Marvin Olasky has an interesting column in light of our recent discussion of modern Christian fiction, both here and elsewhere. He says we need more salt than sugar in our Christian novels.
. . . contemporary Christian fiction [are stereotyped] as the marriage of tract and melodrama, homilies decked out in purple prose. Some Christian authors, rebelling against that, have moved toward literary fiction, with some good results and more dull ones. But we still have a long way to go to develop popular fiction—action-adventure, mystery, romance—that isn’t poorly written and sometimes downright embarrassing.
I think Christian fiction will need a master, some bestselling or otherwise popular author who writes un-embarrassing stories, in order for this opinion of the whole industry/genre to be put down–or will even that be enough? Not that it matters, I suppose. We can write great stories without the support of current public opinion.
I get very frustrated when I read columns like Marvin’s. I’m an editor at large Christian publishing company and the truth is that the majority of Christian fiction readers do NOT want salty, they want sugar. Most publishers have tried to publish more serious fiction, only to see it fail while the more sugary ones sell like hotcakes.
So just WHO is going to be buying these salty novels Marvin is suggesting?
That’s an important point. A publisher can’t force-feed a market. Readers (and non-readers) will buy what they want. To that point, I pulled up the fiction bestsellers from CBA. The top authors at Karen Kingsbury with five books in the top ten, Lori Wick, Terri Blackstock, and Joyce Meyer. Two of Joel Rosenberg’s books are in the top twenty.
You know, these titles look a bit old. “Redeeming Love,” by Francine Rivers, was written in 1986 and it’s #7 on this month’s CBA list. How many fiction novels does CBA actually sell?
BTW, Nick, thanks for commenting. I’m glad to know you’re still out there.
My sense is that Nick is generally right. When good Christian novels are published, I think that, for the most part, they are published by the secular publishing industry.
But rarely.
I don’t know the figures, but, yes, fiction does sell quite well. But mostly by a handful of well known authors. It’s very hard to help a new author get a foothold. And the better writer they are, the harder it seems to be.
I believe many of Francine Rivers’s novels are being reissued and getting a new generation interested in her work. When I try to interest readers in new writers, it’s like pulling teeth. There is a real resistence to moving away from authors and themes that are “kid tested and CBA approved.” Trying to recommend anyone outside CBA is not met with much approval either.
Many women who read romance think if they can’t pass it on to their 13-year-old daughter, it’s just not the thing. They stay with authors that assure them of a “safe read.” That means they also stay with authors that assure them they won’t be challenged about any preconceived notions they have about love and romance.
I think Olasky’s comments have been mischaracterized.
Deborah, I don’t follow you. Do you mean the post I linked to mischaracterized Olasky’s article or that our discussion has gotten off tract? I certainly don’t mean to misunderstand him. I thought the statements I quoted from his article described his thoughts on contemporary Christian fiction. Was I wrong?
Christian writers are looking for a master to follow? You mean they haven’t had any?
– just to start a conversation, I’ll mention the idea a read recently that the heart of any true christian fiction is an acceptance of the biblical idea of the Fall. (And of course it’s biblical solution.) Any comments
– p.s. I remember hearing a well established author (recent convert to christianity) saying (in shock) of a visit to a christian bookstore; “they didn’t have a single book by Dostoevsky.”
I read Olasky’s sugar/salt comment to mean that he thought Christian fiction would be improved by more characters and plots with greater dimension and enhanced flavor. Not “salty” but seasoned.
A couple of more comments: Deborah, my point was that when we publish fiction with more complex characters, they generally don’t sell. Plot-driven fiction seems to sell best in the Christian market. Those of us who like character-driven are in the minority.
As for author who expressed shock at the Christian bookstore not carrying Dostoevsky, I actually did try to sell classic Christian authors in my Christian bookstores. They only collected dust and had to be priced at about 90% off in order to sell.
“You mean they haven’t had any?”
What I mean, sr, is that a perception of Christian fiction persists and perhaps a big name who breaks the mold would beat back that perception far more than several good authors who are quietly being well-received. I raise that point b/c Athol Dickson said CF authors were just as good as mainstream authors earlier. So maybe we need a debate: Dickson vs. Olasky. 🙂
Actually, I’d love to see an editor/author roundtable discussion beat up this topic for an hour or so; but that’s why we have blogs.