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.