Wednesday, July 28, 2010

UPDATE ON HOME SALE

I think I mentioned earlier that I had put my house on the market. The good news is that I sold it today--just 3 weeks after it was listed. Amazing! Tonight we're putting in an offer on the house we want to buy. Nerve wracking days, but we know the Lord is in it. Would appreciate your prayers that the purchase will go smoothly as well. I'll keep you posted. Then I hope to get back to business.

FULL SPIRIT MAGAZINE

We have created a Christian Magazine here in Tallahassee, FL and have a vision of producing our magazine nationwide.

This magazine is the result of my nearly 20 years experience working in the mental health field. There I saw first-hand how one’s spiritual life played a tremendous role in healing an individual of emotional scars, addictions, anxiety and depression, and so on.

At Full Spirit Magazine we firmly believe that while mental health therapy does a great job of helping the person come to understand their condition, it is through a personal relationship with the Lord that true healing occurs.

Scientific studies do, in fact, show that those with a strong Christian faith are far more successful in treatment.

That data only reinforces what we feel in our hearts… Christ has healed our lives and can heal others.

Our magazine is dedicated to what we refer to as “Christian Self Help.” Each issue has stories of success and victory over very troubling issues.

Also featured in each issue are very informative articles from prominent Christian counselors, clergy, and leaders in the self-help field.

We want our readers to not only read stories of how people are changing their lives… we also want to help them understand the psychology of that inner transformation.

It is our belief that God works though therapist, counselors, pastors, speakers, and writers. Each of these professionals on our staff sees their work as a ministry of sorts. Their goal is not to preach or proselytize. They simple help individuals grow in a way that God leads them.

We are a magazine that raises funds through the sale of ads. That may seem like the standard business model. However, we do work differently. Full Spirit Magazine operates by first partnering with a church or Christian group. We provide that organization with the professional quality magazine layout with these great articles and award winning graphics.

The church then goes out into their community to connect with advertising supporters. Many churches like the magazine just for this outreach opportunity it offers. After selling the ads all of the profits raised go to that organization. Full Spirit is also a tremendous fundraiser. A church community or Christian group can raise approximately $20,000 a year this way.

The people who create the magazine are compensated through these ad sales. Full Spirit Magazine only receives a $1000 fee. No portion of that fee goes towards our salaries.

Our artists receive a nice payment for their article (one of the most generous in the writing field). Counselors also get that writing payment or they can chose instead to advertise their services for free in their own community. Graphic designers are also paid well and have a chance to use their gifts to serve others.

The money for these professional services are part of the operational budget and are taken care of through ad sales.

A small portion of the fee paid to Full Spirit is used for office expenses. The majority goes to fund international adoption programs. Over 96% of funds raised this way go to support all these ministries.

We would love for you to become a part of this growing Full Spirit Community. We always welcome:
• New churches looking for a way to grow their ministry
• Writers
• Counselors
• Clergy
• Self-help Experts
• Prayer Support
• Adoption Agencies
• Graphic Artists
• Web Designers
• Business and Marketing Specialists
• Advertisers
• … and anyone with a heart for this sort of mission

Getting involved is easy.

Request a sample issue or Media Kit at: media@fullspiritmagazine.com

Submit articles to: submissions@fullspiritmagazine.com

Find out more about partnering your organization with ours at:
outreach@fullspiritmagazine.com

Or feel free to contact me directly at eric@fullspiritmagazine.com or at 850-322-8017

Thank You Very Much

Eric Myers

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
James 3:17

Monday, July 26, 2010

CHRISTIAN BOOKS FOR PRISONERS

The woman listed below is involved in a project to provide Christian books (paperbacks only) for prisoners at the Woodville, Mississippi prison. Becasue of prison restrictions the books must be sent to individual prisoners who will pass them along to others after they have read them. If you are interested in helping out by sending a copy of your book or books written by other Christians, contact her for information;

Ms. Bert Savarese, 311 Alexander Rd, Long Beach MS 39560; 601-488-0267; jolie101415@aol.com.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS - WEEK OF JULY 25

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (Northfield/Moody) is #3 on the paperback advice list.

The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough (B&H Publishing) is #6 on the paperback advice list.

Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees with Chris Fabry (Tyndale House) is #7 on the hardcover nonfiction list.

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson) is #8 on the hardcover advice list and #11 on the hardcover business list.

Radical by David Platt (Multnomah) is #10 on the paperback advice list.

Can American Survive? by John Hagee (Howard Books) is #10 on the hardcover advice list.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan) is #12 on the paperback advice list.

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (Thomas Nelson) is #14 on the paperback nonfiction list.

The Shack by William P. Young (Windblown Media) is #22 on the paperback trade fiction list.

90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey (Revell/Baker) is #23 on the paperback nonfiction list.

Take Four by Karen Kingsbury (Zondervan) is #32 on the paperback trade fiction list.

MARKETING BOOTCAMP

I wanted to let you all know about an event that is happening in northern California in August. We are doing a one-day Marketing Bootcamp in San Jose on August 21st. This special event is sponsored by CLASS and it is a day-long intensive workshop on how to market yourself as a speaker and a writer. Kathi Lipp who has become a best selling author and popular speaker by sheer determination will share her tips and sucesses and I will share my more than 3 decades of marketing expertise and help each person leave with a marketing plan that will work for them and their budget. We will cover the latest and greatest things about internet marketing and help each person learn how to build a platform, get more gigs, and sell more books. The course is valuable to both experienced and newbie writers and speakers.

I thought some of you might be interested for yourself and I also thought maybe you might know of some others who need this kind of training. I hope you can come but if you can't, please pass this information on to others.

The one-day conference is held on Saturday Aug 21st at a San Jose hotel and is only $99 for the full day of training. you can go to www.classeminars.org to get all the details about registration.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

AN-AUTHOR WORLD'S 2010 CONFERENCE

To be held August 7. Page 2: Making Your Book a Real Page Turner

Featuring Caldecott Medalist, Erci Rohmann

In Greenville SC. For details see Website: www.anauthorworld.com, or contact Tim Davis at 864-735-8133 or tim@timdaviscreations.com.

Monday, July 19, 2010

ATTENTION SHORT STORY AUTHORS!

We have 5 story's submitted and a prominent politician is considering writing the preface, I'm excited at the direction and progress of this project!

Seeking submissions for a “Sunday Supper” anthology. 10 to 20 writers are needed for an anthology of “Sunday supper” stories.
The story will be about you and your family at one of the last Sunday suppers together at around 4 to 13 years old. It should combine comedy and limited drama. We also seek two notable authors with “name recognition” to write the prefaceand conclusion (suggestions welcome!).
Proceeds from the book will be divided as follows: 50% up front will go to missions and feeding programs. Suggestions regarding deserving programs are welcome, OR, you may join in a non profit organization to oversee the distribution of funds.

The remaining 50% will be divided equally between all the authors, plus the writers handling the preface and conclusion of the book. There will be no prepayments prior to publication. All expenditures will be available
for study upon request.

Submission requirements: 5 to 8 pages approximately, 5.5 x 8.5 inch size, in black, with half-inch
margins on all sides, in single-spaced 14-point type. Please submit a PDF file for review,
OR
If you do not have a program to submit story's in this form, a simple paste into an email will do.
All submissions will be responded to; submitshortstory@yahoo.com
Please include e-mail address, and whatever personal information regarding your name and state in which you reside. More information will be required if your story is accepted.
Submissions Quickly Please!
I Sincerely Appreciate your consideration of this project.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS - WEEK OF JULY 18

Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees with Chris Fabry (Tyndale House) is #3 on the hardcover nonfiction list.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (Northfield/Moody) is #3 on the paperback advice list.

The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough (B&H Publishing) is #4 on the paperback advice list.

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson) is #8 on the hardcover advice list and #11 on the hardcover business list.

Radical by David Platt (Multnomah) is #10 on the paperback advice list.
Can American Survive? by John Hagee (Howard Books) is #11 on the hardcover advice list.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan) is #11 on the paperback advice list.

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (Thomas Nelson) is #17 on the paperback nonfiction list.

Take Four by Karen Kingsbury (Zondervan) is #21 on the paperback trade fiction list.

The Shack by William P. Young (Windblown Media) is #23 on the paperback trade fiction list.

90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey (Revell/Baker) is #24 on the paperback nonfiction list.

CLASS ANNOUNCES CONFERENCE BOOK PROJECT

CLASSEMINARS, Inc. announces a special conference book project for its annual CLASS Christian Writers Conference. The conference will be held in Abiquiu, New Mexico, November 10-14, 2010.

The unique opportunity for new and advanced writers to be published in a book is a first among Christian writers conferences. All attendees will work with a professional mentor to develop a story, article, or poem to be included in the book to be titled Out of the Overflow. WinePress Publishers, Enumclaw, Washington, will publish the book which will be available shortly after the conference.

Bruce Wilkinson, bestselling author of You Were Born for This and the fastest selling book of all time, The Prayer of Jabez, and one of America’s foremost Christian teachers, will be a featured keynoter at the conference which focuses on training writers in the craft of writing and connects writers with publishers and agents. The conference also features a spiritual formation emphasis to help attendees develop a deeper Christian walk and write more deeply.

For registration and other information, go to www.classeminars.org.

CLASSEMINARS, Inc, is the nation’s premier Christ-centered trainer of authors, speakers, and leaders and holds seminars across the nation each year.

Linda Gilden, well known author and speaker from Spartanburg, South Carolina, is the conference director.

The conference will be held at the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, located near Santa Fe.

Contact: Karen Porter, VP Marketing, 281-797-3920
Gerry Wakeland, President, 702-882-0638
kaeporter@gmail.com
www.classeminars.org

AFCW BOOK AWARD

At the International Christian Retailers Show in St. Louis, Missouri, ACFW announced a major change in their esteemed Book of the Year Award program.

Each year, publishers and individual authors enter hundreds of recent Christian fiction releases in the ACFW Book of the Year Awards contest. Past Book of the Year winners have included noted authors Tracie Peterson, DiAnn Mills, Robin Lee Hatcher, Kim Vogel Sawyer, and many other skilled CBA novelists honored by ACFW for excellence in Christian fiction.

In 1979, Bethany Publishing House editor Carol Johnson made a bold move that served as a catalyst for unprecedented growth in Christian fiction. It was a decision that changed the face of the industry and the content of readers’ bookshelves. Mrs. Johnson championed Christian fiction by acquiring author Janette Oke, whose Love Comes Softly blazed a trail for future storytellers.

“ACFW owes a great debt of gratitude to the pioneers of Christian fiction,” says ACFW President Cynthia Ruchti, “and to those who helped make Christian fiction the storytelling powerhouse it is today. To honor editorial pioneer Carol Johnson and others like her who envisioned how Christian fiction could make a mark in the publishing world,” adds Ruchti, “ACFW has renamed our Book of the Year Award. From this point on, the highest achievement in our award program for published authors will be The Carol Award.”

ACFW CEO and award-winning author Colleen Coble notes, “Although Carol Johnson is most content behind the scenes, her contribution to modern Christian fiction (both historical and contemporary) is impossible to measure. Where would we be today if she had turned down those earlier projects and the firestorm of fiction they helped unleash?”

Asked to comment on Carol Johnson’s impact, Bethany House Publishers’ Vice President of Editorial David Horton notes, “Carol’s vision for the future of fiction, her belief in the power of story to share God’s truth, her respect for the art of writing, her trust in the editorial process, and her abiding concern for her authors set the course that Bethany House continues to follow today. Her acquisitions knocked open doors we now take for granted. The books she edited touched millions of lives.”

Carol Johnson will be present for the awards banquet at ACFW’s annual conference September 17-20 in Indianapolis to present the inaugural Carol Awards. Janette Oke will attend as well, to join conferees and industry professionals in celebrating the growth of Christian fiction and to present Carol Johnson with ACFW’s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

ACFW is devoted to training its writers, educating them in the market, and serving as an advocate in the traditional Christian fiction publishing industry. With more than 2100 members and 21 local chapters in 15 states as well as a beyond-the-borders e-chapter, ACFW speaks loud and strong as The Voice of Christian fiction.

For interviews or more information about ACFW (www.acfw.com), contact Cynthia Ruchti, ACFW President, at president@acfw.com or Angela Breidenbach, ACFW Publicity pr@acfw.com.

ATTN: CHRISTIAN COMMUNICATORS

Due to popular demand, CLASS has added a 1-day Writers Express on Saturday, September 18,to proceed the CLASSeminar in St. Joseph, MO, September 20-22.
Writers Express, for just $99, is a separate event.

For more information and to register, please visit CLASSEMINARS.org.

UPDATE ON GUIDEPOSTS PRAYER BOOK

Hello author,
Just wanted to let you know we're still accepting manuscripts for book #9 in the Guideposts Extraordinary Answers to Prayer book, with the theme "Closer to God." We're seeking personal experience stories about how you've prayed about something and have grown closer to God as a result. Most of the stories should revolve around one experience. I'm attaching the original guidelines. We'll be accepting these probably for another week (I've been telling people the 12th, but if you send something in after that, we'll still be able to look at it, probably until the 17th).

I also wanted to remind you that the deadline for book 10 is slotted for August 15. The theme of book 10 is "Praying Together" and you can find more information on that in the attached guidelines letter.

The themes for the final two books in this series will be: 11) In Times of Change; and 12) Desires of My Heart. We'll be sending out a call letter with the guidelines, deadlines, and more description later.

As ever, thank you for your interest in this series. We hear lots of little things through the grapevine on how these books are ministering. Their spiritual impact seems to be great! =)

Thanks.
Jeanette Gardner Littleton
Editorial Associate

Extraordinary Answers to Prayer
(formerly Incredible Power of Prayer)
A Guideposts Series
with James Stuart Bell

NORTHWEST OHIO SEMINAR

Northwest Ohio Christian Writers Annual Seminar
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Holland Free Methodist Church
Holland, Ohio
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Dennis Hensley

Please visit website for times and pricing and details: www.nwocw.org. Open registration.

MARANATHA CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Maranatha Christian Writers’ Conference will be held near Muskegon, Michigan, September 27- October 1. With a focus on personal attention, the conference is jam-packed with information and inspiration provided by well-known experts. Jerry Jenkins will be joining us, along with Sally Stuart, Lynn Austin, Crystal Bowman, Mary Lou Redding, James Snyder and James Watkins. Dennis Hensley and Holly Miller will add advanced sessions. Other authors, editors, and publishers join the team to help you meet your publishing goals. The schedule includes continuing courses in your favorite genre and electives for continued growth. We also feature a Young Writers’ Day for young people. Affordable tuition includes entry to our writers’ contest and one-on-one consultations. See all the details on our web site: www.WriteWithPurpose.org

SOMERSAULT GROUP LAUNCHES

The ways people buy and read books have undergone revolutionary change in the last half decade. Book publishing is the latest major media to transition to the digital age. As a result of this shifting landscape, five publishing executives with more than 125 years of collective experience are teaming with international branding and marketing firm Grey Matter Group, Grand Rapids, MI, in launching Somersault Group, doing business as Somersault.

"For Somersault, the unprecedented changes in the publishing world aren't a crisis; they're a playground of possibilities," says John Topliff, General Manager. "Somersault will help clients embrace change and leverage it to fulfill their mission." Topliff comes to Somersault from Zondervan, a HarperCollins company (a division of News Corp.), where he was Vice President of Strategic Product Integration.

Somersault research has compiled some statistics about the current state of publishing at www.scribd.com/doc/33563914/State-of-Publishing-Now-1pg.

Due to rapidly churning communication technology and seismic shifts in the book market distribution landscape -- from the Internet to eReaders and the iPad to individual book print-on-demand capability -- publishers expect authors to take more responsibility for the development, promotion, and sales of their books. Somersault will help publishers, agents, ministry partners, and Christian authors adapt to these changes with dexterity. It combines the experience and vision of Somersault publishing executives with the integrated marketing and technology expertise of Grey Matter Group digital natives. Somersault will provide authors with brand counseling, editorial direction, research capabilities, marketing strategy, Internet and social media presence, and a comprehensive portfolio of publishing assistance.

Somersault's mission statement is: To change lives by connecting inspirational content creators with readers using exceptional creativity, right-now technology, and old-fashioned personal care.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

MY APOLOGIES

Dear Bloggers--I apologize for my silence for the last couple of weeks. I got my office moved to a rental space, but due to a number of glitches along the way, I didn't get Internet access again until yesterday. I have hundreds of e-mails to catch up on and then will get back to my regular routine. Thank you for your patience. Sally