For Christian authors, offering your book as a FREE Kindle download has a downside. Take fellow WordServe client Richard Mabry who recently commented here,
Mike, I’ve suffered the “slings and arrows” of those who download one of my novels when it’s a free e-book offer, then trash it and me because it’s “Christian fiction.”
I’m beginning to see a pattern here:
- Christian fiction book is offered as free Kindle download.
- Book is bashed as being… Christian fiction.
I watched it happen with Jim Rubart’s Rooms and Gina Holmes’ Crossing Oceans, two very popular CBA novels. Now it’s Mabry’s Code Blue. In all three cases, the books were well-reviewed in the Christian market. And then came the free Kindle download, and the one-star rants rolled in.
Here’s a sampling of one-star comments found on Amazon for the aforementioned books:
- crazzyrabbit — “When you read the review for this book, no mention is made of the Christian nature of the book. This is misleading to the purchaser.”
- New Kindle Reader — “Suckered again, I hate being manipulated into reading pseudo-Christian material. If I want to read this type of genre I will choose to do so. Amazon, don’t sucker me in with a freebie like this and not allow me at least to have an idea of it’s content.”
- Margaret Stead — “Why wasn’t this labelled clearly as creationist literature?”
- Richard Tracey — “…I am getting aggravated with Amazon for not identifying Christian books at the outset. I respect Christians and Christianity but I am not a Christian. I don’t like ordering a book only to find that I am being preached too.”
- Marty Martin — “If I were a religious 12 year old girl, I suppose I would think this book is good but I am an intelligent non religious adult so I hate the book, the writing, the plot, the unending chapters… I do agree there should be some notification to buyers that this is a book with a clear religious theme and message.”
- Em Librarian — “…please please please, Amazon, start labeling free kindle books as Christian Fiction! Stop trying to convert me!”
- David E. Johnson — “I knew from another review that is book was not as advertised. I read it anyway. There is a section for Christian books. That’s fine. But they should keep them all there where they belong.”
- Betty Cravens — “I am not into Christian literature and had I known this book fell into that genre I would not have downloaded it. Good thing it was a freebee or I would be mad.”
- A Customer — “Why must I waste hours of my time on a book that clearly has ulterior motives. If it’s Christian literature- JUST SAY SO!”
- Tom Leckinger — “Why is it that authors of Christian fiction often hide that fact in the descriptions? From what I see in reviews and on the Kindle boards, there are plenty of folks who are interested in that genre, but I have to say as one who is not so inclined, I am simply irritated when I buy a book based on a secular description only to find that the predominant thread throughout the book is Christian proselytizing. Seems more than a bit dishonest to me.”
In many of these cases (not just the ones cited here), the point of contention appears to be the labeling of the book. Or as A Customer said, “If it’s Christian literature – JUST SAY SO!”
Question: Is this the real reason behind these negative reviews? Do the reviewers have a point about being mislead by the lack of labeling? And if so, is it really fair to pan a book simply because you didn’t know it was Christian fiction? Or could there be, as some authors suggest, a built-in bias against Christian fiction that taints the review system?
I have mixed feelings about this phenomenon. Permit me to share them.
First, haven’t we brought this on ourselves? Christian fiction is often viewed as an alternative to secular, general market fiction. We expect certain themes to be evident in our stories. Is it any wonder that those themes can be polarizing? As a result, some people will hate our novels for the simple fact that they contain Christian themes. And as long as we seek to put distance between our novels and their novels, shouldn’t we expect backlash when we crash their party? Conclusion: Deal with it.
Sadly, this is not the first time Christians have been accused of “stealth.” No, I’m not inferring Amazon has a “hidden agenda” or that the publishers were trying to sucker-punch readers with a sermon. I just don’t think we should be surprised when readers feel fooled. Like it or not, Christians have earned a reputation for trying to get their message in under the radar (like the 
Bible tract designed to look like a $20 bill). Face it, there is a “by hook or by crook” mentality that taints some of our evangelistic methodology.
Nevertheless, a quick glance at the cover and description of the books above should dispel notions about deception in advertising. Robert Liparulo (not an atheist) blurbs Rooms as “Part The Screwtape Letters, part The Shack.” That’s on the top of the front cover. And the description for Crossing Oceans begins this way on Amazon: “2011 Carol Award winner for Debut Author from ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).” The “C” stands for “Christian.” Hello. Earth to readers. Perhaps you shouldn’t be so eager for free downloads that you ignore a book’s obvious theme, publisher, or audience.
Here’s another thought: The same system that allows readers to indiscriminately hand out five-star reviews, allows readers to indiscriminately hand out one-star reviews. I’ve been saying all along that we Christian writers get too cozy with the five-star reviews. We feel obligated to give them and, as a result, deserve to receive them. Is it any wonder we get our feelings hurt when someone rips our previously hailed five-star wonder? The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon gave this advice to his students (paraphrased), “To the degree you seek praise, you will despise rebuke.” Translation: If we weren’t so beholden to five-star ratings, perhaps we wouldn’t be as dismayed by one-star ratings.
But there’s another side to this.
Many Christians rightly note an anti-christian bias behind these one-star reviews. One website carried this notation about a Christian fiction novel: “Product warning–Christian content.” Really? It’s that offensive? Had the above books been a-religious or even anti-religious, would they have provoked the reviewer’s wrath? If Crossing Oceans was actually about a minister’s voyage to the Galapagos Islands where he renounces his faith and becomes a rabid evolutionist, do you think the same reviewers would have minded? I doubt it. All that to say, it is NOT the labeling of the book that is the problem, but the reviewer’s dislike for its particular religious worldview.
Look again at the review from Marty Martin: “If I were a religious 12 year old girl, I suppose I would think this book is good but I am an intelligent non religious adult so I hate the book, the writing, the plot, the unending chapters…” This is rather baffling (and one reason why amateur reviews can be crap). Is a book bad simply because the author frames a worldview or makes a point different than your own? That’s like saying that Avatar was categorically bad because James Cameron is an environmental whacko. Anyone with an iota of objectivity has to admit that the graphics and effects of Avatar were incredible. How can we pan the entire movie based on the director’s politics or worldview? Nevertheless, that’s what some reviewers do when they learn a book is “Christian.” Suddenly, “…the writing, the plot, the unending chapters” — everything about the book — becomes puke.
Memo to non-Christian reviewers: I don’t mind if you hate my books. But please do so on the grounds that the writing is flawed or weak, something technical that I can attempt to correct. Not on the grounds that I’m a Christian.
Above all, I think this debate points to the tenuous connection between Christians and culture. We want our books in the hands of seekers. But, in case you haven’t noticed, they know we want to convert them! Which makes them a little more than suspicious. Nevertheless, this is the tightrope Christian fiction must walk. Are we targeting believers or seekers? Should we be explicit or subtle? If we want to be evangelistic, to sow seeds, then we must be less preachy. “Wise as serpents” comes to mind. But the moment we start quoting Bible verses and showing our hand (“you, the reader, need Jesus”), the more we should expect responses like the ones above. Will some be touched by our books? Yes. Will others be mad? Yes. There’s just no way around the disparity of responses.
So is it deceptive to not label a Christian book “Christian”? I suppose it can be. But why is it that Christians are the only ones held to this standard?
Shaking my head. I was just discussing this with some Christian authors just a few days ago.
And I do plenty of shopping on Amazon and I’ve seen some those reviews that trash the book/author because it’s too preachy.
What about Christians? How many trashy movies filled with witchcraft, immoral sex, and all around garbage do we have to put up with around us? If we say anything we’re considering fanatically religious. So, they are allowed to bash someone’s life work but we’re not allowed to want pure entertainment? Hmmm…
Actually, something interesting happened to me. I occasionally download Amazon freebies and I found something that I thought would be cute. I hadn’t heard of the author and it was under “Christian fiction.” I get to page twenty and whoa!! This is not a Christian book, in fact it’s a book about two people who are lusting after each other and cant’ wait to act on their feelings. Ugh!
Did I leave a nasty review on the book? No. I felt misled but that wasn’t the author’s fault. I seriously doubt they wanted their work to be labeled as Christian fiction anyway. Since in fact that is probably a mainstream author’s worst nightmare.
I just deleted it and reminded myself to be more careful.
These people need to grow up already. The whole entertainment world belongs to Satan and we’re not allowed to have books and movies? They call us narrow minded but I think they should look in the mirror.
It sounds planned to me, like the anti-Christians specifically planned that. I don’t know about anyone else, but I usually read the back of the book and the cover before deciding to read it, free or no. Lately, anything remotely Christian is put down or rejected. But no one says a thing about Avatar or that other movie with Buddhist undertones.
I don’t know. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised by Christian content I wasn’t expecting.
One issue is that free or cheaply priced books attract readers who, paradoxically, hate it when it doesn’t meet some arbitrarily high standard they have for the book. People who only want cheap/free books are not the kind of readers most writers want – they’re like garage sale pariahs who’ll gritch about a 25 cent item and offer a dime because they see no value in it.
Consequently, writers should price their ebooks in the 5 buck range to attract better readers. When publishers offer a book (especially the first in a series) at a discount it is to draw interest (as someone said above) in the author’s other works. This book is called a loss-leader (a product sold at a low price – at cost or below – to stimulate other profitable sales). The book will still attract cheapo readers who complain, but if the free offer is limited to a week or so, it may also create interest in an author’s back list.
It makes no sense whatsoever for an author to offer a book on the cheap if that author has no other books for a new fan to purchase. You’ll only get cheapo readers griping about one thing or another.
It sounds like some people are just offended by Christianity. I suspect they would be the first to scream “intolerance,” however. Funny, go to the Barnes & Noble and you are more likely to find Narnia & Lord of the Rings on the Fantasy shelf rather than the Christian Fiction shelf. Maybe it is our fault. How many other religions or belief systems specifically market this quantity of fiction under such labels? Fiction is normally labeled by genre, not the belief system of the author. “Christian Fiction” started out to fill a niche, then exploded and now fills a whole section at the “secular” bookstores. Should it be that way? I have read plenty of nonchristian novels which appear to push nonchristian beliefs, but none were labled as such. I didn’t get mad. Every author has the right to write as he wishes. Why does Christian fiction get singled out? Or did we do it to ourselves?
A far more interesting exercise when one encounters these scathing 1 star reviews of people claiming to be duped by free Christian fiction is to read their other reviews. Gina Holmes, Crossing Oceans has 16 1 star reviews. Of those who claimed they hated it because it didn’t come with a Christian warning label, 75% haven’t reviewed a single other novel of any kind at Amazon. The first three 1 star reviewers have only found one book worth leaving a review for, the one that tricked them so terribly. Interesting indeed.
I don’t think it’s dishonest at all to not label a free book as “Christian”. Like you said, if the people would bother to read the description of the book or look at the publisher, they’d figure out pretty quick it’s Christian.
And just because a book is free doesn’t mean you have to download it.
I have a Nook and a few weeks ago the featured Free Friday book was three Revell romantic suspense titles. That post had more comments than the last five Free Friday ones put together, of people complaining how the books weren’t labeled as Christian. Made me so mad. I actually left a comment saying if you’d just read the book description you’d figure it out and just because it’s free doesn’t mean you have to download it. I also said if they’re going to be so insistent that Christian fiction be labeled, those of us who don’t like erotica/werewolves/vampires want that stuff labeled too. Crickets…
I think it’s wrong to mislabel or omit important information about ANY book, Christian or not. I’m a Christian, but sometimes I don’t WANT to read Christian fiction. (And, even within the genre, I don’t like books that make me feel preached to.) Just like any customer, I should be able to tell enough from a book’s description and category/genre that I know, before I buy, what I’m getting.
Fwiw- I have contacted Amazon numerous times, complaining about the way their search options and book descriptions fall short and make it difficult for the shopper to find what s/he is searching for–forcing us to wade through pages of listings and book descriptions–and still it isn’t clear. There should be a way to weed out what one doesn’t want from the search. The technology exists, they are simply not employing it.
I don’t think rating systems (like for movies) would work for books. They’re too varied. But listing things like: ‘This book contains foul language, violence and graphic sex’ or ‘This book contains scripture references, aspects/acts of personal faith and strong Christian themes.’ would cut way down on bad reviews from readers who feel deceived, or–at the very least–poorly informed.
I mean, can you really blame them? How would you feel if you thought you were buying a wholesome book and got a twisted tale of erotica? At the end of the day, its boils down to one, basic problem–the customer spending their hard-earned money and not getting what s/he thought s/he was getting.
Amazon does have avenues for challenging reviews, and I think readers should think twice about giving a 1-star when it’s Amazon they’re upset with and not the author. But why not avoid the bad reviews in the first place, by simply being honest about the book’s content upfront?
My only problem is with people who get books for free through Amazon Vine or when placed for free by the publisher and then bitch and moan about how their sensibilities have been offended by “blatant” Christian content.
So what are we suggesting here? That all Christian publishers should be required to add a warning label because potential readers can’t figure out what a book might be about?
“So what are we suggesting here? That all Christian publishers should be required to add a warning label because potential readers can’t figure out what a book might be about?”
How can we figure what the book is about if the description doesn’t state the details? That’s my beef. I’m not talking ‘warning labels’ per se, just more accurate descriptions of the product.
I’ve seen books with sweet, wholesome looking covers and typical (for example) historical fiction romance descriptions turn out to be everything from the most preachy, squeaky-clean Christian fiction to heated romance novels with explicit love scenes. I just want to know what I’m getting. I don’t think that’s too much for readers to ask.
So what would the more accurate description be? And who would decide what makes for more accurate? Also, the 1 star reviewers offended in Mike’s example are far from honest. Code Blue has 71 reviews. 36 are 4 and 5 star. 35 are 1-3 star reviews. Pretty evenly split if you ask me (Dean Koontz kind of split). Some people loved it – some hated it. Why? Because some people like the faith based elements and some don’t.
Tim,
The more accurate description for Mabry’s books would be to include ANYTHING AT ALL about the Christian content in the blurb. Even the word “God” would be nice. The book is, as Mabry himself says, about how Christians deal with things.
You wouldn’t know from the jacket blurb that this was anything other than a Robin Cook-type medical thriller.
Hi Missy! I think it’s a lot easier to warn of graphic content issues (language, sex, violence) than it is thematic elements. Even then, how far do we go trying to dissect a novel / novelist’s worldview? Taken to the extreme, we’d have to label humanistic themes, pagan themes, new age themes, anti-christian themes, feminist themes, on and on. Not to menti, what do we do with books written by Christians with”religious” or spiritual themes that does not neatly fall under the Christian fiction category? I don’t know. It seems like a slippery slope with no end.
Fair enough. I see your point. But still, why not head off those bad ratings by trying, at least, to describe the bent of the book? Whatever it is.
I’m not speaking of this as a requirement (although I would like to see places like Amazon categorize things better), but more as a way for authors/publishers to market their books in a way that avoids bad press simply because the customer was ill informed about what they were buying.
And I’m not letting reviewers off the hook, either. If the writing was good, the plot, etc., then they need to say that and give stars for it – even if they knock off points for content/religious bent.
I read a lot of fiction, not just CF. There are too many publishers and authors out there (and self-published kindle books to boot) to keep up with who writes and publishes what. I sometimes discover helpful details in the reviews, but it’s easy to overlook the few that contain the things I need to know. I have to rely on categories and descriptions for the most part. It helps so much if someone has taken the time to give a thorough blurb. = )
Come on, guys. I think a lot of you on the side of “we shouldn’t have to disclose” are being pretty cute with your arguments.
Here’s what I’m talking about. This book was offered free once upon a time and I downloaded it.
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dime-Ladies-Summerhill-ebook/dp/B003X272SU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321376067&sr=1-1
The blurb copy says NOT ONE WORD about there being any religious content at all. Nothing. The publisher isn’t listed until way down the page. You have to hunt to find out this is a Thomas Nelson book.
I gave it a 1-star review because it was a chore to read. Nowhere in that review did I mention the religious content.
—-
Contrast that with a book that was offered free yesterday. Maureen Lang’s _On Sparrow Hill_.
This is a small section of the blurb copy:
“It will take reading Berrie’s letters—written a century ago—for Dana and Rebecca to learn the importance of serving others and to realize that ultimately, even our best-laid plans are not always God’s plans. ”
—-
Whereas _Love On A Dime_ didn’t even mention God. It’s quite easy to write a blurb copy wherein God is mentioned but the book doesn’t seem to be a sermonic parable. So why is that so hard to do? Why do you all resist it so mightily?
Richard Mabry’s _Code Blue_, which you cite in the entry as one panned for its religious content, has no blurb information about God in it. Neither does _Diagnosis Death_. I would write a negative review of those books, as I would have felt as misled as I did when Stephen King’s _Under The Dome_ turned into an anti-Republican screed. And yes, I gave King a negative review.
If y’all want to sell your books dishonestly, don’t complain when you get called on it. And don’t make these disengenous arguments about “well, lots of books have themes.” We all know full well from the many conversations here that folks write these books to be Christian. In an earlier conversation, Mabry himself says “…. I don’t write about conversion scenes and altar calls, but I write about how a Christian handles life. And I expect to catch some flak for it. Kudos to you for being open about your situation.
My name is Richard, and I write Christian fiction.”
It’s a shame he doesn’t put that on his actual book descriptions.
Katherine, these are strong points and good examples. A couple responses. It’s a strong charge to suggest “y’all” (and I’m assuming you’re putting me in that group) are willing to sell books dishonestly just to get their message out. Sorry, but I am not in that group. I’m wondering if you think the description for The Resurrection matches its content or, if it were offered free, would suffer the similar reviewer wrath. Second, I think my big issue has to do with giving a one-star review simply because a free book was not accurately described rather than to grade the b on its merits or lack thereof. Katherine, as always,I appreciate your comments.
As to people grading on the presentation of the book versus content–that’s an old and unwinnable argument. Just look at all the 1-star reviews for Ken Follet’s book. People blasted that for being too expensive. The debates go loud and long as to whether a book review should consist solely of commentary on content or can be stretched to include pricing and selling tactics. Google “Kindle 1 star reviews price”. You’ll have reading material for months.
As to your blurb for The Resurrection, I think it’s exactly what Christian blurbs should be. It’s very clear in mentioning Church, backslidden believer, God, a character called Reverend….there is no doubt that it is Christian fiction. I apologize for appearing to include you in the “y’all”. Because I know I’m accusing people of dishonesty. To be clear, I don’t think that Dr. Mabry writes his own jacket blurbs–but I do think whoever does has not played a full hand. Likewise your other examples.
I waver between “review content only” and “review book as product”, but more and more I think I fall on the …as product side of the fence. So I think marking down for price and nondisclosure of genre are as fine as marking down a sweater advertised as purple that turns out blue when it gets to your house.
Madeleine L’Engle famously said “I am not a Christian writer. I’m a writer who happens to be a Christian.”
That can be seen in her themes and some of her story lines, but I don’t remember a conversion scene in any of her novels.
The worldview angle already has been discussed.
My question is, who decides what books will be labeled–just as Mike noted with Lord of the Rings. Do we get to claim all of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, too? Flannery O’Connor? Any writer who ever went to church?
Thanks for an interesting discussion
I am a writer, and my intent is to fulfill God’s calling in my life. If writing His message is the job He gave me, then I will write His message. Can’t help if the world the rejects the message. Jesus said the world will hate His followers like it hates Him. A Christian needs a strong back to shoulder the ugly comments and persecution. They will come.
Why not just paste a sticker on all publications:
“WARNING: Book.”
“WARNING: Contains words that are arranged in such a way that might be upsetting to readers who were expecting something different.”
“WARNING: Worship Jesus as Lord if you fear death. In contrast, reading this books has much smaller implications for your future.”
Cute, but disengenous.
A Stephen King book jacket blurb will say words like “creepy; horror” etc.
I don’t think Christian books need stickers telling atheists to back away. But I do think the beat-around-the-bush jacket blurbs are wholly unChristian in their dishonesty.
Here’s the blurb for Crossing Oceans:
Jenny Lucas swore she’d never go home again. But being told you’re dying has a way of changing things. Years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter, Isabella, must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank–toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella’s dad . . . Who doesn’t yet know he has a daughter. As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love and its ability to change everything—to heal old hurts, bring new beginnings . . . Even overcome the impossible. A stunning debut about love and loss from a talented new voice.
—
Rather beat-around-the-bush for a book chockablock with God Talk. I mean, unless we count the word “testament” as some sort of shibboleth…
“WARNING: Contains words that are arranged in such a way that might be upsetting to readers who were expecting something different.”
Oh, I like that! ^_^
One of these days, I really am gonna try my hand at writing satire.
Mike, I appreciate your leadership in the discussion of Christian Fiction. I have a couple of points from my perspective. In Christian Fiction, we are in a tricky business.
Negative reviews
If our writing is going to change lives, it will demand a response. Negative responses/reviews should not surprise us. In fact, we should welcome them. Have we challenged the status quo, if our writing doesn’t upset readers?
The Great Commission
We want to convert non-believers, but we also want to encourage believers to a deeper relationship with God. Both of those issues will challenge the reader’s status quo and create discomfort. This is going occur whether our message is subtle or blatant.
Multiple levels of symbolism
Words are powerful. Christian writers are the only writers surprised by the symbolism readers find in their work.
Burden of representing the authentic religion
These are hard words. If Jesus is the son of God, then Christianity is the authentic religion. This places everyone who represents Christianity at the center of conflict.
So, if Christian Fiction authors feel so called to write and share their faith, why not openly mention the religious themes and content of their books?
(Fwiw- I’m in the L’Engle category – a writer who happens to be a Christian.)
So, after leaving it alone for a day, I have returned to offer more commentary on this discussion. Except, I realized that I have more to say than can reasonably be presented in a comment. So, I posted on my blog, here: http://josephjpote.com/2011/11/this-foolish-fantastic-gospel/
Great post. As a regular Amazon user, I’ve seen that a lot.
But I’ve just had the opposite experience. I downloaded a review copy of a book that had been categorised as Christian Fiction and Romance. As Christian Fiction, the book should not have had any profanity, sexual situations and should have had a clear Christian world view. As a Romance, it should have had a ‘happy-ever-after’. It has also been tagged as Christian Fiction on Amazon.
Instead, it was a dreary and depressing 40-year-epic with a graphic two-page rape scene, and the ‘happily-ever-after’ had a professed Christian marrying someone who had never shown any interest in religion. I gave it a 2-star review on Amazon, on the basis that I was expecting Christian Fiction, and this was not it. Almost immediately, the review was downvoted and commented on to the effect that I must be stupid or narrow-minded for wanting to read Christian fiction. And four 5-star reviews were posted within hours of my review, all from ‘sock puppets’ who have only ever reviewed one or two titles, all by the same author.
Fortunately, other Amazon friends have visited the review and given positive votes to balance out the sock puppets. It’s been an interesting experience.
When I accidentally download male/male erotica (once only!), I didn’t give it a 1-star review (well, I didn’t read past page 2). I just chalked that up to experience and made sure to be more careful in future. But in this case, I do blame the publisher, as they are responsible for listing the book under the Christian Fiction genre.
Thanks, Iola. I appreciate your comments and your honest review policy.
There’s a very fine line between “including these themes” and “shoving these themes down our throats”. Not everyone distinguishes between the two.
I’m unquestionably Christian, but I still despise getting preached to. So much. It’s not just Christian stuff, either. Preachy is annoying no matter what the subject matter is. Political agendas, to me, are the worst.
So yeah, sometimes the problem is people being stupid and offended about other people’s beliefs for no reason. But the other half of the time it is, well, bad writing. There are plenty of ways to include these themes without exploding it in our faces and making us reel backwards with a bad taste in our mouths.
Well said, Sra. You hit that nail on the head.
I went back and read the beginning of the blog post. I had focused my comments on the reviews and how the books were categorized, labeled and described, but never really commented on the free book listing issue.
If Amazon is preparing and posting CF listings the same way they are books of other genres/categories, then we can’t place the blame on them, or claim any ulterior motives. If the author and or publisher has not bothered to make it obvious the book is CF, then the fault for any bad reviews stemming from uninformed buyer remorse lies with them.
You almost had me convinced on this issue until you added this about free books. Today’s book buyers are becoming quite spoiled. Now we’re going to blame publishers for people flaming a book because they got it free and didn’t feel they got enough warning what it was about? Come on.
My beloved used book store down the road has mystery box deals twice a year. 5 bucks for 20 books. I usually get a couple of gems out of the deal and end up giving away or throwing away the rest. The buyer has to take responsibility when they really aren’t buying anything.
How can the buyer be responsible for knowing something that isn’t printed anywhere in the listing?
When I get an email about a free or discounted book from Amazon, I go to the book’s information page and read about it, to see if it’s something I’d be interested in. If the person(s) responsible for choosing the content of that listing don’t accurately describe it, how can that be my fault?
And, remember. We’re not talking about some minor detail here. We’re talking about something as polarizing to readers as religion — Christianity to boot.
Sorry, Tim.
Even a “free” book costs the reader the irreplaceable resource of her time. Sure, you may not get the 63-cent royalty from a book purchase and the publisher is willing to forego my eight bucks. But if I spend time reading a book–time that would otherwise go to 1000 other things like family and work–then I’ve paid enough to validate my right to hold an opinion.
Furthermore, if I’m induced to spend that time under false pretenses, I think anger and negative reviews are justified.
I’m on the fence on this one. Here’s my fence thoughts. 😉
On one hand, I can understand if someone has the opinion “Christian fiction = preachy,” that they don’t want to read it. But it is difficult as to what any particular person might label as “preachy” and “Christian fiction.” I’ve had numerous people tell me that my initial book, Infinite Realities, wasn’t preachy. But when I sent it to a reviewer one time, it was mailed back (I was surprised he paid the money to mail it back to me) with a note saying he didn’t review “Christian Propaganda.”
So I certainly think it is a good idea to include some hint in the description that the content has something to do with God. And if you don’t, expect some bad ratings for those people who perceive they were “deceived” about the content.
On the other hand, if your novel truly isn’t preachy, getting the label “Christian” attached to it means some people are going to write it off without a second though, merely because of that label. The idea is they may find a story they really enjoy, even if it happens to have some Christian characters and morals. Much like a host not telling his guest what they are eating until after they have at least taken a bite and tasted it.
So it is a risk an author takes, knowing their book, their audience, and the possible ramifications if someone gets it, reads it, deems it preachy and decides to post a negative review because they didn’t make it clear it had Christian content.
Then there is the side that despite a book having clear indications in the descriptions that it contains Christian content, there are many people who miss that and then get all angry for feeling tricked, when if they had read the blurb, they would have known.
It should be noted, Amazon or other retailers generally don’t write the blurbs for books. That is done by the author or publisher. Same thing with the categories. But, while Amazon has a category for Christian fiction, it doesn’t make sense for me to use that because it wouldn’t say much about my book. It would lump a fantasy story in with the bulk of Christian romances. I put it under the fantasy label, because there isn’t a “Christian Fantasy” label, at least that I’ve found, anyway.
The issue here is not that the book is free. The issue is that Christian fiction is specifically written for a target audience of Christians. If the author doesn’t clearly label the book as being in that genre than what else does he or she expect to have happen? I think giving away books for free, especially for just a short period of time for the purpose of building up good reviews is a brilliant marketing strategy, but it will backfire if the author doesn’t tell anyone what genre it is. But then again on the other hand, I actually look for those negative “it’s to preachy” comments, because they are social proof that the book is, in fact, a good christian fiction novel.
Gary, I don’t think negative reviews are “social proof that the book is, in fact, a good christian fiction novel.” Negative reviews could be evidence that the book is, in fact, not good. Negative reviews could be backlash against Christians regularly giving out four and five star reviews. Negative reviews could also be, as some have pointed out here, that the book wasn’t advertised correctly. While I agree that some bad reviews are evidence of anti-Christian bias, I’d be hard-pressed to say all are. Thanks for writing!
A good Christian novel, in my view, integrates the gospel message into the story in such a way that it doesn’t come across as ‘preachy’ to most Christians.
I have read hundreds of Christian novels, and even as a Christian, I can tell you that some of them are too preachy. They interrupt the flow of the story to insert a barely-relevant sermon, and I can totally understand why some readers find this ‘preachy’.
Other Christian authors manage to get through 300 pages without even a mention of God, and this can be equally annoying – in my mind, Christian fiction should be more than the absence of sex and swearing.
Just wondering – are non-Christian writers required to label their work as such?
I think there is no need to label a book if it represents a christian ‘world view’, however, if the book was written with the goal to ‘convert’ the reader than in this instance I believe it is only fair and honest to point this out to the reader. If the Spirit is working in the heart of the ‘seeker’ they will read the book. If not than the ‘label’ will scare them off.
I know this is an 7 year old blog topic but I wanted to thank you for writing it. I ran across this after looking up an author who wrote some Christian fiction. I found it interesting that she did not state on her blog that she was a Christian. Why? I’d think she’d shout that from the roof top (I’m a believer also, and I do believe we should tell others).
My next question was, “Did she have an ulterior motive in writing a Christian novel series? Is she NOT a believer and just decided to ‘tap into’ a Christian market for money?”
But my other perspective is a bit different than many of the reviewers you mentioned above. When writing fiction, I think good character development looks at the whole person and writes from that basis. Why would it be labelled as Christian fiction if one is telling the story of a character’s life and it happened to include his spiritual journey? Isn’t that just life for most people (even if we’ve come to different conclusions on WHICH religion is correct). We are religious beings. So it seems silly to label a book as Christian fiction simply because it details the spiritual side of the character.
Still, I’m dubious of authors who don’t want to state, plainly, that they are Christians. The book I read by the author I mentioned was a great book. It was very much in line with my religious views so it was comfortable to read, and entertaining. The only thing that jades me from wanting to read her other books is the idea that I don’t like to be used. And I’m still wondering why she chose to write something that is correctly labelled Christian fiction but then doesn’t want to tell other’s she’s a Christian. Is my faith being exploited for her profit?