Interview with Steve Laube of the Steve Laube Literary Agency

Steve Laube is a 28 year veteran of the bookselling industry. He began in the bookselling arena and his store in Phoenix was named the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) "Store of the Year" in 1989. He then spent 11 years with Bethany House Publishers rising to the position of an editorial director. In 2002 he was named the AWSA Golden Scroll Editor of the Year. The next year he became a literary agent and in 2004 formed The Steve Laube Agency.

Welcome to Seekerville Steve. From your background we can see that you have the experience to sense what Christian readers look for in their literature. What specifically are you looking for in a client?

Thank you for the invitation. I hope my words will be of help to your readers.

We are looking for that author who has the ability to communicate their stories or ideas on paper (a great writer). Someone who has a sense of the market and knows where they can fit best. A person who is passionate about their calling and who are in this for the long haul.

How many new authors do you take on each year? Are you interested in submissions from new authors? (click here to see guidelines for submission)

I won't say no unless I've seen it. But I say "No" about 99.99% of the time. Our office receives nearly 2,000 proposals, in the mail, each year. Every one of them gets read by an outside reader, then each passes over my desk for final judgment.

I cannot quantify the amount of new clients we sign. It varies from year to year. We have finite resources, but I'm still looking for the "next best." But I don't hide who we represent. A quick look at our web site (www.stevelaube.com) will show the amazing authors we are privileged to be working with.

How much impact does winning a contest have on your consideration of new authors? Should they mention this in their query letter?

It depends on the contest. I once placed third in a drawing contest in elementary school, but I'm definitely not an artist.

However, if the contest is of some substance where the competition has a wide reach, then, by all means, mention it.

Query letters are notoriously difficult to write succinctly. Adding one more thing to the barrage of information may only muddy your effectiveness....unless the award is of significance.

How much impact does meeting a new author at a conference have? Does this give them an edge when submitting into the slush pile?

The bottom line is whether or not you can write. There are those who can talk their way out of jail, but not many can write their way out of jail.... So while you may be extraordinary in person, if you cannot execute the idea on paper, the market won't get too enthused.

That said, I'm a firm believer in writer's conferences. It is one of the few places you can learn from the best and network with other writers who can become lifelong friends.

The conference is also a safe place to fail. Even fail spectacularly! That is one of the best ways to learn. I know of a writer who recently said to me, "Steve, I remember the first conference where you saw my first horrible manuscript. The for the next six years, at subsequent conferences, you saw every new idea I created. Then one magical afternoon you read my work, tapped its pages, and said, 'This is the one.' And that manuscript became my first published book."

Is it important to you to see that a prospective author/client has publicity contacts in place? What things are most helpful? Blogs, Myspace, Facebook, website, etc.

An aggressive self-promoter can be attractive. But only if it makes sense. Too often I find authors have spent more time on the "cool factor" of Twittering and Blogging and haven't spent enough time learning how to write their own book!

At the very least, have a web site (use your name as the URL if you can).

If a book you represent is contracted for a movie, do you handle that or do you sub-contract with a film agent?

So far I've handled this myself. But I have consulted with an entertainment attorney if I had any questions. This is such a rare occurrence in our business. Everyone thinks their novel would make a great movie. But so few are optioned by a producer and even fewer are actually produced. In the Christian market where I focus my efforts you will note that nearly every "major" film based on a book was a book written by a bestselling author. Popularity begets popularity.

You have been a bookseller, editor and now an agent. What are some of your favorite experiences in this business?

I love the world of ideas. I always have. To see an idea get planted and then grow into something special in book form is enormously gratifying. Off the cuff I can name some favorites...

To see a first time, never before published, author like Cindy Woodsmall hit the NY Times bestseller list with her novels.

To discover new talent like Dave Meurer, Tricia Rhodes, Rene Gutteridge, Rebecca Barlow Jordan, Donna Partow, and Laura Jensen Walker at a writers conference and see their careers flourish.

Listening to Randy Ingermanson and John Olson pitch their idea for a cool science fiction story about a manned mission to Mars. Then having that book win the Christy Award!

Pulling a manuscript out of the slush pile at Bethany House and publishing Ellie Kay. Now to see her on national media ("Nightline," etc.) helping people with their personal finances.

Publishing Karen Hancock's first novel and then watching her win the Christy Award for the best Fantasy novel four years in a row.

The privilege of editing, acquiring, or representing extraordinary and talented writers like Calvin Miller, Norm Geisler, H. Norman Wright, Bill Bright, David Gregory, Antony Flew, Martha Bolton, Larry Christenson, John Rosemond, William Backus, Michael Reagan, John Michael Talbot, dc Talk, Stephen Miller, Judith Pella, Gilbert Morris, Kathy Tyers, Cec Murphey, Tracey Bateman, Lisa Bergren, Allison Bottke, Leslie Vernick, Jack Cavanaugh, William Lane Craig, Karol Ladd, Susan May Warren, and so many others. I risk leaving out so many friends in this paragraph!

To be the editor behind the last two revisions of the classic Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin. The first revision with general editor Hank Hanegraaff. The second revision with Ravi Zacharias. And then as an agent working with the Walter Martin estate to create an incredible new reference book on the occult called The Kingdom of the Occult (published by Thomas Nelson).

In my bookselling days I remember the few who would come back a few weeks later and thank me for recommending a certain title. One young fellow said that the first book we sold him set him on a path which has him ministering as a pastor.

Thank you for that trip down memory lane! It is humbling to recite the list. The Lord has been overly generous.

Your website is packed full of useful information and advice for writers. He has links to writer’s conferences, schools, books, and an extensive description of the Christian bookseller industry. Is there anything else you might like to add for writers who are close to publication?

Malcolm Gladwell's new book Outliers talks of a common secret to success. Ten years or ten thousand hours. He noticed that so many "overnight" success stories were actually the result of working at something for ten years or ten thousand hours. Writing is much the same way. Some are born with the gift and snap off brilliant material for years. But most of us have a kernel of the gift that we can nourish and develop into something worthwhile. Having the perseverance to see that through is one of the secrets of success for a writer.

Thank you for joining us today in Seekerville. Mr. Laube won’t be blogging with us due to prior commitments, but if you ask questions, I will forward them to him this afternoon and post his answers on the blog this evening (Arizona time). Be sure and check out his website. There is an extensive interview that answers any question you can think of in this business.

Since Mr. Laube is a fellow Phoenician and its in the triple digits here, we're offering ice cold cappuccinos to give us a boost. I've also put out a spread of blueberry blintzes and a dish of tropical fruit-mangoes, papaya, berries and chunks of pineapple.