BC: Straight Talk from a Christian Editor

Special Charis Connection Encore . . .

In our Christian writing world, there is quite a bit of negative talk from published and aspiring authors alike about publishing houses in the Christian market. How they’re focused only on the bottom dollar—to the detriment of higher art and their Christian calling to publish books for the glory of God. These opinions are expressed from author to author, through e-mail loops, and in blogs. Are these accusations true? I’ve wondered if we authors suffer from a lack of knowledge. How much do we really know about what goes on in the publishing houses as they make their decisions?

In all fairness, it’s time to give the publishers their say on this topic. Here’s an honest and no-holds-barred response from an editor with many years of experience at numerous major Christian publishing houses:

“Anyone who thinks Christian publishers only care about the bottom line, or that they don't care about art, is flat wrong. People who work at Christian publishers care about a great more than just making money. They care about truth and art and changing peoples' lives--all the same kinds of things YOU care about. They take risks every day on projects in which the numbers don't support the dollars because they believe in the writing, the message, or the author.

“They care. Deeply.

“Please keep in mind what people in the publishing houses face every day. I am responsible for a set amount of revenue for the company. At the end of the fiscal year, I'll be sitting there while leadership evaluates if I was a good employee/steward or not based on meeting that goal. Stressful? You'd better believe it. How do I do it? By balancing the number of best-sellers we publish with midlist and newbies. I have a limited number of slots each year, and each slot MUST meet its financial benchmarks if my lines--and, ultimately, the company--are to survive.

“Like it or not, publishing is a business. It's wrong thinking to be upset or disdainful when publishers take the bottom line into account. The bottom line is not the be all and end all, but it does play into our publishing decisions. It HAS to, unless you don't care if we—that is, publishers or authors--stay in business.

“The irony is that publishers struggle with this very same perception, but about authors: ‘All they care about is money.’ I hear these kinds of statements over and over from publishers:
'Authors blame us for everything. We're always the bad guy, no matter how much we do for them. They don't care about the (financial-time-fill in the blank) constraints we're under, they just want us to treat their books like they're the only thing we publish.'

“Truth is, authors are pretty interested in the bottom line, too. They’re often pushing for higher advances than the sales of their books can support. It’s true that higher advances mean the publisher is invested in the book. Translation—the publisher's neck is square on the line. The authors have their money. Publishers are the ones who eat it when the books don't earn out. And trust me: A LOT of books DO NOT earn out. Yet authors push for higher and higher advances, and/or they get upset when publishers are hesitant to continue publishing their books when they haven't been successful.

“If a book doesn't earn out, it's not always the publisher's fault. We work in an unpredictable industry that’s partially based upon the whims of retailers and consumers, and on national economics that make people less inclined to buy any but proven best-sellers.

“Friends, publishing is a PARTNERSHIP. We ALL do our best. We ALL fight for quality books, for beautiful writing, for art as well as commerce. And I'm not just talking about the editors. I've seen marketing, sales people, and management—even the CEO—go to the wall for a book or author. In fact, I just saw the VP of sales do that very thing a few days ago for a book that hasn't sold in well. He's asking his sales reps to go back to the stores and make another push for this novel. Why? Because, he told me, ‘The writing is so great! Readers need to know about this author.’

“We who work for publishers fight for your books. For what we believe are strong covers. For promotion and marketing dollars. And if dollars aren't available--not because the publisher doesn't care, but because marketing budgets are BASED on revenue--we spend hours brainstorming ways to stir awareness and interest in both retailers and consumers.“Do we blow it at times? Sure, we're human. I'm not saying publishers are perfect. I'm just saying we care.

“So please don't be so quick to paint publishers as the bad guy, or to believe that all publishers care about is the bottom line. We're in this business for the same reasons you are: God called us to it. We care about the message, the authors, the quality of writing. We believe in the power of the word. And we want to make a difference.”

Brandilyn Collins is the author of Dead of Night and other "Seatbelt Suspense."
http://www.brandilyncollins.com/
http://www.forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/