In 2017, I wrote about The Challenge for American Christian Authors. I asserted that great care needs to be taken when American authors want their message to be understood by anyone outside of the US Christian subculture. Today, I am reversing that position and looking at what writers from other countries might have to say to the North American believer.
Two things brought this to mind:
First, I spoke to someone who, upon hearing that a missionary from another country was coming to the US to start a ministry, responded that they needed to mind their own business.
Ouch.
Second, not long ago, I received a proposal from an author in an African country on the subject of family, advocating for families to care for one another their entire lives, especially children to care for their aging parents.
In the first case, this remark revealed that those in the West can often develop a one-way approach to missions. We’re the senders, not the recipients. Not a very healthy perspective.
In the second case, the message was spot-on. Still, no matter how wise and proper a perspective is, if it conflicts with the general cultural opinions of the buying audience, it won’t go anywhere, no matter how biblical it might be.
Additionally, there is likely no way to monetize a book from an author in another country simply because their name recognition (platform) is not present in the region considering publishing it. It’s one of the reasons books written by an author from one country are rarely published in another.
It also diminishes our understanding of Scripture when we pay attention only to people like us.
The proposed African book came from a cultural perspective where families are close, and the duties of each member are expected. Taking that message to a culture driven by self-reliance, self-interest, and self-fulfillment rather than familial responsibility, would be nearly impossible.
And it is our loss in the West. The book might have created a healthy discussion.
Most cultures worldwide that do not have the opportunities and financial resources of the West are often far more aware of the need to rely on God’s Word and His daily faithfulness, rather than a “God plus ___” perspective of many in the West.
I am involved with an organization called Media Associates International, which is a global author and publisher mentoring/networking ministry. It has made this issue of cross-cultural publishing even more clear to me.
There is nothing wrong with reaching broader, more cross-cultural audiences with your writing; but it is a two-way street. Don’t expect to be embraced warmly abroad if you are dismissive of perspectives from other cultures.
Remember, “everyone everywhere” is not a target audience for your work.
The solution? Like every introductory communications class that has ever been presented, start with “Know your audience.” Then, begin writing. If you can reach 5,000 people in your part of the world with an important message, be happy with that. Jesus spoke to 5,000 people on more than one occasion, changing the world.
Still, I wish we could find a way to give a voice to Christian writers outside our subculture. We might learn something.
We don’t have to cross a border
to find a foreign point of view.
Just take a walk ‘cross town in order
to grab ahold of something new,
for there you will in dismay find
folks with no platform of their own,
the people who were left behind
when prosperity was sown,
and they need no evangelation
from a clean suburbanite.
They fully understand their station,
and they also know what’s right,
that even they, the least of these,
can still stand tall when on their knees.
Thank you for this post, Dan. As a non-US citizen freelancing in the publishing industry, I have often encountered challenges around my physical location, especially when it comes to networking. I’ve also seen firsthand how the worldview and beliefs of one culture can negatively impact interactions with other cultures, leading to a close-minded approach. It is sad and often does result in good discussions not taking place.
I do appreciate your mention of foreign authors often not being published outside their country simply because they are not known there. It is a thought-provoking reality of the publishing industry, and knowing it will help me work with authors who are not based in the US.
Blessings,
Claire Tucker
Dan, as always your insights are spot-on. The world is so much bigger than most Americans realize, precisely because humanity’s technologies have made it so much smaller. With reference to your parting comment about finding ways to give a voice to Christian writers outside our subculture, I have three thoughts: (1) we (Christian writers) can always co-author books with individuals from cultures different from our own; (2) when we cite authorities and give illustrations and provide other background material, we can draw from sources outside our own subcultures; and (3) we certainly need to aim our writing at our sub-cultural audience, but in today’s world we need to remind that audience that there are others in the world who see and do things a lot differently than we see and do them. And also that God is at work EVERYWHERE!
Great suggestions, Bill. Thanks.
I find the comment that American “culture [is] driven by self-reliance, self-interest, and self-fulfillment rather than familial responsibility” a bit disturbing, especially coming from a Christian source. A great many Americans, particularly those in Appalachian and African-American subcultures as well as many other sub-groups, are very much driven by family responsibilities.
Dan, thank you for illuminating this topic. My husband and I travel extensively for fun and on mission trips. Though Christians have much in common everywhere, how we live our values is the best way to change our image. Sadly, Hollywood sends out a broad message that we are a faithless people, prone to violence and greed. Fiction has yet to catch up to the reach of movies and television.
The idea of collaborating with a foreign author sounds like a promising means to bridge the cultural divide and help both authors find greater reach.
Having grown up with an Armenian-Iranian mother and grandmother, complete with all their friends, language, and middle eastern assumptions of good-girl behavior, I can definitely support our need for understanding other cultures. To add to others’ comments regarding differing, complex cultures within our domestic domains, I’d like to add “economic” to the list. When I began work career coaching and presenting workshops for homeless families, I learned first hand that my approach and wording needed careful overhaul to eliminate my ignorance, assumptions, and insensitivity to poverty. Many of my clients held Master’s degrees, some were even former C-level executives. Others were single moms impoverished by divorce. For those of us who communicate through either the written or spoken word, it is always good to take a breath and ask first for God’s discernment, wisdom, and grace. Our words count! As God said to Jeremiah, “If you will speak worthy words, not worthless words, I will make you my spokesman.” (Jer. 15)
Great post, Dan. Thank you!
Thank you for an insightful article. I would like to clarify whether, as a Southern African, preparing to submit a manuscript to your agency on the subject of Biblical generational influence in families (certainly not exclusive to the African context), I should reconsider my submission? My background in the last three decades is media, during which I have had the privilege of interviewing notable individuals, such as Franklin Graham. My manuscript addresses not only the challenges or problems but proposes the application and solutions for healthy generational relationships. Thanks
I would never say not to try, but nonfiction proposals will be evaluated both on the content and the author’s ability to promote to their existing constituency in the US. Both are important for the major US Christian publishers. Usually, that involves some combination of pre-existing speaking ministry, podcasts, social media, blogging, subscriber lists, and connections to high-profile people who can endorse and help promote.
Thank you for this insightful post Dan. We could learn much from those that have a different perspective than we do. This brings to mind a story of a visiting Chinese missionary that told a congregation that he would be praying that Americans come to a place that makes them see their need for Christ.
Dear Mr. Balow:
I would like to write stories for Middle Eastern women and children. I am somewhat
knowledgeable about their culture having lived in the Middle East and have many friends from the area. I understand a lot of the cultural differences — even those having to do with religious differences. Do you have suggestions how I could go about this? Any organizations I could join? Thanks for your help and suggestions.
Thank you so much, Dan. This definitely gives us something to think about, and to consider blind the blind spots we have. Wanting to just be senders and not recieving the blessing of other believers from other cultures. Wanting to only see Biblical truths if they line up with our culture. Meaty thoughts here.