Book Review—The Little Handbook to Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing

Goss, Leonard, and Don Aycock. The Little Handbook to Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2006. 267 pp., $14.99/paperback

(Review copy courtesy of B&H Publishing)

Purchase: B&H Publishing, CBD

Special Features: The back of the book features a sample style guide, which is an excerpt from The Little Style Guide to Great Christian Writing and Publishing, Leonard G. Goss and Carolyn Stanford Goss (Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004).

ISBNs: 0805432647 / 9780805432640

LCCN: BR44 .G66 2006

DCN: 808.0662 GOSS

Subject(s): Christian Literature, Authorship, Publishing

Leonard G. Goss is senior acquisitions editor at Broadman & Holman Publishers. He has led the editorial efforts at Crossway Books, Zondervan, and the Evangelical Book Club. Goss and his wife live in Franklin, Tennessee.

Don M. Aycock is a prolific author and seminar leader who speaks nationally on the topics of writing, prayer, men’s issues, and ministry. He also pastors Liberty Baptist Church in Palatka, Florida.

The Little Handbook reveals an insider’s view of the Christian publishing industry: how the market functions and how authors function within it. By revealing the step-by-step processes involved in publishing, Goss and Aycock seek to create a positive synergy between the publishing industry and the freelance author by increasing the author’s understanding of the publisher’s challenges, risks, and expectations.

The book is organized from the broad to the specific, from an overview of the publishing world, to the writer’s motivation, and the editor’s dilemma. The authors give pointers for constructing a book proposal and for examining that all-important publishing contract. Agents, conferences, and the editor-author relationship are all examined at length. This is a one-stop shop for the details about an industry that is often seen as too complicated to be understood.

Goss and Aycock begin with the unvarnished and difficult truth about the book business. They state that about one half of all Americans read only one book per year, and that number is steadily decreasing. The electronic age has also given readers a new source of reading material. How many people now surf the Internet instead of picking up a book? Millions of them. Then we live in a post-Christian cultural climate in which the Christian worldview is seen as archaic and boring. Finally, publishers themselves seem to be more concerned with what sells as opposed to what is great material that will stimulate a reader to active thought.

Moving to the writer’s point of view, they make a strong statement that publishing is ultimately about ideas:

The real business of Christian writing and publishing is promoting ideas. It is no exaggeration to say that we hold in our hands the power to mold minds, and we work in this field with a great sense of responsibility (p. xvi).

They move on to talk about the difficulty of the writing process as though to discourage the novice who only wants the rewards of a successful book without putting in the countless hours and frustration necessary to get there. They are very open with statements about writing being a very difficult and often thankless task. That said, they speak directly to the beginning writer and give him excellent advice:

1. Saturate yourself with reading great (not popular) writing.
2. Write regularly until it becomes a habit in your schedule.
3. Find a writing buddy, a mentor, a critique group, or someone else who will give honest feedback and help you improve.
4. Understand that Solomon was right when he said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” All writing is derivative. We all build on what has gone before.

They describe the editorial process and emphasize that every writer—veteran and novice—needs someone to help him improve his work. The book contains several interviews with editors, making this resource a treasure trove of information. This section alone makes the book worth the time and cost.

The book proposal is also examined at length with sections about the title, the content and premise, the outline, the market and competition, and the writer’s biography. The publishing contract is explored, and the book includes a sample contract with detailed explanations of what to watch for in key areas. They also emphasize that a reputable house won’t try to trick the author into signing a contract with unfair terms. The entire process is a give and take. The writer needs the publisher to get his work into print, and the publisher must have a reliable stable of authors in order to stay in business. However, reading and understanding those legal documents are vital to the author.

After examining publishing schedules and what to expect of an editor, they look to well-known writing teachers and conference coordinators for advice. When asked about what separates the successful writer from the unsuccessful writer, the publisher of Christian Communicator, Reg Forder, is quoted as saying, “Probably the number one characteristic is ‘persistence.’ Only those committed to the craft succeed. And their goal must be something other than financial gain or fame. The number one reason beginning writers fail in this business is that they simply gave up too soon” (p. 191).

I found the book to be brimming with good material—good advice for the beginning writer and helpful explanations for the veteran. The step-by-step clarification of the writing process is a valuable tool. It is well-written and well-researched. My one objection to The Little Handbook to Perfecting the Art of Christian Writing is to the title. I had expected a handbook dealing with the art of writing as in matters of style and pointers on communication. However, this book deals primarily with the business of writing as in book proposals, contracts, publishing trends, and editorial relationships.

The sample style guide at the end seemed to me to be more of a plug for buying the full version of the style book rather than a real tool for a writer or editor. As an editor, I want an all-in-one volume for my style questions rather than a smattering of information that will more than likely leave me reaching for my trusty Chicago Manual of Style anyway.

My favorite quotation in the whole book was from Mark Twain: “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.”

Rosey Dow is the director of ChristianFictionMentors.com, a correspondence course for budding novelists. She is the author of nine novels, and her novel Reaping the Whirlwind won the 2001 Christy Award for excellence in fiction. A former missionary and lifelong mystery buff, Rosey makes her home on the East Coast, where she writes and speaks full-time. Visit her website.