A: With too few categories and some Christian publishers "contracting" - it seems to be in decline.
Is Christian Fiction Dying?
Last year, two Christian publishers downsized or suspended
their fiction programs. Currently, some Christian publishers are nervous
about fiction and in a wait-and-see mode before they attempt to expand it or try
new things. Others are excited about growth potential in the category and are
taking an aggressive stance toward it.
Similarly, some Christian retailers are doing quite well
with fiction, others are lukewarm with it and some are not doing well at all.
The answer to the title question, "Is Christian fiction dying?" is no, but it is certainly
interesting to explore the reason behind such widely diverse opinions on the
subject of Christian fiction today. How
can one group see great potential and another see little or none?
Here is why I think Christian Fiction is causing some
publisher and retailer confusion right now:
First and foremost, fiction is the segment of book
publishing and retailing most affected by the sales of eBooks. In some cases,
50% or more of unit sales on a particular title can be digital. Because
eBooks are cheaper than printed editions, overall revenues to the publisher will
decrease or remain flat, all the while readership increases. For a particular
novel, digital sales might be 50% of the units and 20% of the revenue.
A new business model eventually emerges, but it takes time
for publishers and retailers to adjust to new realities.
Retailers can easily recall how the decline in physical
product sales were affected by music downloads (iTunes started in 2001), video
download/streaming and audio book downloads. The migration to digital delivery
in music, video and audio resulted in a corresponding drop in physical product sales
at retail. But knowing the cause doesn’t
make it easier to handle.
The second major contributor to publisher and retail
confusion about fiction is the relatively small number of titles published. Even in good years, the total output of new
Christian fictions titles by the main ECPA Christian publishers are not more
than 250-300 annually. (I am not counting the various Harlequin Love
Inspired and Heartsong mass market lines which publish over 200 titles per
year.)
According to R.R. Bowker data from a couple years ago, the
entire U.S. publishing industry (not self-publishing) released over 250,000 new
titles annually, of which about 40,000 are novels. There is not completely
accurate data available on Christian publishers, but not long ago the total
output of books from Christian publishers was around 10,000 new books annually.
If Christian publishers followed the same ratios in fiction as the general
market, there should be over 1,000 new novels each year, not 250-300. Not every category growth problem is solved
by doing more books, but in this case, I believe it has something to do with
it.
Similarly at retail, when a category suffers a slowdown,
reducing shelf-space for the category only hastens the decline. The huge disparity between fiction in the
general market retail and that in the Christian market would leave one to wonder
whether some are giving up too early on it.
The final reason for confusion about fiction is there are a
limited number of genres published by Christian publishers. For reasons that
may or may not be obvious, Christian publishers cannot publish in as many
genres as a general market publisher. For instance, erotica will never be
a category in Christian publishing, while it is a major category in the general
market.
Combine these three things…eroding physical sales due to
digital delivery, a small number of titles in relatively few categories and maybe we can understand why it is rather
confusing time in the Christian fiction category.
What can retailers do about it? (other than stocking current
best-sellers and new titles)
- · Begin with the inventory. Carry the classic backlist. Not just In His Steps or Pilgrim’s Progress but the authors who made the category successful over the last 30 years…Janette Oke, Frank Peretti, Jerry Jenkins/Tim LaHaye, Bodie and Brock Thoene and Francine Rivers to name a few.
- · Decide to add a new genre of fiction that heretofore you have not carried or promoted. This is to grow your customer’s taste for a wider type of fiction.
- · Consider rearranging the fiction section by genre to help readers find new authors. Perhaps using a variation of the umbrella categories that the Christy Awards uses to separate the genres.
- · Encourage fiction reader groups among your customers. This will show how fiction can communicate spiritual truth in an effective manner.
Steve Laube, the founder and owner of the literary agency
with whom I work, was a Christian retailer himself before getting into the
publisher side of the equation over 20 years ago. In 1989, his Berean Store in Phoenix, Arizona
was named the CBA Store of the Year. I
asked him to give his perspective on how retailers can sell more fiction:
“The key was that great story that got people telling their
friends. Word-of-Mouth. Second was a staff that was
knowledgeable about the various fiction offerings. Hand-selling is still a
critical piece of what makes the physical store a destination. Hand-selling is
a form of word-of-mouth. For example, when Mrs. Sally came in the store each
month and asked us, ‘What's new?’ we could direct her to the latest and greatest
because we knew the type of stories she liked and the type of stories that were
on our shelves. That principle
has not changed over the years. I am always attracted to the part of any
bookstore that has a ‘Staff Recommendations’ section. I find it fascinating to
see what other people think is worthwhile to read.”
Keep in mind, that if readers don’t find what they need in
the Christian store, they will look elsewhere and personally, I’d rather they
find a lot of great reads among titles from Christian publishers in Christian
bookstores.
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