses to own a computer, says that diversity is capacity. I experience that truth every time I write a book, plan a conference, or teach a class with others. We all can stretch our minds and deepen our hearts [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries