• If you think you have material suitable for a book, test it out by writing some articles on your subject. This helps you focus your idea and see what quantity of material you really have to work with. Don’t underestimate the reach and influence of well-written articles! The life of the average book is 7,000 – 11,000 copies. MomSense magazine, for example, has a circulation of more than 100,000 readers.
• Whether you are writing an article, poem, children’s story or book, focus from the outset so that your manuscript is about one thing. Think through the idea you want to convey until you can state it clearly in a sentence or no more than a paragraph.
• Keep in mind that writing is a craft that must be worked at and developed. Your subject matter may be inspired by God, but he would want you to diligently work to present the material as clearly and winsomely as you can. How? Read good writing. Write and write and write. Read books on writing (see list below). Seek constructive criticism, preferably with a small group of writers who want to learn and grow.

“Rewriting is the essence of writing; it’s where the game is won or lost.”
(William Zinsser, On Writing Well)

• Study your target market, whether it’s periodical or book publishers. Who publishes the kind of material you’re writing? Don’t waste your time and theirs by submitting your material to places that don’t publish your genre. The Writer’s Market and Christian Writers’ Market Guide are terrific resources for this research. Attend a writer’s workshop. Go to the websites for periodicals or book publishers and read their writer’s guidelines.
• When you have a good draft of your article written, or at least three chapters of your book written, begin submitting your work to publishers. For periodicals, start with a query letter that tells in one succinct page your main point, how it is unique from other material on the subject, and why you’re well-suited to write it. For a book, write a concise, lively book proposal – but also write a query letter for your first contact. Books and articles on writing will help you with the query letter and the book proposal.
• Be persistent. Most projects are rejected, often by a number of publishers, before they are accepted. Keep circulating your proposal.
• Be teachable. Learn all you can to hone your writing skills. Constructive criticism is a great gift that will make your project better and help you grow as a writer.
• Always submit a manuscript typed, double-spaced, with a header that includes your name, title, and page numbers (unless the writer’s guidelines for the periodical or publisher instruct you otherwise).
• Join a writer's critique group of a handful of writers. Meet regularly to honestly critique one another's work and provide advice and encouragement.

There is a vast wealth of information on the Internet for writers. Here are some web sites to get you started:

• The Writing Academy, a web guide to resources, helps, interesting material, and open doors for writers: www.wams.org
• Bible Search, search different versions of the bible in 11 languages for certain words, passages, or subjects: http://bible.gospelcom.net/

• Christian Writers’ Market Guide by Sally E. Stuart
• Writer’s Market
• A Christian Writer’s Manual of Style
• On Writing Well by William Zinsser
• The Elements of Style, 3rd edition, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B.White
• 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Gary Provost
• Write on Target by Dennis Hensley and Holly Miller
• The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
• Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books by Uri Shulevitz
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss