- Photo Credit via Chad R. Allen
I’m delighted today to have Chad Allen as my guest. Chad is the Editorial Director of Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. He and his family make their home in the great state of Michigan.
You may remember 13 Ways to Write with Urgency, a fabulous guest post Chad did for Rachelle Gardner in August. (I encourage you to read and be inspired!)
Check out Chad’s blog and connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.
I’m impressed with Chad’s down-to-earth demeanor and his heart for people, but more importantly, his heart for Christ. His ministry-minded focus is evident, as is his desire to uplift and encourage.
Grab your Starbucks mug, kick back, and visit awhile as I grill…er…chat with Chad!
Welcome to my neck of the woods, Chad.
Of course, inquiring minds want to know what does your job entail?
I head up the editorial team of Baker Books, which is to say I facilitate conversations about our vision and strategy. But I spend the majority of my time acquiring and editing, my first loves.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of what you do?
I still get all boyishly giddy when a new book arrives fresh from the printer. And as you might expect, I’m a sucker for a good review.
For those who are new to the world of publishing, what tips would you offer?
Read my blog! That sounds self-serving, perhaps, but I really am trying to help.
As we all know, there are countless ways to connect today. What forms of social media do you think are most beneficial to authors?
The best I can do here is to reflect on my own patterns at present. I’ve become a fan of Twitter, to my surprise, and I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. At Jon Acuff’s encouragement I’m giving Pinterest a whirl. And don’t forget about people’s email inboxes. That’s the one place everyone visits just about every day.
Outside of work, what are your favorite hobbies?
I love hanging with my family, and actually I would point to my blog here too. While I hope it benefits Baker Books, it really is a hobby of mine. I read a lot and listen to a lot of podcasts. Right now I’m reading Jim Collins’s book Great by Choice via audible on my smartphone. I enjoy baking and woodcarving too, when I get the chance.
In one of my favorite blog posts, How to Get Through Hard Times, you gave an awesome analogy of the knots in the wood of the church altar. I was impressed by the poignancy of your post. Can you share a difficult moment in your life and how Christ made the difference?
It’s encouraging to know you liked that one. I sometimes wonder whether I should stick exclusively to publishing/writing posts because that’s when I get the most traffic. I’m pleased to know you enjoy this kind of post too! To answer your question, when I use the language of “salvation” in reference to my own life, for me it’s as much about my present reality as it is about my eternal destination. Were it not for Christ, specifically the body of Christ active and alive today, I’m fairly confident I would be strung out on the street somewhere, and that’s not an exaggeration. So Christ truly has made all the difference in my life.
Let’s talk about a “mountaintop” moment. Please highlight for us something personally or professionally that’s forever ingrained in your mind and why.
Every summer my buddy and I go camping somewhere. One year we camped near a waterfall in Oregon. The site and the weather were absolutely perfect. It ranks right up there as one of the best experiences of my life.
Thank you, Chad, for stopping by today. I appreciate your time and your service to Him.
Thank you, Cynthia! You’ve been such a huge encouragement to this newbie blogger. I’m glad to know you.
******
As a writer, what aspect of publishing excites you the most?
As a reader, what stories do you find intriguing?
How has Christ made the difference in your life?
Blessings Always,
Comments 11
What a terrific interview! Snicker, snicker . . . 🙂
Author
Chad, yes! Best editor interview ever! LOL!
Happy, Blessed Thanksgiving!
Great interview. I am impressed…with Chad’s red hair! Can’t help but notice, since I married a redhead and love to write them into my books.
Just liked your FB page, Chad. We writers appreciate all the tips we can get. Now here’s the $10 million question–WHICH genres are selling right now in the CBA? It seems I can never keep up…then I write the wrong book in the wrong genre. Hoping to hit the jackpot with my latest.
Hey Heather, thanks for writing in. I belong to a long line of redheads; in fact, I married one and then we had two redheaded children!
About genre, I hear juvenile delinquent fiction is hot. Just kidding. I’m actually a nonfiction guy, and in that world Christian Living is still king, although what’s going on in memoir and personal narrative is also exciting!
Just liked your FB page too, so we’re even!
Nice to meet you, Chad! I just skipped over to your blog and realized I need to follow it pronto. Lots of good info over there. Thanks for the interview. And thank you, Cynthia, for the great questions!
Really enjoyed this interview. I’ll be sure to follow you on FB and check out your blog. As for twitter, I’m having a hard time connecting there. Any tips you can share on how to find the right tribe? I’d enjoy using this as a way to meet others with similar interests, but I feel my tweets get lost in, well, twitterland.
Thanks! And yes, memoir is hot. But I’m a little biased.
Dabney
Hi Dabney, just read your remark and I think using hashtags goes a long way toward finding like-minded peeps on twitter. Some I use for writing are #Christfic (Christian fiction books/blogposts, etc), #momswrite, #mywana, and #ACFW if you’re in that. Hope you find your tribe!
And Chad, my hubby’s bro and sis have red hair, too, but none of our three kiddos got it! Sad about that.
Loved the interview. Great to meet you, Chad! I’m hopping over to your blog right now.
My sister-in-law is a flaming redhead. They didn’t have redhead babies – they had one blonde and one brunette.
Author
Loree: Confession: I always wanted to be a redhead. (I once used real lemon juice on my hair. Um…it looked kind of red then!)
Heather: Thank you for your gift of giving. I appreciate how you share with the writing community.
Dabney: Thanks for dropping by! Heather’s right. Use of hashtags with our tweets connects us to other like-minded folks. Additional ones to use: #writer #writetip #writerslife
Sarah: I love Chad’s blog. He offers valuable insights, as well as being a great encourager.
Sarah: Thank you! And your feedback is welcome!
Dabney: Check out Mike Hyatt’s posts on Twitter. Here’s one of them: http://michaelhyatt.com/12-reasons-to-start-twittering.html
Also, you might try BufferApp, which allows you to preschedule your tweets. I’ve found it really useful, for example, in promoting my blog posts. If you use this link we both get extra features! http://bufferapp.com/r/bc59a
To find your tribe, go to the profile pages of people you like to follow and note the folks who are listed as “similar to” that person.
Loree: Thanks! The mileage I’m getting from my hair color in this comment stream is amazing! Note to self: don’t dye! 🙂
Enjoyed your interview with Chad, Cynthia.
I have a red-haired granddaughter. There seems to be a lot of that going around!
I recently joined Twitter, so thanks to everyone for the helpful hints on connecting with others.
On my way to check out your blog, Chad.