by Steve Laube
There could not be a better argument for the need for good Christian romantic fiction than the recent sales phenomenon of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. In case you aren’t aware, this trilogy has sold ten million copies in the last three months. Ten million copies. The content of these novels should be x-rated and yet sit atop every bestseller list in the country. The media labeled the novels “mommy-porn” which is an apt description considering the book’s advocacy for aberrant sexual behavior. It has sold over one million e-book copies for the Kindle suggesting that some buy it for their e-reader because they can hide what they are reading by not showing the cover.
Of course there has always been salacious fiction on the market, so this is nothing new. Many saucy and erotic novels are readily available with the click of a mouse. But none, with such unapologetic deviance, have achieved such extraordinary success in such a short time.
Christian novelists? You were born for such a time as this. The message of love and romance in the confines of a loving God-centered relationship is diametrically opposed to that found in these bestsellers. Write stories that show relationships with all their ethos, anguish, strife, redemption, honesty, and romance. Therefore, let this phenomenon be a clarion call for you to dig deep and improve your storytelling, hone your craft, and shout it from the mountaintops that there are great novels that can be read as an alternative to what the general market offers.
If you aren’t aware of what is available, go to Fiction Finder and search by genre. Our agency represents over 110 of those great novelists.
Very well said, Steve. One has to ask if so many people claim to be Christians, why is the world so full of this kind of thing and darkness? As writers we have the opportunity to share that Light, and as Christian writers we have the responsibility to reach out to our readers with the Truth.
So true. Love is more than romance as any long-married person knows. I have always read voraciously but was never entranced by romance; I searched for true love which I found in books without any eros. Right now I’m reading books by Willa Cather which contain more filial love than romance. I can find love, but maybe not romance even in the police procedurals I have read. Love is action like Tevya and Golde’s song “Do You Love Me,” in Fiddler on the Roof, or Fly Adams lyrics, “I do the dishes, you know I love you, Take out the trash, you know I love you”. That’s my kind of novel. Actions show love even more than words, and people (writers, characters) naturally love once they are connected to their Lover.
Fantastic post! Love is about the moments between flowers and romantic nights out. Those are just the celebration of love. Love is what happens in everyday life when things are far more complex. Our readers need to know how to love the moments in between.
Amen! Time to get to work…
AMEN! Preach it Brother!
Wow, that is shocking to learn such a book can reach those numbers so quickly. It goes to show where we stand in the battle. So, pick up your pens, writers, and let’s get to the front lines!
I’ve heard that men are aroused by their eye sight, women through their minds; that’s why pornography in pictures appeal to men while books appeal to women. It’s sad to see such success of smut. We definitely need to show how God’s design is best. Let this be a call to action for all of us.
I had not heard sales numbers. How horrifically appalling! Thanks for the great cheerleading today!
Thank you for this encouragement. My neighborhood book club (I am not a member) reviewed this book last week. I was appalled at the excitement these sweet southern ladies exhibited. Also I am disturbed that the main character is a college student! I have an upcoming freshman at UGA and many of these ladies do as well. The thought of my daughter being sucked into such a relationship is horrifying. Again thank you for this post.
Caroline,
See if you neighborhood book club would be willing to consider reading one of this year’s Christy Award Finalists. See the list here http://bit.ly/M1lYLf. There is something on the list for every taste.
Will do!
Working on a one-sheet for a Christian romance novel right now…
Not to say I necessarily disagree, but I’m not sure I follow your argument. What you seem to be saying is that since porn is popular, there is a need for more good Christian romance fiction. Or to state it another way, the reason Fifty Shades of Grey is so popular is because people aren’t finding enough well written Christian romance fiction. That is an interesting assertion, but it is akin to a farmer deciding that the reason people eat so much corn is because farmers aren’t growing enough peas.
Timothy,
You have obfuscated the point I was trying to make and are trying to shift it to a discussion of the merits, or lack, of quality Christian fiction.
Read the post as it was intended. A call for the ongoing need for an alternative to the fare provided by the general market. As our culture continues to slide into coarse and profane storytelling we, as those with a Christian worldview, must be reminded to strive for excellence in our craft.
Steve,
I don’t see why we have to even consider the merits or quality if Christian fiction in relationship to this issue. I’m sure we could pick any book by one of your 110 authors and it would be better than the book you mentioned. But that doesn’t address the most important question, which is how do we get those ten million readers headed in the right direction? If there were a shortage of good Christian fiction, I would be able to see your point. As it is, not a shortage of the alternative that is the problem but far too many morally depraved readers.
Thank you for the post, Steve. We certainly are in a spiritual battle. I am thankful for your thought-provoking post. In fact, I’m going to print out the last paragraph and have it on my desk. It will remind me of why I am writing Christian novels. I especially appreciate your sentence that reads, ‘Write stories that show relationships with all their ethos, anguish, strife, redemption, honesty, and romance.’
The thing that’s horrified me the most about this phenomenon is how many professing Christians are defending their own reading of the books and attacking sisters in Christ who blog about the sinful (and just plain messed up) nature of the material. Unfortunately, these people are saying the books helped their marriage (!!!) or that it’s not about the X-rated content, it’s about the psychology of the abusive male lead trying to find emotional healing by exploiting a college student. As if that’s a good thing somehow.
Definitely, definitely, there is a great need for modeling the example of healthy and truly loving relationship as God designed it. I am frightened by the draw of an aberrant hero to these readers, especially since they’re connecting it not just to escapism but back into real life.
It matters what we write. It does affect people’s lives.
If you plant an iris, you get irises.
If you plant a lily, you get lilies.
If you plant a periwinkle, you get periwinkles.
If you don’t tend your garden and cut away all the weeds, the weeds will choke and take over, then they kill all the beauty you worked so hard to attain.
A beautiful impressive garden takes alot of time and work. Weeds take no effort at all.
Steve, what an excellent, encouraging post. In June, I wrote a post on 50 Shades and discuss the problem with Mommy Porn and how we’d come undone if our men were sitting around reading a little “daddy porn” in the airport. But most importantly, I touch on how this is just the latest culture crusher and next week there will be new media to stand firm against. Women need us to stand in the gap for them, not judge them for their reading habits.
Your encouragement to write about the only truth, is another way we can fight in the war that the culture seems to be winning. My post is here and I’d love to continue this conversation and hear more of your and your readers thoughts, if you get a minute. http://audrakrell.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/shifty-grades-of-prey/
Amen! Is it no wonder our children don’t respect purity and morality?
Thanks for addressing this, Steve, because I have to admit — Fifty Shades of Grey makes me fifty shades of frustrated!! This type of book is SUCH a trap for women, one that entices and entraps them into believing that romance or sex without God at the center is something valuable rather than destructive. Believe it or not, this is one of the many reasons I write Christian romance like I do with extra passion for both God and romance. In a world where over half a billion dollars are spent on romance novels in North America alone, it’s pretty clear “passion” is important, and no more so than to God who wrote His own passionate romance novel in Song of Solomon. This is why I believe the Christian romance novel should enlarge its tent to reach some of these women with God’s take on romance and passion rather than the worlds. But although 9 out of 10 women in the U.S. proclaim some form of Christianity (Barna Group), most will not read Christian romance, which I have to admit annoys — and challenges — me to no end.
Thanks for shedding some light on this very important subject, Steve.
Julie Lessman
Shades of Gray should be a call to arms for those of us who shine Light in the darkness. I was speechless last week when a Believer, friend of mine, said she couldn’t put down one of the books of this series. REALLY?? When I gathered my thoughts later that day, I called to challenge her to consider what she putting into her heart and mind. Hours later she called and said she’d got in the car and trashed the book in a paper recycling bin. She said she sighed with relief after tossing it as far back in the bin as possible. Bravo!
Question… if I am writing a clean, christian romance that mirrors the passion and romantic tensions like those in 50 Shades of Grey, would it be alright to include this in a book proposal to a christian agent? Or will the agent be put off by the mere mention of 50 shades of Grey?
Better not to mention it. The attraction to 50 Shades is not its passion and romantic tension but its dalliance with the dark side of bondage and sadism. Do you really want that connection made with your story? Probably not.
Absolutely not!! Thank you! 🙂