Into the Fire

Much like the Tea Party movement, there is a civilized outcry regarding Christian publishing about the lack of genre selections from our publishing arm. If you shop at Christian bookstores, you’re going to see a predominance of Amish/historical/romance/Karen Kingsbury novels offered on the shelves. Some larger CBA bookstores/chains will stock a variety of genres, but the majority of selections will be found in the types of books mentioned above.

If you want to read the outcry boiling over politely, go to Mike Duran’s post and then to Mike Dellosso’s post. (http://mikeduran.com/; http://mikedellosso.wordpress.com/). We know the publishers argue that it’s really all about what’s selling. However, I have long maintained that some/many of the Christian publishing representatives are out of touch with mainstream Christian readers who’ve exited the CBA to find more meaningful fare in the general/secular market—even with the excessive language and sex—because they want to read anything but what is given to them on the shelves of CBA stores. The result of this is online buying and places like Barnes & Noble and Borders getting the business which some of the Christian bookstores could’ve used.

Christian bookstores or “brick and mortar” stores as the biz likes to call them are closing. The two stores of a small Christian chain in my area closed its doors quietly last year. Why is that? Everyone has an opinion, and here’s mine. The fiction shelf space kept shrinking. The sales for these novels wouldn’t compete with online buying. The selections were ordered by one individual who made the decisions for all the stores even though a customer could special order other novels if available in their overall inventory. There were too many other “things” to compete for space and dollars.

Don’t get me wrong. Whatever it is that brings the income to a business for survival and allows them to flourish—this is what they need to do. The contention here is because publishers are essentially booksellers, CBA publishers are disenfranchising a portion of their market. It certainly isn’t for a shortage of writers. More queries and submissions every year even if less books are being produced because of economical downturns.

So why is it that some CBA publishers produce what some readers consider fluff? Well, the general market produces an ample amount of fluff, too, but they also provide shelves and shelves of speculative fiction (fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, their versions of supernatural) which is where a lot of Christian readers of this kind of fiction go to select their reading choices.

I don’t think we have a shortage of bold, talented writers in CBA circles in nearly every genre. However, the preponderance for Amish/historical/romance, etc. eliminates the ability and selections of literature to appeal to mass amounts of other readers. I’m not saying these genres shouldn’t be primary if they sell in large quantities. I’m saying if the CBA doesn’t promote the other genres—or figure out how to do so effectively, they’re wasting valuable opportunities to increase their earnings via disenfranchised readers who hope to see their favorite types of stories on the shelves. How will they find them if they’re unaware they exist?

The more daring of the current CBA publishers are found at Waterbrook/Multnomah, Thomas Nelson, Broadman & Holman, Faith Words and Center Street (Hachette Book Group), and Strang.

Any thoughts on this conundrum?

Lord, you’ve given us each a purpose. Help us not to be critical of others who travel those avenues you’ve chosen for them. Help us all to stay on your narrow path as we yield to you in obedience. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.