Are there any Christian publishers who would publish a work with occasional swearing (suited to the character) and non-graphic premarital sex (not necessarily condoned, but included)? I’ve written a book with strong spiritual (specifically Christian) themes, but not a clear conclusion (i.e. the MC is still growing spiritually by the end of the book; he hasn’t had any 180 degree conversion, but he’s clearly closer to God than he was in the beginning). He has sex outside of marriage and it’s neither condoned nor explicitly condemned in the book, but it’s an important part of the plot and character development so I can’t just cut it out. I fear the book is too spiritual for the secular market and too secular for the Christian market, and I’m wondering what sort of publisher might be open to something like this.
Christian publishers who tolerate mild swearing and sex?
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*Calling Deb! Calling Gravity!* They're the resident experts here on CBA publishing. Because AFAIK, no. 
Sorry.
Sorry.
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Hmmm. I'll wait for John to weigh in as well, since he's had experience in both Christian markets and mainstream, but outside of the smaller presses, I can't think of a major CBA house who would tolerate your plot elements. Mind you, once you're Karen Kingsbury you can put premarital hanky-panky into a book, but for those of us who aren't her, the parameters are much more restrictive.
As far as the cussing, my impression is no. If you can't state without blue language what your character's cussing about, you'll want to take your project in another direction. The small presses I've worked with will accept an occasional "Crap!" or something light-blue, but not too much stronger than that.
If the premarital nookie is absolutely integral to the plot, by all means leave it in and look for a more liberal (read: smaller) house to handle the project. Michelle Sutton's NEVER WITHOUT HOPE was published by Sword of the Spirit Publishing, a smaller house who doesn't sign onto all the restrictive parameters the big guys like to throw at you. I know that piece 'cause I read it -- it's way too edgy for mainstream C-fic, for sure.
If by some chance you get it before a CBA publisher, and they like it, you'll have to show the consequences of illicit sex as a plot point in the story. And the consequences cannot be good.
John will raise points I haven't thought of, 'cause he's smart that way.
As far as the cussing, my impression is no. If you can't state without blue language what your character's cussing about, you'll want to take your project in another direction. The small presses I've worked with will accept an occasional "Crap!" or something light-blue, but not too much stronger than that.
If the premarital nookie is absolutely integral to the plot, by all means leave it in and look for a more liberal (read: smaller) house to handle the project. Michelle Sutton's NEVER WITHOUT HOPE was published by Sword of the Spirit Publishing, a smaller house who doesn't sign onto all the restrictive parameters the big guys like to throw at you. I know that piece 'cause I read it -- it's way too edgy for mainstream C-fic, for sure.
If by some chance you get it before a CBA publisher, and they like it, you'll have to show the consequences of illicit sex as a plot point in the story. And the consequences cannot be good.
John will raise points I haven't thought of, 'cause he's smart that way.
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I realize that theater is different than writing...but still.
You may be able to find a mainstream publisher. I'm thinking of God's Army and States of Grace. Both have strong Christian/Mormon themes, and were in the theaters. States of Grace, which is one of my favorite movies, has a gang shooting in the beginning and a love scene like you described...i.e. it's not graphic, but they are not married.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JJ4W6A/?tag=absowrit-20
Oh, and right now I'm reading Orson Scott Card's Saints, which includes swearing and discusses sex and religion (not together, LOL!), but it is mainstream. Of course, he is an established author, and they do seem to get some leeway.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312876068/?tag=absowrit-20
You may be able to find a mainstream publisher. I'm thinking of God's Army and States of Grace. Both have strong Christian/Mormon themes, and were in the theaters. States of Grace, which is one of my favorite movies, has a gang shooting in the beginning and a love scene like you described...i.e. it's not graphic, but they are not married.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JJ4W6A/?tag=absowrit-20
Oh, and right now I'm reading Orson Scott Card's Saints, which includes swearing and discusses sex and religion (not together, LOL!), but it is mainstream. Of course, he is an established author, and they do seem to get some leeway.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312876068/?tag=absowrit-20
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Most Christian presses are delivering a certainty of no sex outside marriage to their readers and swearing that is blasphemy might be a deal killer. You may want to look at spirituality-focused publishers that are not distributing primarily to Christian book stores. I know many romance publishers, for example, have inspy/spiritual imprints that are distributed through mainstream channels and can be erotic etc.
It's my understanding that Christian pubs will not pub this type of book. Since you have the Christian theme through the book you can still pub it through main stream pubs. Some on this AW have done that.
The main Christian pubs want only 'clean' stuff.
Best wishes with this.
The main Christian pubs want only 'clean' stuff.
Best wishes with this.
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Oh, Wendy, don't get me started on what stuff the major CBA publishers want. I've been told at various times that (1) my characters cannot be Catholic, even in stories set in the middle ages; (2) my characters cannot be divorced; (3) my medieval characters cannot be 16 and marriageable; (4) my characters can't make mistakes, particularly if they're preachers [I was really, truly told this]; (5) my book cannot contain themes of spousal abuse, marriage of convenience, or ... let's see...
...about a gazillion other things my stories contain. You name it, I think I've heard it all.
End of rant. Crawling back into the Revision Pit now.
...about a gazillion other things my stories contain. You name it, I think I've heard it all.
End of rant. Crawling back into the Revision Pit now.
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Thank you for all the feedback.
Thanks for the suggestion, veringlory, but it might not qualify as genre romance. The romance isn't even 50% of the novel, though it has strong romantic elements and subplots.
I suspected the answer would be no on the Christian publishing route, but I thought I'd check if anything had changed in Christian publishing. It's been awhile since I've gone that route. My first two books were with a Christian publisher, but a small one that was not as rigid and allowed me a little outside the CBA strictures on some things, but there was also no cause for sex and swearing in those particular books because they were set in a time, place, and among a class where it was easy and believable for me to omit such things, which I just don't feel is the case with this particular work I am writing now. My MC doesn't swear much, but it's just not realistic for him not to swear in certain situations.
It's not an overly didactic or preachy book, but the Christian element is certainly explicit (there's no vague spirituality; it's a very specific spirituality), and I don't know how open mainstream publishers are to that. I don't know...there just doesn't seem to be a market for Christian literature that depicts the world as it really is, in all its fallenness and complexity, and people in their moral ambiguity straining for but not necessarily having obtained spiritual certainity or moral clarity.
Thanks for the suggestion, veringlory, but it might not qualify as genre romance. The romance isn't even 50% of the novel, though it has strong romantic elements and subplots.
I suspected the answer would be no on the Christian publishing route, but I thought I'd check if anything had changed in Christian publishing. It's been awhile since I've gone that route. My first two books were with a Christian publisher, but a small one that was not as rigid and allowed me a little outside the CBA strictures on some things, but there was also no cause for sex and swearing in those particular books because they were set in a time, place, and among a class where it was easy and believable for me to omit such things, which I just don't feel is the case with this particular work I am writing now. My MC doesn't swear much, but it's just not realistic for him not to swear in certain situations.
It's not an overly didactic or preachy book, but the Christian element is certainly explicit (there's no vague spirituality; it's a very specific spirituality), and I don't know how open mainstream publishers are to that. I don't know...there just doesn't seem to be a market for Christian literature that depicts the world as it really is, in all its fallenness and complexity, and people in their moral ambiguity straining for but not necessarily having obtained spiritual certainity or moral clarity.
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I wasn't suggesting your book was romance. Just giving an example of Christian imprints that are less strict that Christian publishers per se. A lot of publishers will embrace Christian themes without, as mentioned above, banning all sorts of stuff such as mention of gambling, or unmarried people being in the same house overnight (even if locked in separate rooms).
I see. Thanks, veinglory. I'll try the mainstream route. I can think of a few books with obvious Christian themes published by mainstream presses, but not a great many. Most of these are rather ambiguous about Christianity, and I'm less so, so I'm not sure how well that will play, but I will give it a try. I certainly think I'll have a better chance - mainstream publishers seem more open to Christianity than Christian publishers are to includsion of any of the "thou shalt nots."
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Hi Skylar, it depends upon the publisher. Some will allow, some won't. And in all due honestly, I would say check out the publisher first, see what he/she publishes. But know, one thing I've discovered, the bigger the christian publisher, the more restrictions you have. It might be better to try the smaller christian publishers first. I'm hoping my friend, who started a firm, will be able to publish my book. She's not as restrictive as the bigger boys. Well see. I have some underlying sexual scenes in my story that I know she won't mind and won't make me change the story.
So it's pick your poison. Either you publish with the christian big boys and write what they want and have your name out there or publish with a smaller christian publisher, do what you want and be not that popular. I do this b/c I love God and want to spread His gospel. I don't are about popularity or making a lot of money. So I stick with the smaller boys for now. I really have no longing to publlish with Zonderman, Tyndendale, ect, because of the restrictions. Shrugs. It's up to you.
So it's pick your poison. Either you publish with the christian big boys and write what they want and have your name out there or publish with a smaller christian publisher, do what you want and be not that popular. I do this b/c I love God and want to spread His gospel. I don't are about popularity or making a lot of money. So I stick with the smaller boys for now. I really have no longing to publlish with Zonderman, Tyndendale, ect, because of the restrictions. Shrugs. It's up to you.
Skylar,
I'm in the same boat. I finished a novel that incorporates spirituality and faith, with premarital sex in the scene. But the scene is necesary for the character to develope and for him to grow. If I cut it out, it changes the story. It may not be a Christian novel, but rather, an inspirational novel... My story also crosses in commecial fiction too, so I plan on writing 2 queries. 1 to send to agents who take inspirational/christian work and the other, comemrcial fiction. That's my plan... Whether it will work, I don't know...
I'm in the same boat. I finished a novel that incorporates spirituality and faith, with premarital sex in the scene. But the scene is necesary for the character to develope and for him to grow. If I cut it out, it changes the story. It may not be a Christian novel, but rather, an inspirational novel... My story also crosses in commecial fiction too, so I plan on writing 2 queries. 1 to send to agents who take inspirational/christian work and the other, comemrcial fiction. That's my plan... Whether it will work, I don't know...
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I'm new here and this is an interesting topic to me, as I'm writing a romantic suspense novel. My novel includes terrorism, the FBI, and the cops. And it is very hard to depict a bad boy in the middle of a terrorism attack without having some swear words in his language. Right now I have taken all the swear words out. But it is less realistic that one bad guy would call another bad guy a limp name, rather than a swear word. But I do want the book to have a conservative Christian message. The sex isn't as big an issue for me, but I do have a man staying with a woman who is blind, as she adjusts to being blind.
Touch! I love romantic suspense. In terms of swearing, why call him "a limp name?" Why not leave out name-calling? Or be specific? Instead of "You m-f-", how about "You betrayed me" or "Get out of my sight" or words that mean something to the scene, not just swearing?
I don't believe that keeping swearing out of it means saying stuff like "golly" and the like. There's plenty of ways to get past it.
Don't get me wrong--I use plenty of bad words in the book I've got on sub, but it's not aimed at the Christian market. IMO, there's a time and place for everything, and if you're aiming at that market, you can find a way around swearing.
God is good! I was just coming here to post a question about this very subject. My story involves an ex-con stalking the woman he believes ruined his life. After working as a prison counselor for a number of years, I have a pretty good idea of how he might think of this woman. I'm struggling with a way to make this man's internal dialogue realistic and acceptable to the Christian market but I am coming up short.
At least I know I'm not alone in my struggle.
At least I know I'm not alone in my struggle.
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KC, you'll find there are several Christian writers--Graham Greene, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, Dean Koontz, John Grisham, and others--who did well (or are currently doing well, and the case of Koontz and Grisham, very well), in the general market. If you find your work simply needs too much carving back to fit in the CBA, you might try there.
Just a thought!
Just a thought!
My Christian novel - historical fiction - alludes to quite a bit of violence, profanity, and sex, but I've been careful to describe such events without going into gratuitous detail and without jeopardizing my chances at getting published (I hope).
For example, using profanity - "he cursed her, then stomped out the door." I talk about a mob of men accosting a couple and dragging the woman into a dark alley, where the protagonist hears her screams of help, suggesting a sexual attack. I want the reader to visualize these things as he reads the story, and I think the imagination can do what my attempt at words can't begin to accomplish.
Best of luck.
For example, using profanity - "he cursed her, then stomped out the door." I talk about a mob of men accosting a couple and dragging the woman into a dark alley, where the protagonist hears her screams of help, suggesting a sexual attack. I want the reader to visualize these things as he reads the story, and I think the imagination can do what my attempt at words can't begin to accomplish.
Best of luck.
Some years ago I pitched my novel about the Mafia influencing baseball to an editor at Moody Press. He said they were wanting to start publishing more edgy fiction. He said occasional swearing might be acceptable, "even the S-word." He's gone from there now, and I'm not sure what Moody finally decided. You might want to check their submission requirements and standards.
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Knowing about these restrictions, I didn't even try it with 'The Inheritance,' which has a strong Christian theme but is not necessarily what I would call a Christian novel. My MC is a Christian but he's also a human being and makes a few rather serious mistakes in the course of the story. I opted to self-publish. I may not be making much, but this way I can say what I want.
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Moody's wants for fiction seem to change constantly and without notice. I just finished judging in the Grace Awards, a historical romance put out by Moody. When I pitched my Faith Box series to them, I was told they wanted no romance and no historicals.
So my take is: don't strike them off your short list. What they tell you is a non-starter today may just be their cup of tea tomorrow.
So my take is: don't strike them off your short list. What they tell you is a non-starter today may just be their cup of tea tomorrow.
Are you already agented? There are definitely agents who handle things balanced on this dividing line, I think mostly in secular markets. I needed to find an agent who wouldn't have an inherent problem with the combination of LGBT characters/swearing/Jesus. I currently have an offer of representation from one and fulls/partials out with four others, none of whom explicitly mentioned an interest in spiritual stories in their bios/interviews (but didn't explicitly say they won't touch the stuff, either). The three agents I found who specifically *do* look for spiritual books (without content restrictions)? Two rejected, one still non-responsive.
Making a personal connection with your writing really can cross the invisible lines. Do your research, but take some chances, whether it's with agents or publishers. There are plenty of not-squeaky-clean God books on the shelf, and people in the biz willing to champion them.
Making a personal connection with your writing really can cross the invisible lines. Do your research, but take some chances, whether it's with agents or publishers. There are plenty of not-squeaky-clean God books on the shelf, and people in the biz willing to champion them.
Every publisher (including Christian) has boundaries as to what they will accept. Suggest you just start submitting, be open to editing, and see where it leads.
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