My ACFW Conference Take

By Elizabeth Ludwig

I was privileged to attend the 2015 American Christian Fiction Writer’s Conference recently in Dallas, Texas. This is an event that I’ve attended before. In fact, I’ve only missed a couple of conferences since I started writing for publication back in 2002. The math on this one is pretty simple…that’s fourteen conferences over a span of an equal number of years (give or take a year when life got in the way). 

On paper, the conference hasn’t changed much. The focus has always been directed toward teaching aspiring authors the craft of writing and inducting them in the intricate, and often treacherous, world of publishing. To accomplish this, the staff at ACFW do quite a remarkable job of scheduling informative workshops and speakers with a heart for authors. They also put together an impressive list of industry professionals—editors, agents, book reviewers, and media—for authors to meet and talk to about their respective writing projects. 

At one time, this was a very valuable experience. In 2002, as an unpublished, un-agented author with a dozen different writing projects and no clear sense of direction, what ACFW provided was instruction and guidance. Several years later, with thirteen book titles to my name, including a Carol Award Finalist, an ECPA bestseller/SELAH Award Finalist, and a Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Finalist, I have to admit that the conference no longer holds the same allure. In addition, I honored to say that I am represented by one of the most respected agents in the business. 

ACFW 2015: Beth Adams, Elizabeth Ludwig, Susan Downs

So what is the takeaway for an author in my position? Why would I bother spending the money to go to a conference that I’ve attended at least twelve times before? 

If I’m honest, I struggled to answer that question before arriving in Dallas. I justified the expense with some inane excuses that sounded good but held very little validity. And then, I looked over my schedule. Along with the appointments I remembered, I had signed up to serve as an appointment monitor.

For two hours!

Two hours of doing nothing more than standing outside a door and holding up my hand to signal when the time on a fifteen-minute appointment expired (insert whine here). Two hours of pacing in bored stupor while the workshop I really wanted to attend went on without me and other people went in to speak with people I hoped to meet but now would not be able to…or so I thought. 

What really happened was that I stood outside the door and chatted with a representative from RT Book Reviews for almost all of those two hours. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by a representative from Library Journal who asked about my books, my career, and eventually my publishing history. Please understand…I have never, ever had the chance to rub elbows with such prestigious industry professionals for such an extended length of time. With my very best efforts, I could not have coordinated such an opportunity! 

In addition, I renewed old contacts as I walked editors and agents to their seats, introduced them to their respective appointments, and volunteered my services as timekeeper, hostess, and overall gopher. 

That, my friends, is the takeaway from a conference such as ACFW. It’s not always about the scheduled appointments. Sometimes, it’s about the chance meetings that only God can orchestrate. It’s about the friendships that happen over coffee, and the kinship that comes with shared prayers in crowded hallways. Finally, it’s about stepping out in faith, without an organized agenda but with a heart for service—even if that heart started out whining, and ended up being incredibly and unbelievably blessed. 

Elizabeth Ludwig is the award-winning author of No Safe Harbor and Dark Road Home, books one and two in the popular EDGE OF FREEDOM series. Book three in the series, Tide and Tempest, was recently named a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Elizabeth was also named a finalist in the 2015 Selah Awards for her novella “One Holy Night”, part of the bestselling anthology collection, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine. She is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

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A Visit with Elizabeth Ludwig

Today we have a real treat. The Borrowed Book's own Lisa Ludwig is here to talk to us about her writing life. Pull up a chair and enjoy!

How many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles?

I have 9 books published so far, with one more coming out later this year. So exciting! I can hardly believe that not so long ago, I was hoping and praying for that first contract.

My newest series is called Edge of Freedom. It’s Historical Suspense from Bethany House Publishers. Book one, No Safe Harbor, came out in 2012, book two, Dark Road Home, in 2013, and the third book in this series, Tide and Tempest, released this month.

The series is about an Irish immigrant family who’s desperate and bloody past follows them to America. There is romance, danger, political intrigue—and of course, a whole lot of suspense! I have loved working on these books.

What are the chief lessons you’ve learned about the writing life since you sold your first book?

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and of necessity, I have learned to be very disciplined in my writing. There are very few months when I don’t have a deadline looming, whether it's contract obligations, editing and revisions, or something else. That means I need to guard my time and approach my writing with the same energy and dedication I would any full time job. Fortunately, my family is very supportive, and they all understand that when I’m working, they need to pitch in and help at home. They almost always do. 

What are the chief lessons you’ve learned about promotion?

Wow…I never realized how much promotion I would have to do when I sold my first book. That in itself is a full time job. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way, though I should note, most of these lessons have come by hitting bumps in the road. LOL!

1.    Be ruthless when creating your influencer list, and only add those people who will be faithful to the obligation they have signed up for. Yes, we all want to give our friends free books, but in the long run, your influencers are there for a purpose, and that is to help you sell books.

2.   Give your influencers easy to understand tasks. I have a list of about fifteen things that I ask my influencers to do, like posting reviews, advertising on Facebook, and tweeting. Also, try and make it easy for them to accomplish. I provide the links to places where they can post reviews. I compose effective tweets for them. I draft Facebook messages with hyperlinks and photos, etc. The easier the task is, the more likely they are to complete it.

3.   We all think when we start out that we need to go big on promotion when really, it’s much more effective to build a name for yourself locally and let your career blossom from there. I have a friend at one of our local newspapers who told me recently that she wanted me to be “as big as Stephen King” because she felt like she discovered me. Don’t you know that lady is invested in my career! That’s invaluable promotion and it has led to several newspaper articles, speaking engagements, and even a spot on the evening news.

What are the most effective means of book promotion you’ve tried?

A few things that have worked? You’ll be surprised. Most of them are not writing related!

1.     Search out local churches and find out what kinds of Women’s Ministry opportunities they offer. Of course, this only works if you have a speaking ministry along with your writing, but if you can combine the two, you will very likely find new fans.

2.    Contact your local libraries and offer to donate copies of your books. My local library has a large display with my picture and all of my books featured simply because I am a local author. I know…we want to sell books, so how does a library help? Think about it. Who goes into the library? Students, teachers, readers, and here’s one I bet you didn’t consider…voters. All our local elections are held at the library and once a year, they walk into that library where my display is front and center.

3.   I write historical suspense, so I created a list of organizations that I thought might be interested in hearing me speak—like the Historical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Sertoma Club. All responded positively, and all of them agreed to let me host a book signing afterward.

What are the least effective promotional activities you’ve tried?

To be honest, book signings are hit or miss. I find that if I combine them with a workshop or special promotional event (like a drawing for a Kindle or gift card for anyone who buys a book), they work a little better. Otherwise…

Also, I’ve learned to be choosy about online interviews. Unless a blog has a large following, writing articles for them can rob me of precious writing time. To solve this, I write about four “spare” blog articles a year, and keep them on hand. Then, if someone asks me to appear on their blog I can be gracious and say yes if they will allow me to do a guest post rather than an interview.

What’s your favorite way to connect with your readers?

I love social media because it allows me to correspond with readers in real time. My favorite is Facebook, because not only to readers get to see what’s happening in my life, I get to see what’s happening in theirs!

What’s the craziest promotional gimmick you tried?

LOL! This is just between me and you, right?

Once, I entered a hog-calling contest because I thought it would draw attention. Boy, did it.

What’s the funniest thing that happened during a promotional activity?

Oddly enough, it’s not the above. LOL!

I love multi-author events because it allows the participants to interact. Once, a friend and I were taking a break from signing books and we decided to get a cup of coffee. While we were waiting for our drinks, we started talking about possible plot scenarios, and remember…I write suspense.

My friend’s story was set in Louisiana. Because I live just across the border in Texas, she asked me if I knew of any good places to hide a body. I asked if she wanted the body found. She said yes, but not right away. I told her she had to be very careful not to bury it too deep in the swamp because the alligators would…you know…eat it, before the police could discover its whereabouts.

And right about then, Starbucks lost an employee. I saw him eyeing us two seconds before he hit the back door.

Did you see God open any doors you never expected in the promotion of your books?

Always! I taught a workshop in the Dallas area a few years ago. It was a small group and lightly attended, and I really wondered if the 6 hour drive to get there had been worth my time. Later, one of the women there contacted me to say that she was the ministry coordinator for a very large church and wanted to know if I would be willing to speak at their Spring Conference. It was amazing, and it reminded me that God always uses those things I give to Him.

What are your top tips for new authors promoting their first book?

I think I’d have to say be prepared to work hard. Second, set aside time before and after your book’s

release to only market that book. And lastly, leave it in God’s hands. Your success or failure was never up to you anyway! He started you on this journey, and He’ll be faithful to see you through.

Links to Lisa's webs/blogs

www.elizabethludwig.com

www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/theborrowedbook

https://www.facebook.com/elizabethludwig102

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow when you can enter to win a free copy of Lisa's latest release, Tide and Tempest!

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Peeling Back the Layers to Capture Theme by Author Elizabeth Ludwig

Seth Michael Ludwig.

I like to say my son’s name every now and then. It reminds me that he was real—that for three months and nineteen days, he was a part of my life.

The details of Seth’s death are foggy to me. Perhaps as some sort of defense mechanism, my mind has blocked out the more painful memories. I remember calling his name, in a quiet tone of voice so as not to startle him. At last, I put my hand to his back. That was the first moment that I knew something was dreadfully wrong…

I penned those words a long time ago—almost twenty-two years now. I never imagined that they would come back to me all these years later. Nor did I know when I set out to write a series of Historical/Romantic Suspense books for Bethany House that I would be writing about grief. 

Or loss. 

Or separation. 

I knew I’d be venturing onto unproven ground—combining Historical Romance with Romantic Suspense. I spent numerous conversations with the marketing gurus trying to figure out the best way to promote these books. We talked about cover designs, titles that invoked a feeling of romance and suspense, even colors for my website, and for many weeks, marketing was my focus. 

But as He often does, God had bigger plans, though He waited until all three books were written to reveal that information to me.

“What are these books about?” an interviewer asked. “Besides the romance and suspense, what would you say is the theme?”

Normally, I do all right in an impromptu interview, but the answer that rose to my lips surprised even me.

“Grief,” I said. “These books are about losing someone you love and finding the faith to go on.”

“Grief? Isn’t that sort of an odd theme for a romance?”

I shook my head. “Not really. True love, the kind that God gives, always involves sacrifice.”

After I’d had time to ponder that conversation, I realized deep down what I’d always known to be true. These books are about loss, but not the crippling, demoralizing, paralyzing kind. They’re about cutting away everything that hinders us from relying fully and completely upon Jesus. They’re about entrusting the people and things we love most in the world to Him. And they’re about learning to cast aside every unspoken fear and throwing ourselves on the infinite grace and mercy of the Savior.

Is there anything more beautiful, or more difficult, than that?

Like my characters, I lived through the death of a parent when my mother-in-law went to be with the Lord. And I understood the passing of a sibling when my mother found the courage to tell me of her miscarriage. Most devastating of all, I learned what it means to have my faith tried through the loss of a child. I experienced the guilt—the grief-driven condemnation that I poured upon myself—and the despair that threatened to wipe away every trace of hope and faith I knew.

But it was also through these trials that I learned what it means to have a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Over time, I tasted the goodness, grace and comfort of my Savior. I sensed His presence as never before. I learned to cling again to the promises of His Word. And I learned that love…true love…looks forward. It hopes. It heals. It gives sacrificially. Most importantly, it is modeled after the love the Father has for each one of us.

Was it not Jesus who said, Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

And did He not, by His own example, demonstrate to us the beauty, the absolute purity, of unconditional, sacrificial love?

“These books are about grief,” I told the interviewer, “about losing someone you love and finding the faith to go on.”

What I forgot to add, but what I hope every reader finds within the pages of my novels, is that we never go on alone. It is with the Lover of our souls at our side…encouraging, urging, and always…always loving.

Elizabeth Ludwig is the award-winning author of Tide and Tempest, Book 3 in the popular Edge of Freedom series from Bethany House Publishers. Her literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoys a wide readership. Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

Contact Elizabeth: HERE

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Five Keys to Finding Your Focus

It's such fun to spotlight one of our own! Monday, Amber told us about The Borrowed Book's founder, Elizabeth (Lisa) Ludwig's, latest release, Book #2 in her Edge of Freedom series. On Tuesday, Lisa talked to Sandra about writing and research. Today, get to share with you more of her words of writing wisdom.

My prayer when I first started out on this writing journey was simple—Lord, please help me to get published, and let my words touch someone’s heart.

Oh, how that prayer has changed over time! After my first book contract, I quickly discovered how unpredictable the publishing industry can be (an article for another time). The joy of holding my first published book disintegrated when I learned that the subsequent two books in the series would not be published as had been promised, and I added this line to my prayer—Lord, please help me to get published, and let my words touch someone’s heart, and let there be another contract.

Proving His love and faithfulness, God did provide another contract. I remember celebrating with thanksgiving the upcoming Christmas novella that would allow me to tell the story of my walk into adulthood. But then the book cover came, and I realized that readers would need a microscope to read the teeny-tiny letters of my name beneath the big, bold letters of the lead author, and I added this line to my prayer—Lord, please help me to get published, and let my words touch someone’s heart, and let there be another contract, and someday, Lord, let my name be the prominent one on the cover.

Since then, I’ve added many lines to that first simple prayer. Weights like good sales numbers, positive reviews, and contest awards now encumber what was once a sincere desire. God reminded me of this during a dark period of wrestling with Him over the path I was to follow. I knew I would have to refocus, and that meant developing five keys:

1.     I always thought there should be an eleventh commandment, and it would read something like this—Thou shalt live thy life with thanksgiving and remember the good that God has done. Later, I realized that this was a commandment and it was connected to the first and greatest—Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (NIV)

Key #1 to finding your focus? Practice loving God. Everything else will follow.

2.     Hello, my name is Elizabeth Ludwig, and I love Facebook. There, I’ve said it. Unfortunately, things like social media, while intended to bring us closer, end up making us rivals. How can we help but be competitive when we’re doing nothing but reading about the successes of others? Still God instructs us to rejoice with those who rejoice, and follows it with a command to mourn with those who mourn. This means taking our eyes off ourselves and focusing on where our friends are.

Key #2 to finding your focus? Do like Facebook and “share.”

3.     My writing journey has been filled will all sorts of highs and lows—good reviews followed by bad reviews, new contract followed by poor sales numbers, encouragement followed by discouragement. I realized it was very easy to lose my focus when the only thing I was concentrating on was the lows, but in the back of my mind was a story from the Old Testament. Remember Joshua and his instruction to the Israelites to “take up a stone”? This was to serve as a reminder to the people about God’s intervention in helping them cross the River Jordan, and it can serve as reminder today—about where He has led us and where we have yet to go.

Key #3 to finding your focus? Take up a memorial stone.

4.     Writing a book requires quite a bit of time and a whole lot of dedication. On top of the initial commitment, writing something readers will love means pouring a good bit of myself into the work—my pain, the things I’ve learned and lived, even a smidgeon of honesty as I reveal my own personal struggles and vices. When at last the time comes to write “The End”, the finished product can feel very personal—almost like an extension of myself—which is why having a book be unsuccessful can be so excruciatingly painful. Yet God’s word says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV)

Key #4 to finding your focus? Remember God’s plan and cling to it.

5.     Remember this saying? If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. It’s from a poem by an

unknown author, and it was brought to mind recently when I was struggling to remember why I even began this writing journey in the first place. Along with all the typical highs and lows, I was facing deadlines, trying to meet promotional and marketing demands, and juggling commitments at home and work. I’m ashamed to admit, this led to an extended period of self-pity, typified by the one question repeated over and over in every situation—why? Well, God had an answer for Job when he asked that question, and He had an answer for me—you didn’t get where you are by yourself. I brought you here, I will lead you on. Follow Me.

Key #5 to finding your focus? Follow God…even if He leads you away from the one thing you thought you couldn’t live without.


Elizabeth Ludwig is the award-winning author of No Safe Harbor and Dark Road Home, Books One and Two in the Edge of Freedom series. Her work has also been featured on Novel Rocket, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian Pulse. Elizabeth’s debut novel, Where the Truth Lies (coauthored with Janelle Mowery), earned her the IWA Writer of the Year Award. Her first historical novel, Love Finds You in Calico, California, was given four stars from Romantic Times. And her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoys a wide readership. Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and two grown children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

Come back tomorrow, when you can enter to win a copy of Lisa's latest release, Dark Road Home.

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