What say you?
Are they found or are they made?
Tag: Christian Fiction
Questions, Questions, Questions
Before we get to my onslaught of questions, let’s start with a little publishing verbiage.
There are two major markets in the world of publishing. The CBA and the ABA. CBA stands for Christian Book Association and is the Christian market. ABA stands for the American Book Association and is the secular market. Almost every major ABA publishing house has a CBA division.
For example. I get my paycheck from Random House. My contract went through Random House. Waterbrook Multnomah is the Christian division of Random House. And since I write for the CBA, I work with the people at Waterbrook Multnomah.
The debate over what makes a book Christian is a hot topic these days. But that’s not what I’m interested in right now. For the sake of establishing a common ground, when I refer to “Christian fiction” I am simply referring to any book published by the CBA.
Today, I have lots of questions. Today, I’d love for you to join in the discussion. Even if you’re a lurker who doesn’t normally comment.
Do you read Christian fiction? If so, why? If not, why not?
What’s your favorite genre within the CBA? Why?
What expectations do you have when you pick up a book published by the CBA?
What do you wish Christian books had more of? What do you wish Christian books had less of?
Every time I browse Amazon and find a CBA book that went free on Kindle, I notice this pattern. They get an onslaught of bad reviews from readers who wouldn’t typically buy a CBA book, but did because it was free. And often, these readers point to their dissatisfaction with the Christian themes.
Do you think it’s Christianity in general that bothers these readers, or the way the Christian themes are handled?
Pick a question. Any question. Or perhaps, pick all of them!
I can’t wait to read what you have to say.
What is Christian Fiction?
Listening to Tim Downs, the ACFW keynote speaker, was definitely a conference highlight. During one of his talks, he discussed the concept of Christian fiction. Like, what is it exactly?
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I bet if you asked a hundred different authors in the CBA this question: What is Christian fiction? You’d get a hundred different answers, ranging from “stories written by Christian authors” to “stories with the message of salvation”. Some insist Christian fiction must be “clean”, while others insist there’s room for “some grit”. The answers run the gamut.
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The point of Tim’s message wasn’t to give us a definition, but to make us think.
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He brought up a certain analogy that stuck with me. I’d like to share it here.
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He talked about Easter egg hunts. How when his children were really young, he and his wife would “hide” eggs in plain sight. Like, right on top of the grass and for extra measure, they’d stand by the eggs and sort of shuffle their feet and make gestures, just to make sure their toddler would find it. But as their children grew older, he and his wife had to get better and better at hiding the eggs. In fact, if they didn’t hide the eggs really well, their kids would lose interest. They got so good at hiding eggs that weeks after Easter, they’d catch their children still looking for them.
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Do you see the analogy?
Some Christian writers put the egg on the grass. Others like to hide it. I’ve seen the two sides argue. Take up arms about what which type is better. And each time, I sense this unspoken pride lurking in the shadows. Tim didn’t want us to take sides. He only wanted us to consider this: In the wide world of Christian fiction, isn’t there room for both?
Questions to Ponder: What is Christian fiction to you? Do you read it? Do you write it? Do you think we should hide the egg, or leave it in plain sight?