Resources for Writers

The following is a list of resources for writers. Although we are glad to make the following recommendations, Standard Publishing cannot be held responsible for the services or content of any of these resources.

Because of the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to critique each manuscript. If you would like this service, you may wish to contact the Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service, 3133 Puente Street, Fullerton, CA 92835, www.christiancommunicator.com. They charge a fee to review your manuscript. The Writer's Edge sends summaries of recommended manuscripts to over 45 Christian publishing houses. Write to P.O. Box 1266, Wheaton, IL 60189 to request an application. They charge a fee to review your manuscript. The web address is www.writersedgeservice.com. The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association has a link on their web site to help writers. It's called ECPA First Edition. The web address is www.ecpa.org.

Determine what you want to write and then find out who publishes that type of material. To find out who publishes what (and what their submission guidelines are) use the following resources:

• The Christian Writers' Market Guide, by Sally Stuart. Harold Shaw Publishing. Also find information at www.stuartmarket.com, which contains information on this market guide and links to dozens of Christian publishers.
• Writer's Market, from Writers Digest, www.writersdigest.com An annual volume.
• Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, also from Writers Digest. An annual volume.

The more polished and professional your submission is, the more likely a publisher is to look at it seriously. The following resources will help you improve the strength of your writing and presentation:

• The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers (15th Edition). University of Chicago Press, 2003.
• A Christian Writer's Manual of Style, by Bob Hudson and Shelley Townsend. Zondervan, 1988.
• The Elements of Style, by William Strunk et. al. Macmillan, 1999.
• Edit Yourself: A Manual for Everyone Who Works With Words, Bruce Ross-Larson. WW Norton & Co., 1996.
• The Purple Crayon (www.underdown.org) A terrific web site created by a former children's book editor; it contains information about trends in children's publishing, as well as typical mistakes authors make in the submission process and how to avoid them.