Into the Fire

If you could change five things (or less) in CBA publishing, what would they (it) be? (Unabridged and unedited.)

From Author Michael Snyder:

I can only think of two…

The first, and most important thing I’d change is my sales numbers!

Second, I’d expand the menu. I recently paged through a CBD catalog and it felt very much like browsing the shelves of a CBA store, or even the “Christian Fiction” section of Barnes & Noble. Judging the books by their covers, titles, and back cover blurbs, it would appear that Christian fiction consumers are most interested in: a) historical novels, b) gender-specific titles (specifically, the female gender), c) thriller/suspense/mystery/lawyer books, d) novels that mix two or more of the aforementioned genres, and e) not much else. 

And this is not a complaint, just a sad reality. I’m glad those books are available. I just wish there was something there I wanted to read.

I fully understand the chicken/egg conundrum here. Do publishers offer distinctly similar titles because that’s what they prefer? (Maybe.) Or, do they simply publish the books their readership demands? (Probably.)

My “solution” to this dilemma would not be to publish less of what people want. That would be silly. Publishing is a business; thus, stewardship matters; thus, it makes total sense for supply to follow the demand. So I am in no way advocating that publishers rob Peter to pay Paul (or Peggy to pay Polly?). Nor am I greedily asking for someone else’s piece of pie. I suppose what I’m asking for is to simply make a slightly larger pie…or occasionally add a different pie to the menu…then perform the CBA industry equivalent of having ladies in hairnets pass out samples like they do at SAM’s and Costco.

How else will I discover my secret cravings for cinnamon-crusted peanut-butter-and-jelly shrimp toes unless I am accosted at the end of an aisle by a dour-faced lady with frilly toothpicks? 

Those human sample-dispensers are there to raise awareness, to market, to create a little demand—not just to give away inventory. We all know you can’t get past the lady with the Magic Marker until you pay for those gourmet fish sticks or pomegranate-flavored goat’s milk.

However, people cannot buy what’s not there. And they won’t buy what they don’t know exists.

I am not asking publishers to cede profits in the pursuit of literary excellence (or even variety). My idea has more to do with making solid investments.

And if I’m right, if there is some merit to creating a little demand for a few “offbeat” titles (and I’m only asking for the same “type” of books offered in general market fiction sections), and it actually works…then everybody’s pie gets bigger. Publishers win by making more money, and quite possibly creating a whole new stream of income. And readers win by having a wider variety of titles to choose from.

I fully understand calculated risks, and the fact that both of my suggested “changes” basically amount to “spending someone else’s money.” Still, I can dream…

For what it’s worth, I believe this question was posed to me as a writer. But I may have inadvertently answered it as a reader. I routinely browse the shelves where CBA fiction resides. But sadly, I don’t spend many dollars there. And it’s not because I don’t want to. (In fact…upon completing this little essay, I drove to my local CBA bookseller and vowed to buy the first book that piqued my interest. This was a sincere endeavor. However, I ended up spending my cash at the B&N across the street. Although I think I’ll really enjoy the book, it was not a happy purchase.)

To be continued . . .