Let me say up front that I am merely an observer of the CBA market for Christian fiction. I review CBA books for a couple of blog tours. I have interacted with various authors at various stages in their careers. I have been quoted for an endorsement – a highlight!
Still, there are some interesting rumblings in the CBA world.
Last week I wondered out loud if some authors shouldn’t consider ABA publishing (basically secular publishers or the general market) for their works, as what they write chafes some readers of CBA fiction.
Of course, there was more discussion out there. My friend Becky Miller initially had a little different take (okay, she calls it a rant). Then she referenced another thoughtful post by novelist Mike Dellosso, who talks about an author following their calling wherever it leads, and trying to avoid some things that can bring frustration (like tracking Amazon sales numbers). What Mike talks about is fleshed out well in Jeff Gerke’s Tips for Writers (see #93), where he stresses understanding whether a writer is called to write for the Christian/CBA market for encouragement/challenge/entertainment, or whether they have a missionary vision to reach non-believers (who usually won’t be found in a Christian bookstore buying CBA books).
My friend Nicole at Into the Fire will be posting some responses from CBA industry insiders starting next week, and she has already posted some starting thoughts here and here (the last one is about the heartache caused by our culture’s use/misuse of sex – very poignant).
Finally, after inundating you with links, Tim George (a frequent reviewer of CBA fiction) chimes in with thoughts similar to Mike, but are worth checking out on their own.
Can I sum up what I’ve seen so far?
Eric seems to be crying out for the CBA “industry” (actually a conglomeration of publishers, agents, booksellers, etc and not one specific agency) to be more open for those called to reach the culture for Jesus, rather than singing to the choir.
He sees a place for “clean” or “safe” fiction for entertainment/encouragement, but doesn’t want it to the exclusion of fiction that reaches out and perhaps crosses some boundaries.
He feels there has been a “narrowing” of what is acceptable in CBA fiction lately.
There is a running debate behind the scenes on whether CBA fiction should be more “edgy.” The definition of edgy is nebulous. Some mean it as detailing real-to-life scenarios. Others ask for CBA fiction to be less restrictive of certain taboos such as non-erotic descriptions of sex or some cussing.
CBA is a business responding to supply and demand, and the main buyers of the product tend to be middle-aged women who prefer romances, historicals, and/or Amish fiction. The market for suspense, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, etc is a lot smaller.
Also, the market has been affected by the recession and the new trends of ebooks.
Responses to Eric’s post range from hearty amens, people who accuse him of not being a “team player” or taking a “parting shot” as he leaves the industry, to others who think CBA is broadening, just not as fast as some may want.
Some like the dialogue and think of the sparks created as “iron sharpening iron,” while others suggest we’ve been down this road before.
Finally, people are wondering if there isn’t room for both “edgy” and “safe” in the CBA. (If we could define what is edgy…)
Like I said above, I’m an observer, albiet an interested party as I am slowly working on a book that, for now, I feel should go into the CBA realm, but it may be a hard sell due to its content (the characters confront sex slavery in Thailand). I will be watching this discussion intrigued. Nicole’s posts for next week I will certainly not miss.
This is only a small part of the discussion. I’d be interested in other thoughtful posts if anyone knows of any out there. I am excited for dialogue, but we shouldn’t forget strategic prayer that those in leadership/influence for CBA publishing as well as the authors know God’s calling for them, and pursue it to the best of their abilities, and that He will open doors for it to be used. I am all for being strategic in trying to positively affect culture, but I also realize where my Source comes from. Blessings, all! —
Yes! Another blog discussion on the boundaries of Christian/CBA fiction!
Seriously, this has been dragged around the virtual block more than a few times. If you’re late to the party and want to catch up, I hinted about this subject, then talked some more about it, based off the new Robin Parrish novel Nightmare, and intertwined this subject with a review of a new, gritty police procedural Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand.
Nightmare is a book best categorized by the term “paranormal suspense,” while Back on Murder is a very real-to-life crime novel. How do these two relate with each other and pushing the boundaries of Christian fiction?
The CBA market (fiction carried by Christian book stores for the uninitiated) is a growth market for the publishing industry. In the 1990’s it was mostly historical fiction, romance, or historical romance, with the Left Behind series thrown in for good measure. Oh, and this guy Frank Peretti had some spiritual warfare novels that were a hit.
In the 2000’s CBA has grown to hold pretty much any genre of fiction: suspense, science fiction, fantasy, chick-lit, horror, romance, contemporary, historical. For some reason Amish stories are a particular favorite, but we won’t go there today. Still, there are questions about what gets published under the (nebulous) banner of CBA fiction. Nightmare got great reviews from a recent blog tour for its writing and suspense, but a few people questioned the subject of ghosts and how they were handled in the book (I’m currently reading Nightmare and will go in detail on it later).
How far will CBA fiction go? I think it will go where the market allows, being a business. I don’t expect it to cross into subjects like erotica or new age topics that don’t measure up with the Bible. Slowly publishers seem okay with the “grey areas”, but this market still skews mostly to the Evangelical Christian reader.
Does Nightmare push the boundaries? Perhaps. Should it? Maybe. Maybe it should be published in the “secular” book market (the ABA is the umbrella term for publishers who don’t produce books with mainly Christian book stores in mind. Basically most of the publishing world…). I think Robin’s book could go either way. Maybe its place is in a larger field to play in. Then again, there is a much bigger market out there, and perhaps it would not find an audience with so many choices available (not for poor quality, but sheer numbers of other books).
How about Back on Murder as far as pushing boundaries? My friend Nicole didn’t think it did. Maybe not in a controversial way. I feel like it does in the fact that I haven’t read a book like it in CBA fiction (then again, straight crime/police procedural novels aren’t my first choice). I think it could stand in ABA fiction as it is – especially compared to the garbage that James Patterson writes.
Some books are more or less written for the CBA market. There is a valid place for this market, but it has struggled with self-imposed rules and (mostly undeserved) image problems of being inferior quality. I see certain writers with their feet firmly planted in the CBA market. Others like Tosca Lee, Gina Holmes, Mark Bertrand, and Tim Downs have written stories that could crossover, in my opinion, quite easily to the ABA market, due to the quality and way that faith is handled. Why do we not see these more prominently in Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc?
CBA fiction is growing in a good way, and I’m happy to see it. I just wonder if some books still aren’t better off in a different pond…
Yes! Another blog discussion on the boundaries of Christian/CBA fiction!
Seriously, this has been dragged around the virtual block more than a few times. If you’re late to the party and want to catch up, I hinted about this subject, then talked some more about it, based off the new Robin Parrish novel Nightmare, and intertwined this subject with a review of a new, gritty police procedural Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand.
Nightmare is a book best categorized by the term “paranormal suspense,” while Back on Murder is a very real-to-life crime novel. How do these two relate with each other and pushing the boundaries of Christian fiction?
The CBA market (fiction carried by Christian book stores for the uninitiated) is a growth market for the publishing industry. In the 1990’s it was mostly historical fiction, romance, or historical romance, with the Left Behind series thrown in for good measure. Oh, and this guy Frank Peretti had some spiritual warfare novels that were a hit.
In the 2000’s CBA has grown to hold pretty much any genre of fiction: suspense, science fiction, fantasy, chick-lit, horror, romance, contemporary, historical. For some reason Amish stories are a particular favorite, but we won’t go there today. Still, there are questions about what gets published under the (nebulous) banner of CBA fiction. Nightmare got great reviews from a recent blog tour for its writing and suspense, but a few people questioned the subject of ghosts and how they were handled in the book (I’m currently reading Nightmare and will go in detail on it later).
How far will CBA fiction go? I think it will go where the market allows, being a business. I don’t expect it to cross into subjects like erotica or new age topics that don’t measure up with the Bible. Slowly publishers seem okay with the “grey areas”, but this market still skews mostly to the Evangelical Christian reader.
Does Nightmare push the boundaries? Perhaps. Should it? Maybe. Maybe it should be published in the “secular” book market (the ABA is the umbrella term for publishers who don’t produce books with mainly Christian book stores in mind. Basically most of the publishing world…). I think Robin’s book could go either way. Maybe its place is in a larger field to play in. Then again, there is a much bigger market out there, and perhaps it would not find an audience with so many choices available (not for poor quality, but sheer numbers of other books).
How about Back on Murder as far as pushing boundaries? My friend Nicole didn’t think it did. Maybe not in a controversial way. I feel like it does in the fact that I haven’t read a book like it in CBA fiction (then again, straight crime/police procedural novels aren’t my first choice). I think it could stand in ABA fiction as it is – especially compared to the garbage that James Patterson writes.
Some books are more or less written for the CBA market. There is a valid place for this market, but it has struggled with self-imposed rules and (mostly undeserved) image problems of being inferior quality. I see certain writers with their feet firmly planted in the CBA market. Others like Tosca Lee, Gina Holmes, Mark Bertrand, and Tim Downs have written stories that could crossover, in my opinion, quite easily to the ABA market, due to the quality and way that faith is handled. Why do we not see these more prominently in Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc?
CBA fiction is growing in a good way, and I’m happy to see it. I just wonder if some books still aren’t better off in a different pond…
In my last post I talked a little about Robin Parrish (Dominion Trilogy, Offworld) and his latest novel Nightmare. It was a featured book of the CFBA this week, and my copy has just arrived from Amazon. I haven’t started it, but I’ve heard not to read it too late at night.
It is being billed as a paranormal suspense. It deals with a girl whose parents were some of the country’s foremost ghost hunters. After a friend of hers disappears, she has to help the fiance find out what happened.
I’ve followed Robin for a long time, as he used to run a significant culture website called “Infuze” that examined the intersection of art and faith. I know that he loves the Lord. I also know that he has a particular taste in speculative fiction and is trying to explore some bigger ideas with his work. He was a big fan of Lost and I believe he uses that influence in his writing (never really watched it myself, so I can’t say for sure).
The point of this is, there were some reviews of Nightmare that questioned its place in the CBA realm of Christian fiction. (For the uninitiated, CBA is a term used to designate fiction written primarily for an evangelical Christian audience, usually through a store like Lifeway or Family Christian Bookstores. CBA is more precise here than saying “Christian fiction”).
It has been argued frequently and widely through the blogosphere on what constitutes Christian (CBA) fiction. Since I’ve been paying attention since around 2005, the tentpoles have increased significantly in just that time. The market is dominated by historical romance and Amish fiction, but includes quality suspense, chick lit, mystery, legal thrillers, and is starting to include more and more speculative fiction (such as science fiction and fantasy).
Having not read Nightmare yet, I’m a little limited in the claims I can make off of it right now. Still, is there room for CBA fiction to grow? Speculative fiction that encompasses more wide-ranging topics is very popular in mainstream culture (I’m quite interested in the upcoming moving Inception).
The CBA could move into other literary genres as well. My next post will talk about a new crime thriller, Back on Murder, that may also move boundaries some. Check back! —
In my last post I talked a little about Robin Parrish (Dominion Trilogy, Offworld) and his latest novel Nightmare. It was a featured book of the CFBA this week, and my copy has just arrived from Amazon. I haven’t started it, but I’ve heard not to read it too late at night.
It is being billed as a paranormal suspense. It deals with a girl whose parents were some of the country’s foremost ghost hunters. After a friend of hers disappears, she has to help the fiance find out what happened.
I’ve followed Robin for a long time, as he used to run a significant culture website called “Infuze” that examined the intersection of art and faith. I know that he loves the Lord. I also know that he has a particular taste in speculative fiction and is trying to explore some bigger ideas with his work. He was a big fan of Lost and I believe he uses that influence in his writing (never really watched it myself, so I can’t say for sure).
The point of this is, there were some reviews of Nightmare that questioned its place in the CBA realm of Christian fiction. (For the uninitiated, CBA is a term used to designate fiction written primarily for an evangelical Christian audience, usually through a store like Lifeway or Family Christian Bookstores. CBA is more precise here than saying “Christian fiction”).
It has been argued frequently and widely through the blogosphere on what constitutes Christian (CBA) fiction. Since I’ve been paying attention since around 2005, the tentpoles have increased significantly in just that time. The market is dominated by historical romance and Amish fiction, but includes quality suspense, chick lit, mystery, legal thrillers, and is starting to include more and more speculative fiction (such as science fiction and fantasy).
Having not read Nightmare yet, I’m a little limited in the claims I can make off of it right now. Still, is there room for CBA fiction to grow? Speculative fiction that encompasses more wide-ranging topics is very popular in mainstream culture (I’m quite interested in the upcoming moving Inception).
The CBA could move into other literary genres as well. My next post will talk about a new crime thriller, Back on Murder, that may also move boundaries some. Check back! —
After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm–all from the comforts of home.
Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.
After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a “corporate executive” was not where her gifts and talents lie. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.
Eight months later, she sold A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers. Since that debut, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, two RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.
Her 2010 books, Beguiled and Maid To Match are now available for order.
Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-seven years and their two border collies. They have four grown children. Visit her blog to find out the most up-to-the-minute news about Dee.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Falling in love could cost her everything.
From the day she arrived at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled, by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack’s rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie’s efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt’s lady’s maid, After all, the one rule of the house is no romance below stairs.
But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangles in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs, their aspirations…their hearts.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Maid to Match, go HERE.
