September 2005

This issue of the Report contains:

1. Christian Book-Selling--an Insider's View
2. Christian Book-Selling-a Publisher's View
3. You Asked About . . . Paid Critiques
4. Clyde Cowan--Reporting on Liberia
5. "When It Hurts To Be an American"
6. Briefly Stated

2. CHRISTIAN BOOK-SELLING-A PUBLISHER'S VIEW
Andy LePeau, Editorial Director at InterVarsity Press, in his most recent letter to authors, writes:
"The Christian Booksellers Association International Convention was different this year for a number of reasons. First they changed the name of the event held July 10-14 in Denver. It is now the International Christian Retail Show, which reflects the reality that has been true for some years that publishers are only about a third of the 410 exhibitors, with music and gifts making up the rest.
"The good news is that books from Christian publishers are reaching more readily into a variety of channels than ever before. I am sure you have seen such titles in Wal-Mart, Target, airport bookstores and elsewhere.
"It does mean that it is more of a challenge for Christian stores-as the 'Big Box stores' present a similar test to all specialty stores from sporting goods to hardware to groceries. In fact almost 300 Christian stores closed their doors last year. But half of all Christian stores actually increased their sales. So many retailers are meeting the challenge.
"IVP has always sought to make your books available in as many venues as appropriate. We want your books to be where people can easily find them. We have in the past year seen strong growth in CBA stores like Family, Lifeway and Mardel. Among general market stores we have had great success in expanding our presence in Borders. Our internet business, with Amazon.com especially, has also grown significantly. We currently have plans this fall to place books with several of the major mass merchandisers."
(Note: Out of 327 books nominated from 52 publishers, IVP books garnered the top spot in four of ten categories in the "Christianity Today" Book awards, 2005)

3. YOU ASKED ABOUT . . . PAID CRITIQUES
(Note: A new regular feature of the Report will be answers to your questions of general interest to writers. Send questions to scbaldwin@juno.com)
Q. Why must the CWI (Christian Writers Institute) charge so much for their critiques of short stories for which I get paid only $15 to $25? Some are worth only $50. I would be losing tons of money!
Curious,
Marilyn Ryan
A. You are right. Critiques often cost more than the piece would bring even if one sold it. In that sense, buying paid critiques is a losing proposition.
However, the time and skill needed to give a professional critique is worth the price that the critique services charge, they think. In other words, the person doing the critique has to know a lot and give time and mental energy to critiquing your manuscript. The laborer is worthy of his hire.
A paid critique only pays off for the writer if she learns a lot that she can apply not only to that manuscript but to her writing generally.
Otherwise, critiques are best obtained by belonging to a critique group, whose members critique one another.

4. CLYDE COWAN-REPORTING ON LIBERIA
Recently our Clyde Cowan trained Liberian missionaries to set up and run their own missionary training program, drawing on his experience as director of such a program in Canada. His host, Africa Christian Fellowship International (ACFI) plans to send out 200 missionaries within the next three years and already has missionaries in seven African nations. Clyde traveled with a medical/teaching team from Fellowship Bible Church in Tacoma.
Clyde says, "A writer of modest skill with a printing device would be a Pied Piper in Liberia. I spent some time encouraging a high school kid to write. He told me he was a writer and had written a book, so I asked him to show me. It was an illustrated book with flowery passages about autumn leaves, their colors, raking them, and so on. I asked, 'Did you write this?' knowing that was simply impossible for a child of civil war in West Africa's tropics.
'Oh, yes!' he exclaimed. I asked about his sources and he named another book. What he meant was that he had copied the other book in his own handwriting. His friends all beamed that their guy had "written" a book. I congratulated him.
"Liberian Christians have few books (some don't have Bibles), so the Bible was our only textbook for definitions, mission strategy, communications, cultural anthropology, everything. For visuals we drew with a stick on the ground. They loved case studies from North American Indians.
"Sidelights: Met a candidate in Liberia's presidential election. Lunched with a UN commander (Bangladesh) and fellow officers. Preached several times, heard stories from people tortured by rebels, aided nurses to treat a severely burned teenager, led one man to Christ, and had a baby named after me.
"Political/Cultural: Liberia is on the brink: return to civil war or move ahead into civil justice. There are more cars than a year ago and a slight sense of economic improvement, but Liberians are poor, many eating one meal of rice per day. The fortunate get two, the unfortunate none on many days. No electricity, no running water, cholera outbreak, all of this in the capital.
"The beaches are gorgeous with golden sand, where kids play soccer amid the waste of humans who use it as their toilet. Medical waste litters the sand with used syringes and needles.
"Liberia has a strong Christian heritage but Muslims are pushing in hard. There are many believers, who long for civil stability and need it to be able to send missionaries." (See I Timothy 2:1-4)

5. "WHEN IT HURTS TO BE AN AMERICAN"
Sharon Mumper is Director of Magazine Training Institute, headquartered in Austria. A version of the following article first appeared in PULSE, May 16, 2003 and is also included in a booklet of her essays entitled, "Of Curried Mutton Pizza and Other Delights." Contact Sharon at SharonMumper@compuserve.com.
"Ah, Chicago. The mafia!" The Austrian office worker had asked where I was from. It was 2003-nearly 100 years after the heyday of the mafia in Chicago. Yet, what did mention of the city of Chicago call to this Austrian's mind? The mafia.
The words were almost identical to those I heard from the mouth of a Chinese acquaintance nearly 20 years ago. "Chicago! Bang! Bang! Mafia!"
One American visitor to Africa tells of the puzzlement of an African watching him unpack. "But where is your revolver?" he asked. The assumption: Every American carries a gun.
Where do people get their impressions of America? Primarily television and the movies, it seems. Of course, America isn't the only country to be reduced to clichés. Mention Austria to most Americans and you'll hear a rousing rendition of "The hills are alive with the sound of music."
But mafia and Sound of Music impressions, even if annoying, are relatively harmless clichés-hardly worth the trouble of trying to refute. A greater challenge is the anti-Americanism making its way around the globe in the wake of the war in Iraq.
Whatever most American missionaries' views of the war, hardly anyone likes to hear their native land disparaged. We may not completely trust the motives of our own government, but most Americans are willing to give our leaders at least the benefit of the doubt-in distinct contrast to many non-Americans, who these days are inclined to assign the worst possible motives to the president and other American leaders, regardless of what they do.
We hear a lot about terrorism, and missionaries are admonished to take precautions and to avoid potentially dangerous situations. But what about psycho-terrorism? How do missionaries deal with the debilitating effect of disparaging comments from locals, the anti-American tone of newscasts, the little digs, and occasional bouts of outright haranguing?
Personal experience suggests that attempting to change people's minds is futile. Arguing over American policy, intentions, or actions is counterproductive.
At some point, we have to decide that it isn't our duty to defend America. We must come to terms with the fact that not everyone will appreciate the finer points of America, and that some people will hold with all their strength to false impressions, exaggerations, and outright lies passed on to them. Why is it important to us that people appreciate our country-or at least extend to it the benefit of the doubt? Is our own sense of self worth wrapped up in our identification with our country?
"Proud to be an American," is a phrase we hear coming out of America often these days. What about those who serve as missionaries overseas? Can wounded pride be a stumbling block in our efforts to win others to Christ? It certainly can if we allow our hurt feelings to come between us and those to whom we are to minister.
We who are missionaries need to remind ourselves from time to time that we are not ambassadors of America, but ambassadors of Christ-representatives not of America, but of the Kingdom of God.
This doesn't mean we can't be good citizens of America, but it means we must be even better citizens of Christ's kingdom, holding its goals higher than our own need to feel accepted and appreciated as Americans.
But it is easier said than done. If we are verbally attacked by those who identify us with American policy, how do we avoid letting a chip find its way onto our shoulder? Or, how do we manage not to slink when virtually everyone around us views our country as an outlaw nation?
As missionaries, our American citizenship has often opened doors for us. We shouldn't be surprised when it sometimes slams those doors.
The Apostle Paul used his Roman citizenship for all it was worth. And in those days, it was worth a lot. Yet, he was willing to suffer abuse and humiliation for the sake of Christ, laying down even the things that once were a source of pride.
Maybe we need to lay down our pride in our own citizenship as Americans. Not our respect for America's leaders and our appreciation for all that is right in our country. And certainly not our intercession for America and its leaders. But whatever is laid at the foot of the cross cannot rise up in a huff to defend its interests-and, incidentally, lay the sword to the goals of Christ and his Kingdom.
Proud to be an American? How about proud to be a child of God? Now, there's a relationship in which our sense of self worth can revel.

6. STATED BRIEFLY
1) Stan: Thinking of you and thanking God for you on EDITOR'S DAY. It's a joy sharing the same burden with you--to see Christ glorified through writing.
Many blessings, Janey
Janey L. DeMeo, Founder/president ORPHANS FIRST

2) Drama Workshop Plans have been confirmed. Chuck Neighbors and Steve Wilent will conduct seminars in Madras, India under the auspices of ICW and GIFTS from March 27-29, 2006. They will then travel to Mumbai (Bombay) on March 30 and conduct a seminar and performance there on March 31. To contribute to the expense of these workshops, send your tax-deductible contribution to ICW, Clackamas Bible Church, 15655 SE Johnson Road, Clackamas, OR 97015. You may reach Chuck Neighbors at drama@mastersimage.com.
GIFTS also hopes to schedule a seminar with Chuck in Toronto, Canada sometime this year or next year.

3) Southeast United States members can meet Stan Baldwin at the Glorieta Christian Writers Conference near Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 26-30. For full schedule and details check out the Glorieta site on the internet. The conference is directed by Marita Littauer of CLASS and is one of the premier conferences in the country.
While in New Mexico, Stan will also talk about his book A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON MY WAY TO OLD AGE in a live interview on KCHF-TV, channel 11. The program is called "God Answers Prayer" and is hosted by Blackie Gonzales and Linda Cobb. Stan will be on in the 9-10 a.m. slot on Thursday, October 27. The program is also carried nationwide on NPR Satellite, on Echostar Dish Network, and on DIRECTV.
UNTIL next time, keep writing, and if you want to write to me do NOT just hit reply. Address me at scbaldwin@juno.com
Stanley Baldwin, Director

For more information or questions contact us by email.

Copyright © International Christian Writers. All rights reserved.