Tuesday Book Chat | 6 March 2018 | Iola Goulton

It's Iola here. Welcome to our ACW Tuesday Book Chat where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.

Today's question is: Which Christian Books have you recommended to a friend? Extra points for telling us why!

We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation in a comment on this post or in a comment on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group. Or, if you're feeling wordy (like me), write a blog post and link to it in the comments.

Let's chat!

Genre Trends

by Jeanette O'Hagan

Over the last year (2017), our CWD/ACW posts have explored different genres. We have just scratched the surface and will be looking at more genres in the coming months.  However, last year Ian Acheson suggested we look at current genre trends for 2017.

Why Worry about Genre Trends?

What difference does this make? Some genres tend to be more popular. Romance is generally big, and also thrillers, mystery and crime as well as science fiction and fantasy and children’s picture books. In non-fiction, cookbooks, self-help, biographies might be popular. In recent years, there have growing trends for Young Adult and Graphic Novels. On the other hand, literary fiction may have a more limited, perhaps refined audience whereas poetry – once the Queen of literature – is often hard to sell.

And different sub-genres – Amish or paranormal romance or dystopias or Nordic noir or solar punk - may be all the rage -- often on the back of a popular block buster (Twilight, Hunger Games, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) or ongoing trend (like Amish). Or, perhaps the once favourite genre is already passé.

Of course, trending could mean either what readers buying/reading OR what agents and publishers looking for/accepting. It stands to reason that what readers want and what agents and publishers are looking for are the same thing – but not always. For instance, publishers may choose more literary titles or have particular biases and interests. And there are often big differences between what sells from the big publishing houses compared to the big sellers for Indie authors.

 Knowing which genres are trending may help in choosing or refining our target audience and the genre we write in.  Writing to a popular genre or sub-genre can make a difference to how many readers and royalties we garner. If you have more than one potential project, knowing the trends may help choose which to write next. Or maybe we can tweak what we are already writing to appeal to a specific audience. 

Even so, there is often a niche audience for most sub-genres, even obscure ones. Besides, a trend may be on its way out of a saturated market by the time it takes to write our book and get it published. And predictions are just that – predictions – at best educated guesses based on current trends, at worst just plain wrong.

Besides, there may be good reasons why you don’t want to write a particular genre or sub-genre, no matter how hot it currently is. It’s better to write what you are passionate about, than to slog out a book in a genre you hate because it sells (readers will notice). 

So, what are the trends?

In General

In A D Hurley’s 2017 report on Amazon sells, Romance took 66% of books, with 87% of the top 100 selling slots. Other top-selling genres go to Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Non-Fiction, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Children’s, and Literary Fiction, respectively. Whereas, for the Big 5 publishers literary fiction heads the list, then 2. Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, 3. Children’s, 4. Non-Fiction, 5. Science Fiction/Fantasy and 6. Romance.  Small press publishers might have their own preferences and specialities.

Within the broader categories, some subgenres are trending.  Hurley reports (2017) ‘LGBT books have seen a 200% increase, comic books and graphic novels — an 119% bump, and Teen and YA novels are on a 63% rise.’ 

Dena of Batch of Books suggests that YA & Children’s books with diversity (people of colour, disability, woman and LGBT), unique or strong woman characters, humour and ‘love, hope and dreams’ will do well in 2018  Other pundits suggest an increase in mystery books. While some suggest, in contrast to the pessimistic dystopian books, the optimist Solar Punk is making its mark.

Other areas that is growing, according to Lauren Wise, are novellas, anthologies, and co-authoring and book bundles. In part as marketing strategies for authors, but also because shorter fiction is easier to publish as an e-book, and readers often have less time and appreciate shorter reads.

Some of these trends provides a challenge for Christian authors, but also an opportunity.

Christian Books

Non-fiction (Bibles, devotionals, Christian living and biographies) probably dominate the Christian market. How do genre trends translate into Christian Fiction?

USA

Traditionally, in the USA, Christian fiction has been driven by romance, historical and biblical fiction – with a strong emphasis on Amish and bonnet fiction. 

For 2018, Publisher Weekly reports that some suggest Amish is waning, while others feel it is still going strong and that there may be a trend toward romantic suspense. Speculative fiction and mystery have struggled with CBA though there has been a trend for cross-over and edgier fiction with small press – such as Gilead’s acquisition of Enclave and expansive publishing model -- and a move to more realistic fiction that addresses difficult issues with some publishers.  (See also this.)

Australasia

The Australian and New Zealand markets are much smaller, especially in Christian fiction and non-fiction with limited publication opportunities and difficulty competing with big titles from across the Pacific.

Christian readers downunder often favour more realistic, maybe edgier, fiction than the America market. Once again, romance is a major player, though Rhiza Press publishes a range of genres, and Stone Table Books is actively looking for speculative fiction. Perhaps mystery and (non-romantic) thrillers are underrepresented.

The Future

Whatever the trends, God holds the future. And while it’s in some ways harder than it was a few decades ago, there are different opportunities as well. Part of our challenge is to respond the heart cries of the world with the grace and hope of the gospel - whether explicitly or implicitly. 

So over to you – What trends would you predict for 2018? What’s your favourite genre or sub-genre to write or to read? And what’s the strangest genre you’ve come across?

ACW/CWD Cross post.

***

Jeanette started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. They involve a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic users. She has published numerous short stories, poems, two novellas and her debut novel, Akrad's Children. Find her on Facebook or at her webpages Jeanette O'Hagan Writes or Jenny's Thread.

From Pookie to Christy

Pookie Rabbit, Big Ears, Noddy and The Famous Five glimmer through my childhood memories, but Pookie was the most fascinating story. Belinda was cross with Pookie because she was spring cleaning. How interesting. Flying rabbits, rebellion and spring cleaning were all new concepts to me.  They fired my always active imagination to another level.

I loved to read as a child. It inspired me and kept one of my feet in an imaginary world. Unlike my book worm sister, my other foot was always on the ground. If I had to choose between reading, driving a tractor or riding a horse, the farm won every time. Reading was for rainy days or long nights, or for avoiding unwanted tasks. When I read a story, I wanted a good one!

At senior high school I was confronted with Macbeth and Wuthering Heights. I didn't relate. Reading lost its appeal. My English teacher was less than complimentary about my writing efforts. At this time my beloved Father died. Our property and home had to be sold. Life shattered around me. My grief manifested through poetry, so precious it was stored in an apple box of valued mementos. Otherwise writing became the necessary tool one used to complete assignments.

In my early years of marriage I discovered Janette Oke. Wagon trains and adventures in the Wild West reignited my love for stories. I started to search for other Christian novels but many failed to hold my interest.

Then I read Catherine Marshall's saga, Christy. Thereafter, every book was measured against that standard. Most fell short. I read every non-fiction she wrote, but longed for another novel to transport me to that place of the unexpected and the inspiring. I searched for stories that challenged my faith and my destiny, not just allowed me to escape.

It wasn't until we suffered great heartbreak as a family that I pushed past my English teacher’s negativity and started to write again. Poetry flowed as pain and confusion found expression on paper. I yelled at God through my pen. I blasted cowards that wouldn't face wickedness in our midst. I tried to express deep love, pain and passion. After five years of drama our family reached a point of breakthrough. God was proved to be faithful, though many times I had accused Him of the opposite.

After that, I had a story I wanted to tell, evil that needed to be exposed and miracles to be recorded. Jottings and verse were one thing, but now I wanted to write a book, a good book. All original attempts were feeble and boring. Maybe my English teacher was correct. I mustn’t be able to write. I gave up.

Some years later, on holiday, I immersed myself in Francine Rivers’ novels. I reread ‘Redeeming Love’. Inspired, I decided to write my story as a novel. It was a crazy idea but the story flowed when I wasn't tied to historical accuracy, when concepts could come through fictional conversations whilst keeping events true to my memory. Two years later ‘Though the Bud be Bruised’ was published as a Caleb winner.

To my delight, readers learnt from it while being captivated by the story. It brought healing and restoration to some.  Others faced the evil of child abuse and argued against my conclusions. Yet they were all challenged and I am content. Yes, the story is sad but the ending is full of the wonder and grace of God. The book is full of little miracles, little God-instances. I wanted the world to know that God is mighty and faithful...if a tad slow. I wanted my readers to be inspired.

So I continue my search for great books. I read a lot of well written stories with interesting plots and unexpected twists, but few reach the ‘Christy’ standard. I want books that grapple with faith and real life issues through a good story. I seek books that show our struggle with God, without a sudden, easy, unrealistic fix. I loved 'Suzannah's Gold' by Carol Preston. Based on a real life story its full of unusual twists and turns instead of following the expected line.

And I continue to write, though life has been challenging since my first book was published. I have written two more novels, but editing is slow. These stories meet my criteria for good books but will publishers and readers agree with me? 

What is your idea of a really great book?

Jo Wanmer’s greatest passion is to see people touched by the love of

God. Her life’s purpose is to inspire others to reach their destinies, to go further than they can ask, think or imagine. She is a pastor and preacher, a writer and an encourager. Her God and her family are her two greatest loves.

Following the success of Though the Bud be Bruised, Jo has written El Shaddai and In the Shadow of El Shaddai. She is still editing, sharpening the stories so they will be transported clearly into her reader’s imagination.