Interview with Literary Agent Esther Fedorkevich, a Living Legend

I couldn’t be happier to be interviewing literary agent Esther Fedorkevich of The Fedd Agency. Esther is a first-generation American, the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants born in Argentina and China — and she has that indefatigable immigrant spirit in spades. After breaking records selling Bible studies for Lifeway and then working for The Lampo Group, […]

3 Life Lessons from Winnie the Pooh

Every now and again a book comes along that resonates so deeply, it becomes a classic. The four books A. A. Milne wrote for children, not least his only son Christopher, did exactly that. My six-year-old son and I have had a blast reading these books at bedtime. One reason they are so popular, I’m […]

The Most Counter-Intuitive Advice You Can’t Live Without

A counselor friend recently enrolled in a program to learn a particular kind of therapy. I asked him how it was going, and he told me he loves it. “Get this,” he said, “Our first homework assignment is to practice ‘exquisite self-care.’” “What?” I said. “Isn’t that a little self-absorbed?” “I know, right? That’s what […]

How to Start a Group That Nourishes Your Creativity

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist Whether it’s Benjamin Franklin’s Junto, C. S. Lewis’s Inklings, John Wesley’s class meetings, or the Latin American base communities, one thing is clear. Join or start a group […]

How to Get Published in Five Steps

Recently I participated in a Q & A session for writers at Baker Book House—a very fine Christian book store in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (By the way, if you don’t already subscribe to Louis McBride’s “Baker Book House Connection,” it’s worth your time. While you’re at it, check out the blog of Josh Mosey, the […]

How to Come Up with a Great Book Concept

A Simple Two-Step Process

Let me start with three reasons working on a book with a lousy concept is a bad idea: Beautiful, compelling writing is terribly important to publishers, but if your beautiful writing is in the service of a concept that no one will buy, publishers will have a hard time getting excited. A far-reaching platform is […]