Into the Fire

Hmm. Interesting concept. Not so far-fetched, I think.

Dayle’s mental meanderings produced these comments:

“Do publishers sometimes pass up a great story in favor of a mediocre story written correctly because they’re afraid of what their peers might think of them? Maybe professional pride leads to cookie cutter books.”

(I assume by “correctly” Dayle means adhering to the standard acceptable format usually evidenced in the majority of today’s CBA novels.)

“Publishers want to appear on the cutting edge, so they are scared to put their name on a book that goes outside of the strict parameters because they don’t want to be laughed at. Maybe CBA is a little sensitive because of all the criticism they’ve gotten in the past. The quality is certainly there, they have nothing to be embarrassed about. But some wounds never heal.”

(I would probably re-write that to say “. . . the cutting edge, BUT they . . .”)

First of all, let’s look at publishing in general as a major competitive business entity, an industry involving all kinds of paper media. As in millions and millions of dollars invested in something that can be held in your hands, depends upon innumerable, sometimes abstract, factors to be successful, and must produce its product gathered from a variety of sources which might or might not contribute to ongoing successes.

Now let’s narrow it down to Christian publishing, commonly referred to in the broadest sense as CBA, now ICRS, although those initials don’t seem to be sticking very well so far. Regardless of how it’s referred to, it is supposed to be a very fast growing division of the publishing market. In the past, as Dayle referred to in one of his comments above, the fiction end of Christian publishing produced some novels which were criticized for inferior writing. And whether or not you agreed with that criticism, it is no longer valid.

Authors in the industry of Christian publishing are producing innovative, literary, action-packed, historical, supernatural, science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, men’s and women’s fiction, romance, mystery, suspense, thrillers, sweet little ditties, and sassy lits in amazing numbers with some truly gifted writers, some major producers and award winners, some dwelling in the shadows waiting for readers to find them. A growing, producing industry on a roll.

And while it could be argued the majority of the writing varies from decent to excellent and certainly a very good number of the stories are intriguing both by the veterans of the industry as well as by many of the newcomers, I see only a few flaws where fiction is concerned. Those have been discussed here in previous posts. And I freely admit these are my opinions, but I can also testify that there are a handful of professionals with whom I’ve communicated who actually do agree with my thoughts. I know: NO WAY! You’ll have to take my word for it. No name dropping on this issue.

Those particular “flaws” to me are very little variance in style, length, and format. Will it take an avant-garde pub board to take some dalliances from the accepted norm? Experimenting with different lengths, styles, voices, or just that indefinable something which might be called daring at best by their peers or frivolous and unacceptable at worst? What will it take to add a little pizzaz to the “average” Christian novel?

I’m not talking “edgy” and delving into taboos here—at least not taboos dealing with graphic language and sex. And it’s important that you know I’m not talking about the current gamut of published Christian authors. Huh-uh. I happen to enjoy a large number of their offerings and the talent in different genres is simply indisputable. I’m talking about enlarging the parameters of styles and voices and lengths of novels. Who will dare to go against the grain? Set up an additional template? Expand the possibilities of how a novel looks.

When you stuff stories into a set format, even the best of writers cannot avoid a certain predictability. You take the opposite style of writers and condense their stories into the self-editing, breakout, the first five pages format—no matter what the genre or the story, the book is going to “feel” a certain sameness when you read it. It’s not the writer, it’s the format. And I apologize if my application of the words aren’t quite right in describing what I’m referring to—hopefully you’re getting my drift, even if you disagree.

If you wonder about the books I’ve read, go to Shelfari and find my shelf of books. I am no authority on this industry, but I think you will see I’m not a casual reader of Christian fiction. I’m an avid reader of CBA novels. Many of its recent critics haven’t even read the books being offered in today’s CBA market. That doesn’t apply to me. I’ve just begun another one and have a stack waiting.

So, what is it? Peer pressure? Safe bets? The in-a-rut syndrome? Money is a huge factor. You don’t need to remind me of the costs of producing a book. Or the risks involved. That’s just business.

I wonder sometimes if the readers in general are underestimated as far as their preferences are concerned. The pros frequently advise writers not to underestimate their readers, yet the publishers continue to produce very similar books for the most part, assuming these are what readers want or expect. I wonder if there is a certain dread concerning the marketing of a book that is “longer” or stylistically different than the usual novel output. We’ve talked about the numbers not telling the whole story, that statistics without the human element concerning something so personal as reading just don’t reveal what some readers feel is lacking.

Anyway, it is what it is, isn’t it?

Father, you are the giver of gifts. Let us be true to your leading when we write. May we honor you in what we write and how we write, never forgetting it’s all about you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

*PLEASE PRAY FOR KRISTY DYKES*