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A QUARTERLY RESOURCE

FEBRUARY 2014 VOL.61

Novel
Spirits
Fresh voices
and fan favorites
energize
inspirational
fiction
Author
Billy Coffey

Religion Update

Feature

Christian fiction publishers forecast 2014

Looking Back, Looking

Ahead
By Andy Butcher

D
TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS

espite mixed fortunes in 2013 in

a category that might be feeling
digital disruption more than any
other, publishers of Christian
and inspirational fiction remain
optimistic as they look to the
coming year. Its a glass-half-full view
based on some new strategies, strong
lists, and unswerving belief in the power
of a good read.
UP, FLAT, DOWN?
Karen Watson projects growth for Tyndale House, where she is associate publisher for fiction. Thats based in part on
forthcoming titles from bestselling
authors Joel Rosenberg (Escape from Auschwitz, Mar.) and Francine Rivers (Bridge
to Haven, Apr.). The companys 3540
releases in the year
ahead will be
fairly consistent
with previous
years, Watson says.
Though sales in
2013 were fairly
Karen Watson
flat, Watson was
encouraged by excellent response and
critical recognition for several titles,
and Christy Award prizes for three
authors with new books coming in 2014:
Chris Fabry (as yet untitled, Oct.), Tracy
Groot (The Sentinels of Andersonville, Feb.;
profiled in this issue), and Susan May
Warren (Take a Chance on Me, Feb.). Tyndale has added a full-time social media
specialist to train and support its authors
efforts.
At HarperCollins Christian Publishing, v-p of fiction Daisy Hutton says,
We plan to maintain the size of our program in terms of the number of titles we

Daisy Hutton

Dave Lewis

publish. The combined Thomas Nelson

and Zondervan fiction catalogue will feature 60 new frontlist novels, 12 trade
paper conversions and repackages, and 27
e-single novellas.
HCCPs inaugural e-first project, the
Calendar Brides Collection, was one of
2013s highlights. In addition to combining Nelson and Zondervan editorial and
marketing teams, the year also saw marketing and PR teams restructured according to category rather than task. As a
result, each member is cross-trained and
focuses on a specific category, Hutton
says, allowing them to become experts
in that category and build strong relationships with the gatekeeperspublications, bloggersand also allowing each
of our authors to work with a single team
member for their full campaign.
Dave Lewis, Baker Publishing Group
executive v-p of sales and marketing, says
that creating the new position of e-book
promotion analyst played a significant
role in increasing fiction revenues. Last
year was solid for Baker, with Revell
and Bethany House print sales also up, he
says. This year Lewis anticipates further
growth, with about the same number of
new titles. One will be Junes Child of
Mine by Beverly and [author] David
Lewis, whose Sanctuary sold more than
250,000 units a few years ago.
In publishing one sees growth in a
couple of ways: being aware of market
shifts and publishing better-selling
titles, Bakers Lewis says. There are specific authors who sell much better as an
e-book than they do in print. The reverse

42 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

is also true. So as we move forward we

want to maximize the marketing and
sales in each format for each author.
While sales last year were below expectations for Moody Publishers River
North imprint, associate publisher Deb
Keiser looks forward to growth this year.
Part of that rests on their first book from
bestselling author Davis Bunn (profiled
in this issue), whose The Turning releases
in April.
David C. Cook will likely trim its fiction list by almost half compared to five
years ago, according to Don Pape, speaking shortly before announcing his departure as Cooks trade publisher to NavPress at the turn of
the year. Cook is
assessing how to
move forward in
this category, Pape
says. There are a
number of players
Don Pape
crowding the
shelvesadd the self-published fiction
tribe and it makes it hard for good new
stories to be discovered.
Abingdon Press will be retrenching
some, though Pamela Clements, associate
publisher for fiction and Christian living,
is confident that readers still love fiction,
and they love our fiction. One challenge
last year was getting stores to carry and
display as a line the imprints Quilts of
Love seriesaimed at the countrys 20
million-plus quilterswith each title
written by a different author. Each book
covers different genres and settings, so we
understand how stores would want to
shelve the books according to their traditional categories, says Clements. The
advantage of grouping the books together
as a line remains to be seen, though. In
the meantime, we are continuing to see
orders of the backlist as readers discover
the new releases.
DIGITAL STILL EXPANDING
After a few years of frenzy, publishers are
getting more of a handle on the scale and
impact of digital fictionsomething
that Pape notes went from zero to one
hundred quickly. Sales in that space are

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Religion Update
about 25% of Cooks business, accounting for some 70% of fiction unit sales.
We would like to see more fiction in
digital format, he says. The standard is
still the same for both physical and digital; there is always that danger of thinking, well, we cant sell it as a book, maybe
its a digital. That [format] shouldnt
lessen the contents quality.
Digital grew at a slower rate for Baker
in 2013 than in previous yearsbut still
in double digits. Digital business overall
now adds up to slightly more than a
quarter of the companys total revenues,
Lewis says, while total fiction sales make
up 36%.
River North saw steady growth in
digital. We continue to think of digital
as an additional
sale of a title, not as
a substitutionary
sale, says Keiser.
However, we are
encouraged by
increased sales of
Deborah Keiser
print books from
e-book promotions and are measuring
the best way to balance this tension.
Digital sales appear to have leveled off
for Abingdon. We continue to look for
ways to use digital backlist as a promotional tool for new releases and to remind
readers that they can get previous books
from an author or series on digital, says
Clements. I think it is key that we crosspromote so readers can find our books in
whatever format best meets their needs.
Weve heard it beforeto succeed in
publishing today means we must produce stellar content that can be applicable across all formats.
Tyndales Watson says, In general, the
[digital] numbers have become more
predictable. There are always exceptions,
certainly. But finding new ways to draw
attention and heat for digital promotions
and social media efforts is always on the
table.
The print-to-e-book mix is no longer
the obsession for publishers that it has
been for the past two years, says HCCPs
Hutton. The focus has shifted to optimizing the content we publish in every

| Feature

format, channel, and environment. This

calls for unimagined levels of creativity,
innovation, and flexibility. The challenges are real, but there has never been
a more exciting time to work in book
publishing.
SHRINKING SHELF SPACE
E-books and online print sales might be
growing, but publishers remain concerned about declining physical retail
space. We are hearing that accounts
continue to shrink
fiction shelf space,
which presents an
even greater challenge for us, says
Clements at
Abingdon. While
Pamela Clements
retail will continue
to be our primary focus, we are looking
at every way possibleincluding inventive digital strategiesto reach our core
market.
Lewis acknowledges that stores saw a
dramatic decrease in fiction sales as the
category became the first to rapidly gain
readers in e-format. But Baker did see a
modest turnaround in the erosion of
print sales last year, he reports. The
challenge in 2014 is to encourage bookstores to continue supporting the fiction
category, since the most frequent shoppers and biggest buyers are still fiction
readers, he says.
Thats something of a Catch-22 situation; as backlist sales shift to digital,
bricks-and-mortar retailers have been
cutting their inventory of older titles,
which in turn sends shoppers to online
booksellers who also offer new releases.
But we dont blame retailers for cutting
back their selection based on the shift in
the consumers buying habits, Lewis
says. They must invest their shelf space
and inventory dollars where it gives
them the best return.
Hutton observes that online retailing
doesnt replace the discovery environment of a physical store, and might
never do so as effectively. This is the real
concern, she says, not whether readers
are choosing to read digitally or in print.

44 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

Most people in this industry right now

believe that we will continue to live in a
bifurcated environment in which publishers must strive to manage both print
and digital production, discovery, and
fulfillment optimally. The key is making
sure that we have the best possible content delivered to readers in the most persuasive ways possible.
Watson at Tyndale expresses concern
about the reduction in the number of
Christian stores nationwide and the
internal reduction in these stores of the
breadth of inventory that is being carried. This significantly impacts our ability to find exposure for new authors, she
says. The growth of digital also means
that it is increasingly difficult to keep
print books on the shelves longterm.
The frontlist turn is shorter and inventories are trending down, says Watson.
Jeff Gerke is less bothered about the
future of Christian bookstores. The
founder of the science fiction and fantasy
specialist Marcher Lord Presswhere
digital sales top those for print 101
sees a continuing but slowly shrinking
demand for bonnet and buggy fiction.
The next 25 years of Christian fiction
belong to the science fiction and fantasy
authors and readers, predicts Gerke,
who recently sold Marcher Lord to agent
Steve Laube. Go to any Christian writers
conference with a teen track and ask
those writers what theyre writing, and
youll hear one thing: speculative fiction.
Theyre writing fantasy and dystopian
SF. Theyre avoiding bonnet and buggy
like, well, like their mothers and grandmothers sort of fiction.
He adds: Bookstores, not to mention
publishers, are going to have to change
radically to reach that entirely new
demographic. Frankly, I dont see most
Christian bookstores and/or publishers
being even able to make such a change if
they wanted to, and I dont see them
wanting to.
THE PRICE POINT FACTOR
Part of the reason for the shift to digital
sales, of course, has been the lower price
point. The combination of the shrink-

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Religion Update
ing retail market and the battle for the
consumers mind-share means that we
have to be more intentional and more
creative with marketing than ever
before, Clements says. We must equip
our retailers to be successful and drive
the consumer to them. We have to be
ever more mindful of the margins and
make hard decisions about the things
that impact cost of product, but may not
influence the consumer to purchase the
book. There are so many moving parts
and we are working to keep all the wheels
turning and going forward.
Baker offers aggressive pricing promotions on print fiction titles, as we do
with e-book fiction titles, says Lewis.
Broadly speaking, there is a general
downward pressure on the retail price of
fiction books in all formats. It also seems
to be more challenging to launch new
authors into the bookstores, since they
seem to prefer investing their space and
money in the more proven authors.
Bargain price fiction that taps into the
impulse buy is doing well, notes Tessie
DeVore, executive v-p at Charisma
House. Recognizing that price point is
becoming a more sensitive issue, she
says, the company experimented with
bundling titles by some of its Realms
fiction authors in 2013. We have also
begun evaluating manuscripts not just
for print but for e-book-only potential,
DeVore says. Thats a new thing for us
to start doing. We have done a few
e-books only, but not in the fiction category yet.
While the number of titles from traditional publishers remains in decline, selfpublishing activities continue to
explode, notes Hutton. While this
variety and choice is ultimately good for
readers, it also creates tremendous challenges for discovery. With so much inexpensive and free content available to
readers, authors and publishers must
work even harder to communicate the
identity and value of the stories we offer.
She adds, The pressure on the marketing function is unprecedented. This is no
time for the same old thing; its an innovate-or-die moment for publishers in

| Feature

category fiction.
KEEPING UP WITH
CHANGING CONSUMERS
Not all of the business difficulties publishers expect are directly technological
or commercial. Some are cultural. River
Norths Keiser believes that the openness she sees in Christian women to reading books like erotic fiction megaseller
Fifty Shades of Gray is something I
think Christian publishers need to consider seriously. She wonders: How can
we provide content that serves this audience in a way that honors Christ and
captures the imagination of the reader?
This is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Keiser also points to younger and
younger users of digital devices. What
does this mean for content development
as machines become faster, smaller, and
more powerful? she asks. And as
always, whats next? We need to anticipate the trends.
Hutton, too, expresses concern about
how reading is changing in an electronic
era. Many of us in this industry have
deep underlying concerns about undeniable changes in expectations that readers
are bringing to content, she says. The
primacy of the immersive read has been
unassailable for the past hundred-plus
years. Has this changed? As we become
accustomed to the hundreds of frequent
and fragmented bursts of content that we
experience each day, do our brains begin
to shape themselves around this new
reality and make us crave story immersion less?
Says Clements, The battle for attention and mind-share has never been more
intense. She adds: E-mail, social media,
television, gamingall demand time
and focus, which means less time is spent
reading for entertainment. The attention
span of readers is shorter than it was even
a few years ago.
All of this shapes the changing market, Clements says. We counteract this
by co-opting these mediums to engage
readers and funnel them back to our
books, and by selecting and publishing

46 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

books that are so compelling they will

overcome the other options.
But as people increasingly become
what Hutton calls daily memoirists,
capturing and commenting on their own
and others experiences in real time, she
asks, Do we begin to lose a sense of distinction between ad hoc commentary and
the art of storytelling? As a publisher
not to mention as a person of faith, a parent, and a human beingI agonize over
these questions. The best answer I
knowright now, todayis to work as
hard as I can to help preserve the power
of immersive reading and the craft of storytelling through finding the smartest
and most effective ways to support our
authors in what they do.
Some see opportunities as well as
obstacles. Watson thinks that the popularity of Pinterest and other more
image-driven social media channels will
be providing new opportunities for beautifully designed books. Visually arresting books will be more important in
catching browsers attention during the
shorter time titles spend on the shelves,
she says.
Another area Watson hopes to explore
is what she dubs reason-to-be fiction,
with the May release of debut author
Jake Smiths Wish, which promotes support of the bone marrow registry. Christian fiction has too long been criticized
for being lesson-heavy and didactic, she
says. We believe that Wish breaks from
that mold in a winsome and heartwarming way and can engage a wide range of
people to find inspiration to make a difference in the life of another person.
Publishers remain confident. People
still love a great story, says Pape. A
story well told can still find an audience.
Clements believes the quality of the fiction being published by Christian houses
has never been better. She says: We are
facing the same challenges the secular
houses are facing, only we know that our
books speak to the heart as well as entertain. The readers are still out therewe
just have to adapt and focus in order to
connect with them in the midst of
change.

A Division of Baker Publishing Group

In Canada, contact David C. Cook Distribution 1-800-263-2664.
www.bethanyhouse.com Available from your sales rep or call Bethany House Publishers (800) 877-2665.

Religion Update

Feature

Marketers Help
Readers Discover
Christian Fiction
By Andy Butcher

Someone really ought to weave a tale about selling Christian

and inspirational fiction: the overcrowded market, the distracted readers, and the rewards for those who overcome the
odds. Oh, but wait a minute, someone has.

GABE WICKS

ith its themes of stony

ground, short attention
spans, and limited openings,
Jesus parable of the sower
might almost be a metaphor
for some of the main problems facing those tasked with marketing
inspirational storytelling in
2014.
With less retail shelf space
available for established
authors, let alone newcomers,
and an ever-increasing number
of platforms offering promoKatie Bond
tional opportunities, writers
have to take on more of their own marketing, while publishers teams need to
be increasingly nimble and inventive.
Perhaps nowhere in publishing is discoverabilitymaking sure readers will
know about and be able to find your
booksmore critical than when it comes
to Christian fiction. It is a huge issue
with both challenges and advantages in
todays market, says Cynthia Ruchti, an
authorher most recent is When the
Morning Glory Blooms (Abingdon Press,
2013)and the professional relations
liaison for the American Christian Fiction Writers group.
The larger the ocean, she notes, the more
difficult it is for one wave to get noticed.
The increase in numbers of books publishedboth traditionally and through
other methodsmakes the pool of possibilities for the reader almost horizonless,
she says. And it has always taken effort for

a book or author to be discovered.

Katie Bond, director of marketing and
publicity for fiction at HarperCollins
Christian Publishing, agrees that discoverability is the big issue. It happens in
all sorts of new spaces, but most research
proves that the number one factor in the
purchase of a new book is still
personal recommendation, she
tells PW. But the places and
ways those recommendations
happen have changed. Our theater for discovery is different
oftentimes an increasingly
crowded, noisy online space.
REACHING BEYOND THE
CORE
For Dave Lewis, executive v-p of sales
and marketing at Baker Publishing
Group, with its Revell and Bethany
House fiction, discoverability is not the
issue if a publisher really believes in a
book and spends its money in the right
places. When you launch a new book
and give it minimal marketing support,
discoverability is a significant issue, but
whose fault is that?
Jeane Wynn concurs that word of
mouth is still very good for books,
whether someone recommends it to a
friend over coffee or tweets it out to her
followers. Running Wynn-Wynn Media
with her husband, Tysonthey are longtime publicists for Christian fictions
prestigious Christy Awardsshe adds
that now, more than ever, a comprehen-

48 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

sive media approach is essential. Rob

Birkhead, v-p and associate publisher at
Simon & Schusters Howard Books, notes
that through the likes of GoodReads,
Book Shout, Book Bub, Shelf Awareness,
Shelfari, NoiseTrade, and retailers online
promotions, there are many more ways of
reaching avid book buyers online. But
going beyond the core audience is becoming more difficult with so much vying for
consumers attention, he says. And
thats critical to have major sales success.
Thats when you go to school on the market for the unique subject matter of the
book, look for new ways to expose it to
people who may be interested in it, and
give them incentives to try it.
A constantly morphing media landscape means that platform is no longer limited to a small collection of highprofile news outlets, so publishers marketing teams have to be particularly
calculated but flexible in their approach
to promotion, says Bond. Successful marketers must be experts in both targeting
traditional or core media and exploiting the opportunities created by new and
emerging media, adds Wynn. The
growth of social media has affected the
way in which readers discover new interests, books included.
Everyone acknowledges the critical
importance of social media, while admitting its hard to know what works and
what doesnt. Says Wynn, While we
have yet to see definitive data that social
media sells books, what we do know is
that it has allowed readers to be closer
than ever to their favorite writers. Apart
from anything, fiction lovers often cant
get enough of their favorite authors
work, so social media keeps everyone
connected between books.
BLOCKING THE SCENERY
ACFW encourages its members to pick
and choose where to spend their social
media time. Theres evidence that the
rush to join all social media and milk it
for marketing purposes may be waning,
Ruchti says. She likens it to the billboard
era, when overused roadside advertising
not only diminished its impact but

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Religion Update
became annoying scenery blockers. At
HCCP, were selective about how we ask
authors to use their valuable time on
social media, says Bond. Publicists act
as coaches, helping [authors] to follow
strategies we see working well for other
authors and brands.
Authors who are using social media well
are conscious of its social and relational
aspects, Ruchti says. They use it to build
trust, to offer added value that may not
necessarily be related to their books. And
they use it to listen as much as to talk.
A role model in this regard might be
consistently bestselling Karen Kingsbury, whose most recent, Fifteen Minutes
(Howard Books), debuted on the New
York Times list last fall. Birkhead attributes that in large part to her social
media efforts. She has done an amazing
job of attracting a huge online audience
of nearly 300,000 and keeping them
engaged through the years, he says.
Birkhead emphasized advertising in
music markets because of the American
Idollike plot line, earning such strong
radio attention that Kingsbury was
invited to guest-host national morning
drive-time shows on several occasions.
An author having strong social media
means there is a built-in audience that is
waiting for the next thing, he says.
Capitalizing on that should be part of
every marketing campaign.
ON CONSTANT ALERT
Digital publishings sizable bite out of
the print fiction pie also requires adept
marketing. Says Bond, When it comes
to digital promotions, the good news is
that developments in results tracking
make it much easier to observe effects on
sales and change course quickly.
She adds, Were constantly learning
about the messaging and imagery that
works best with various outlets and to
experiment with different advertising
outlets, she adds. Gone are the days of
developing a marketing plan, pushing it
into motion, and waiting months before
guessing about what made an impact.
As a result, teams are on constant alert,
Bond says, planning for future cam-

| Feature

paigns while making real-time adjustments to those in play.

But instant access to digital books cuts
both ways. While it affords an opportunity for impulse buys, it also means readers can be lured away more easily. They
not infrequently download free books
that they never get around to reading.
Were hearing readers tell us that the
devotion to stick it out with a book that
doesnt immediately grab their attention
may soon be a thing of the past, observes
Ruchti. The importance of telling a
great story in a compelling way is stronger than ever for a society that sees products as disposable but time as an endangered commodity.
Lewis believes online retailers like
Amazon have helped discoverability
rather than hurt it, because they carry
nearly everything and all books are more
or less equal at those sites. That allows
books to be found and read that didnt
make the cut with a bricks-and-mortar
buyer. The fiction reader now has a much
larger selection to choose from.
The digital marketing space can be
tough. Book giveaways are popular, but not
always possible for electronic-only editions,
notes Wynn. Well soon see technology
advances that make this possible, she adds.
For the time being, though, its a marketing hurdle that must be considered.
For Birkhead, offering free content or
even exclusive interaction with an author
is crucial in a digital world, and thats
fairly easy with so many different digital
platforms. But launching new writers is
tougher than ever, according to Birkhead.
Its largely a money thingmarketing
budgets are often based on projected sales
that are easier to estimate with a proven
name. There are certain marketing tactics you know will work, especially since
fans anticipate the next release, he says.
Thats why working with authors to
develop their own social media presence
and grassroots efforts is so important.
PROMOTING GENRES,
NOT JUST BOOKS
One way Bonds fiction team changed
things last year was with programmatic

50 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

campaigns that promoted multiple

titles in different core genresfrom
romance to suspense and young adult
rather than just one book. We are still
focused on book-by-book marketing as
well, she says, but these genre-focused
campaigns both raise the profile for
author brands were still growing and
allow us to extend the length of active
promotion for all titles, since they are
ongoing throughout the year, tied to seasonal and thematic topics. Team members are cross-trained in all aspects of
advertising, publicity, and social media,
Bond says, each one serving as an expert
for the genres in her care, charged with
developing a deep understanding of what
those genre readers want.
Wynn affirms the marketing value of
awardsthey are a way to narrow down
a field of books for readers in one particular genre. Ruchti, whose ACFW
presents its own annual Carol Awards,
says that while prizes may not translate into a directly measurable marketing advantage, they do offer credibility. Birkhead echoes that; they add to
an authors credentials, he says. Its
great to put them on the cover, flap copy,
or in the bio, to get readers to take a
chance on the author and hopefully
gather new fans.
Longterm, there are some fears that the
digital explosion may be damaging for
Christian fiction. With so many free and
low-priced books, Ruchti sees a natural,
though not necessarily healthy, sense of
entitlement to underpriced books.
Weve grown accustomed to microwave
meals and cant imagine waiting an hour
for an oven-baked potato, she says.
Weve also grown accustomed to books
priced as if theyre fast-food meals rather
than art.
Wynn is optimistic, however. As
competition continues to grow, it forces
the quality of Christian literature to get
better and better, she says. Though the
means and methods of delivery and marketing continue to change, as they always
have, at its heart its people telling stories
that change lives, because ultimately
they are telling an old, old story.

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Religion Update

Feature

For Christian Fiction

Editors, Its Complicated
By Ann Byle

Acquiring editors face a daunting task when it comes to

Christian and inspirational fiction: find gifted writers with
strong voices presenting distinctive stories to lure readers
looking for familiar yet unique, similar yet special books.

ome editors are excited about the

future of the category, others are
stymied; some are willing to
take risks, others not so much.
All are producing fiction they
hope meets a need, hits a nerve,
and sells beyond expectations. Whats
exciting and frustrating about publishing Christian fiction is that you never
know what that next big thing will be,
says Christina Boys, senior editor at
FaithWords.
FaithWords publishes about 10 novels
a year, each one filling a specific niche,
from Lynn Morriss Regency novel The
Barons Honourable Daughter (May) to the
1860s historical A Captain for Laura Rose
by Stephanie Whitson (Mar.), or the asyet-untitled suspenser by Ted Dekker
coming out later this year.
GET READERS TO HEAR
NEW VOICES
On the other end of the spectrum,
Bethany House, a division of Baker
Publishing Group, publishes approximately 50 fiction titles a year, 65% of
which are historicals (down from
75%80%),
according to
David Long,
senior acquisitions
editor. Bethany is
home to numerous
bestselling and
Dave Long
perennial favorites
like Beverly Lewis (The Last Bride,
Apr.), Dee Henderson (Undetected,
Apr.), Tracie Peterson (A Sensible
Arrangement, Apr.), and Lynn Austin

(Refiners Fire series repackage,

Mar.).In print were seeing readers
flock to longtime authors, which
makes it harder to launch new writers,
says Long. But readers who love Bethany House authors are going to like the
new voices as well, so were making
them available
and hoping sales
follow.
His sentiments
are echoed by Shannon Marchese,
senior editor for
fiction at Water- Shannon Marchese
Brook Multnomah. If I had to launch a
campaign for Christian fiction Id say
something like Try Something New or
Branch Out. There are really strong
voices out there just waiting to become
known.
Emily Rodmell, editor at Harlequins
Love Inspired imprint, signed seven
debut authors last year and is open to
more. Were excited to get new authors.
They have fresh ideas and offer fresh
voices, she says.
Harlequinwith its Love Inspired,
Heartsong, Heartsong Presents, Love
Inspired Historical, and Love Inspired
Suspense imprintswill offer 20 books
a month starting in May, with LI Suspense increasing to six new books each
month. The expansion of that line has
Rodmell especially excited. Were
open to a lot of different books we
wouldnt have looked at before, including new authors with their first books,
she says.

52 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

MOVEMENT
IN THE
GENRES
Interest in suspense
a n d i t s s i s t e r,
romantic suspense,
is growing across
the board, from Ramona Richards
small houses to larger ones. Along with
romantic suspense, Im excited to see
growth in medical suspense, says
Ramona Richards, editor at Abingdon
Fiction. Richard Mabrys Prescription
for Trouble series for us (2010-2011)
kickstarted our interest in acquiring
more. Outside the suspense genre,
Richards cites novels that have medical
interest points, including Severed Trust
(2013) and the forthcoming Out of the
Ruins (May). She adds, There is also an
interest in character-driven mysteries,
but thats still a weaker genre than [suspense]
Long of Bethany House agrees. The
most popular genres to emerge in the last
couple of years are suspense and romantic
suspense, a category that has grown substantially at Bethany thanks to Dee Henderson, Lynette Eason, Dani Pettrey, and
Irene Hannon. Were always open for
more.
FaithWords editor Boys adds, Suspense is hard, though, because its all or
nothing; Ive found that people who read
suspense tend to be one-author readers.
This makes it hard for new authors to
break out.
Ami McConnell, senior acquisitions
editor for fiction at Harper Collins Christian Publishing, sees historical romance
sales on the wane but readers eager for
contemporary romance, citing Colleen
Coble (Rosemary Cottage, 2013) and
Denise Hunter (Dancing with Fireflies,
Mar.) as prime examples.
Readers are interested in historical
romance during turbulent economic
times because they want to harken back
to simpler times, but as we emerge from
turmoil and from the Fifty Shades erotica, readers are seeking new, clean
romance, she says. Its wonderful that
were able to reach readers in new ways.

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Religion Update

| Feature

If we can get readers to read one

Regency and Victorian conof an authors books, they then
tinue strong, according to Long
want the whole backlist.
of Bethany and Rodmell of
McConnell isnt acquiring new
Love Inspired, though there is
historicals unless the authors
contradictory thought on the
are solid sellers and unless its a
popularity of colonial, Revoluhigh-tension time period such
tionary War, and early 19thAmi McConnell
as Nazi Germany. Biblical ficcentury fiction. Richards of
tion remains a tough sell, and she plans
Abingdon sees less interest in those perito stick with writers of Amish fiction
ods, while WaterBrook is excited about
who have a strong following.
Lori Bentons follow-up to her debut,
We keep saying we think Amish is
Burning Sky (2013). The Pursuit of Tamsen
waning, but its really not, says McConLittlejohn (Apr.) explores what Haddock
nell. Marchese at WaterBrook plans to
calls a time in history that is largely left
stick with bestseller Cindy Woodsmall
out of the classroom: the formation of the
(Seasons of Tomorrow, Apr.); Richards of
State of Franklin during the RevolutionAbingdon says, Amish continues to draw
ary period that almost gave us a different
readers, although they are looking for
version of the America we know.
more variety in the genre. Abingdon will
WWII historicals seem to be making
publish Lynette Sowells new Amish series,
a comeback, at least at WaterBrook, with
Seasons of Pinecraft, set in Sarasota, Fla. (A
Sigmund Browers Thief of Glory (Aug.),
Season of Change, May; A Path Made Plain,
which draws on autobiographical
Nov.), and will continue Barbara Camersources. According to Long at Bethany,
ons Amish Roads series themed around
the readership for WWII has disapthe rumspringe of Amish young people (A
peared, but hes looking to the Civil
Road Unknown, Feb.). FaithWords plans a
Warand several upcoming anniversanew series featuring an Amish herbalist
ries from the conflictto draw interest.
(Herb of Grace, Aug.) by Adina Senft.
Long says, As a genre its well estabOPEN TO EXPERIMENTS
lished. I see it plateauing rather than vanPublishers are trying a variety of topics
ishing.
and time periods, from holiday tales
Almost all houses hope for growth in
(Sharyn McCrumbs Nora Bonesteels
tales set in the Edwardian era. The early
Christmas Past; Abingdon, fall 2014) to
20th-century stories will appeal as long
coffee production (The Taste of Many
as shows like Downton Abbey hold our
Mountains by Bruce Wydick; Thomas
imagination in thrall, says Richards.
Nelson, Aug.), from 1950s Americana
Amy Haddock, associate editor at Water(Miracle in a Dry Season by Sara Loudin;
Brook, calls it a fascination with EngBethany, Aug.) to 1920s New York City
lish culture and says readers are looking
(The Hatmakers Heart by Carla Stewart,
for that experience in a novel. WaterFaithWords, June).
Brook author Carrie Turansky, inspired
Bethanys Long admits to not having
by the series, traveled to England to
as clear a vision for trends as he usually
research her novel The Governess of Highdoes. Were casting about for a vision for
land Hall (2013), the first in the threewhat is next; were not looking to plug
book Edwardian Brides series. Book two,
holes in genres. Says Boys of FaithThe Daughter of Highland Hall, will
Words, We need to keep an open mind
release later this year.
and experiment a little. Theres a chance
The upstairs/downstairs divide
a novel might not do well, but its worth
and the cultural revolution during the
the risk because it might break out.
Edwardian era leaves many plots to
American Christian Fiction Writers,
exploreand the fourth season return
which positions itself as the Voice of
of Downton Abbey to PBS was incredibly
Christian Fiction, has members ranging
strong, says Haddock.
from bestselling to unpublished authors.
54 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

Cynthia Ruchti, much- published author

and ACFW professional relations liaison,
says, Authors are exploring a wide variety of topics, eras, and felt needs from a
storytelling perspective, blending
genresAmish and mystery, womens
fiction with threads of suspense, historical novels with a nod to a time period not
normally addressedsomething for
every readers taste and interest.
McConnell is taking the long view.
HCCP looks at metadata to get a much
more molecular look at reader interest, as
well as offering readers more specific ways
to search for certain topics.We are better
able to respond to readers than ever
before, she says. We used to get handwritten letters from readers in a particular
demographic, but now twe are getting so
much field data via Facebook, e-mail, and
other digital means. We listen to why
certain topics or books are resonating, and
try to keep readers in mind as we respond
to ideas for books as well as manuscripts.
McConnell speaks of a shift in the
houses focus: We want to publish novels that expand our experience of the
world instead of limit it. In the past we
wanted to affirm what people believe, to
reflect that back to them. But thats not
the times we are in. Readers are much
more interested in expanding their
worlds, and fiction is a safe place to experience perspectives outside their own.
Ruchti of ACFW says, Although
social media can be a time drain for an
author, it also holds the potential to foster true engagement with readers. Fiction writers are braving new territory in
debunking the myths of Christianity
being equivalent to going to church on
Sunday and praying when in trouble.
Christian fiction is showing faith at work
in daily life, faith responding to dramatic
crises, and eternal truths on the pages, no
matter the genre or tone.
Haddock of WaterBrook sums it up:
Christian fiction offers readers what it
has always promised: an inspiring read.
Stories are less reliant on a sweet idea
with an idealistic approach to plot, and
more reflect life as it exists. This paves
the way for more authentic voices.

Feature

Religion Update

The Joysand Sorrows

of Agenting
Literary agents stand in the gap between Christian fiction
authors and publishers, negotiating through the best and
worst of both worlds. Their position allows them a unique
perspective on a category that has seen unprecedented
growth, mighty struggles, and enduring popularity.
By Ann Byle

have always
had the view
that agents are
more than deal
makers who
disappear after
a sale, but are, in
fact, partners with
writers and pub- Natasha Kern
lishers in the publication process, says
Natasha Kern, founder and director of
Natasha Kern Literary Agency.
CAREER COUNSELORS
The partnership Kern speaks of underlines one of the difficulties of agenting in
the 21st century: agents are career counselors more than ever as authors face
myriad publishing options and pressure
to become social marketers as well as
writers.
Chip MacGregor, founder of MacGregor Literary Agency, says, We have
to help authors with their career planning. That means
we help them figure out what they
can publish with a
major press, what
might work best in
a niche press, and
what they can selfChip MacGregor
publish. Early on in
my agenting career we didnt talk about
marketing, but now I could spend all my
days marketing if I wanted.
Kern reviews catalogue and jacket

copy for her clients books and weighs in

on press releases and marketing plans.
She advises her authors on Web sites and
publicity as well. Today, more than ever
before, agents need to know more and do
more to support their clients toward
greater success. The biggest challenge is
staying on top of an ever-changing publishing landscape.
Janet Kobobel Grant is founder of
Books & Such Literary Management.
After nearly 20 years in the agenting
business, knowing
how to direct clients whose careers
are in crucial stages
is one of the challenges every agent
is facing. An agents
job is to encourage,
Janet Kobobel Grant
yet not set unrealistic expectations. That can be a hard balance to find.
REALITY VS. SELF-PUB
FANTASIES
The need for balance between reality and
dreams is evident, says Grant, in a zeitgeist thats sometimes based on beliefs
that arent true when it comes to selfpublishing. Writers participate in online
groups, she says, in which some authors
tout their self-publishing successes,
which leads to unrealistic expectations in
others.
Most writers dont have the marketing know-how to see self-publishing suc-

cess, so theyre diverted from where they

should be putting their energies, says
Grant. Agents work with 50 or so
careers simultaneously, so our understanding of the current publishing climate is broader and deeper than a single
authors. We can end up spending a lot
of time redirecting clients.
Karen Solem, president of Spencerhill
Associates, Ltd., points to the success of
self-published client Colleen Coble that
rested in part on Cobles ownership of
rights to her large backlist, as well as her
continuing career in traditional Christian fiction publishing.
Cobles success, says Solem, comes
from older books she has priced very differently from her traditionally published
novels. Her older books were released as
e-books, so readers found those older
books at lower prices, which then led
them to her newer books. Amazon saw
that trend and starting doing promotions
for Colleen, and things started to happen
digitally. The advantage of her backlist
is that we could do a novel and a novella,
then three months later another novel
and novella, and another in three more
months. Says Solem, The best authors
have active print and digital careers.
Randy Ingermanson is the author of
Writing Fiction for Dummies (Wiley, 2009)
and a member of the American Christian
Fiction Writers executive board. The
real story, he says, is the huge number
of Christian novelists who are becoming
hybrid authorsthey continue to work
with traditional publishers and at the
same time they self-publish their backlist of out-of-print novels. And they may
also self-publish e-book originals of
shorter works to help promote their traditionally published frontlist.
Bestselling and award-winning novelist Brandilyn Collins, also an ACFW
executive board member, will release her
next Seatbelt Suspense novel, Sidetracked,
in May through 1Source, becoming part
of the Jerry Jenkins Select Line. Quite a
number of well known Christian novelists are going into self-publishing, not

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 55

Religion Update
necessarily full-time, Collins says.
Those who own their backlist are republishing the books themselves. Others are
writing contracted as well as self-published novels. Other Christian novelists
have gone into self-publishing full-time,
such as myself, James Scott Bell, and
Athol Dickson.
A desire to cross genre lines is another
reason authors consider self-publishing.
Gail Gaymer Martin is established in
category romance with 54 books, but
hopes to break into writing longer novels. I have other novels, both written
and that I would like to write in other
genres, such as womens fiction. I have
seriously considered self-publishing if I
cannot make an impact on the publishers
who are slow at responding to authors
not already established with them, says
Martin, an ACFW executive board member.
Grant of Books & Such has seen some
of her authors struggle to get their books
back into the marketplace. Clients want
to see their backlist titles available to
their readers, and our agency has helped
them to self-publish. But Ive seen that
even established authors arent effective
in selling backlist when its re-released
unless they have a very strong social
media presence and are offering series to
their readers rather than individual
titles, she says. A few of my clients are
writing original material and self-publishing, but its too soon to know what it
takes for this to be a successful venture.
Rick Christian, president of Alive
Communications, Inc., sums it up:
Most self-pubbers tend to be either
newbies willing to sell their content for
little to nothing; authors who have lost
the support of their publishers; or those
who post out-of-print works or stockpiles that traditional markets cant
ingest. Yes, they reap the lions share of
revenue by going it alone, but if you sell
only 17 copies, whats the true net
return? The harsh reality is that the vast
majority of these titles are as invisible as
a lost-kitty sign on a freeway lamppost.

| Feature

AGENTS
WOES
Spencerhills Solem
points to the difficulty of finding a
committed publisher in a time
when publishing Karen Solem
and selling are
changing dramatically, but says it is also
hard to find a great client. People want
instant success and take only a shortterm approach. Im trying to find clients
interested in going for the long haul.
Agents also face difficulties over which
they have little control. For Steve Laube,
founder of the Steve Laube Agency, The
biggest challenge we face is the suppression of the advance dollars. Everyone in
this economic climate is striving to manage their cash flow and mitigate their
risk. The sentiment is echoed by Grant,
who calls advances conservative, and
MacGregor, who says he isnt seeing
publishers take big risks in Christian
fiction, both in advances and in unknown
authors.
Sales expectations are also a problem.
One of the challenges is placing an
author whose previous sales have been
modest, says Laube. Adds MacGregor,
An author who has released a couple of
books, even at a small house, that have
sold modestly is not even getting a look
by most CBA publishers now. Im better
off taking them a new author with a great
idea than an author with a couple of
books with middling sales.
Christian of Alive Communications
highlights two abiding issues facing
agents and their authors: lead times
sometimes out of kilter with the instant
nature of todays world and rejections
for certain authors who dont have much
platform. He points out that many of
the megaselling franchise properties,
including the Left Behind series, began
with rejections by numerous houses.
REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
Yet bright spots remain for agents as they
attempt to sell their clients products.
Says Laube, Fiction continues to be a

56 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

growth category in the Christian marketplace. Those publishers who are leveraging the power of e-book sales are doing
the best.
Grant points to the readers. Readers
of Christian fiction are avid. Once they
discover an author, they want to read
everything by that writer, she says.
E-book sales are also on her radar: Publishers are still working to figure out how
best to drive e-book sales, but once they
do, I think the future of fiction is very
bright.
Publishers are adjusting, says Solem.
Christian publishers have been working
very hard to find the new models for a
new century. Some have done an amazing
job and are transforming the old style of
business to the new, but its a process.
The good news about Christian fiction
goes beyond sales, e-books, and platform.
MacGregor says, One bright spot is the
freedom authors have, largely due to the
open theological debate going on in the
church at large. This has created so much
freedom for artists to explore real questions and how they interact with their
faith.
He adds: Christian fiction isnt going
anywhere. Its growing and evolving.
People say the sky is falling because its
not growing the way it was six or seven
years ago, but the fact is that nothing can
be sustained forever. Its not dying; its
consolidating.
Kern is also optimistic. There are
millions of Christians worldwide who
enjoy uplifting and inspiring stories. In
addition, e-books open up ways of reaching readers who never would have gone
into a Christian bookstore or would
never have looked in that section of a
regular store. The publishing of Christian fiction is changing, but in many
good ways.
Good content, says Christian, has
value. As the industry gets squeezed and
it becomes more difficult for publishers
to achieve sales targets and grow their
businesses, its clear that good communicators with fresh, compelling ideas will
always generate interest and competition.

Profiles

IN

Religion Update

Profile
Tracy
Groot

Redemption
in Dark
Places
It takes an
imaginative
author to find
inspiration for a
Civil War novel
in Captain Kirk.
But Tracy Groot,
a two-time
Christy Award
winner (Flame of
Resistance; Madman) says the
seed for her new
book, Sentinels of
Andersonville
(Tyndale, Jan.), was planted when she
channel-surfed past the handsome mug
of a young William Shatner in an old
movie.
I am a huge Trek fan and thought,
What is Captain Kirk doing in this
Victorian-era courtroom drama? she
says. He had somebody on the stand
and they were talking about this prison
where thousands of Union soldiers
died.
The made-for-TV movie The Andersonville Trial was based on historical
events, when Confederate guards turned
away four wagons full of food collected
by their neighbors to feed starving
Union prisoners. There was one woman
in particular who was told it was treason
if she tried to feed these men, Groot
says. I was horrified. That event just
lodged in the back of my brain.
The story forms the foundation of Sentinels of Andersonville, a melding of
American history with the parable of the

Good Samaritan that allows Groot to

examine what Christian compassion
means and costs. I wanted to look at
what happens when you are standing on
the edge of this horrifying event and it
becomes a personal challenge, she says.
You have to ask yourself, if I were there
would I have the guts to step out and
risk treason to do what my conscience
dictated?
It is a theme Groot is returning to. In
Flame of Resistance (Tyndale, 2012) a
Frenchwoman helps an American undermine the Nazis, and in Madman (Moody,
2006) Groot fleshes out the person who
cared for the Geresene lunatic of the
Gospels. Her books frequently touch on
atrocities as she looks there for faith,
hope, and redemption.
God was inside the stockade at Andersonville, where 13,000 men perished
from starvation, she says. He was there
in the form of Fr. Peter Whalen, who
visited the prison daily and refused to eat
more than they were given. He was there
in the form of Dr. John Bates, who
would allow sweet potatoes to drop
through his trousers so prisoners could
find them. I see God in that.
Next up from Groot is a tale set
against the British evacuation at
Dunkirk, expected from Tyndale in
2015. Meanwhile, the author keeps
looking in the darkest places for light.
Im kind of a hope and redemption
junkie, she says.

Kimberly Winston

Ted Dekker

Dare to Forgive

Bestselling author Ted Dekker was born

to missionary parents and grew up
among cannibals in Indonesia in the
1960s. As a child he hoped hed one day

become a superhero like Daredevil, complete

with super
powers and the
ability to fight
evil. Growing
up in the jungles of Indonesia had its
advantagesI
would spend
many days traversing tree
tops. Instead of
becoming Daredevil, I became a
novelist, which
is essentially the
same, if only in
mind. Dekkers
latest feat? Adding Water Walker (Worthy, Mar.; reviewed in this issue) to his
young adult series the Outlaw Chronicles.
The first book in the series, Eyes Wide
Open, was originally self-published in
2012 and later released in paperback by
Worthy (Jan. 2013). Passionate reader
response to the books online surprised
Dekker. I didnt know what to expect.
In Water Walker, a teenager has been
abducted by her birth mother at 13 and
must find a way to forgive her in order
to become a Water Walkersomeone
who walks in faith. Its a story of radical
forgiveness, which gives the one who
chooses such a path nearly superhuman
power, says Dekker. I think Water
Walker might be one of the most satisfying books Ive written, certainly one of
the truest. He says he finds satisfaction
in its rarely discussed themes. This isnt
just esoteric crap for a good jawing in
the office. I say truest because the book
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 57

Religion Update
explores one of those truths [forgiveness]
that all sages teach, but so few are willing to hear, including me. Walking the
path of a Water Walker is transformative
in every respect.
Transformation is what Dekker hopes
his novels achieve. He has published
more than 30 novels, but it was only in
2010 that he decided to pursue writing
for the young adult audience with the
Lost Books trilogy. Im still a child in
many respects, growing younger each
year, Dekker says. I didnt so much
write YA for my kids as for that child in
me that continues to discover great mystery and wonder as I mature. As the
father of three daughters, Dekker had a
lot of inspiration for creating the voice
of Christy, the protagonist in Water
Walker. Having raised three teenage
girls, at times I think I might be one
myself, so it comes naturally.
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| Profiles

inspired by what doesnt come naturallyfacing his own failures and asking
the question, what if? Dekker drew
inspiration from the failure to find lasting satisfaction in what the world has
deemed as success, he says. Weve been
deceivedit isnt striving and grasping
that rewards us with peace and power, its
letting go. And it seems that we take that
journeyof unlearning what we were
taught about [finding] success in money,
relationships, career, and matters of
faithonly when the old way fails us.
Like his beloved superhero Daredevil,
Dekker dares readers to let go. He hopes
the message they take away from Water
Walker is one of forgiveness. Its
stunning to realize that so much gain
comes not from vindication or revenge
or even protecting ones interests, but in
letting go of all you think keeps you
safe, he says. This is the juju of Water
Walker, and its potent medicine indeed.
True forgiveness is not absolving the
person who wronged youits releasing
any wrong done to you in the first place.
You have that power.
Paige Crutcher

Billy Coffey

Writing a Different Ending

Still captivated by the distinctive small
Virginia town where he grew up, Billy
Coffey returns to its proxy, Mattingly, a
place he first took readers in When Mockingbirds Sing (Thomas Nelson, 2013).
His latest book, The Devil Walks in Mattingly (Nelson, Mar.), explores what happens when 20 years worth of guilt about
a young mans untimely death overtakes
three high school classmates. Can those
responsible for the events that led to his
death now welcome the redemption
theyve sought all these years?
For Coffey, the choice to go back to
Mattingly was only natural. Its a small
place, and Ive always liked the idea of
talking about big things in small circumstances, he says. As a teenager, Coffey recalls a classmate named Ed, whom
he describes as the kid with a target on
his back. On the receiving end of

58 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

taunts, namecalling, and

physical harassment, Ed
wasnt in a position to defend
himself.
Although he
didnt participate in the tormenting, Coffey
was never able to
shake his guilt
over staying silent and not intervening. Ive
carried that regret for over 20
years now, he
says. The pain
of all those
things I didnt do is more than the pain
of all the things Ive done. And all that
time, Eds been there, deep down, almost
whispering.
What emerged as Coffey wrote was
the story of one young man, Phillip McBride, found dead along the riverbank in
the woods, and three classmates who
know deep down his death was murder,
not the suicide the reports all claim.
Twenty years later, their lives crumbling
under the weight of guilt, they begin to
be haunted by visions of Phillip in their
dreams. When all three are drawn together for a final confrontation, they will
finally choose between life and death,
truth and lies.
We all have these burdens we carry,
Coffey says. After a while, were just so
weighed down with them that were not
even moving through life. To leave fear
behind and let grace take its place, Coffey says, I think you have to hit rock
bottom. I dont know any other way
you have to nearly lose everything. Until
the pain of staying the same is greater
than the pain of changing, you wont
change. In the end, to get free of the
kind of guilt you have over something
like that requires confession.
Coffey knew he couldnt rewrite his
past, but he could write a different end-

ing to a similar story. I wanted Ed to

have his victory, says Coffey, but not in
the way most would write it, through
fear or revenge. I wanted Ed to save those
who had bullied him, to free them
through grace. Deonne Lindsey

T. Davis Bunn

Listening to God
His new novel, The Turning (River
North, Apr.) may bring exactly that for
T. Davis Bunn: a turning to a new platform and new audiences for his Christian
suspense fiction.
Bunn, a three-time Christy Award
winner, will offer a series of lessons
based on The Turning on Moody Radio,
which is owned by the same parent company as River North. He will be the first
fiction author to create such lessons for
Moody Radio, which usually features
the teachings of pastors, scholars, and
other Christian leaders.

angel gray photography

Profiles |

Religion Update

It is almost
indescribably
high, the barrier Christian
novelists find
when being
considered for
radio or television, because
they are not
considered teachers, Bunn says
from Florida,
where he lives
when he is not
teaching writing
at Oxford University. But when
Deborah Keiser,
associate publisher for River
North, met Bunn at a conference, she
knew that if anyone could break the barrier, it was him. Says Bunn, I decided if

they were going to do this, I was in. In

The Turning, five people hear God asking
them to do different, simple things. They
obey, and see a pattern emerge that links
the actions together, coalescing in a cultural movement toward moral renewal.
But darker forces align against them,
challenging the belief that they can really
know and hear from God. The novel features many of the themes Bunn is known
forglobal politics and intrigue interwoven with the moral, religious, and
ethical choices of individual characters.
He will draw on those themes, as well as
the books plot and situations, to create
his series of radio lessons.
The whole structure of the lesson
plans will be based on the discipline of
attentiveness, of listening to God, Bunn
says. The goal will be for the reader and
listener to make room for the movement
of the spirit in whatever fashion this
takes place, and to understand the power
of spiritual gifts and the discipline of

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Religion Update
making them into something real.
This message grows out of Bunns own
experience. He converted to Christianity
when he was 28 and gave up writing as
a kind of sacrifice, but later came to feel
that God wanted him to use his writing
as a means to serve. Now, having sold six
million books in 16 languages, he writes
a book a year for Moody and another for
Bethany House.
By being still enough to listen and
give God a chance to speak, I was also
making room for the gift to grow, he
says.
Kimberly Winston

Murray Pura

Transporting Readers
Just as the wildly popular PBS series
Downton Abbey has captured the attention of American viewers, so has Canadian author and Baptist minister Murray
Puras the Danforths of Lancashire Park
series (Harvest House) kept a rapt readership looking forward to each new volume in the trilogyfirst with Ashton
Park, then Beneath the Dover Sky, and
now with London Dawn (Feb.).
It is not hard for Americans and Canadians to relate to and empathize with
the experiences of the British people,
says Pura. The British way of life fascinates them, he adds, which is clear from
how North American readers have adopted British storiesA Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, The Chronicles of
Narniaas their own, a part of their
cultural heritage as well.
The saga of the Danforth family begins in WWI England, picks up in 1924
with Adolf Hitler looming over Europe,
and continues through the late 1930s as
the family gathers in London for a homecoming of sortsone that is about to be
shattered by the imminent Battle of
Britain and the Blitz.
A self-proclaimed Indiana Jones,
Pura has traveled extensively throughout China and the Middle East, among
other places, and considers himself part
academic and part adventurer, an anthropologist of sorts who studies cultures to better understand people. He

60 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

| Profiles

wants his books

to be as realistic
as possible,
transporting
readers to another place and
time. Pura
earned his master of divinity
degree from
Acadia University in Wolfville,
Nova Scotia,
and his Th.M.
degree in theology and interdisciplinary
studies from Regent College in
Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hes currently studying for a Ph.D. in
robotics.
Pura wants his readers to feel as if
theyre right in the middle of the world
of the past so they can use all their senses to be transported to the world of his
characters. All the beauty and tragedy
of a familys story over several generations has to become a beauty and tragedy
the readers own and care deeply about,
he says. London Dawn takes readers from
1916 to the Roaring 20s, into the tribulations and tensions of the 30s, and
finally to the explosion of world war that
was the 1940s, Pura says. I wanted to
make the Danforths live for my readers,
to have them find another life alongside
that familys husbands and wives and
sons and daughters. I wanted to totally
transport them, so that when they placed
a bookmark between two pages and
looked up, the reality of their world
seemed strange to them for a few minutes, and the story in the book much
closer to what was true. That kind of
immersion in a story, Pura says, is what
gives a reader the greatest pleasure, enthrallment, and blessing.
And what did Pura enjoy most about
writing the final book in the series? In
London Dawn they are all grown up and
soaring through Englands skies in their

Spitfires and Hurricanes, Pura says of

the characters so many readers have
come to know and love from the series.
I enjoyed nothing so much as describing flight: the blue and gray skies, towering white clouds, the diving and
swooping and twisting and turning of
aircraft in the heavens. Somehow the gift
of wings is etched in my mind and soul
and dreams, and that has found its way
into the Danforths of Lancashire from
beginning to end. I dont believe those
images will ever leave me.
Kathleen Samuelson

Allison Pataki

Revising a Traitors Story

Allison Pataki, daughter of former New
York State Gov. George E. Pataki and a
former ABCNews.com and FoxNews.
com writer, grew up gazing across the
Hudson River at West Point Academy
and hearing about the life of Benedict
Arnold, the most notorious turncoat in
American history. But when Pataki
uncovered a forgotten romantic triangle
and the role of Arnolds much younger
wife in the plot to aid the British, the
seed was planted for The Traitors Wife
(Howard Books, Feb.), her novel based
on those events.
Every school child in my hometown
of Garrison, N.Y., learns about the flight
of Benedict Arnold, because theres a
walking path in town that traces it, Pataki says. I was near that path one day
when I came upon a historical marker
that had [pictures] of Arnold, his coconspirator Maj. John Andr, and his
wife, Peggy Shippen Arnold.
The portrait of a beautiful woman
with her hair piled high caught Patakis
attention. Then she noticed it had been
drawn by Andr, who she knew had been
romantically linked to Peggy before she
married Arnold. That was enough to get
Pataki researching. I found all these rumors about their relationship and her
familys loyalty to the British, she says,
and I thought, How did I not know all
this?
It turned out the romantic triangle

Religion Update

josh franer

Profiles |

wasnt the only

surprising aspect of the story, Pataki says.
I really was
shocked to discover all the
various layers of
complexity in
the story of
Benedict Arnold
and just how
much of an
American hero
he really was.
She points to Arnolds involvement in key
Revolutionary
War battles at
Fort Ticonderoga and in Quebec, Connecticut, and Saratoga as proof of his service to his new
country. The facts pointed to a man who
was committed to the Revolutionary effort early on, Pataki notes. Arnold led the
offensive at the battle of Saratoga against
his senior officers orders and was shot
multiple times. He paid his men out of
his personal fortune when the government couldnt.
At one point, hes said to have
thought it very likely that hed die for
the cause, and if he had, hed have died
an American hero, Pataki says. But
instead, most Americans think of him as
synonymous with being a traitor.
While Pataki admits that sorting out
fact from fiction in historical accounts is
difficult, exploring the complex story of
Arnolds life and his wifes influence
proved to be more than just a good story.
In his last moments, its rumored he
begged God to forgive him for ever having worn another uniform, Pataki says.
Even though he ended up in England,
the British didnt trust him any more
than the American patriots did. He really was a man without a country in
many ways. I realized his story was much
more nuanced than I knew, and I was
surprised I felt such pity for him.
Deonne Lindsey

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W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 61

Religion Update

Books in

Brief
Bridge to Haven
Francine Rivers. Tyndale, $25.99 (480p)
ISBN 978-1-4143-6818-4

ivers (Redeeming Love) returns with a

page-turning recasting of the story of
the prodigal son, here a prodigal daughter.
In 1936, Abra Matthews is found as a newborn under a bridge in the small California
town of Haven by Pastor Ezekiel Freeman.
Shes taken in, but never feels as if she quite
belongs, so she is susceptible to a beguiling
young man who years later lures 17-yearold Abra to Hollywood. There, she becomes
starlet Lena Scott, made over by a Pygmalion-like agent who wants everything from
her, even while Abra/Lena comes to understand the cost of what she thought she
wanted. Rivers nicely evokes 1950s Hollywood, with its gossip columnists, highwattage movie stars, and ladder-climbing
aspirants; Elvis Presley and Lana Turner put
in cameos. This story arc will be particularly resonant for Christian readers, but
Rivers has the writing ability to reel in others who enjoy a well-told tale of redemption. Agent: Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne &
Miller Literary Associates. (Apr. 22)

Sing for Me
Karen Halvorsen Schreck. Howard,
$14.99 trade paper (336p)
ISBN 978-1-4767-0548-4

chreck makes an impressive debut in

this historical romance set in Depression-era Chicago. Rose Sorensen has a beautiful voice and sings in her Baptist church.
But she loves jazz
music, and when her
cousin Rob maneuvers her into going to
a South Side jazz club,
Rose is hooked,
deeply conflicted, and
startled to realize shes
attracted to Theo, an

Reviews

African-American jazz pianist, as well as to

his music. Familial and social barriers loom
large between Rose and the desires of her
heart. Schreck has done good historical
homework and makes her central characters
emotionally credible and magnetic. Elements of pathos (Rose has a disabled sister)
occasionally and less imaginatively propel
the plot, but on the whole this is a wellwrought and edifying page-turner. Agent:
Sandra Bishop, MacGregor Literary Agency.
(Apr. 8)

Caught in the Middle

Regina Jennings. Bethany House, $14.99
trade paper (352p)
ISBN 978-0-7642-0992-5

ennings (Sixty Acres and a Bride) creates a

strong heroine in this historical romance
that veers between comedy and drama.
Anne Tillerton has become a tough buffalo
hunter in Texas, late 1883, for a good reason; theres trauma in her past. Shes a good
enough shot to save the life of Nicholas
Lovelace, a businessman from Annes hometown, during a train robbery. Nicks and
Annes lots become entangled when Anne
becomes responsible for an infant whos
been abandoned by the runaway camp cook
Anne is pursuing to bring her back to camp.
Nick faces ethical problems and Anne social
and emotional ones as the two slowly develop
an unlikely relationship. Jennings is a strong
writer who has fashioned two complex characters. Occasionally the comic tone seems
off given Annes difficult backstory. And
the child she accidentally acquires, Sammy,
at times plays the stilted role of deus ex
machina in the plot. But character transformation in this tale will certainly satisfy
Christian readers, and others may find
memorable characters. Agent: Rachel Kent,
Books & Such Literary Management. (Apr.)

A Table by the Window

Hillary Manton Lodge. WaterBrook,
$14.99 trade paper (320p)
ISBN 978-0-307-73175-3

odge (Plain Jayne) confects a yummy

romance involving Juliette DAlisa and
her large Italian-French-American family of
cooks and restaurateurs. Burned in a
romance with her brother Nicos sous-chef,

62 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y F E B R U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4

and washed out as a professional chef,

Juliette is a food writer and critic who turns
to online dating as a recipe for love. A major
subplot involves a family secret. In the table
willed to her by her late French grandmother, Juliette finds a photo of a handsome man whose resemblance to her brother
Nico is too strong to ignore. Juliette
attempts to unravel the mystery of the
photo while keeping up with her demanding family, her hearts own demands, and
the lure of her true calling. Lodge has put
together a many-faceted plot, and not all
the details are equally well researched. Yet
she develops characters with heart, and her
pacing sweeps the reader along. The novel
is made for Food Network addictsthe
recipes included are a true bonus, and
theyre easy to execute. Agent: Sandra Bishop,
MacGregor Literary Agency. (Mar. 18)

Water Walker
Ted Dekker. Worthy, $14.99 trade paper
(304p) ISBN 978-1-6179-5274-6

ekker delivers a thrilling story of

redemption and forgiveness in the
second book in his Outlaw Chronicles
series. Alice Ringwald is 13 years old when
shes kidnapped from her foster family and
returned to the biological mother she never
knew. Suffering from amnesia, Alice has no
memory of her life six months before the
abduction. She lives in seclusion with her
mother, stepfather, and brother and learns
her name is Eden; her mother believes she
is the prodigal daughter returned to offer
the family salvation. Edens hope for a normal life is shattered as her devoutly religious mother makes peculiar demands.
Eden would run away if it werent for her
younger brother Bobby, who suffers from
an intellectual disability and about whom
she feels fiercely protective. When Eden
turns 18, her mothers extreme behavior
devolves into something more dangerous,
and the enigmatic Outlaw arrives to offer
Eden a way out of her broken life. With
pulse-ratcheting suspense, Dekker skillfully weaves tension, symbolism, and faith
into the story. Fans of YA and Christian
fiction readers will find Dekkers newest a
fast-paced and satisfying read. Agency: Creative Trust. (Mar. 18)