Steve Laube Launches a Writer’s Learning Center, New Imprint

By Ann Byle |

Nov 09, 2016

Steve Laube, owner of The Steve Laube Literary Agency, launched The Christian Writers Institute, a website offering nearly 100 classes for writers to purchase and download in a variety of formats, on Oct. 24

Laube will also publish books under the CWI name, with the first, The Christian Writer’s Market Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Get Published, coming in December. The title was acquired from Jerry Jenkins, longtime owner of the annually updated guide. CWI’s second book, Ghostwriting the Murphey Way by Cec Murphey, is slated to publish in early 2017.

A veteran in the Christian publishing industry, Laube is a former bookstore manager, editorial director, and most recently, publisher— in 2014, he acquired science fiction and fantasy-focused Enclave Publishing. After selling it to Gilead earlier this year, Laube now oversees the publishing house’s Enclave imprint. "Once I sold Enclave, I began investigating the possibilities for CWI including acquisition content,” he told PW.

CWI books will be sold directly from the CWI website, Amazon, and other online retailers, as well as at wholesale and retail outlets. Laube works with Anchor Distributors for warehousing and distribution; retailers can order through Ingram.

Classes at CWI are available in video or audio formats, and once downloaded, the buyer keeps the class forever. Ninety-seven classes are on the site now, with plans to continue adding content. Prices range from “When to Break the Rules of Writing” with novelist Alton Gansky for $6, to “How to Make a Great Living as an Editor” by C.S. Lakin for $297.

Laube tapped authors and experts in the Christian publishing industry, from platform specialist Michael Hyatt to bestselling author Liz Curtis Higgs, and from editor Dave Lambert to craft expert Jeff Gerke.

“I noticed there are a lot of great teachers in the industry and a lot of great classes, but never has there been one place to find all that content,” said Laube. “We’ll develop original content, license existing content, and partner with entities that educate writers.”