Should I say goodbye?

1sa1ahsMum

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I am relatively new in this writing game. I am querying my Christian Women fiction that deals with a past sex worker.

Blurb:Nifemi is a Christian therapist with a secret; she was once a sex worker. A secret she has “forgotten” to tell her fiance; a secret his guilt-burdened friend, who just happens to be her “ex-owner”, is desperate to reveal.

I just received my 20th query rejection with a lot of "Great writing, great premise but I don't think I can sell it/not a right fit for my agency" and I am getting a little disillusioned as to wether I can sell this to CBA. While I query, I am working on my new WIP; the story of a girl who survives sexual abuse within the church. Although my work is strong, I'm wondering if the market just isn't right for me; I have absolutely 0 interest in self publishing. The main reason I don't want to leave CBA is that there are tons of people who are looking to the "church" for answers and stories that resemble the hard issues they are going through. It can't be all amish love and southern belles! Another reason is that going mainstream will most likely mean toning down the faith aspects of my story.

What to do?
 

Woollybear

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What is CBA?

(And what is a Christian therapist?)

If the rejections came after requests for the manuscript, then it might be the writing, despite feeling that your writing is strong. If the rejections came based on the blurb and opening pages alone, it might be the blurb. There isn't much to go on, in that blurb, as far as character, and it raises a lot of questions (like why the friend is guilt-burdened).

It's a long game, as you pointed out elsewhere...
 
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Agreed that the premise of both books will be a hard sell to C-fic agents and publishers. Hard, but not necessarily impossible.

Since you're getting what seem to be form passes, what have your beta readers said about the book?

It also might be the query which needs work. I strongly suggest you head over to Query Letter Hell in the Share Your Work subforum ( the password is: vista). You can't start a thread there until you have 50 substantive posts, but you can read other queries and get a feel for the room before you post your own. DON'T forget to read the stickies!
 

mpack

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I just received my 20th query rejection with a lot of "Great writing, great premise but I don't think I can sell it/not a right fit for my agency" and I am getting a little disillusioned as to wether I can sell this to CBA.

I wouldn't read much into those responses; the language is common to form rejections. Were these rejections at the query level or were they reviewing pages beyond the query package?
 

Marian Perera

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Agreed that the premise of both books will be a hard sell to C-fic agents and publishers.

I don't read Christian fiction, but when I saw the OP, I thought the former sex worker/sexual abuse premise wouldn't make it easy.

The only inspirational novel I'm aware of which has these elements is Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love. I don't know if that helps you at all, or whether the author was established in the field before she submitted that book.
 

Carrie in PA

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Honestly?

I personally, and this is only my own story and I'm not advising you one way or the other, but I have completely abandoned any attempts at being published traditionally in the Christian market. For now, I have set my inspirational books aside and have been working on sweet (no sex) books for the mainstream market. This has been the correct decision for me, and I do have brief mentions of going to church or praying - but no, the faith element isn't as clearly stated as in my inspirational books.

For me, my first book in my series began with a woman being asked to leave the church by the pastor. Amid much pearl clutching and gasps, I was informed by pretty much every legit C-fic agent (this particular genre is rife with money grubbing charlatans who are preying on the vulnerable and novice, but that's a whole other discussion) that showing a pastor in an unfavorable light was simply unheard of and no one would dare touch it. I had accolades out the ying-yang about my great writing, the wonderful premise, blah blah blah, if only I would delete this scene which sets up the ENTIRE BOOK... And of course this is all ignoring the fact that the hero is a YOUTH PASTOR, so obviously it's not a book about bashing pastors. (In fact, there are three pastors in this book who are shown 100% favorably.)

At some point, I may attempt to self-publish those books. We'll see, though, because as much as it pains me to admit, the C-fic reader groups I am in have been home to some of the nastiest, most awful people I've ever encountered. The kind of people who have gleefully piled on and attacked an author's *salvation* because of the book she was advertising are not the people I want to market books to. (disclaimer: totally aware it's a vocal minority blah blah blah)

Anyway, sorry, I kind of went down a rabbit hole there as my blood pressure went up. LOL

My point -- don't completely discount self-pub. People out there are HUNGRY for stories like yours that are gritty and raw and real, and they CANNOT find them in traditionally pubbed C-fic. (At least not easily.)

Only you can make the decision on where you go from here. I didn't make my decision lightly, but now that it's made, I'm quite content. Best of luck!
 

1sa1ahsMum

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Honestly?

I personally, and this is only my own story and I'm not advising you one way or the other, but I have completely abandoned any attempts at being published traditionally in the Christian market. For now, I have set my inspirational books aside and have been working on sweet (no sex) books for the mainstream market. This has been the correct decision for me, and I do have brief mentions of going to church or praying - but no, the faith element isn't as clearly stated as in my inspirational books.

For me, my first book in my series began with a woman being asked to leave the church by the pastor. Amid much pearl clutching and gasps, I was informed by pretty much every legit C-fic agent (this particular genre is rife with money grubbing charlatans who are preying on the vulnerable and novice, but that's a whole other discussion) that showing a pastor in an unfavorable light was simply unheard of and no one would dare touch it. I had accolades out the ying-yang about my great writing, the wonderful premise, blah blah blah, if only I would delete this scene which sets up the ENTIRE BOOK... And of course this is all ignoring the fact that the hero is a YOUTH PASTOR, so obviously it's not a book about bashing pastors. (In fact, there are three pastors in this book who are shown 100% favorably.)

At some point, I may attempt to self-publish those books. We'll see, though, because as much as it pains me to admit, the C-fic reader groups I am in have been home to some of the nastiest, most awful people I've ever encountered. The kind of people who have gleefully piled on and attacked an author's *salvation* because of the book she was advertising are not the people I want to market books to. (disclaimer: totally aware it's a vocal minority blah blah blah)

Anyway, sorry, I kind of went down a rabbit hole there as my blood pressure went up. LOL

My point -- don't completely discount self-pub. People out there are HUNGRY for stories like yours that are gritty and raw and real, and they CANNOT find them in traditionally pubbed C-fic. (At least not easily.)

Only you can make the decision on where you go from here. I didn't make my decision lightly, but now that it's made, I'm quite content. Best of luck!

Wow! Thank you for your insight, it is definitely something to think about.
 

1sa1ahsMum

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I don't read Christian fiction, but when I saw the OP, I thought the former sex worker/sexual abuse premise wouldn't make it easy.

The only inspirational novel I'm aware of which has these elements is Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love. I don't know if that helps you at all, or whether the author was established in the field before she submitted that book.

Funny story; I use redeeming love as a comp! I also queried Ms. Rivers' agency and got a prompt "NO!"
 

1sa1ahsMum

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I wouldn't read much into those responses; the language is common to form rejections. Were these rejections at the query level or were they reviewing pages beyond the query package?

A mixture; some query...other after reviewing pages. Did I mention my opening scene is of my MC going to preach in a brothel? LOL
 

1sa1ahsMum

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Agreed that the premise of both books will be a hard sell to C-fic agents and publishers. Hard, but not necessarily impossible.

Since you're getting what seem to be form passes, what have your beta readers said about the book?

It also might be the query which needs work. I strongly suggest you head over to Query Letter Hell in the Share Your Work subforum ( the password is: vista). You can't start a thread there until you have 50 substantive posts, but you can read other queries and get a feel for the room before you post your own. DON'T forget to read the stickies!

Thank you. That's a great tip.
 

1sa1ahsMum

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What is CBA?

(And what is a Christian therapist?)

If the rejections came after requests for the manuscript, then it might be the writing, despite feeling that your writing is strong. If the rejections came based on the blurb and opening pages alone, it might be the blurb. There isn't much to go on, in that blurb, as far as character, and it raises a lot of questions (like why the friend is guilt-burdened).

It's a long game, as you pointed out elsewhere...

Christian bookseller assn.
I mean publishing via a christian agency and publisher vs going mainstream.
I'm working on my post numbers to be able to go to "hell"; I welcome any possible improvement.
Thanks
 

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One of the best ways to get to 50 posts and 'improve' simultaneously is to go to SYW and start thinking about the queries you see there--and critique them thoughtfully. What makes you intrigued by a query? what makes a query more work than it is worth?

Spend ten or twenty of your posts on that sort of input toward 50, and there is a good chance your own first query will be an easier experience for you than otherwise.

It would be like someone new coming to CBS (I am not christian per se but did attend a couple of those) and wanting someone to tell them what they need to know but they didn't want to do any reading or what have you on their own. Better to do the reading (other people's queries) and homework questions (what works? What doesn't?) first.
 

Ralph Rotten

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1SA:
What's your hook sound like?
(The hook at the beginning of your query.)

Your efforts can often bottleneck if you don;t have a hook that intrigues the agent/reader.

Question: Can she post that here? Is it allowed?
 

-Riv-

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1SA:
What's your hook sound like?
(The hook at the beginning of your query.)

Your efforts can often bottleneck if you don;t have a hook that intrigues the agent/reader.

Question: Can she post that here? Is it allowed?
She can post it in Query Letter Hell once she has 50 substantive posts.

All the best,
Riv
 

Chris P

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Christian bookseller assn.
I mean publishing via a christian agency and publisher vs going mainstream.
I'm working on my post numbers to be able to go to "hell"; I welcome any possible improvement.
Thanks

Hmmm, a Christian writer actually trying to go to "hell." I've lived long enough to see it all. :)

Personally, I would love to read stories like this. I relate to inspirational stories more when the characters have actually been through some tough stuff and been stronger for it. Show me real people living real life and making real choices.

However, remember that genre is more about marketing than anything. Customers for certain publishers choose those publishers because they know what to expect, including those looking for soft, fun, sweet non-challenging content. "Thank goodness I can just have fun with a book and not have to be shocked for the sake of being shocked." I don't always disagree; the film Love Comes Softly comes to mind. But because people seek Christian publishers for content that fills certain expectations, any one that gets edgy risks alienating their customers. I'm not saying they aren't out there, but that they will fill a narrow niche. Non-Christian publishers might be easier to find.
 

1sa1ahsMum

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Hmmm, a Christian writer actually trying to go to "hell." I've lived long enough to see it all. :)

Personally, I would love to read stories like this. I relate to inspirational stories more when the characters have actually been through some tough stuff and been stronger for it. Show me real people living real life and making real choices.

However, remember that genre is more about marketing than anything. Customers for certain publishers choose those publishers because they know what to expect, including those looking for soft, fun, sweet non-challenging content. "Thank goodness I can just have fun with a book and not have to be shocked for the sake of being shocked." I don't always disagree; the film Love Comes Softly comes to mind. But because people seek Christian publishers for content that fills certain expectations, any one that gets edgy risks alienating their customers. I'm not saying they aren't out there, but that they will fill a narrow niche. Non-Christian publishers might be easier to find.

Thank you! I think my book might have too many "pray", 'Jesus" and other buzz words that might make it too Christian for the secular market. Too "worldy" for the church but too "churchy" for the world. LOL

- - - Updated - - -

She can post it in Query Letter Hell once she has 50 substantive posts.

All the best,
Riv

Thank you. That's the goal.
 

1sa1ahsMum

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1SA:
What's your hook sound like?
(The hook at the beginning of your query.)

Your efforts can often bottleneck if you don;t have a hook that intrigues the agent/reader.

Question: Can she post that here? Is it allowed?


I have a few that I rotate based on the responses at a recent twitter pitch party. This is one: Nifemi is a therapist weeks away from her wedding and life couldn’t be better except for one small problem -- she has “forgotten” to tell her fiance her past as a sex worker. Unfortunately for her, he just found out.
 

1sa1ahsMum

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Hmmm, a Christian writer actually trying to go to "hell." I've lived long enough to see it all. :)

Personally, I would love to read stories like this. I relate to inspirational stories more when the characters have actually been through some tough stuff and been stronger for it. Show me real people living real life and making real choices.

However, remember that genre is more about marketing than anything. Customers for certain publishers choose those publishers because they know what to expect, including those looking for soft, fun, sweet non-challenging content. "Thank goodness I can just have fun with a book and not have to be shocked for the sake of being shocked." I don't always disagree; the film Love Comes Softly comes to mind. But because people seek Christian publishers for content that fills certain expectations, any one that gets edgy risks alienating their customers. I'm not saying they aren't out there, but that they will fill a narrow niche. Non-Christian publishers might be easier to find.

LOL!!!!!!Hell, figuratively. Thank you for your advice.
 

KBooks

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Thank you! I think my book might have too many "pray", 'Jesus" and other buzz words that might make it too Christian for the secular market. Too "worldy" for the church but too "churchy" for the world. LOL

If it's not getting any bites as C-fic and you're dead set against self-pubbing, how do you feel about toning down/rewriting some of the religious elements and querying it as women's fiction, where edgier storylines are welcomed? It wouldn't be quite what you were originally hoping for, but if it's a great story, perhaps it would find a different market than the one you originally thought.
 

1sa1ahsMum

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If it's not getting any bites as C-fic and you're dead set against self-pubbing, how do you feel about toning down/rewriting some of the religious elements and querying it as women's fiction, where edgier storylines are welcomed? It wouldn't be quite what you were originally hoping for, but if it's a great story, perhaps it would find a different market than the one you originally thought.

Thank you for this insight. To be honest, this is something I have spent time thinking about; its definitely an option.
 

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Mum (if I may call you that), please don't be discouraged. I'm sure you'll eventually hit your target.

This is only my third post here (my first two were in the "newbie" section), and I hate to make a reference to my own work so soon, but I am a Christian, and while my book isn't what someone might call a "Christian book," I make several passing references to the faith. I didn't go out of my way to do it, but it just came out in the flow of the story. (For example, one of the settings is a Word's Fair pavilion that claims to display the actual coin that Jesus used in His "give unto Caesar" remark.) No one who has read the book has accused me of using it to "push the faith" onto anybody.

My point, Mum, is that you should write what you feel you should--or need to. If you feel the references are holding the book back, then you shouldn't feel bad about changing them. If you do feel bad about changing them, then keep on going as you are. Just do whatever is in your heart and everything will work out.

And it's okay (of course) if you decide to go the self-publishing route. I'm currently self-publishing (via Amazon) and I know some people who have been very successful at it. Again, just go where you feel you need to.

(Note: This free advice is worth the price. Ha, ha!)
 
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1sa1ahsMum

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Mum (if I may call you that), please don't be discouraged. I'm sure you'll eventually hit your target.

This is only my third post here (my first two were in the "newbie" section), and I hate to make a reference to my own work so soon, but I am a Christian, and while my book isn't what someone might call a "Christian book," I make several passing references to the faith. I didn't go out of my way to do it, but it just came out in the flow of the story. (For example, one of the settings is a Word's Fair pavilion that claims to display the actual coin that Jesus used in His "give unto Caesar" remark.) No one who has read the book has accused me of using it to "push the faith" onto anybody.

My point, Mum, is that you should write what you feel you should--or need to. If you feel the references are holding the book back, then you shouldn't feel bad about changing them. If you do feel bad about changing them, then keep on going as you are. Just do whatever is in your heart and everything will work out.

And it's okay (of course) if you decide to go the self-publishing route. I'm currently self-publishing (via Amazon) and I know some people who have been very successful at it. Again, just go where you feel you need to.

(Note: This free advice is worth the price. Ha, ha!)


This really encouraged me; thank you so much for your wisdom.
 

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FWIW, I did my four years of undergrad at a solid Baptist university.

I remember there was a "letter to the editor" where a girl was complaining to the student newspaper that a literature class had, as part of its required reading, a certain book that had sex, violence, and bad language in it. As a pastor's daughter, she didn't think that was appropriate; she preferred to read her Bible.

The "letters to the editor" for the next month consisted of other students pointing out all the sex and violence in the Bible. :p

I would expect a lot of the markets being queries have a similar mindset to the pastor's daughter, in that they get "Christian fiction" confused with "clean read". They're looking for fiction that would appeal to the 99 sheep... without realizing that there are no 99 sheep, and that we're all the lost sheep, except some of us start off further away or have a longer path than others. :p Grace and mercy are great, as long as it's not too icky before they kick in. :)

Good luck with getting it toggled so that it finds the home it needs.
 

Chris P

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Thank you! I think my book might have too many "pray", 'Jesus" and other buzz words that might make it too Christian for the secular market. Too "worldy" for the church but too "churchy" for the world. LOL

I didn't see this reply until just now, and perhaps a little bit of time might have allowed the idea to incubate sub-consciously for me for a few days. The main question to me is to what degree faith solves the central conflict of the story. Deeper faith solves the characters' problems, and therefore yours too: Christian. People of faith interact with the world in a way framed by their faith: Mainstream. Religious themes playing out along the story arc: Mainstream. For the two mainstream examples, I'm thinking of Orhan Pamuk (although Muslim and not Christian) for the former and Flannery O'Connor for the latter.