Blogger: Wendy Lawton
As you read this on Tuesday I’m on an airplane winging my way to ICRS– the International Christian Retail Show in Cincinnati.
I’m guessing that when clients call or email and get their agent’s out of office message it must be frustrating. We often hear things like, “Goodness, you are gone so much. Are you ever in your office?” Let me share a little bit about why it’s good for us to put up our out-of-office messages.
ips. Visiting the set for twelve hour days gave Janet the opportunity to mention a number of other books that would make great movies. Now that she is friends with these two groups as well as the many trips we’ve taken down to Hollywood has solidified Books & Such as the place to find excellent inspirational material for film.
When we accompany our clients on tour we interact with the store owners, buyers and front liners, pitching books from many of our clients. We also spend time listening to them as our clients are interacting with their readers. We want to know what’s selling and what’s slow. What trends are they predicting for the future and what’s missing from the shelves that they wish they had? This information is valuable and we pass it on to our clients.
When we make a trek to a publisher with one of our clients the relationships and the information is for all of our clients. The editors who gather are looking forward to us pitching them. So we pitch and we listen.
When we have lunch with editors we are pitching projects, find
ing out what they need or simply solidifying relationships. Since Rachelle’s office is in Colorado Springs she is able to do this often and faithfully shares the information with the rest of us.
So as Cynthia Ruchti and I spend this week out of office at ICRS we ask for your prayers— for energy, for creativity, for a listening spirit and for sharp perception as we walk the aisles, meet with editors and publishers, and get a firm grip on what’s happening in the industry.
Love the insight here! There are so many opportunities for creating and building relationships that we sometimes overlook.
I hope you enjoy your journey to my neck of the woods! (I’m about forty minutes south of Cincinnati). I’ll be remembering you in prayer this week for safe travels and a productive trip.
My prayers are with you, Wendy. Building relationship is the most important thing. Love is all we can take from this life, and it’s the only key that will unlock the Gates Of Heaven.
Journey mercies, God-winks and divine appointments to you both.
* And Wendy, I truly hope that some of your out-of-office messages mean you are relaxing, visiting family and friends–doing all that you want, even if that’s nothing at all.
Wendy, it’s fun to read how you ladies stay connected in different areas of media. Reading of the many ways you all help your clients and get the B and S name out there is interesting! I hope you and Cynthia have a great week. I’ll be praying for you.
Building relationships is both the key to success and a source of lasting satisfaction in any career. The hardest part of retiring is saying goodbye to the people you’ve enjoyed working with.
*Thanks for providing this forum for us to build treasured relationships as authors.
Thank you for sharing. Praying for you!
Thank you so much for the pictures and the info, Wendy! A wonderful inside look. I do wish that cuddling puppies was on my agenda for today! Giving medication to a 91 pound dog with a bladder infection is on the list, cuddling puppies, maybe she’ll want to cuddle after I’m done wrestling the pills into her mouth … maybe not.
Praying for you at ICRS! I never get irritated at the Out of Office reply, I just think, “Ooh! I wonder what she’s up to this week!” Thanks to all of you ladies for all you do for us. Your schedules are exhausting and your clients benefit from it!
Traveling mercies and thanks for all you do. Will keep both of you up in prayer this week.
Keep doing what you’re doing! May God bless your efforts~~~
Praying for you, Wendy and Cynthia!
Thanks, Wendy, for this inside look at what agents do when they’re out of the office. I appreciate all that you and the B&S agents do for your clients!
This post makes me happy. I love it that you are out there interacting is all these wonderful and productive ways. Not that He isn’t with us, using us, and all that good stuff when we are alone in our offices, but I also can’t help but think of that verse in Matthew that says where two or more are gathered in His name, He is in their midst. Of course this publishing business is just that, a business, but I know that you and I’d say most others in our corner of it want to bring God glory, see Jesus lifted up, and our prayer is that others will be drawn to Him by the words we write, pitch, and publish. So being with the people who are doing this, prayerfully? It’s a good thing. Necessary. And I pray fruitful!
I love this perspective, Wendy. And I’m covering you and Cynthia in prayer this week. Safe travels!
I’ll be praying for serendipitous moments, epic levels of energy, restful and rejuvenating sleep, and lots of great connections.
Prayers for safe travels and blessed relationship building!