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Thoughts on publishing . . . Part One

                              Free-publish

Over the years of doing this blog I've written and conducted many discussions on Christian publishing. Several years ago, I asked professionals in publishing, authors – published and unpublished – and some editors to describe their opinions of Christian Fiction. We've talked about the requirements and rules for getting published in this market, the dissent and rebellion to those demands, and then we've commented on the overall product both past and present.

What's interesting in today's marketplace is the new avenue foisted upon the publishing world by the e-readers headed by Amazon's Kindle versions. These devices opened up the publishing realm to a rush of indie (independent) authors/publishers who specialized in creating the formats for the various e-readers. Those indie publishers often consisting of authors who simply do it all themselves with their tech-savvy skills, hire a cover designer or are creative enough to design one themselves, do all the little extras that must be accomplished before making their work available as an e-book and eventually, if they choose, a POD (print on demand) volume. Reputable "self-publishing" houses have offered to produce novels for e-readers and/or print, some offering a higher percentage of revenue to the author than traditional publishing houses.   

That way a writer can include previously taboo words (i.e. hell, damn, breast, etc.) without having to eliminate them because they are "offensive" to a publisher's Christian audience. Note that I'm not talking about the commonality of four-letter words found in much of secular/general market publishing. I'm talking about the words that contribute to a character's definition, description, and demeanor. Real words that inhabit the conversations or exclamations of real people.

So how did Christian Fiction become what it is? I don't have the answer(s) to that, but tomorrow we'll talk about it.

 

Father, you love us all in spite of us. You give us purpose and direction if we will only follow you. It's not easy for us, but we need to do what you desire of us because it's the best – even if we can't see it that way. Thank you for loving us anyway. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

 

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4 responses to “Thoughts on publishing . . . Part One”

  1. Brenda Anderson Avatar
    Brenda Anderson

    You know, I don’t care for seeing cursing in CF. Like others, I read CF to escape it, and most often cursing can be avoided. Writers talk about making your books lean and making every word count. Well, if you have a curse word, it better be used effectively rather than just thrown in. Make that word count.
    I think one of the problems is curse words will be different based on regionalism. What one might consider a curse word in your area might just be part of the everyday language somewhere else.
    There’s actually a similar discussion (I use this term loosely) on Facebook today on the Avid Readers of Christian Fiction group. Some of the most interesting comments are that Christians don’t swear or only immature Christians swear. I guess my world isn’t quite as rose-colored.

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  2. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    And that’s the thing, Bren. I don’t want to read the hardcore cuss words either, but I will “tolerate” them if used “appropriately” and rarely. Sometimes they work – usually not in Christian Fiction but it’s possible IMO.
    Those broad assumptions that Christians don’t swear, smoke, drink, say a single bad word is a fantasy and one of the problems with CF and what has caused people to think Christians act “holier than thou”. Christians fight with sin daily – everybody has their particular struggle. To assume by saying “Christians don’t . . .” is to say Christians don’t sin. Well, guess what. They do too. They know when they do, and real Christians do their best to eliminate sin but they can only succeed to a point while always striving to do so.
    And you’re absolutely right about regionalism. Some words aren’t considered cuss/swear words in other parts of the country or even the world. That just adds confusion to the legalism often vented by critical Christian readers.

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  3. Ken Avatar
    Ken

    A great beginning to an interesting subject, Nicole. I can’t wait to read part two. Your analysis on appropriate language is spot on. There’s a fine line between creating characters who speak in language that most Christians would approve of, and those that may require language that falls outside the traditional Christian box. On the one hand most Christian authors really don’t want to offend their readers. On the other hand, when your characters are telling you what’s on their mind, a wise author would do well to listen. Great characters often have a lot more to say than what ends up on the written page. So, indie writers should balance their need for realistic language with the cost of offending sensitive readers. With that said, the balance will likely be different for each author. Those readers of a legalistic mindset should consider the cost of their words as well. A steady barrage of criticism can be deadly to the creative mind and may result in stifling writers from either beginning or finishing the work that God called them to do.

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  4. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    “Those readers of a legalistic mindset should consider the cost of their words as well. A steady barrage of criticism can be deadly to the creative mind and may result in stifling writers from either beginning or finishing the work that God called them to do.” (Ken)
    You make an interesting point, Ken. And for some of us who are ultra-sensitive, this could definitely be the case. However, the legalistic mindset reader should be more discriminating in their selection of novels. The ones I’ve read criticize with zero flexibility and have actually attacked the character of the Christian author. There are multiple publishers who only do “clean and chaste” material (i.e. Bethany House, the Love Inspired line, etc.). It’s not like they have to read the “edgier” novels. It is my opinion that those 1-star legalistic reviews say more about their character than the author of the novel they’re complaining about.
    Thank you, Ken. I hope you enjoy Part Two.

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