My First Rejection Opened Other Doors

By John Vonhof
2010 FCWC faculty

I attended my first writers’ conference in 1996. With visions of success, I had a book idea and a manuscript. It would catch the eye of an editor. It was a book about pastoral search – helping vacant churches find a pastor. I thought I had a winner.

Then I got my manuscript back. Yes, there was red ink. Lots. Apprehensive, I read the comments. No market. Too small a market. Not for me. Needs work. Not marketable. And more. I went home rejected.

But I believed in my book. I went home and did my homework. First, I taught myself how to do layout, design, and marketing – and in 1997 self-published my search book. Second, I researched the market and found an interdenominational publishing house, the Alban Institute. In 1999, Alban took my book and published it as The Alban Guide to Managing the Pastoral Search Process.

Has it been a best seller? No. It is a niche market book with a select audience. But, it has continued to sell year after year. Then ten years later, in 2009, I pitched a second edition to my editor at Alban. The revision, now called The Pastoral Search Journey, will be out this month.

That first rejection taught me a valuable lesson. Another lesson I never forgot was a woman sharing her book idea at another conference. It was a book for parents about protecting their children at school. The speaker told her it was not a workable idea. Several years later Columbine happened and the value of her book was evident to me. I don’t know what happened to her idea.

What’s my point?

• Believe in your idea – but be willing to think outside the box if your idea is rejected. 
• Study the market. 
• Seek advice from freelancers at the conference. Most have had the same experience and can give you a fresh perspective. 
• Spend time brainstorming how your idea can be modified or enhanced to make it better. 
• Study other book that are similar. Realize that there are other publishers and research other markets. 
• Work with a critique group to gain valuable insights to improve your proposal and manuscript.

I love talking to new writers who are struggling to find a home for their writing. It’s refreshing to hear their enthusiasm. If you come to Florida and need a listening ear, find me. I’d love to talk.

John Vonhof is teaching the pre-conference session, Thinking Like an Editor; three workshops: Fine-tuning your Writing Niche, Writing and Publishing an E-book, and Taking Your Writing Beyond Paper; plus two After Hours.

Is This Your First Writers' Conference? Learn the Ropes from John Vonhof

Here’s an overview of the three workshops John Vonhof will be teaching at the 2010 FCWC:

Thinking Like an Editor ­

This pre-conference evening workshop (included in your registration fee) focuses on making your conference the best possible by knowing how an editor thinks.

From an editor's point of view we’ll talk about:

• your writing idea
• perfecting your pitch
• pitching your idea
• making your proposal, sample chapters and articles right for their publishing house

Fine-tuning your Writing Niche ­

We'll look at fine-tuning our writing niche by exploring the importance of ideas, niches in various genres, keyword searches, market size and value, Web sites, and type of writing to exploit your niche.

Writing and Publishing an E-book ­

E-books are a great choice for writers.

We'll explore the best types of writing for an e-book, software, formatting, adding value, where to sell them, pricing, marketing, and resources. CD of resources for participants.

John Vonhof writes for Christian and secular markets. He is the author of self-published and mainstream books and booklets, with articles in print and on the web. He is an expert on finding ideas and writing for niche markets.

His niche book, Fixing Your Feet, is going to a 5th edition in 2011 while his book on The Pastoral Search Journey is being released in early 2010 in a 2nd edition.

John is the owner of www.WritersConferenceGuidelines.com, a Web site to help writers get the most out of attending a writers’ conference. He loves helping new writers discover their writing niche and how to market their writing.

Planning to Pitch Your Writing Project to an Editor or Agent? Follow These Guidelines

By John Vonhof
2010 FCWC faculty

Sixteen years ago I went to my first writers’ conference. I was a rookie. I had my proposal and a sample chapter – such as they were. I had studied the list of speakers and knew who wrote what and who I wanted to talk to.

Looking back, I thought I had done my homework. I’m an analytical person, thinking things through and trying to plan ahead. I had a book idea. It was good. At least I thought so. But I went home with rejections. Deflated.

I returned year after year and kept learning. Having attended more than 36 conferences as participant and speaker, I’d like to share a few thoughts on planning for a conference.

At every conference, I talk to writers who are frustrated because they can’t interest an editor in their idea. Just like I was when I attended my first conference.

Let’s start with your writing idea. Whether it’s for a book or article, it must be the best you can do. Maybe you think it’s your best. But until you have studied the craft of writing and received feedback from others, it’s probably not your best. Here’s where critique groups come in. Join one if you can (on-line or face-to-face) and learn from the feedback of others. And don’t forget to read a book about writing in your genre.

The same goes for your proposal or query letter. It’s your responsibility to know how to write them. If you haven’t read a book about queries or proposals, take the time to do so and then implement what you learn. You have the opportunity to submit proposals, queries, articles, and sample chapters to the faculty. You want them to be professional.

How about your idea? Have you identified its audience? Is it large enough to make the publisher money through book or magazine sales? Publishing is a business and while we love our ideas, they have to stand on their own merits. Too small a market makes it hard for publishers to earn back expenses. An over done idea will be a hard sell. An idea whose time has come and gone will receive no support.

On the other had, an idea that has been thoroughly explored and vetted, an audience identified as well as how to reach them, is timely, has been written as close to perfect as possible, and is a good match for the publisher to whom it is being pitched, has a better chance of catching an editor’s interest.

Did you catch that last point – a good match for the publisher? Billie does a great job of getting publishers, editors and agents to the conference. Look over the faculty list and do your due diligence to learn what they publish. Spend a few hours exploring their Web sites to see what type of books they publish, or if a magazine, what articles they use. Find several that might be a good match for your writing. Your pre-conference submissions should go to these individuals.

Then at the conference, meet them and get feedback on your submission. Remember that the faculty at the conference is a small representation of the much larger Christian publishing industry. While you may not find a home for your writing at the conference, you will learn a lot to help you polish your work and this will help you submit to other publishers after the conference.

I love to talk to writers about their writing interests. Many are well thought out and with patience and perseverance, they will be published. Unfortunately, many others are not. When you decide to go to a writers’ conference, you need to make a plan that will not only help you be successful, but also the editors to whom you pitch your ideas.

If you want to learn what came out of my first ideas and rejections, ask me at the conference. It may inspire you. I took those rejections and turned them into a positive outcome.

John Vonhof writes for Christian and secular markets. He is the author of self published and mainstream books, with articles in print and on the web. He is an expert on finding ideas and writing for niche markets. His niche book, Fixing Your Feet, is going to a 5th edition in 2011 while his book on The Pastoral Search Journey is being released in early 2010 in a 2nd edition.

John is the owner of www.WritersConferenceGuidelines.com, a Web site to help writers get the most out of attending a writers’ conference.

Making the Most of the Writers’ Conference - John Vonhof

By Jon Vonhof
Freelance writer, author, speaker
Manteca, CA

Need help figuring out how to negotiate the ins and outs of the Florida Christian Writers Conference? I’ve developed a new Web site -- WritersConferenceGuidelines.com, to help other writers. The site evolved from an idea at the 2006 FCWC.

The site is designed to help writers master the conference submission process. You’ll learn:

• What goes into writing different parts of your submission package and how to do it right
• How to write cover letters, queries, book proposals
• How to format articles and manuscripts
• Genre tips
• How to prep for meeting with faculty

The site also includes links and resources; samples of queries, proposals, and manuscript formats, and guidelines for individual conferences. Plans are to add interviews with agents, editors and authors.

John Vonhof is a freelance writer who writes for the Christian and secular markets. He has taught at the Mt. Hermon (2003-08), Florida (2004-08), Castro Valley (1999-2008), San Diego (2000), and Hercules (2001) Christian Writers’ Conferences, The Bay Area Independent Publishers Association's Conference (2003 & 2005), and the Learning Annex (2000) in San Francisco.

John has self-published four books and two booklets—two of the books have been picked-up by mainstream publishers. He has been published in Christian and secular magazines, newsletters and Internet sites. He has published an e-zine for nine years and a blog for three years. Visit John at www.johnvonhof.com and www.fixingyourfeet.com/

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