THERE’S ONE BATTLE I often have to fight when I send a book off to a publisher.
It’s not usually a pitched battle – though on one occasion I withdrew my manuscript from a publisher because of it.
The trouble starts with my mission:
I write books about the Bible and Christianity for non-Christians and nominal Christians. Bible newbies.
Those are the people I target because those are the people Jesus told his disciples to target when he gave them the Great Commission:
“Go and make disciples of all the nations….Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”
—Jesus, Matthew 28:19-20, NLT
Jesus didn’t say, “Go hang out in the church, sing to the choir, and chitchat about your kids in small groups.”
Here’s my dilemma.
Nearly everyone I work with, including agents, publicists, editors, and publishers ask me to please write for conservative Christians.
That’s where they say the market is.
That’s who they say buy my books.
And that’s the profile of the “Gatekeepers.”
Those are the bookseller folks who decide whether or not my books will go on the shelf in their Christian bookstores.
They also decide if my books will go on the racks in high-traffic areas such as airport gift shops, discount stores, and supermarkets. I love my books on racks out where non-Christians go. It’s hard for me to imagine a non-Christian going into a Christian bookstore. Wouldn’t that be a bit like seeing a Klingon at a pajama party?
If all of what those book publishing advisors say is true, then conservative Christianity is not only where my market is – it’s where my money is.
But it’s not where my people are.
My people don’t know much about Jesus or the Bible. When it comes to religion, they’re not conservative because they don’t have anything to conserve.
I walk a tightrope, trying to write books that will interest non-Christians who are curious about the Bible and the Christian faith – yet doing it in a way that won’t choke a “Gatekeeper.”
It’s a tricky business.
One criticism I get from some straight-laced Christians is that my tone or my choice of words is disrespectful to God or to the Bible.
I understand how people could see that, if they presume I’m writing to die-hard believers.
But I write to nonbelievers, so I try to open up a topic by approaching it the way they do. I start where they are, and then try to nudge them to think about what the Bible and what top Bible experts have to say about the matter. No preaching. Zilch. Other writers do that, plenty.
I ask hard questions, in their tone of voice – and sometimes with their choice of words, which might sound irreverent to the longtime saint.
- Why is the Old Testament God such a jerk?
- Why on earth should I embrace a God who tells Joshua and the Jews to kill everything in Canaan – men, women, children, and even the baby goats?
- Speaking of Joshua, do you really expect me to believe that he stopped the sun and moon in the sky? For heaven sake, I had physics in high school.
Then there are the controversial issues:
- Abortion
- Homosexuality
- Evolution
There are Christians on both sides of those issues.
Yes there are.
I report that in my books, and I try to present the most compelling rationale behind their arguments.
What happens, though, is that some Christians see me reporting something they don’t agree with, and they tag me as a liberal heretic for merely reporting it.
Some liberals, by the way, see me reporting the conservative side of the debate, and they tag me as a heartless conservative – or an idiot.
Anyone in need of proof could go to some of the websites that sell my books. Read the reviews. Most are flattering, thankfully. But some are flaming, predicting that one day I’ll be flaming, too.
That would leave a mark.
This is not an easy ministry. I swim upstream in Christian publishing.
That’s where my people are.
Or as one of my publicists put it – cynically I suspect – my “imagined readers.”
So here’s a prayer request: From time to time, ask the Good Lord to point me in the right direction. Wherever that is, that’s where I’d like very much to go.
And you got me too…with a nice Christian cattle prod LOL…can’t wait for that “Question and Answer” book you promised you were writing…I enjoy your books my friend!
Hey, thanks Wayne.
Steve: I just wanted to say DO NOT STOP writing the way you write. I love the way you express yourself in your books. You know that my husband ( Derrick) & I both read your books but have to have our own. We have been on this walk a while but understanding the walk and the Bible is the key. You ask questions & talk about things “Christians” are afraid to either ask about or talk about. Keep writing, do not change.
Thanks for the encouragement, Elaine. Say hey to Derrick for me. I’m praying for both of you.
Always good thoughts, good wordsmith skills.
Thanks, Brenda. I’m hoping this blog post doesn’t get me in trouble.
You continue to “preach” it, My Friend, and I’ll turn the pages! I love seeing your books in our local grocery story!
Thanks Sherry. I love seeing the books in the grocery stores, too. So much so that when I met one of the “rackers,” who handles sales for those racks that you see in secular places, I hugged him. This was at the book convention this week. The dude was a Mennonite, so it shocked him a tad. But I love those rackers. They take my books to where my people are. The gent saw me later at the convention, and he smiled and said “Hello, Stephen.” So I guess he got over the hug.
Steve, as far as I can see, don’t change a thing.
God has given you a gift. I believe you are being used as His vessel and that, my Christian Brother, is what we are here for, not to please people, but to glorify God.
I believe God wants us to ask Him questions, come to Him and hear what He has to say. He wants us to have child like faith. And “newbies” may not understand the history of the bible books or the people/culture etc. Your books clarify that in simple terms so when we pick up HIS word we can have light and clarification. And the pictures! How super is that to have a visual with the verbage?!? Pretty super.
I pray God will guide you, but I sense after reading your work, how you got here and the support of your spouse, your right where He wants you.
Very kind, Robin. Thank you.
Keep up the good work ad fight the good fight! There many of us Christians out there that LOVE your style of writing because it’s not preaching to us. Even us long time Christians cannot grow in our faith if we don’t question it at times and study it for ourselves. If we all we do is listen to someone’s opinion on the matter (weather it’s an amazing preacher liberal or conservative) we just become brainwashed with others ideas and opinions, not a stronger Christian who knows their faith.
On another note, I have a bible study group at my work that I lead and sometimes we have issues because of this. We all come from different faith backgrounds and are different points in our faith. So we really need a good study guide that is nothing but facts (like your books). So if you haven’t already, I think a small group bible study guide text would be a great idea! (we’re currently using the Serendipity Bible)
Thanks again!
Thanks Erin. I’m working on a book that deals with tough questions about our faith. I hope to create a leader’s guide for a free download.
I also would be interested in having a small group bible study guide for my group. I remember the first time I seen one of your books was at a airport coming home from a vacation. I wanted the book but money was tight so I didnt buy it. I regretted not buying it and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I Forgot to write down the name or author of the book, so it bothered me even more. One day at my Christian book store I thought I’m going to look for that book. I remembered what the cover looked like. So I started looking up this isle and down another.. I was about to give up. I had already looked in this area twice. I looked away then looked back and there it was right in front of me..lol..I have been a fan of your books ever since. I have learned so much from your writings that I feel it has made me a stronger christian and I thank you for it.
Thank you, Debbie. I’m glad you’re a persistent shopper. So is my wife; she gets stuff even when I ask her not to. We were in another country recently and she wanted to get a Starbucks gift certificate to use back home. She liked the idea of the foreign city name on the card. I told her I wasn’t sure she’d be able to use it back in the States. So she went in and bought three. One for her. One for our daughter. And one for our daughter-in-law. I hope they work, that’s all I can say.
Man, I really like your books and the words you chose. In the bible there are though questions and hard stuff to believe of course. –Opening the sea, a piece of wood turned into a serpent, animals speaking human language, the sun stopped, a floating hand writing in a wall, fire not consuming the wood and many weird stuff I have never seen in the real world—. But the approach to the bible and the style you write in your books, is kind. Good for starters and if other people don’t like.. well, they can buy other books right? Good Luck
God bless Fernando. May he spend many years on this planet.
I’m curious to read one of your books now
Mark, you can take a peek into my books by going to the Books section of my website and opening up the flip books. They’ll give you a sample of what I do.