Deciding Where to Publish Your First Novel — A Testimony

Deciding to publish your novel is just the first step. After that, a writer must decide where to publish that novel. This decision is not easy. It involves determining two things: (1) The audience you’re aiming at and (2) The publishing route to reach that audience. For some, the first part of that decision is a no-brainer. I mean, a story about erotic vampires sort of chooses its own audience. The only real decision faced by this author is what level of publisher they will settle for.

For the most part, there are three tiers to publishing that look something like this:

Three Tiers of Publishing:

1. The Big Houses
2. Small & Indie Presses
3. Self-Publishing

While some may quibble with this order (and the upside / downside of each option), most authors will readily admit that signing with a Big House is the ideal.

However, Christian authors face another set of issues, a third prong or another Branch, if you will: Do you publish ABA or CBA / ECPA? Do you aim at a mainstream, general market audience or at Christian readers? This is a HUGE decision and one that has numerous career repercussions. Compounding matters, not only are there far less Christian publishers than ABA publishers, the Christian author still must choose between the Three Tiers. A complicated affair, indeed!

I recently received this email from a visitor to my site. They were commenting on my recent post, Christian Fiction: “Box” or “Continuum”? and wrote:

I came across your site a couple of days ago and have to admit that I find your stance on what it means to write Christian fiction particularly refreshing… I’m curious: how is it that you came to publish your first novel with a Christian publisher, and how did you perceive God calling you in that direction?  I ask because this is a question with which I wrestle almost daily.  Ever since I started reading more broadly and outside the Christian fiction spectrum, my imagination has become much more creative.  Now I have ideas that I think would easily fall inside mainstream fiction… but I also feel like I have ideas that would probably work better for the church.  So I wrestle with which direction to pursue.

I was encouraged by this letter. The fact that someone finds anything I say “refreshing” is itself a cause for celebration. But it’s the “wrestling match” described by this Christian writer that I most empathize with.

You see, when deciding where to publish their first novel, Christian authors face a unique set of decisions. Not only must they ask the normal questions about what Tier of publishing to settle for, they face the even bigger issue of what Branch to aim at: CBA or ABA? That decision is not nearly as easy as some make it out to be.

Write the story God gives you. That’s the response you get from many well-meaning Christian folks. And indeed, there’s a ton of truth to that. Nevertheless, “the story God gives you” still has to be published somewhere. And why is it that we assume God only gives you the story and not the route to publishing? Sure, I have less control over the publishing than the story. But if I believe God is guiding me, then why can’t I believe He will guide me to the right story AND the right publisher?

Okay, I’m rambling.

The writer of the above email asked, “…how is it that you came to publish your first novel with a Christian publisher, and how did you perceive God calling you in that direction?”

I want to take a minute to answer that question and, hopefully, shine a light on the bigger issue of how an author can decide where to publish their first novel. But be forewarned: My answer is not very theologically defined or concise. And maybe that’s as it should be! For even after I’ve signed a two-book contract, I am still in the dark as to how I actually got here.

Part hard work. Part luck. Part divine guidance. I dunno.

When I wrote The Resurrection I was aiming at the Faith crowd, those who embrace and wrestle with faith issues (which addresses prong #1, above). Later on, I would try to tweak the story — added some language, reworked some character arcs. But no amount of niggling could change the fact that this was aimed at people who think about faith issues. Mind you, I wasn’t necessarily aiming at a CBA audience. Nevertheless, I couldn’t keep my worldview from showing.

Secondly, I was also sure about prong #2. I did not want to self publish this novel. I would remain patient and aim high no matter how many rejections I received. (Frankly, this is where I think a lot of aspiring novelists break down. We are either in too big a hurry to see our stuff in print or too stubborn to endure critique.) Conclude what you will about self-publishing. Either way, option #3 on the Publishing Tier was out for me. This story was good enough — or I would make it good enough — for someone else to foot the bill.

Being that I attended Christian writers conferences, signed with a Christian agent, and was getting to know Christian authors — not to mention the story’s obvious faith elements — the CBA seemed like the natural place to aim. So the book was shopped. This was a long, slow process, spanning several years. Along the way, I received enough interest in the story to know I was on the right track. But The Resurrection remained unsold.

My career fork in the road occurred, however, when I received interest in the story from the ABA.

At that time, my first agent and I had agreed to begin shopping the book to a broader audience. We got an immediate hit. One of the biggest publishing houses in North America took interest in the novel. At the same time — perhaps coincidentally — a small independent CBA publisher offered me a contract. I was faced with a dilemma. Bird in the hand, or two in the bush? Long story short: I turned down the CBA contract to wait on the New York publisher. Yet after three months in breathless limbo, the acquisitions editor was unable to drum up interest among her team. The Big House passed. I was back to square one. Shortly thereafter, my agent and I parted ways. It was a very, very depressing time.

The writing doldrums followed.

It’s dangerous to make career decisions during emotional low points. But I was tempted to. Perhaps I was aiming too high. Maybe the story just wasn’t that good. I started second guessing myself and raging against the machine. What do publishers know about good writing anyway, I convinced myself.  Suddenly, self-publishing seemed like a reasonable option. But it was all reactionary. Career decisions made as reactions are seldom good decisions. Which is one of the things I’d say to my email friend: Don’t decide where to publish your novel when you’re frustrated, angry, or emotionally down. Let your head clear and keep working hard at your craft. There will be brighter days.

After a brief pity party, two things happened simultaneously. Again. Strang Publishing expressed interest in the story and Rachelle Gardner expressed interest in representing me. Not only did Strang publish stuff in my genre, they accepted unsolicited mss. This was fortuitous being that I was un-agented. But when Strang expressed interest in the story, I refused to get my hopes up. I’d been here before. Nevertheless, it was enough interest to make me reconsider another agent. It’s funny about Rachelle because, even before she was my agent, she had followed my career, dropping occasional comments on this website. So she seemed like a natural person to query. And it didn’t hurt that she was, like, one of the brightest agents in the business. (Note: Agents who “follow” you may prove to be angels.) Shortly thereafter, I signed the two-book contract.

Talk about a roller coaster.

So how did I decide where to publish my first novel? In a way, I didn’t. It was decided for me. No, I’m not trying to over-spiritualize things. Nor am I suggesting the author is powerless over her writing. It’s just that the process of publication is so labyrinthine, involves so many twists and turns, few authors have complete control over their own literary destiny.

Yes, I have some qualms about publishing in the Christian market. It may take some adjusting and I’m sure I’ll ruffle some feathers… and who knows if I’ll stay here. But I’m here now, I love the folks, and I’ll do my best to honor my publisher and God — both of whom are, somehow, a part of this process.

My advice: Work hard at your craft, aim high, gather wisdom, decide a general direction, and set sail. These things are within your control. Then, watch the tide. Like me, there will be ups and down, droughts followed by tsunamis. These things are temporary. As the current shifts, change course appropriately. And watch the horizon. Because it’s not enough to write “the story God gives you.” Now you must trust Him to bring it to shore.