Guest Editor: Charlene Patterson visiting Sept. 27-29!

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BrianTubbs

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Hi Charlene

Hi Charlene,

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

I want to ask you about the word "platform."

I know that authors need to help market their work. I appreciated what you said about authors writing in their "attic" and letting the publisher do all the marketing - that those days are gone.

However, it seems that many publishers are putting expectations or demands on authors in terms of those authors having ready-made fan bases or "platforms." In other words, the publishers want to know there's already a customer base ready to buy the author's book as soon as it rolls off the presses. These expectations are, of course, making it more difficult for first-time authors to break in. This is particularly true for non-fiction, but I hear it's becoming the case for fiction as well.

What is Bethany House's position on this?
 

BrianTubbs

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Historical Fiction Questions

Charlene,

Within the genre of historical fiction, what time periods are (from your perspective) most popular in the Christian market? And is most of your period historical fiction romance fiction?

What do you think of biblical historical fiction? You all published Tommy Tenney's novel on Esther, right?
 

Suzan St Maur

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Hi Charlene

Recently I have been doing some author coaching and editing work with a lady who has the most extraordinary story to tell. Unfortunately (from your point of view) it is nonfiction, as it is her autobiography. We have been talking to a couple of Christian publishers here in the UK but they seem nervous of taking it on. The reason is that she is a Christian trans-gender, and her story not only details some of the horrors of trans-gender medical treatment some 20 years ago but also the varying ways in which she (and previously he) has been treated by her fellow Christians.

What advice would you give us concerning this book? I would be very grateful for your views.

Suzan St Maur
SuzanStMaur.com
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rtilryarms

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Dear Charlene,

I had several questions. Fortunately they have all been asked and answered here.
I just wanted you to know that many of us not posting are reading and very much appreciate your participation.

In the answer to the first question by Charlie, you gave the best reason for submitting a completed manuscript I have heard or read yet.

Thanks again and hurry back!

Mike
 

Stef

Charlene, thanks for answering my earlier questions. If you have time:

Once a book is published, what makes it a success for a publisher? Is it selling out the advance, reader response, how fast copies sell, or the sheer number sold? How do you decide when a book merits a second printing? And how do you decide whether or not to purchase an author's second book?

What encouragement can you give to Christian authors?
 

cpatt

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Roger J Carlson said:
At the same writer's conference I mentioned before, the publisher said that the market is much more open to "edgier" fiction. Perhaps including some profanity, violence, and sexual content. Are you seeing a trend toward this?

Yes, although I wouldn’t say the market is "much" more open. There is growing acceptance for more realism of this sort, but it’s happening very, very slowly. And it’s the not-so-edgy books that are selling well.​
 

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AmyBA said:
How much of your day is spent reading submissions? How often do you end up taking work home with you?

Hmm, well, it depends on the day. I manage projects and authors, review projects that are already contracted, and do editing, proofreading, and copywriting, too, so reading submissions is only a portion of my job. I try to not take work home with me; that’s a bad path to start down.​
 

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Inspiewriter said:
How would you describe the writer you'd most like to work with?

Wow, cool question. Intelligent, creative, skilled storyteller, conscious of craft, excited, passionate about his/her work, accepting of suggestions and feedback, knows the subject he/she is writing about.​
 

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karenmary said:
Do you know if your non-fiction acquisitions editor feels the same way about a finished manuscript? I've read/heard/gotten the idea from somewhere that it is best NOT to finish a non-fiction book manuscript b/c of the vast amount of research that might go into an effort that isn't exactly right for a publisher -- and could be slanted to fit their needs specifically is accepted.

Karen Mary Lynch

Good point. It’s different in nonfiction. In nonfiction, they are most often buying into an idea and subject rather than the writing quality. And, yep, they might want to tweak the focus of your project somewhat to fit their needs and market demands. It’s not as important to have a completed manuscript if you’re writing nonfiction. Still, having proof that you can complete a manuscript isn’t a bad thing.​
 

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akaa1a said:
Good afternoon, Charlene!


Obviously books like the Christmas Box and A Prairie Christmas have been popular, but is the narrowness of the subject make it difficult for a first-time novelist who has written holiday Christian fiction to be considered for pupblication?

And, if you don't mind another question, is a charitable slant for a novel unwise for the Christian marketplace?

Many thanks for your time!

Yep, you’re correct. The narrowness of the subject makes it difficult. Christmas books sell for approximately one month. All the copies that don’t sell are then returned. That’s trouble. (Some other publishers may have had better success with seasonal works than we have.)​

I’m not sure what you mean by a charitable slant, but I’ll take this opportunity to say, Never start your novel with an issue. What I mean is, don’t start out saying, "I’m going to write about abortion or infidelity or abuse, etc." Start with a good story and solid characters. If an issue works its way in, that’s fine, but I’ve seen a lot of issue-driven novels and they rarely work.
 

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BrianTubbs said:
I want to ask you about the word "platform."

I know that authors need to help market their work. I appreciated what you said about authors writing in their "attic" and letting the publisher do all the marketing - that those days are gone.

However, it seems that many publishers are putting expectations or demands on authors in terms of those authors having ready-made fan bases or "platforms." In other words, the publishers want to know there's already a customer base ready to buy the author's book as soon as it rolls off the presses. These expectations are, of course, making it more difficult for first-time authors to break in. This is particularly true for non-fiction, but I hear it's becoming the case for fiction as well.

What is Bethany House's position on this?

Hi Brian,​
In fiction, at the heart of it all, we’re looking for someone who can write a good story, plain and simple. We specialize in launching new authors. You'll find new authors in our frontlist almost every season. In fact, it’s easier to launch a new author than it is to overcome an author’s poor sales record with another company – stores have databases and they remember what sold and what didn’t for a long time. So "platforms" or "fan bases" aren’t important to us in fiction at BH. There are other publishers, however, that specialize in authors with a proven track record. And having a fan base isn't a bad thing . . .

It’s true: in nonfiction, if you have no platform and no experience and they have a proposal in from someone who has a speaking ministry about a similar subject or already has a fan base via a radio show or something like that, it’s likely you’ll get beat out by that other person.
 
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cpatt

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BrianTubbs said:
Charlene,

Within the genre of historical fiction, what time periods are (from your perspective) most popular in the Christian market? And is most of your period historical fiction romance fiction?

What do you think of biblical historical fiction? You all published Tommy Tenney's novel on Esther, right?

In the genre of Christian historical fiction, the most popular time period and location is the American West in late 1800s. Most but not all of the historical fiction we publish has a romance plotline. We did publish Tommy Tenney’s Biblical fiction, but that was a special case because of his ministry on Esther. We don’t have any Biblical fiction fans among the editorial staff and we haven't seen a huge demand for it in the market, so we aren't actively seeking that genre. We’re open to looking at it, but it’s not our favorite time period and it's a harder sell than something from United States history.​
 
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cpatt

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Suzan St Maur said:
Hi Charlene

Recently I have been doing some author coaching and editing work with a lady who has the most extraordinary story to tell. Unfortunately (from your point of view) it is nonfiction, as it is her autobiography. We have been talking to a couple of Christian publishers here in the UK but they seem nervous of taking it on. The reason is that she is a Christian trans-gender, and her story not only details some of the horrors of trans-gender medical treatment some 20 years ago but also the varying ways in which she (and previously he) has been treated by her fellow Christians.

What advice would you give us concerning this book? I would be very grateful for your views.

There are several things about this project that will make Christian publishers nervous. You're probably going to need to seek a publisher in the secular market.
 

cpatt

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rtilryarms said:
Dear Charlene,

I had several questions. Fortunately they have all been asked and answered here.
I just wanted you to know that many of us not posting are reading and very much appreciate your participation.

In the answer to the first question by Charlie, you gave the best reason for submitting a completed manuscript I have heard or read yet.

Thanks again and hurry back!

Mike

Wow, that was very kind! Thanks! You guys have been asking great questions.
 

cpatt

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Stef said:
Once a book is published, what makes it a success for a publisher? Is it selling out the advance, reader response, how fast copies sell, or the sheer number sold? How do you decide when a book merits a second printing? And how do you decide whether or not to purchase an author's second book?

What encouragement can you give to Christian authors?

We like to sell out the first print run within a year. We like to earn back the advance within a year. A second printing is based on demand. Have we been selling 500 copies a month or 5? If it’s 5, we’re probably not going to reprint.​

There are several factors at work in purchasing an author’s second book. How’d the process go the first time around? Was the author easy to work with? Did they give us a quality manuscript? Do we like their second idea? Did their first book sell? <-- That last one is really important.

If we have a really good complete manuscript that we like and want to publish and the author has a second idea that is equally as good, we usually contract for more than one book in the first place.

Encouragement? I'm constantly on the lookout for a talented new author to add to our company. The Christian market is getting bigger every day. New genres are springing up under the Christian fiction umbrella. More and more publishers are publishing Christian fiction. More and more Christians are realizing Christian fiction has changed and are trying out the books. More and more secular bookstores and retailers are carrying Christian books. It’s a very exciting time to be a part of the world of Christian publishing!
 
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Stef

cpatt said:
Encouragement? I'm constantly on the lookout for a talented new author to add to our company. The Christian market is getting bigger every day. New genres are springing up under the Christian fiction umbrella. More and more publishers are publishing Christian fiction. More and more Christians are realizing Christian fiction has changed and are trying out the books. More and more secular bookstores and retailers are carrying Christian books. It’s a very exciting time to be a part of the world of Christian publishing!

That does it for me! Thanks so much for your gracious responses and for your time. Keep on slushin'.
 

Kristy

middle grade novel

Thanks for all your time and great answers.
I am in the process of writing a Christian middle grade book, similiar in style to Nancy Rue's Lily Series. The website of Bethany House states that they are "cutting back" on middle grade novels. Can you comment on the market for Christian Middle grade fiction?
 

TemlynWriting

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Hi Charlene,

I hope I'm not too late! First, I wanted to thank you for being here and sharing your valuable time and perspective with us.

Second, I wanted to ask:

Why did you decide to make the move to Bethany House after working for secular publishers?

Do you notice Christian publishers dealing with proposals differently at all, as in, "This is God-inspired and people can use what this book has to say," (or something along those lines), versus the popularity factor? Does that make sense? It's difficult to word.

Thanks so much!
~Julia
 
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TLHines

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Charlene, I have a question for you, if you're still around: If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?

Just kidding. I'd like everyone to know what a great pleasure it is to work with Bethany House Publishers as an author. Even though Charlene's not my editor, I know many, many writers who love working with her. (And I've enjoyed talking with her, as well--she made some great plot suggestions on my next book.) Plus, Charlene has spent some time in Montana, which proves she's supremely intelligent.

I did see a lot of questions from people wondering about marketing efforts/expectations and first-time authors. I can tell you I had no particular contacts/ministry/platform nationally when I got a contract with Bethany House. I'm living proof of what Charlene says: Bethany House likes to launch first-time authors.
 

LynetteSowell

Hi, Charlene,
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I've never posted here before, but I heard about the Q&A session this week and decided to log in.

Does BH ever buy proposals from authors already established with other publishers, or would they want to see the full manuscript before deciding? Or is this something that depends on the authors' track record?

Thanks again ~
Lynette Sowell
 

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Kristy said:
Thanks for all your time and great answers.
I am in the process of writing a Christian middle grade book, similiar in style to Nancy Rue's Lily Series. The website of Bethany House states that they are "cutting back" on middle grade novels. Can you comment on the market for Christian Middle grade fiction?

Hi Kristy,
I don’t have much experience with middle grade fiction, but I’ve noticed we haven’t published much of it lately. The reason is similar to why we don’t publish children’s picture books: the costs are high and the price point is low. And several of the major general market publishers do middle grade fiction really well and have an "in" with distribution sources, so it’s a competitive market.​
 

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TemlynWriting said:
Why did you decide to make the move to Bethany House after working for secular publishers?

Do you notice Christian publishers dealing with proposals differently at all, as in, "This is God-inspired and people can use what this book has to say," (or something along those lines), versus the popularity factor? Does that make sense? It's difficult to word.

Thanks so much!
~Julia

Hi Julia,
I’ve loved Bethany House books since I read Janette Oke in junior high. I love books that leave me feeling good, uplifted, spiritual, thoughtful, etc. I can identify with the heroines in Christian literature better than I can in secular books. I believe in Bethany House’s goals and mission.

Bethany House is a business, but it’s also a ministry, so, yeah, we definitely consider the value of the message of a story. We receive the coolest letters about how our books have affected readers. It’s amazing how God can put a book into the hands of someone who needs it – and it’s amazing how that can include fiction.​
 

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TLHines said:
Charlene, I have a question for you, if you're still around: If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?

Just kidding. I'd like everyone to know what a great pleasure it is to work with Bethany House Publishers as an author. Even though Charlene's not my editor, I know many, many writers who love working with her. (And I've enjoyed talking with her, as well--she made some great plot suggestions on my next book.) Plus, Charlene has spent some time in Montana, which proves she's supremely intelligent.

I did see a lot of questions from people wondering about marketing efforts/expectations and first-time authors. I can tell you I had no particular contacts/ministry/platform nationally when I got a contract with Bethany House. I'm living proof of what Charlene says: Bethany House likes to launch first-time authors.

Well, there you go, folks. The proof :) TL has been a wonderful new author for us. Check out his book for an example of one of the new directions in Christian fiction.

If I were a tree, I'd be a Rocky Mountain Douglas fir, so I could enjoy the mountain views!
 
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LynetteSowell said:
Hi, Charlene,
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I've never posted here before, but I heard about the Q&A session this week and decided to log in.

Does BH ever buy proposals from authors already established with other publishers, or would they want to see the full manuscript before deciding? Or is this something that depends on the authors' track record?

Thanks again ~
Lynette Sowell

Hi Lynette,
Yep, we do sometimes work with authors from previous publishers. We’d probably want to see the manuscript, or at least read several of the author’s previous works, before deciding. It would depend on who they were publishing with and how similar their new idea was to what they'd been writing. The author’s sales track record would also make a difference.
 
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