WRITING OPPORTUNITY WITH DR. LARRY CHAPMAN

Dear Writer,

Would you like to be part of an exciting writing venture with Dr. Gary Chapman, best-selling author of The Five Love Languages? Dr. Chapman and I are pulling together a new book and we’d like to invite you to be a part of it.

You may be familiar with me as the editor of the Christian segment of A Cup of Comfort series of inspirational stories published by Adams Media. Or you may connect me with the Life Savors series (Tyndale), or the Guideposts’ Extraordinary Answers to Prayer series of stories. Whether you’re one of the wonderful writers who inspired others through these compilations, or whether you’re new to my projects, I’d like to hear your story.

A number of Dr. Chapman’s books have dealt with the theme of love in relationships – not only how to effectively communicate love but also learning to become a loving person. Previously, we put together a volume of stories entitled Love is a Verb: Stories of What Happens When Love Comes Alive. Now Dr. Chapman would like to give others an opportunity to share how God’s love has transformed their life and the lives of others.

We are compiling a collection of these pieces in a volume entitled, The Love is a Verb Devotional: Stories of God’s Love in Our Lives, which Bethany House will publish in autumn, 2011. It will contain 365 daily one-page stories, each with a title and one Scripture verse and a one-sentence concluding thought. The main body of the story must be between 150 and 175 words. The Scripture verse can be between 10 and 30 words. The title would ideally be four words but may be up to six. The concluding thought would ideally be 10 words but no more than twenty.

The devotionals should demonstrate how God’s love for you, and in you, has empowered you to love authentically and transformed you and your relationships. Those relationships include: spouses, family members, friends, and fellow workers. But they may also relate to a neighbor, acquaintance, or even someone like a homeless person. We will also accept stories that reveal how God’s love brought positive change in you.

We prefer the style of devotional that primarily revolves around one story or illustration; devotionals that are more story-driven than teaching or focusing on scripture in an expository manner. They should focus on illustrations that depict the intriguing work of God’s love. We prefer stories to be in first person, based on your personal experience of growth. But “as-told-to” stories will be considered.

If your piece is selected, you will receive a one-time fee of $10 upon publication per piece, author copies, and author discounts of 50%. We do not accept reprints, but after the book is published, authors may resell their devotions to other markets. You may submit as many devotions as you like.

We would like to receive all submissions by February 1, 2011, but hope most will be submitted by the end of the year. We will announce those selected for the book around April 15, so we ask for your patience through the process. If your story is selected, we will send a permission agreement for you to sign.

Please include all contact information (name, address, e-mail address, phone, brief bio) on your manuscript (not just in the e-mail), and attach your submission as a Word file. Please send all submissions and address all queries to my associate, Jeanette Gardner Littleton, at livseries@earthlink.net.

You may feel free to pass this e-mail along to others. If you have received this e-mail from a friend, we regularly contact authors about manuscript needs. If you’d like to be on our editorial list to receive these calls, let us know.

Thank you so much for considering participating in this exciting follow up to Love is a Verb.

Blessings to you and yours,

James Stuart Bell
Editor with Dr. Gary Chapman