Hi! I've been the church librarian at First Baptist Mustang, OK, for about twelve years. Last year a dream of mine was realized when Bethany House bought my historical romance - Sixty Acres and a Bride. Its release date is February 1, 2012.
I'm curious if there are any other authors on this loop - fiction, non-fiction, articles, skits, etc. Also, how can authors better serve the church library, book clubs, etc? How can we connect with the readers you know?
Thanks and God bless,
Regina
Replies
There are several Christian or general authors in the Oklahoma area who would gladly do a book reading at your library - especially if they could also promote or sell their books. Right now there are few outlets for many authors due to financial cutbacks by organizations and civic groups.
A large church or churches might even sponsor a "Christian Writers Book Festival" to raise funds for the library or some special literacy project.
P.S.- I have been published, have been a professional storyteller, and have promoted many authors on a blog I run. Both authors and storytellers are often eager to help community groups.
Hi, my name is Craig Dressler, and I am an author who has had several Christian books published both for teens and adults. If there are any church librarians in the Pacific Northwest who would like to contact me, feel free to do so at the following website via the contact page: Christian Books
Volunteer to speak to church library groups near you. I live in Columbia, SC, and two great authors who live in Charlotte, NC, often speak to church library groups. They are Robert Whitlow and Don Brown. We love having authors speak.
Hello, Regina! My book is non-fiction--Storytelling in a Nutshell. Maxine J. Bersch, LifeWay Press. c1998 now in 4th printing. I have many published articles on storytelling, various aspects of it and have been honored by Morlee in publishing a page for church librarians on the subject. I published a story in the Nov/Dec. issue of Guidepost's magazine, "Angels on Earth." Now about the suggestions for getting the reading of Christian fiction, I suggest that you give copies of the various author's books to the staff, and get them reading them so they can talk them up when they are working with the patrons. Another good way is to give a book that you like, (new to the collection) to a certain key person in the church and ask if he/she would please read the book and give a brief review of it. Ask the pastor for a five minute slot for the library. This would be at the Wednesday night meeting or the Sunday night meeting when things are not as structured as they are at the morning service, and this type announcement would not be appropriate anyway. I have used this with success. What do you think of a brown-bag book discussion group that would meet periodically? This would be a great way to open up such a meeting to friends, for example use a duplicate copy that you happen to have of a recent Christian book release and ask a reading friend to come and visit the group and give a review of that book. All the members of the group should feel free to invite friends to join and enlarge the circle even outside the church and in this way, I believe, we might be able to win some to Christ. I find as an author that I usually gravitate toward reading people. When a patron comes in the church library, if they are engaged in conversation , many times something interesting that you just read can be brought into the conversation, as you take the book off the shelf and show it. Many times then they become a fan of that particular author of a series. Now, the main result I hope for in writing this is that it stirs your own imagination. Ideas start popping up that are far more suitable for your own situation! Merry Christmas! Maxine (Most people know me by Mackie.)
Thanks for the thorough reply, Mackie. You gave me several good suggestions there. I love the idea of using book reviews. Not only will the review encourage people to read, but the reviewer will probably make more of an effort to steer people towards the library and reading Christian fiction.
Thanks!
P.S. Congratulations on your book. 4 printings is impressive.
Regina, I am over in Glendale, AZ (Phoenix) for my usual Christmas visit. I am working everyday on my memoirs. Will be celebrating my 93rd BD on Jan.23rd, so I have many stories to tell. I am in the process of getting a website, and hope you will visit me on it. I will let you know when it is up and running. Our family Christmas was lovely. I always love Christmas. I visited an old friend who lives in Timpson, TX for a couple of weeks in early Nov. While there I did Queen Esther in costume for her church, and it was well received. Were you at Ridgecrest last March when I did it for the librarians? I am so happy that I can still be used of the Lord! Happy new Year, Love, Mackie