Christian Publishing Show

Have you ever started a book but struggled to get past the first few chapters? Or maybe you finished one, only to feel let down by the ending? The truth is, beginnings and endings can make or break a novel.
In this week’s episode, I sit down with Christy Award-winning author Angela Hunt to unpack what makes a strong opening that hooks readers and a satisfying ending that keeps them talking.
We’ll cover:
How to craft an...

Have you ever dreamed of writing a novel but don’t know where to start? Maybe you've tried before, but the story just didn’t come together—or you’re staring at a blank page, unsure of what to do next.
In our latest episode, we’re talking to Steve Laube, seasoned literary agent and co-author of Write Your First Novel. Steve shares actionable advice on:

• Creating characters your readers will love.
• Crafting a plot that keeps...

Imposter syndrome sometimes tells you the truth.Sometimes, you really do need to get better at the task in front of you to succeed. Many gurus will tell you that you already have everything you need. You just need to pay them money so you can be successful. But in the real world, success requires the hard work of improving your craft. Now, it's true, sometimes imposter syndrome lies, but deep down, you know you can improve.But...

In college, I took a class on entrepreneurship, where our big project was to write a business plan. That same semester, I was also working on a book proposal, and I realized that book proposals are business plans.
Fundamentally, they serve the same purpose. A business plan helps you convince investors to invest in your business, and a book proposal helps you convince publishing companies to invest in your book.
To be tradit...

I'm excited to announce that tickets are now for sale for the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference. The conference will be held in Austin, Texas, on January 17th and 18th. This event is not a typical writer's conference where you learn how to write and publish a book. Our conference is focused on book marketing, and our goal is to help you make 2025 the best year of your author career so far!
In this episode, you'll f...

You've likely heard the advice that writers should show instead of tell. Sometimes, it's good advice and can make your scenes better and your story more compelling. But it can also be terrible advice that will make your book unbelievably long and hard to get through.
If you show every single thing in the room or on the journey where your story takes place, then the plot, characters, and even the dialogue get crowded o...

Stories communicate truth in ways that facts and statistics cannot. They touch places in our souls that sermons cannot reach. When you open your Bible, the very first thing you find is not the Ten Commandments but a story. Even biblical instruction is often couched in a story because a story is a powerful tool for communicating truth.
God knows that. He created in us a desire for story.
Christian authors can leverage story ...

Some authors just want to get their book "out there." They don't plan on writing additional books or becoming professionals. But others want to make writing a career and maybe pay the bills with income earned from their writing.
If you want to have a career as a professional writer, you have to do at least two things.
First, you must become an amazing writer. Second, you need to start acting like a business o...

If you've ever transcribed a conversation between two people, you know the resulting text is a bunch of incomprehensible, run-on sentences and fragments. Natural conversation does not translate well onto the written page.
When we write novels, we need to realize that good, written dialogue does not imitate the way real people talk. We also don't want our written dialogue to sound contrived and awkward.
How do you ...

Most humans try to avoid conflict as much as possible, but novelists love conflict.

Without conflict, a novelist has no story. Conflict keeps your novel moving forward and your readers turning pages.

As Vladimir Nabokov once said, "The writer's job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them."

But how do you get your protagonist up a tree? ...

You’re probably tired of hearing that you need a large platform to be a successful author.
Some industry professionals believe having a large platform is equivalent to having a large social media following.
If you’ve been listening to the Christian Publishing Show or Novel Marketing, you know that having a social media following doesn’t necessarily mean you have a platform. Nor does it mean you’ll sell more books than someo...

When authors attend writers conferences, they often have big expectations but make common mistakes that squash their goals and diminish the return on their investment in the conference.
In this episode, you’ll learn

• 11 common mistakes authors often make and how to avoid them
• How to avoid missing opportunities
• The right time to attend your first conference

Listen in or read the blog version to find out how to make the most ...

The stories we ingest shape the morality we develop, but only to a point.
If a story’s morality strays from reality or gets too twisted, the story fails to resonate with readers. Moral confusion is why movies and TV shows are less entertaining than they used to be.
But what is morality?
Why is it so important for good stories?
How do you put a message into your book without being preachy?
In this month’s episode...