Publishing Christian Fiction: Innovation Required

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FEBRUARY 2013 VOL.57

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Christian Fiction, Still Vital, Faces Challenges By Ann Byle

iction continues to be a mainstay for Christian publishers as they tap into an audience eager to follow favorite authors, find new content, and welcome fresh voices, and publishers employ a number for strategies for their programs to achieve those goals. But one of the biggest challenges is getting their books in front of those readers, who find content in ways that range from digital downloads to Sams Club, from indie bookstores to Amazon. Relatively new lines, such as Abingdon Fiction, launched four years ago, are still looking to increase visibility among vendors and writers and to build trust with those groups and readers. According to Ramona Richards, senior acquisitions editor, that trust is growing as Abingdon publishes books that meet reader demand yet push them beyond the usual. Christian fiction as a genre tends to be risk averse; there are not a lot of edgy books out there, says Richards. Were bringing in a number of authors who already have a fan base, such as Deb Rainey, and growing our new authors. Im looking at every aspect of Christian fiction and seeing where we might make a breakthrough, yet trying to focus on the things that have worked for us. Discoverability is the buzz word in publishing these days, and is used by both David Morris, v-p and editorial director of Guideposts Books and Summerside Press, and Daisy Hutton, fiction v-p and publisher at Daisy Hutton

HarperCollins Christian Publishing. For Morris, discoverability is especially hard for new authors. With no long-lead media out there, how do you reach readers with new authors? How do you start those word-of-mouth sales? he asks. Summerside Press, a small house, will work with a good number of new authors in its new iteration to launch later this year. Guideposts Books acquired Summerside in 2010, then sold its nonfiction component and Ellie Claire imprint. Buyers today are smart; its more about how good a story it is, how good the packaging is, and if the author is at least known for good writing. Thats what will count in the end, says Morris. For Hutton, blending the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan fiction lines after the 2012 purchase of Nelson by Zondervan parent HarperCollins is part of the discoverability mystery. The two imprints will remain distinct, allowing each to create its unique brands. But editorial and marketing functions will be centralized. The thinking behind consolidating fiction is that the challenges of this category are unique, but Zondervans fiction was taking place under their Trade category. They didnt have dedicated fiction [marketing] people. The shift to digital purchasing has increased dramatically in fiction. We have to change our business practices more rapidly, marketing has to change, and content has to change, says Hutton. Along with the challenge of discoverability comes the pressure of competing against a broader swath of content and the pressure of price. Fiction is more price sensitive than ever, and price must be managed carefully, notes Hutton, who says her team has become pricing experts, offering price promotions to introduce content but keeping longterm price points higher.

KEEPING BALANCE Balancing is part of the process for Jennifer Leep, editorial director for Revell, an imprint of Baker Publishing Group. Revell is in the process of rebalancing its fiction list, which had skewed heavily toward historical fiction. E-books, she says, caused that category to struggle against myriad backlist titles and cheap e-books. Our biggest challenge is that were contracted way out into the future with established authors, so we dont have room for more historical novels, says Leep. Our new model going forward is one-third historical fiction, one-third suspense or romantic suspense, and onethird contemporary romance/womens fiction. Deb Keiser, associate publisher for River North, the fiction imprint of Moody Publishers, knows that being The Name You Can Trust is part of the bloodline for publishing under the umbrella of Moody Ministries. Its a calling they take seriously, even as River North strives to bring in new readers. People pick up our books who might not have picked up a Moody book, says Michele Forridor, audience development manager for River North. Reviewers, bloggers, librarians, Michele Forridor and journals have been interested in River North books. We want to speak into a group that may have pigeonholed Moody into an academic position. Keiser and her team reorganized River North about six months ago and now focus on four areas: contemporary, romance, historical, and mystery/suspense. They aim for 12 books a year but in 2013 will do 20, including some rereleases of Moody titles and of some in the
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youth fiction series. Theyd love to branch out the line a bit and are eager to engage an A-list author or two as well as bring on promising new writers. The world of fiction is so huge, and to break into that market we have to be choosey, says Keiser. We want to be different, to be a voice out there that makes a difference. We always keep Moody as a whole in mind when we publish. Our books always have a Christian theme, so were interested in books with that, especially contemporary novels. Keiser echoes the discoverability theme as well, saying, The unknown is discoverability. But you cant beat good content, a good theme, and a good read. TAKING CHANCES While River North stays close to the Moody name when it comes to content and themes, Kregel Publications and Lion Fiction, a new imprint of Lion Hudson distributed in the United States by Kregel, promise to tackle new challenges and take chances other publishers wont. Lion Fiction, which launches this spring, plans to release up to 24 titles a year in genres such as thriller, crime, womens fiction, and fantasy. Based in the United Kingdom, Lion Fiction, via Kregels distribution channels, wants to

Working Two Jobs

American Christian Fiction WritersACFWboasts more than 2,600 members, with about a quarter of those published. The challenges authors face in this modern world of Christian fiction are myriad. The biggest, according to ACFW Professional Relations Liaison Cynthia Ruchti, is keeping up with trends and opportunities. Authors are pedaling as fast and as hard as they can to keep up with whats happening in Christian publishing. We have to work on social marketing, but also have time to create great stories, says Ruchti, whose novel When the Morning Glory Blooms, releases in April with Abingdon Fiction. How do we partner with publishers to do marketing, but not cheat our time to write? One of the benefits of the fast-paced publishing environment is how quickly word of new projects and opportunities comes out. Authors are eager to tap into e-books and other options, but want to make the best choices. The days of locking ourselves in a writers cottage are over, says Ruchti. We know and understand that, but it does present challenges.

tap into the vital Christian fiction market in the U.S. Noelle Pederson, manager of Lion Hudson distribution for Kregel, calls it an outlier in the Christian fiction market. As a foreign publisher in a sea of U.S. publishers, Lion Fiction brings a refreshing view to Christian fiction in general, she says. They are publishing a lot of straight up mystery while the genNoelle Pederson eral trend has been to focus on suspense. Lion Fiction recently launched its Secret of the Journal series by debut writer C. F. Dunn (Mortal Fire, Aug. 2012, Monarch Books; Death Be Not Proud, July 2013, Lion Fiction). Its a romance series with an unexplained paranormal element, though neither fantasy nor alternative universe. Pederson calls Dunn compulsively readable and on the top of my list as Lions next star author; she has the type of Christian market/secular market crossover appeal that Lion Fiction is targeting. Kregel Publications also offers some edge with its fiction. They published

Unholy Hunger by Heather James (Jan.), the first in the Lure of the Serpent series, with an unsympathetic main character and a plot involving murder and pedophilia. Featuring an unlikeable main character is something that even literary fiction has a hard time getting away with and is not often tried in Christian fiction, says Pederson. Yet Kregel sees a dramatic human story that represents the redeeming story that should be at the heart of Christian fiction. One of the biggest challenges for Barbour Publishing is life after Heartsong Presents Book Club, which the company sold to Harlequin in early 2012. Heartsong provided its members with four novels a month. Says Dan Balow, v-p of business development and publisher, Heartsong gave us a great entre to some great authors, but book clubs can cause a company to be a bit like a book factory. We need to convince authors and agents that we are interested in longterm relationships. Barbours backlist is strong, allowing the company to deepen those relationships in terms of marketing and sales. Balow and his team plan to add one or two significant authors each year. As we focus on fewer authors and go deeper with them, we can harness all the marketing tools that go along with developing a committed readership, Balow says. The magic in publishing is an author writing a great story. All we hope to do is identify those great writers and provide the fertile ground to grow. WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House, has invested big in the Christian fiction market. Its a full market right now, and were making sure to put out the best titles each year instead of the most titles, says Shannon Marchese, senior editor at WaterBrook Mult-

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NICK RICHARDSON

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books a year. Boyss goal for FaithWords is to continue to reach into the CBA market with 1012 books a year in genres such as romance, romantic suspense, small-town tales, Amish, contemporary, and biblical. I dont have immediate plans to expand, but if I see an area that I can expand, I will. Were focusing on finding strong womens fiction, says Boys, citing Lauraine Snellings novel Reunion (2012) as an example. The goal is finding that balance between publishing what sells in the Christian market and something with a fresh spin. On the one hand you want to find something where precedent has been set, that has sold before. But on the flip side, you dont want a whole market of the same stories told over and over. Were looking for something better than those around it, says Boys. Don Pape, v-p for trade fiction at David C. Cook, sees no waning of interest in Christian fiction from readers or authors. He does see, however, a slide in Cooks print sales while digital sales rise. The company must become agile, he says, to reach both digital and print readers. The foundation for all publishers is quality. Were seeing better writers who are doing quality fiction that is faith infused, rather than faith driven. Theres an element of faith there, but no proselytizing, says Pape. We have to find the very best storytellers out there because at the end of the day, the story has to hold up. Christian publishers face obstacle in a fiction space glutted with print and digital content. One issue is reader demand for more content from writers who must balance writing and marketing. And as the quality bar rises, publishers must be discerning in what they acquire. But the biggest issue of all is discoverability. Being found is still the biggest challenge, says Marchese of WaterBrook Multnomah. If you gave me a million dollars to market a book, its still a huge problem. I emphasize to our marketing and publicity people that its how we get those voices out from amongst the wide plain of voices that really convinces readers to pick up that book.
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nomah. Were choosier about what we do to hit certain markets and publish the strongest titles in that market. For Marchese, as for so many others, its identifying which authors people are listening to and growing a social network with them. Were sorting voices out not from the chaff, but from the ocean of other authors out there, she says. Being found is the biggest challenge. Karen Watson, associate publisher of fiction at Tyndale House Publishers, is moving away from series fiction and toward standalone novels, or novels that are loosely tied to previous books. We tend to have more standalones, she says. Years ago it was all about series, but there is so much out there, and it can be a challenge to hold their attention. She is also seeing a swing back to historical fiction after a spate of contemporary womens fiction, and is specifically targeting male readership. There is a very wide scope of what Christian fiction can look like, says Watson. The challenge is knowing reader expectations. People who write for the Christian industry have chosen a bigger challenge to write authentically and to winsomely wrestle with hard issues. For Julie Gwinn, acquisitions editor for B&H Fiction, one of their biggest initiatives is the Bloomfield series, written by nine different authors and published in both e-book and print formats. The series will center on the small town of Bloomfield and its inhabitants. The authors write about different townspeople and plot lines, communicating with one another on backstory and details. Fans of one author will read the series, then meet other authors who are also writing for the series, says Gwinn. We get more for our marketing dollars because we have that many more authors talking about that many more books. For the soft launch of the Bloomfield series, Debby Maynes Waiting for a View was released as an e-book exclusive. The series first print book, Gail Sattlers Take the Trophy and Run, was published in November 2012. B&H plans one Bloomfield release per publishing cycle, which meets readers needs for quicker series

availability and publishers desires to keep the series in front of fans. B&H Fiction is also branching into novels connected to movies distributed by Lifeway Films, which launched in early 2012. October Baby by Eric Wilson and Theresa Preston released in September 2012, as did the movie tie-in, Unconditional, by Eva Marie Everson. Davis Bunn will do the novelization of the upcoming movie Unlimited, and Melody Carlson will write Grace Unplugged for the upcoming movie. By getting authors on board with the films Lifeway Films is distributing, we get to introduce them to a whole new group of readers, says Gwinn. And theres a second sales spike with the release of the DVD. Gwinn plans another multi-author series, this time set in World War II, to launch in winter 2014. The novels take place in England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States. Abingdon Fiction also launched a multi-book series titled Quilts of Love. Each of the 24 booksnot all contracted yetwill center on one quilt and the story behind it. Richards has seen success so far in sales of the first three books; the third in the series, Path of Love by Jennifer Hudson Taylor, released in January. GOOD OLD WORD OF MOUTH Word of mouth is still the best way to spread news about a book, but for Christina Boys, senior editor for FaithWords and Center Street of the Hachette Book Group, the question is how to generate that word-of-mouth activity. Its really a mixed b a g . S o c i a l Christina Boys media is a good way to find books, especially if you have similar reading tastes as your friends, she says. But for a book to really break out, it has to reach to that outer circle of people who read only a few

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Digital Publishing Strategies Roll with the Punches By G. Jeffrey MacDonald

hristian fiction readers sure do love their e-books. Between Q1 and Q3 last year, they bought 31.7% of their titles in e-book form, according to Bowker Market Research. That puts Christian fiction among the industrys most digitized segments. Across all publishing categories, only 21.6% of total book sales were e-books. But digital adoption rates have slowed for this readership, which was reading 30% of its books in electronic form as recently as 2011. This has made publishers all the hungrier to innovate as they vie to build on past successes. Digital allows us to try different genres and formats that wouldnt be considered feasible in print, says Tyndales senior acquisitions editor for fiction Jan Stob. The turnaround for a digital product is much quicker than for a print book, allowing us to be flexible with trends and promotional opportunities. Publishers see promise in Christian fiction divisions that have aggressively used freebies and deep discounts to cultivate e-reading habits among loyal fans. Retaining and adding readers, they say, means serving up more of what they want: quicker reads, lower price points, and faster delivery of new content. Since digital makes all that possible, publishers are now hustling to turn potential into profits. Simon & Schusters Howard Books imprint has grown Christian fiction to 50% of its business, up from just 30% in 2011. Thats meant publishing more in romance, more in suspensemore of everything that stands a chance to strike a chord. We are looking for new [author] voices, and have experimented with e-only projects, says Howard Books publisher Jonathan Merkh. Theres a lot of testing going on to see if there is something that will

move the needle to bring in more readers or buyers. This both/and approach ensures readers get more of whats familiar and less familiar, too. The wild popularity of Amish fiction has drawn writers to the genre, such as former construction worker Dale Cramer, whos helping Baker Publishing (Bethany/Revell) supplement runaway successes by Beverly Lewis. Meanwhile, Baker is releasing more fantasy and suspense novels. One reason why: editors see backlist titles in these genres selling well. And managing backlist has become crucial, in part because authors expect it, but all the more so given sales results. Its very easy for authors to bring their own product to market now digitally without a publisher, says Nathan Henrion, national sales manager for digital at Baker. To serve our authors well, we have to actively manage their entire catalogue and try to maximize their revenue across everything that they have available. Thats whats changed the most in the mindset of Christian fiction publishers with the rise of digital, according to Henrion. Digitals influence is proving to be a twoedged sword. While allowing for faster production timetables, it also speeds up cycles across the industry such that new hardcover releases face shorter and shorter windows in which to rack up strong sales before theyre off readers radars, according to Merkh. To exploit the upside of faster cycles, core authors at HarperCollins Christian

Publishing, where digital penetration jumped from 21% in 2011 to 40% in 2012, increasingly publish short e-only works that can later be aggregated into full-length digital and print products, according to v-p and fiction publisher Daisy Hutton. We are also focusing on shorter content in response to consumer demand for quicker reads at a lower price point, Hutton says. Christian fiction readers have grown accustomed to low prices. The average e-book in the category sold for just $2.32 in 2011, as compared to $5.26 for the average general adult fiction e-book, according to Bowker. Eager to satisfy demand for low-priced products, publishers are taking advantage of the new economics of digital publishing. Baker is experimenting with 50- and 75-page e-books, for instance, which would have been unfeasible in print formats. Tyndale is generating shorter works, too, along with titles that are in effect tested first as digital offerings. Tyndales Digital First program released three new romance novels in January, the busiest month for digital downloads. Discoverability also poses dual challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, e-book releases can easily get lost in the cacophony of the Internet. Self-published titles pose more competition than in past eras, Henrion says, because theyre both more abundant and more easily discovered via online searches. Then again, Tyndales Jan Stob observes that some readers whod never browse Christian fiction in a bricks-and-mortar store will sometimes snatch up books in the category after stumbling upon them online. The rapidly changing world of digital publishing keeps publishers on their toes and alert to fresh ideas to capture and keep readers. They dont expect the pace to slow anytime soon.

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Publishers Seek Old Favorites with New Twists By Ann Byle

ublishers of Christian fiction arent trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to new genres and topics. Theyre just tweaking the size, width, and tread to make the wheel cover more ground. Historical, romance, contemporary, and suspense continue to be mainstays for publishers eager to build on proven successes, but theyre just as eager for fresh stories and fresh voices to keep readers interested. For Rachel Meisel, editorial director of Summerside Press (acquired by Guideposts Books in 2010), its about small and incremental innovations. Amish fiction is popular, so Summerside focuses on the Amana Colonies in Iowa, as well as Quaker and Moravian groups, to fulfill readers need for different cultures. Summerside is at an interesting crossroad. Weve pinpointed that we want the real-life element in our fiction, and were changing the proven sellers just a little bit, says Meisel. MEN IN THE MIX For Revell, an imprint of Baker Publishing Group, that little twist of change comes in part from injecting male voices into the traditionally female-written romance category. Dan WalshThe Reunion (Revell, 2012), The Homecoming (Revell, 2010)and Gary Smalley teamed to write The Dance (April), first in the Restoration Series, the tale of a wounded wife who leaves and her husband who has no idea why. Women who have read the book felt very accepted and encouraged, says Walsh. I felt a real camaraderie with my women readers. The guys are raising eyebrows, but when they read it theyre crying and liking it. Jennifer Leep, editorial director for Revell, says, This series has stretched Dan in new ways, but his writing has

been solid from the start. I believe Dan will be around for the long haul. Other male authors tip-toeing into the bastion of womens fiction include Murray Pura, author of The Wings of Morning, published by Harvest House (2012) and the upcoming Ashton Park (Jan.), first in The Danforths of Lancashire series, also by Harvest House. Another is Tim Lewis; Shannon Marchese, senior editor at WaterBrook Multnomah, likens his style to that of Garrison Keillor. Lewiss novel, currently titled Forever Friday, will release in the fall. Tim has a really unique voice and I was blessed to find him, says Marchese. While male authors are moving into womens fiction, publishers seem to be veering away from books for male readers. Marchese doesnt say that male-oriented fiction is dead in the water, but she does say that until we can figure out the male-oriented market, we have to be cautious when publishing books for men. Tyndale House, on the other hand, is making a concerted effort to reach male readers. Karen Watson, associate publisher for fiction, calls it a disturbing trend that fiction for the entire industry is taking a turn away from male readership. She points to Joel Rosenberg (Damascus Countdown, Mar.) and Randy Singer (Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales, May), whose work continues to draw male fans. Watson also mentions female writers such as Tracy Groot (Flame of Resistance, 2012), whose writing crosses gender lines with ease. We work very hard to make our books available and accessible to a wide range of readers, says Watson. Often folks are surprised by what they find. Besides Revells foray into male-written romance, Leep feels that romantic suspense will get crowded quickly as more publishers tap into this genre, and that cozy mysteries are coming back. She cites Revells success with backlist titles

by Lorena McCourtney (Dying to Read, 2012). We werent publishing with Lorena because we hit a wall with sales awhile back, but we started selling her titles as e-books and found a ton of new readers. That told us we can make this work, even though Christian retail may not know what to do with these books. I think were going to do well in the cozy mystery category. WHAT EDITORS WANT Deb Keiser of River North is on the lookout for good mystery and suspense and will continue the companys strong work in biblical fiction, with three such titles releasing this year. Keiser is looking to add a bit of global spin to her fiction line. Im trying to find stories with international themes, to look at all of Gods kingdom. The characters dont have to be tied to the U.S., she says. Key is honesty when it comes to writing about difficult issues, Keiser adds. B&H Fiction has found success with issues-driven novels, according to acquisitions editor Julie Gwinn, citing Ginny Ytrupps Christy Awardwinning Wo rd s ( 2 0 1 1 ) about abuse, and her upcoming Invisible (April), which focuses on weight and selfesteem. This kind of book blurs the line Julie Gwinn between truth and fiction, says Gwinn. Folks who arent ready for a nonfiction book on a topic can still find hope and healing within a fictional story. Gwinn continues

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limits, she says. Its wonderful that there is such a wide variety of issues and topics. Ruchti sees ACFW authors moving beyond the usual paradigms. For instance, authors who write Amish fiction are adding elements such as Amish suspense or Amish mystery. That causes that freshness to make the book something more, says Ruchti. She sees authors tackling genres such as allegory, fantasy, adventure, and some dystopian in the YA market. Ruchti also sees a lot of military fiction, rescue fiction (EMTs, first responders, firefighters), medical and legal thrillers, as well as whatever is happening in the news, including human trafficking, bullying, abuse, and the like. Publishers also continue to look for top writers who are doing evergreen topics well and who come to those topics with fresh ideas and fresh voices. On the one hand you want to find something with precedent that has sold before; but on the flip side you dont want a whole market full of stories told over and over again, says Boys of FaithWords. Readers want a fresh spin and want to be invested in the character. We want a book to work in the market, but also be fresh and new. Editors are trying new takes on old favorites, from Christmas romances set in the 1930s, 40s and 50s based on popular Christmas songs (Summerside) to British mysteries (Lion Fiction), from e-book short stories that bridge the gaps between books in a series (Revell) to missionary fiction (Moody). They are tapping into the richness of new historical eras and different cultures; they are testing the waters in fantasy and supernatural. I think theres room for Christian fiction to grow, says Richards of Abingdon. There is a lot more openness than there used to be in the general market to faith-based fiction. As the well-written books find a broader market, and they will, the image of Christian fiction as badly written will change. I dont think Christian fiction has peaked.
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to search for the perennial historical fiction, with a slant toward Regency and Civil War, but is also interested in speculative fiction, dystopian, modern fairy tales, suspense, and biblical artifact stories. Southern contemporary is popular as well, with B&H Fiction publishing titles such as Chasing the Wind (2012) by Pamela Ewen and Gone to Ground (2012), Southern suspense by Brandilyn Collins. Marchese sees renewed interest in the Colonial Period, both pre and postRevolut i o n a r y Wa r. She attributes some of that popularity to Shannon Marchese television shows but also to video games such as Assassins Creed: Revelations. The publisher will release Burning Sky: A Novel of the American Frontier by Lori Benton in August, in which a white woman living with the Iroquois returns to her original family. Marchese also sees revival of the romantic comedy, biblical fiction, fantasy, and North American historical/prairie fiction genres. Four-year-old Abingdon Fiction is relying on tried-and-true topics such as Amish and historical, but also looking at trends. Ramona Richards, senior fiction editor, says its upcoming Amish fiction by Lynette Sowell is set in Florida instead of the usual Pennsylvania or Ohio, and Richards is considering early-20th-century historical romances. Im looking for things people can find familiar, but with a new twist, she says. FROM SCREEN TO PAGE One of the most fashionable topics publishers are interested in is books set in the Edwardian era, made popular by the wildly successful PBS Masterpiece Clas-

sic television series Downton Abbey. The show began preWorld War I as the Earl of Grantham, his family, and their servants embroil themselves in intrigue, romance, and domestic dramas. Daisy Hutton, v-p and publisher of Harper Collins Christian Publishing, admits to being a fan of Downton and wants to find a true upstairs/downstairs novel, with a richness in the lives of servants and the aristocracy. Historical fiction is still very strong, but there is much more of a willingness to touch on topics in more recent time periods, says Hutton. There is also more willingness to have settings take place in different parts of the world, which opens fiction to the vast riches of different places. This is very exciting, and hints that readers are more expansive in their thinking. There is so much more rich ground for authors and readers. Christina Boys, senior editor of FaithWords and Center Street, says that American readers seem to like American settings, with the exception of Regency and Edwardian England. Books by the Bront sisters and Jane Austen and movies such as Pride and Prejudice seem to drive this trend. Pura has tapped into it with Ashton Park, and Christy Award winner Julie Klassen treats readers to Regency England in her novels such as The Tutors Daughter (Bethany, Jan.; reviewed in this issue) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (Bethany, 2011). People love historical fiction to see what life was like at that time, says Boys. And historical lends itself to Christian fiction because of the mores of those times. Christian fiction is probably more realistic in those time periods because the faith element was strong. EDGING OUT, STAYING CLOSE Cynthia Ruchti, professional relations liaison with the American Christian Fiction Writers, is happy with the widening range available to both authors and readers. The more than 2,600 members of ACFW can pick just about any kind of book, with practically no topics off

KELLY HOWARD

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Marketing, Publicity Efforts Sprint to Keep Up with Rapid Change

By J. Victoria Sanders

he combination of making it up as we go readers changing along and figuring out habits and a what works and what depressed economy doesnt, says Pamela Clehas made marketments, associate publisher ing and promoting at Abingdon Fiction and physical and digital books Christian Living. Were increasingly challenging. getting more strategic Book discoverability for and savvy as we go. Christian fiction, publishers At some companies, prosay, is a little easier because of motional teams have been a built-in niche audience. Pamela Clements restructured to promote by But as e-books continue to change the genre instead of marketing authors one publishing world, they have also spurred by one, while others have worked on relentless creativity and experimentation changing their online presence to profrom Christian and general fiction marmote author brands. Shrinking shelf keters alike. space and a crowded digital book market In 2011, according to Digital Book have created fierce competition for readWorld, nearly half of consumers changed ers attention, Clements adds. Discovertheir book-buying behavior. Kelly Galability is harder than its ever been. There lagher, then Bowker v-p of publishing are fewer shelves and more people trying solutions and current v-p of content to stand on them. For booksellers in a acquisition at Ingram, reported in 2012 down economy, you stick to the familiar, that instead of simply browsing online or so were intentionally fighting, strugin physical bookstores, readers now disgling every day toward getting our share cover books in as many as 44 different of shelf space and to get those books off ways. Even readers of the same genre may the shelves. have several different means of discoverOne way to get a share of shrinking ing books via tablet, laptop, or bookstore retail space has been to augment the browsing. word-of-mouth and expert recommendations of in-store sellers with compaINNOVATION, rable discovery tools, such as niche book REORGANIZATION bloggers. Some Christian publishing To get Christian books noticed in as houses like Abingdon and Bethany many ways as possible, houses have House use outreach to niche and general revamped their approaches to marketbook bloggers via review programs, to ing and promotion by doing everyhave them serve as a kind of word-ofthing from redesigning their Web mouth online street team. They also use sites and investing in blogger book author and company social media proreview programs to experimenting files, as Zondervan does with its Chriswith lower price points for new author tian Fiction Facebook page. At Bethany series. The entire industry has been House, joining NetGalley, a virtual
DEAN DIXON

clearinghouse for reviewers and book bloggers, e x p a n ded the global reach for its books while also cutting down on shipping costs, according Aaron Dillon to Noelle Buss, Bethany House fiction publicist. There are also people requesting our titles that dont usually read Christian fiction. At Harvest House, publicist Aaron Dillon says that the popularity of Amish fiction in recent years has inspired interest among readers for other titles. Trying to stay with or ahead of trends, capturing the cultural zeitgeist, has become very important as a marketing tool, Dillon says. For some publishers, change in their marketing strategies has taken place at the same time as consolidation and corporate shifts. At the HarperCollins Christian Publishing Group, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan will continue to operate as distinct brands, while marketing and promotional efforts have been combined. Katie Bond, director of marketing and public relations for HarperCollins Christian Publishing, says that in response to a mercurial market- Katie Bond place for Christian fiction, the publisher has reorganized its team by verticals, making specialists responsible for titles by genre. The cross-functional team change was launched in September. Daisy Hutton, v-p and publisher of fiction at HarperCollins Christian, says that the team reorganization was necessary because of the intimacy to fiction reading that makes it especially different for readers. We want our marketers to be better equipped to understand that, so to have them become real experts and specialists in their fields really helps.

JAY EADS

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GABE WICKS

Feature |

Religion Update
30,241 copies of an excerpt from The Bridgea chapter that didnt make the final editwhich helped generate sales for her first venture into hardcover fiction when it released in October. But Kingsbury is also very engaged with her 270,000 fans on Facebook, Lewis adds. I dont know that it would work for a new author, other than its cheap, Lewis says. Its really for the fans who want more and just cant wait for the book. An estimated 14% of fiction e-books purchased are first seen in the special offers section of a print or digital book, like the digital excerpts of fiction that Lewis mentioned. Bowker data show that browsing was the #1 source of book discoverability online and in print in 2011, which underscores the need for publishers to adopt dynamic book promotion practices so their books can be found. In addition to enabling better browsing, Hutton says that publishers must also use pricing wisely. Were not moving aggressively into e-only publishing, but we are doing e-first to increase discoverability. We have much more access to links and shorter publishing lead times. Timed price promotions are also a factor. You have to keep dropping price promotions and adding discounts on second or third products. Thats how were trying to capture for print books what weve captured for digital books. For the four members of the HarperCollins Christian marketing team, Bond says that time management for the newly reorganized department will be the next big hurdle, so that we dont go into silos instead of working as a team, making sure our specialists are using their time well and in the right way. The challenges that publishers and authors face are not unlike those in any genre, Lewis says. If anything, its a little easier because of the Christian marketplace, and because of the Christian bookstores that have databases of fiction buyers. What general fiction and Christian fiction ultimately have in common is that both still need to find an audience, Lewis says.
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RELATIONSHIPS WITH READERS KEY As Clements mentioned, niche book and brand promotion is a key marketing tool for publicists in Christian fiction. Author engagement with readersboth as creators of content and online marketers continues to be an integral part of boosting d i s c o v e r a b i l i t y. Brandi Lewis, marketing manager at Simon & Schusters Howard Books imprint, says that strategizing for promoting fiction for a Brandi Lewis Christian audience also requires that authors take on social media. We need authors to understand that we need them to go above and beyond just writing the book. Fans of fiction books have more of a connection to the authors something that social media fosters. Clements at Abingdon says that using one writers fan base to determine the reading tastes of an audience is also key. For instance, if theres an author readers love who is in between publishing books, she asks how can we give them an alternative so they can discover a new author like the ones theyve already read? So far, relentless tweaking of promotional efforts seems to have paid off for writers and publishers. But some tools, like book trailers or fiction serialization, havent been as successful. Howards Lewis says that while book trailers for fiction titles are considered a must for new media promotion, she rarely sees more than a few hundred views: I wonder how effective they are, then, when it comes to selling the books. Dillon at Harvest House, on the other hand, says that book trailers are part of an aggressive marketing strategy that works for its authors. What hasnt worked at Harvest House are social media efforts on Google+, Dillon says. We found our audience wasnt there, and, as a publisher, it didnt fit with our social media goals. Serialization of new fiction releases wasnt successful for HarperCollins Christian Publishing either, Bond says. We

released a portion of a book at one price point, then released the second half, and we did not have success with that experiment. The jury is still out on serialization. This is especially true for new authors. Buss at Bethany House says that new authors are generally becoming harder to launch as the breadth of shelf space in big box stores narrows. You also see how little retailers are willing to risk on a new author as opposed to sticking with the old ones. Theyre wanting to focus and trim down. WEB TOOLS In cyberspace, publishers are finding success by making their sites easier to navigate, grouping titles together thematically, and offering shorter works of fiction by established authors to build book buzz. Abingdon, for example, will sell some of its titles for Valentines Day using a Love Is in the Air campaign. At Bethany House, Buss says that, in addition to investing heavily in the companys blogger review program, which has several thousand subscribers to its newsletter, they also made an exclusive landing page for all of the book specials and will continue to work on offering unique content in the future. When you have a lot of options, publishers make themselves stand out by offering something different or special, Buss says. In November, to mitigate the risks of Christian fiction getting lost in the online shuffle, WaterBrook Multnomah launched an online portal where various publishers books in the category get a showcase. The hope is that an online hub at Novelcrossing.com will keep buyers from wandering and getting lost in a forest of alternatives. Sometimes offering readers unique value takes the form of a giveaway or an online community. Most publishers have continued to give readers more content, in print and online, like q&as with authors interviewing authorssomething that is also common for Kensington titles. Giveaways and exclusive content spur a lot of activity and sales for publishers, Dillon says. Lewis says that Karen Kingsbury sold

Religion Update

Profiles

IN

Profile
personalities, though, calling them inscrutable and aloof as compared to dogs. But the introverted Kraus can relate to how Petey appears to observe his surroundings in a deeply primal, if slightly distant, way. Petey seems to be thinking coherently behind that expressive and cute face, Kraus says. If you put words to those thoughts, Kraus wondered while observing his feline friend, what would those words be? The answer he imagined turned out to be a rather self-important onethat Petey has been ordained by God to make a difference in this small towns life. Petey, Kraus says with humor in his voice, is egotistical enough to think God sent him to do this. Though he makes no claims of being a theologian, Kraus says he is comfortable writing about animals thoughts from a Christian perspective. He believes animals will be present in Heaven, and though they might not have souls like human beings do, they do have a relationship with the natural and supernatural worlds that complements our own. If an animal is loved and cherished, it does have a soul because we impart a lot of that into them, he said. Kraus is a veteran of the Christian publishing scene, having spent 20 years as a vice-president at Tyndale House. Hes also published 22 fiction and nonfiction books since 1994, about half of which were done with houses other than Tyndale because of Krauss desire to avoid the odd dynamic of being an author-in-residence. His twin passions within the industry shouldnt surprise anyone, he says. The publishing world is filled with lots of mundane and boring tasks. Writing is a lot more fun.Holly Lebowitz Rossi

Lisa Samson

Jim Kraus

Tea and Empathy

After 20 years of writing and publishing novels, Christy Awardwinner Lisa Samson decided to take an extended break. Not only did I get to the point where it wasnt fun anymore, it was a chore, she says. So Samson embarked on a new adventureopening a tea shop. It was the best year I ever spent, realizing that Im meant to be a writer, says Samson, whose 22nd adult novel, The Sky Beneath My Feet (Thomas Nelson), releases in March. She also is the author of two nonfiction books and, as L.L. Samson, nine childrens books. In April 2010, Samson opened Cuppa in her hometown of Lexington, Ky. She went to work at 6 a.m. every day, didnt write at all, and enjoyed meeting a wide variety of people. Golly, it was so good to get in among the populace, and to have people come in, and welcome them. Samson says that although she was never hard-nosed about what views others should hold, the tea shop really opened my eyes to a host of other beliefs, and [gave me] greater respect. She often hears complaints about how Christian fiction portrays non-Christians. People are searching for God, and theyre searching for God in other ways. And that needs to be absolutely, 100% respected. Samson knew she would be picking up the pen again and also thought the tea shop had a future. But she closed Cuppa a year after its opening. Although the economy didnt help her business, Samson concluded all she had needed was a break, not a new career. I dont regret

Cat on a Mission
To say that Jim Krauss life is enriched by the animals who share his familys homea miniature schnauzer named Rufus and an ill-tempered Siberian cat named Peteywould be an understatement. In fact, Krauss connection to these pets is so meaningful that he has given them each a deep inner life in the pages of his novels. Krauss latest, The Cat That God Sent (Abingdon Press, Apr.; reviewed, p. 16), is a fictionalized story about Petey, in which the cat decides God has sent him on a mission to redeem a disillusioned young pastor in a rural Pennsylvania town. Last year, Kraus had a bestseller with The Dog That Talked to God (Abingdon Press), in which Rufuss doppelganger befriends a widow and helps steer her life in a new direction. The pair of novels has given Kraus, who feels attuned to animals, the chance to explore some personality differences between cats and dogs that have implications for what he imagines to be their inner, spiritual lives Cats work through the problems they face, he says, unlike dogs who just run at them head-first. Cats are not that impetuous, and theyre not that sloppy. Kraus doesnt romanticize cats

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Religion Update
all the money I lost, says Samson. It was the best money I ever spent. I found out who I was. In The Sky Beneath My Feet, Beth, the mother of two teenage sons, reexamines her life and beliefs when husband Rick, who has been wrapped up in his work as a mens pastor, withdraws to a backyard shed to await a sign from God regarding a job offer in another state. I guess I wanted to explore themes of where women fit in, how we fit personally into our own faith, Samson says. The book came about as an expression of me finding faith for myself through the tea shop and through so many people. Samson is married to a sociology professor and has three children, ages 16, 18, and 23. She uses a little shotgun shack in a checkered neighborhood in Lexington as an art and writing studio. As an artist, she likes to do lettering that is more fanciful than calligraphy; she also paints abstractions onto old doors. There is no computer at the studio. Ive started writing everything longhand, first draft, and thats been wonderful, just wonderful, says Samson. I think as a visual artist, using my hands to write is a very different process. It slows me down, my first drafts are a lot cleaner, and its just very satisfying on a tactile level. Juli Cragg Hilliard

| Profiles

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

The Faith of Pastors Wives

Its still a bit new for Lisa Takeuchi Cullen to be the subject of an interview. She is accustomed to being the interviewer; until 2009 she was a foreign correspondent and staff writer for Time magazine, and before that worked for Money, Financial Planning, and Ladies Home Journal.

But being the one answering questions is so weird, says Cullen. Ill have to do a lot of it, with the book. Her debut novel, Pastors Wives, will be published in April by Penguin/Plume. She also is the author of the nonfiction Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death (HarperCollins, 2006). The novel began as a Time story Cullens editor assigned a feature about a convention of pastors wives. It was a group that I didnt know anything about, [that] I never thought about, Cullen says. She was born and raised in Kobe, Japan. Her father, a Catholic priest from Philadelphia, met her mother when his order sent him to Japan, and he left the priesthood to marry her. They raised their four children as strict Catholics. I hadnt grown up in a culture where I was around women who were married to ministers. But once I started interviewing them I found they were nothing like I had expected, Cullen says. It was just one of those assignments that got hold of me and I couldnt stop thinking about. While considering a nonfiction book on the subject, and pregnant with the second of her two children, Cullen went to a pastors wives retreat. They couldnt have been kinder or more welcoming. I had my belly blessed more times than I could count. The women spoke of struggles in their marriageswith adultery, temptation, and moneybut the prevailing issue was that the wives came second to the church. I decided, for no good reason, that it would make a great TV series. I dont mean a reality show. I mean a drama, Cullen says. She pursued a series pitch, but it bombed. At her literary agents behest, Cullen wrote the novel. The characters had taken on a life of their own in my head. In Pastors Wives, Cullen tells the stories of Ruthie, Candace, and Ginger, whose lives intersect at a megachurch in suburban Atlanta. Cullen says while working on the book she confronted her own crisis of faith due both to personal troublesincluding the deaths of her parentsand problems in

the Catholic Church. I do feel that it was cathartic, if only because it forced me to figure out my beliefs, and I cant say that I saw the light and came to some divine awakening, says Cullen, who doesnt go to Mass anymore, but misses it. I would just say that my own journey in faith continues, and I imagine it will for the rest of my life. Juli Cragg Hilliard

Katie Ganshert

The God of Second Chances

The general plot of Katie Gansherts second novel, Wishing on Willows (WaterBrook Press, Mar.; reviewed, p. 16) could easily be a feature story in any small town American newspaperbeloved small business owner (and widow) Robin Price faces losing her quaint caf to a developer who has visions of condos on land currently occupied by both the restaurant and a thriving town ministry. But Ian McKay, the developer that Price must confront on behalf of her small Iowa town, is not a faceless corporate shill sent to mow down local businesses without regard to the carnage it might cause. Instead, hes come to town with his own financial baggage, reeling from a recent divorce, and struggling with his Christian faith. Willows is a follow-up to Gansherts debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter (WaterBrook Press, 2012), part of a twobook deal that has put Ganshert on the map as a Christian romance author. Willows heroine Price made an appearance in Wildflowers as well, as a model of someone whose faith strengthens her life and the lives of those who call her small town home.

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Profiles |

Religion Update

Ganshert lives in Bettendorf, Iowa, a small city, but her fictional town of Peaks is loosely based on the smaller town of LaClaire, in which the former fifth-grade teacher once lived. She also draws inspiration from her family; in the novel, Robin Price has a 3-year-old son, and Gansherts son recently turned 4. Real life also informs Gansherts fiction in deeper ways. McKay, who sees himself as a failure, is on a journey in the novel to understand thats not what defines him, says Ganshert. And thats where faith has come infor Gansherts characters, and for herself. Especially as a woman in todays society, we try to do it allbeing a wife and mother, working, she says. I can feel like a failure 100 times a day. So I always come back to my identity in Christ and the knowledge that God sees me through what Jesus did for me on the cross. I get my strength from that. Ganshert and her husband are now channeling that strength into a new goal, as they hope to adopt a child from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The familys choice of country is a full circle of sorts for Ganshert, who was deeply moved by a 2006 HIV/ AIDS mission trip she took to Kenya. Among other meaningful aspects of that trip was the fact that she returned bursting with a story that inspired her to become a writer. Reflecting on all of this, Ganshert says the emotional process she went through before she could say yes to adoption is similar to the journey she takes Price on in Willowsdiving into the deep end of a financially and emotionally risky situation far outside the lines of the life she envisioned for herself. So often, in those uncharted, scary territories is where we experience God most fully, says Ganshert. Holly Lebowitz Rossi

Julie Klassen

Regency Pioneer
Whats so Christian about the stories of Jane Austen and the Bront sisters? For Julie Klassen, author of The Girl in the Gatehouse (Bethany House, 2011) and The Silent Governess (Bethany House, 2010), it wasnt that the books that drew her to write Regency-era Christian romances were overtly religious, but that they were Christian in worldview. I think this period is a great fit for Christian fiction because it was a time when people, by and large, revered God and church, valued virtue, and endeavored to follow the rules of polite society, Klassen says. It was also a time when chivalry was alive and well, and physical contact between unmarried ladies and gentlemen was limited to the chaste touching of hands during a courtly dance at a grand ball. I find it a very romantic time. Along the way, Klassen, a Minnesota resident, has racked up

Religion Update
not only top sales, but also top honors, including three Christy Awards for historical romance. In early January, Bethany House released The Tutors Daughter, Klassens sixth book ( reviewed, p. 16). The storyabout a love triangle between a schoolmasters daughter and two nobly born brothersis set in Cornwall, on the Celtic coast of southwest England. Klassen was inspired by a visit to the area. Weve only been [to England] twice, but both times Ive come home with story ideas as well as all those delicious accents still echoing in my ears, and lovely landscapes lingering in my mind, Klassen says. During both trips, we attended church services, and worshipping with fellow believers in those beautiful, ancient churches cannot help but inspire anyone, especially this American who still gapes to think of celebrating Easter in a church from the 1100s. But what most influences her writing is the 16 years she spent in the publishing industry, much of it as a Bethany House editor. I learned a great deal about crafting a full-length novel, she says. I learned that no one writes a perfect first draft, and since its nearly impossible to be objective about your own work, everybody needs an editor. Fortunately, I already knew from working as an editor, that all authors from the debut to the bestsellerreceive editorial feedback. I have learned to value my editors input. I know she is only trying to help make my books the best they can be. Noelle Buss, fiction publicist at Bethany House, says Klassens dedication to the Regency romance makes her a pioneer in Christian fiction, where most stories are set in the U.S., and is among the reasons she ranks as one of the houses top five Christian fiction authors. She has had great sales growth and done that rapidly and is holding strong and continuing to grow, Buss says. We see her as a long-term investment, someone who could be a core author for this market and someone who people will

| Profiles

think of then they think of Christian fiction. Klassen remains committed to the category. I think readers enjoy a chance to travel to another world, a romantic time and place where women were ladylike and men strove to be gentlemen in every dashing, chivalrous sense of the word, she says. They also like that the books affirm their faith and are clean, without explicit content to worry about so they can relax and enjoy reading them. Klassens next booka Regency-era romanceis due from Bethany in December. Kimberly Winston

Erin McGraw

Morality and Satire

In her newest novel, Better Food for a Better World (Wipf and Stock/Slant, Mar.; reviewed, p. 16), Erin McGraw says she continues to delve into the theme of what it takes to be a good person. But this time she uses a new approach: satire. Usually, my books are serious, with an inflection of comedy, but this was the first one that was outright comedy, McGraw says. It was totally fun. You can take the gloves off. Better FoodMcGraws sixth book represents the first release for Slant, Wipf and Stocks new literary fiction imprint. Gregory Wolfe, founder and editor of the quarterly journal Image, is Slants editorial director. McGraw says that the part of her that loves Charles Dickens took pleasure in inventing outsized characters behaving in outrageous ways. Once youve created an over-the-top world, youve got a fat contortionist and anything else you want. Set in a present-day fictional town in northern California, Better Food for a Better

World centers on three sets of middle-aged married couples, all friends from college, who together open an ice cream store with an idealistic nameNatural High Ice Cream: Better Food for a Better World. The problems that ensue include the decision by a member of the group to renew her former business of booking sideshow acts, including jugglers and contortionists, without telling her partners. McGraw based the book and its characters on her experiences in real-life Davis, Calif., where she attended the University of California and saw a late 1970s hippie scene that lingered years after the rest of the United States had moved on. I will say a little bit of hippiedippyness clings to these people, McGraw says of her Better World characters, noting that people like that can still be found today. Its not a stretch. As the couples contend with issues related to business, friendship, and fidelity, McGraw gets to delve into questions of morality and ethical behavior. The characters become involved with a marriage support group called Life Ties that has its own conventions and rituals, which McGraw describes as a little bit like a 12-step program gone berserk. With Life Ties, McGraw satirizes some of the more questionable aspects of organized religion, or, as she explains it, groups and individuals who tell other people what to do. Im not saying that we shouldnt have opinions, but I am saying that we should back off a little bit in our expressions of ourselves and our expectations of other people, she says. McGraw and her husband, poet Andrew Hudgins, teach at Ohio State University in Columbus, but also have a home in Sewanee, Tenn. We stay out of each others work severely as far as early drafts, McGraw says, but notes: Its pretty much a household rule that nothing goes out without the other looking, because we save each other embarrassment that way. Juli Cragg Hilliard

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Religion Update

Reviews

Books in

Brief
The Cat That God Sent

Jim Kraus. Abingdon,$14.99 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-4267-6561-2

raus (The Dog That Talked to God) gives equal time to felines in a tale of a minister whos lost his faith. Jake Wilkerson, the new pastor of a church in rural Pennsylvania, has a secret: he has deep doubts about God. Into his life saunters Petey, a stray cat with an internal sense of mission, who quickly makes himself at home in the parsonage. Also into Jakes life walks Tassy, a 19-year-old who has been abandoned on a Pennsylvania roadside by her boyfriend. And theres veterinarian Emma Grainger, whos got an overweight bulldog and a traumatic secret. All three get to learn something through Peteys presence. Nobody does quirky small-town churches like Philip Gulley, but Kraus is good. Hes also good at depicting the internal dry spells of faith. While its harder to believe that a cat will walk with its owner than to believe it is a sign from God, the suspension of disbelief is most enjoyable. (Apr.)

until the God of Adam commands the building of an ark and the gathering of animals onto it before it rains and rains. Though her pacing occasionally drags, Kanner animates a harsh, almost dystopic world of fallen people struggling to survive. Noahs unnamed wife is a powerful, memorable character. Agent: Carolyn Jenks, Carolyn Jenks Agency. (Apr.)

Past Darkness
Laurel Woiwode. Crossway,$12.99 trade paperback (176p) ISBN 978-0-4335-3518-5

Sinners and the Sea

Rebecca Kanner. Howard,$24.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4516-9523-6

ebut novelist Kanner brings to life the nameless wife of Noah in a deeply imagined midrashic interpretation of the biblical story of the flood. A girl is born with a mark on her forehead, likely a port wine birthmark, that all around her fear is the mark of a demon. No one wants to marry her until she is claimed as a bride by the 600-year-old Noah, a man who believes in the God of Adam, wants sons, and wants to bring to God the wicked people of Sorum, a town populated by prostitutes and mercenaries. Noah and his growing family live in tension with Sorums sinners,

ifteen-year-old Gabrielle Gabe Larson is forced to uproot from suburban Chicago and relocate to rural North Dakota after tragedy befalls her family. Living with her rancher Uncle Will and veterinarian Aunt Bea, Gabes life takes a new direction as she slowly comes to terms with troubled family relationships and grows into a new self-awareness. Woiwode is the daughter of celebrated novelist Larry Woiwode, and talent appears to run in the family. The story is simple and moves forward through time with confidence. It could use more detail and nuancethe crisis that precipitates Gabes move is abrupt, her college years are gone in a two-page blink. Woiwodes strength is in describing the North Dakota landscape and the animals that are a part of rural life, especially horses. She shows promise. (Apr.)

nomic life into the area. That development threatens not only Robins caf, but also a nearby ministry. The development battle is on, even as Robins and Ians unspoken attraction grows. Ganshert brings some nice touches to this inspirational romance: shes got a good ear for the speech and interests of toddlers, and she handles romantic tension well. But her drama is lazy: the value of the ministry is stated, not shown, and Robin is given too much pathos (her mothers dead as well as her husband). Ian is more successfully developed, but hes also carrying a heavy load of back story. Sometimes less is more. Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Better Food for a Better World

Erin McGraw. Wipf and Stock/Slant, $25 (240p) ISBN 978-1-62032-668-8

Wishing on Willows
Katie Ganshert. WaterBrook,$9.99 trade paperback (320p) ISBN 978-0-307-73040-4

obin Price is a widow with a threeyear-old and a struggling caf in Peaks, Iowaa dream she and her late husband had. That dream is threatened when handsome developer Ian McKay comes to the small town with big plans for condominiums that will breathe needed eco-

he debut novel of a new literary fiction imprint relates the tale of three couples who start an ice cream shop in northern California to make the world a better place through their socially aware business. (The napkins bear mottoes like Our goal is not gold.) One of the six partners, Vivy Jilet, is restless, and resurrects the old business she and her husband Sam formerly had, booking countercultural performers. Vivys is not the only decision that shakes up the working relationships the couples have forged. McGraw (The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard) has a light hand with serious themes involving relationships and livelihood. She is deft with humor; her satire of green, aware living is funny without being snarky and is tempered by a generosity toward human foibles. Her characters are memorable, recognizable, quirky; the overweight contortionist Teeny Marteeny is a gem. McGraw is fresh and funny. (Mar.)

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True and truly mesmerizing stories...

THE FACE OF THE EARTH By Deborah Raney On sale May 14, 2013 Paperback 9781416599975 $15.99

SINNERS AND THE SEA By Rebecca Kanner On sale April 2, 2013 Hardcover 9781451695236 $22.99

ROSES HAVE THORNS By Sandra Byrd On sale April 9, 2013 Paperback 9781439183168 $14.99

THE WELL By Stephanie Landsem On sale June 4, 2013 Paperback 9781451688856 $14.99

HIDDEN MERCIES By Serena B. Miller On sale April 9, 2013 Paperback 9781451660357 $15.00

THE OFFERING By Angela Hunt On sale May 14, 2013 Paperback 9781439182055 $15.99

CATCH A FALLING STAR By Beth K. Vogt On sale May 7, 2013 Paperback 9781451660272 $14.99

BRANDENBURG By Glenn Meade On sale April 2, 2013 Paperback 9781451688238 $15.99

For sales inquiries, contact your Genesis/Revelation sales rep or call: 1-800-627-2651.

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...new this spring from Howard Books

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY By Phil Robertson On sale May 7, 2013 Hardcover 9781476726090 $24.99

THE DUCK COMMANDER FAMILY By Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson Available now Hardcover 9781476703664 $23.99 Audiobook available for download In paperback September 17, 2013 9781476703664 $15.99

WALKING ON EGGSHELLS By Lyssa Chapman On sale May 7, 2013 Hardcover 9781451696080 $25.00

JESUS WAS A COUNTRY BOY By Clay Walker On sale April 2, 2013 Hardcover 9781451682861 $19.99

WAKING UP IN HEAVEN By Crystal McVea and Alex Tresniowski On sale April 2, 2013 Paperback 9781476711874 $15.99 Audiobook available for download

ONE QUESTION By Ken Coleman On sale April 2, 2013 Hardcover 9781451675023 $22.99

LETTERS FROM THE CLOSET By Amy Hollingsworth On sale May 7, 2013 Hardcover 9781451666779 $19.99

ONCE UPON A TIME By Debbie Macomber On sale May 28, 2013 Hardcover 9781451607796 $22.99

For sales inquiries, contact your Genesis/Revelation sales rep or call: 1-800-627-2651.

HowardBooksOnline.com