Boy I'll bet that got your attention but as an author who is also a believer in Christ, I get sick, sick, sick of seeing work for any "targeted" audience pushed to readers who could care less!!!!!!! Soooooo, here's a few helpful tips to avoid accidentally buying something you'd rather not own and for sure not read.
First off, anything put out by a CBA or ECPA publishe (you can find a list of these at cba.org but it isn't easy to navigate. Sorry) is evangelically targeted fiction and written with a very specific Christian audience in mind. General market readers aren't expected to like these books but these publishers market to these readers anyway. Not sure what the logic is, I guess a sell is a sell is a sell even if the reader drags it through hell with their review. Who knows.
But what about the targeted Christian fiction coming out now that isn't through an affiliated publisher?
Just look to see if the publisher makes a distinction between the CBA market and ABA market. If they do, run the other way if targeted Christian fiction isn't what you want to read.
Keep in mind that CBA and ECPA(a group of CBA publishers) have never allowed general market Christian authors into their bookstores but flood general mearket bookstores with their work. Oh now that's Christian isn't it. Better still, they get away with it.
Okay, that's all from me for now. Carry on.
Oh and remember when you see my books showing up bundled on certain seller's sites alongside of targeted" Christian publishers books, it isn't my fault. AMAZON just doesn't know what they're doing. But in their defense no bookseller understands CBA or ECPA otherwise something might be done about the way these two affiliations do business and have been doing so since 1950 when they first decided to provide targeted fiction for a fee to publishers to the then Baptist Bookstores.
Now that's all.
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ReplyDeleteThis was posted by Tim George. It's certainly a worthy comment but it had advertising for a group I don't support so I stripped that out and left the rest: "Haven't touched based with you in a while Sue but I just have to say you are right ... if you are stuck in a time warp of some kind. Sure CBA is still dominated by Bonnet Romance, etc...Things are changing. Slow yes, but changing.
ReplyDeleteChristian bookstores are a dying breed (as are many bookstores for that matter). So what if Lifeway and a few others don't sell general market! It is their prerogative. I just feel the whole "bad bad CBA" is counter-productive and accomplishes nothing. Sorry, but that's how I feel.
And the "not being legal part" is my OWN opinion. Clearly everyone is welcome to their own.
ReplyDeleteI'm very much offended that Trademark Christian bookstores aren't forced to either be Christian bookstores, meaning they don't discriminate based on whether a publisher pays their fee and writes for their target audience.
Back in the day they were called Baptist Bookstores. They should actually go back to that IMO.
Christian is a broad label. It was never intended to denote a particular denominations doctrine.
And the "not being legal part" is my OWN opinion. Clearly everyone is welcome to their own.
ReplyDeleteI'm very much offended that Trademark Christian bookstores aren't forced to either be Christian bookstores, meaning they don't discriminate based on whether a publisher pays their fee and writes for their target audience.
Back in the day they were called Baptist Bookstores. They should actually go back to that IMO.
Christian is a broad label. It was never intended to denote a particular denominations doctrine.