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The Steve Laube Agency

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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Christian Fiction is Not Dead

By Steve Laubeon July 13, 2015
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Last week’s news of Abingdon Press deciding to no longer acquire new Christian fiction has created another clamor of claims regarding the demise of Christian fiction. The articles, emails, and comments range from glee (“it needs to die”) to consternation (“woe is me of ever getting a book deal”).

Fewer Publishers

There is no question that there has been considerable shrinkage in the number of publishers actively acquiring new Christian fiction. The news about Abingdon was disappointing but not a surprise. They had stopped acquiring a year ago July (2014). Then last November they announced they were going to start up again, but that never got off the ground and eventually the decision was made to halt last week. Therefore we had not really been able to sell new projects to them for over a year.

Back in late 2007 I had some conversations with executives at Abingdon about what it would take to run a successful fiction division. I mentioned two key things. One, a top-quality acquisitions person  and Two, a commitment to the program for at least five years. They officially launched the line in Fall 2009. They indeed gave it five years and apparently were unable to sustain an economically successful publishing program.

But all that does is remove another option for those authors looking to find a new home for their work. It does not mean the genre is dead.

Last year someone suggested that the reduction in title output by the Christian fiction industry was a “correction” much like what happens when a stock is overvalued by Wall Street. The stock doesn’t disappear, it simply corrects to a more realistic value. Once that correction occurs the value slowly builds again over time. And that is what I suspect is happening here. Could it be that there were too many books being pressed into the market at the same time? Or were there other factors?

Economic Factors

The entire fiction industry, both general market and Christian market, is trying to grapple with a number of key issues:
1) Discoverability – an appropriate term describing the challenge in helping readers find new fiction, especially yours.

2) e-book proliferation –the simplicity of anyone to independently publish adds thousands of new choices each month, which affects discoverability.

3) Pricing – The ease of driving prices lower using ebooks in an effort to create any sort of sales volume. Cheaper books means less revenue per sale which makes it harder for a traditional publisher to sustain their economic models.

As one editor put it, and I paraphrase, “We are selling more units but making less money.” Take that comment into any business of any kind and see how the decision makers react. Working harder for less money is the opposite of most business models.

More Readers Than You Think (Really?)

But there is a bit of sunshine in this seeming dreary analysis. In May a major research report on Christian fiction (done by Pew Research) found that nearly 50% of Christian-fiction readers read more than 10 books annually, while only 36% of the readers in the general market read that many. This suggest a voracious appetite for the genre. That appetite is found in the assertion that nearly half of the readers are purchasing more titles today than they were five years ago! (Click here for access to the full report titled “Christian Fiction Readers: Worthy Pursuing, Work Keeping.” I recommend you download and read.)

The top reasons people buy a particular Christian novel?
1) story itself (94%)
2) the author (89%)
3) desire to keep reading a series (69%)
4) recommendations (like reviews) (68%)

So Why are Publishers Giving Up?

In the first place, they aren’t giving up. Those that have been publishing in the space for a long time continue to do so and continue to be successful. Very successful.

If you look at the history of those publishers who started a reasonably sized fiction program and dropped it you will find that most began during the height the genre’s success – around 2008 or so…which was during the economic recession of the U.S. (Summerside, NavPress, B&H, Abingdon, Moody, and Worthy) In other words, they gave it a shot and it wasn’t sustainable. That can be for reasons like overpaying advances, growing the line too fast,  or simply never getting that one big hit that covers all the initial investment. Publishing is a business. And if there isn’t enough of a profit at the end of the day, the business cannot survive.

Silver Lining

There are still Christian fiction contracts to be had. I talked with another leading agency last week and we shared some data with each other. Together our agencies have sold nearly 60 new contracts in the first six months of 2015. And those aren’t all one-book deals. This probably represents close to 150 new books being contracted…in half a year, in the Christian fiction industry… and between only two agencies.

Combine that with the earlier mentioned survey that suggest there are plenty of readers out there who want to read Christian fiction and you can find hope. Even make a case that the industry is not dead, despite claims to the contrary.

Our agency remains committed to our authors and to the genre of Christian fiction. We continue to actively seek out new opportunities (both traditional and indie) and to support the efforts of our publishers to find new talent or make their existing talent that much more successful.

It’s a new day. Let’s get busy.

 

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Category: Book Business, Economics, TrendsTag: Book Business, Christian Fiction, Trends

Fun Fridays – July 10, 2015

By Steve Laubeon July 10, 2015
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Enjoy this brother and sister piano duet…with some great twists throughout!

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Category: Fun Fridays

Tamela’s 2015 ICRS Report 

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 9, 2015
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As Steve Laube reported on Monday, ICRS was enlightening, entertaining, energetic, and frenetic. (I ran out of “e” words.) One “s” word I looked forward to upon my return home? Sleep! As a member of AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association), I entered ICRS infused with a great amount of love and support from many sisters in Christ because the AWSA conference takes …

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Category: Book Business, Conventions, ICRSTag: Book Business, ICRS

The How-To of Legacy

By Karen Ballon July 8, 2015
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Wonderful thoughts last week.  Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, honesty, and wisdom. Just one of the many reasons I so admire you folks. So here are my thoughts on this topic. As Connie Almony wrote, it’s not about the big things we do, it’s the small, everyday things. In fact, it’s about one specific thing: Choices. Legacy stems from the multitude of choices we make every day. It’s …

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Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Personal, TheologyTag: Career, Legacy

How to Know When to Stop Writing

By Dan Balowon July 7, 2015
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At one time or another every person in the world must make a similar decision. We all need to decide when it is time to quit doing something. It is a metaphor-rich moment. Put your foot down. Put a fork in it. Walk away and don’t look back. The end of the road. Pack it in. Stop playing the game. Not going to take it any more. Close the book.         Uncle. How do you know when it is time to stop …

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Category: Career, PlatformTag: Career

ICRS 2015 – Observations

By Steve Laubeon July 5, 2015
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Last week the industry gathered in Orlando for the annual booksellers convention (I.C.R.S. – International Christian Retail Show). This was my 34th consecutive event and this year had some new benefits. I’ll run through some of the highlights and then make some observations. 1) Like last year, Tamela Hancock Murray and Dan Balow attended as well. We tried to do our meetings with publishers as a …

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Category: Book Business, Conventions, ICRSTag: Book Business, ICRS

Fun Fridays – July 3, 2015

By Steve Laubeon July 3, 2015
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Sheer delight at the FAO Schwarz store in New York city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lA9yBrnFyI

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Category: Fun Fridays

Rejection Hurts Us, Too

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 2, 2015
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My office receives many submissions every week and we must send out many rejections right away. Those aren’t so painful. Rejected manuscripts include: 1.) Game plans on how to pick up more and hotter women. 2.) Horror novels. 3.) Stream of consciousness meanderings. Others are near misses. The near misses are by far the most painful. They include: 1.) The talented fiction author missing the …

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, RejectionTag: Rejection

Are You Leaving a Legacy Now?

By Karen Ballon July 1, 2015
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Two weeks ago I wrote about a video made to honor Paul Lee, a student at Seattle Pacific University whose life was ended too soon in the shooting a year ago. The video mourned his loss, but it also celebrated his life and showed the impact he’d had on those he met in his few years of life. When I first watched the video, it inspired and challenged me. Paul’s legacy is one of joy and dance and …

Read moreAre You Leaving a Legacy Now?
Category: Career, CraftTag: Career, Legacy

Bestsellers Twenty Years Ago

By Dan Balowon June 30, 2015
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Twice each year, I take this space on the agency blog and make a trip down memory lane to see what books were selling many years ago. If you understand from where books have come, you can understand where books are going. Below is the New York Times bestseller list from July 2, 1995 and the Christian Booksellers Association list from July, 1995. A lot has happened in twenty years. NOTE: Check out …

Read moreBestsellers Twenty Years Ago
Category: Book Business, TrendsTag: Bestsellers, Trends
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