From our Ask Bethany House mail bag, someone is getting practical with this question: “How do you decide how many books to release in a certain month?”

At Bethany House, we release anywhere from two to seven novels per month. As to how we determine that, I wish I could give you a magical answer, like, “Our production team uses a multi-step algorithm based on page count, reading level, and the position of the North Star when the contract was signed,” but that’s not the case at all. It’s a very imprecise science, but here are a few factors that go into what month a book is being released:

• When can the author finish writing the book? (Obviously, this is the most important factor here so it has time to be edited. It’s where we start when creating a production schedule for the book.)
• Is there a special appeal for a certain season? (For novels, that includes Christmas-themed stories, but this applies even more to nonfiction with books aimed at graduates or gift books perfect for spring bridal showers.)
• Will this book get good placement in the stores at this time?
• Is there a similar book releasing that month? Better split them up so we don’t oversaturate the market.
• Is there a similar book releasing that month? Great, let’s keep it because we can place ads promoting both of them. (Yes, this is sort of a contradiction. It’s a case-by-case thing.)
• Does it fit with the authors’ writing schedule? (You may have noticed that some authors have books that release at the same time—or times—every year, while others move around more.)
• Is everyone going to be stressed and overworked because we scheduled too many books for the same month?
• Did we release another book by that author, like a novella collection, that same month? (We try to avoid that.)
• Was the manuscript completed on time so we could keep the scheduled release month? No other disasters that might delay the release?

Even though the process for determining a release month is going to be different for each book, the past several years, Bethany House has been consistent in the number of books we released in a year (around 49-53 titles). I always get excited about each month’s new round of books and hope you are too!

Speaking of months, it’s the time of year for the ACFW Conference! (No, that transition didn’t quite make sense, but go with it.) I’m headed there today, and our marketing manager, Noelle Chew, and I will be at the Bethany House spotlight to answer your questions, so if you’re an author who reads this blog, we’d love to see you there.

Today’s Ask BHP question is a big-picture one: “What do you forecast for inspirational romance? More nods to spirituality or a ‘toned-down’ approach to broaden the net?”

Now, isn’t that a loaded question?

You have to be careful predicting the future. Remember what happened to Pippin and the palantir?

There are people I respect in the publishing industry who think Christian fiction will survive by sticking to strong faith themes and overt spirituality—after all, they say, look at the breakout novels in the history of the CBA. Beverly Lewis’s The Shunning created a whole genre of people who admired the Amish culture’s simple faith and family values. Frank Peretti’s books focused on spiritual warfare, the Left Behind series starts with the Rapture, and Redeeming Love is the story of an Old Testament prophet. From Janette Oke’s prairie romances to current apocalyptic thrillers and novelizations of Christian movies, many of the standout sellers haven’t tried to downplay faith; it’s made up the core of what the book is.

That can change, because our culture is changing, argues the other side, claiming that traditional inspirational fiction is more or less dead, but that Christian storytelling will always be vital. Shifting covers and content to more ABA style is the way to go—allegories and family dramas and beautiful storytelling can be faith-filled without having characters eavesdropping on sermons, quoting Bible verses, or even explicitly mentioning God. Looking at the content of bestsellers in the past is no way to determine what will happen in the future, and don’t forget that many Christians writing fiction with ABA publishers have also hit bestseller lists.

So, what do I think? To no one’s surprise, I agree with both. (I promise, I don’t do this so I can be right regardless of what happens.)

Writers create stories they’re passionate about, exploring themes that they find compelling. Readers buy books they’re drawn to, seeking out and recommending the novels that fit their felt needs. Publishers try to get a sense of both of these and find the manuscripts that do both.

There will be writers who are passionate about a story that can’t help but be explicitly Christian in its tone and characters and dialogue. That’s as much a part of the writer’s voice as a sense of humor, love of poetic descriptions, or tendency toward strong female leads. Those writers will have readers who love what they’re doing.

And there will be writers who are passionate about a story that, while deeply true and faith-filled, achieves a different goal with different methods. They will create the stories of their heart and might feel that inserting the moral of the story would defeat the purpose. Those writers will have readers who love what they’re doing.

That’s why I think it’s good that there’s a range of spiritual content within Bethany House novels and other CBA publishers, and I expect that to continue.

I realize that’s not much of a ground-shattering crystal-ball-type prediction, but there you have it. Because I believe deeply that authors and the novels they create are unique, I don’t expect them to uniformly veer in one direction or the other. That doesn’t mean there won’t be trends or breakout novels (and a wave of imitators) that push the market in a particular direction. Just that, at the end of the day, if readers want different experiences, authors and publishers will provide them.

One more misconception I want to clear up about this question: it’s not at all an issue of cliché vs. well-written or faithful vs. sell-out. I’ve read some books with strong Christian content that deserve a place on the shelf with the masters, and others that fell short. I’ve read some books with subtle Christian content that taught me more about faith than a sermon would, and others that felt like watered-down lemonade.

That said, if writers focus on the story they feel called to write and do so to the best of their ability, maybe this question will become secondary. My hope for Christian fiction is the same as it’s always been: that followers of Jesus would let the truth and love of God sink down deep in their souls…and then tell stories.

What do you think, readers? Any big or small trends you think we’ll see (or you hope we’ll see) in Christian fiction in the future?

Here’s one of my favorite questions to answer, pulled from our Ask BHP survey, because it gives me a chance to brag on our fabulous authors. “As a reader, I have a list of favorite authors who are “must-buys,” but I also love finding new authors. Any upcoming names I should know about?”

Obviously, “new” depends on how often you stalk the fiction section of your local bookstore, but I’m going to use this question to introduce all of you to three authors whose first book with Bethany House either has released or will be releasing in 2017.

Because so many of our current authors are continuing to write wonderful books, it takes a special spark of talent and just the right subject matter for a new writer to find a place at Bethany House, so you know these books come highly recommended. I also picked these three because their styles and genres are so diverse—you can read the description and see which one might be a good fit for you.

Here they are, in order of release:

Jennifer Delamere

Title: The Captain’s Daughter

Released: June 2017

The series was pitched to us with an intriguing premise: what if three sisters grew up in George Muller’s orphanage—a man who famously depended on God for all donations and aide—and had to learn what that kind of faith looked like in the difficult and sometimes dangerous world of Victorian London? We were sold, and we hope you will be too!

Plot: When unfortunate circumstances leave Rosalyn Bernay penniless in 1880s London, she takes a job backstage at a theater and finds herself dreaming of a career in the spotlight. Injured soldier Nate Moran is also working behind the scenes, but he can’t wait to return to his regiment in India until he meets Rosalyn.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy British-set books, want to learn something about the history of theater, or miss a good Lawana Blackwell Victorian-era series.

Rachel Dylan

Title: Deadly Proof

Releases: September 2017

Romantic suspense you’re familiar with, but have you tried legal romantic suspense? Rachel brings years of experience as an attorney to this book to make the details authentic, plus her Love Inspired suspense novels have found her lots of excited readers waiting for a new series. Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason both endorsed and recommended this one, so you know it’s worth the wait!

Plot: In the biggest case of her career, attorney Kate Sullivan has been appointed lead counsel to take on Mason Pharmaceutical in a claim involving an allegedly dangerous new drug. She hires a handsome private investigator to do some digging, but when a whistleblower is found dead, it’s clear the stakes are higher than ever. Will this case prove deadly for Kate?

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy reading about strong female characters in a male-dominated profession, high-conflict romance, and plenty of twists and turns.

Jaime Jo Wright

Title: The House on Foster Hill

Releases: December 2017

If you’re constantly stumped when asked to pick your favorite genre and can only answer “a well-written story,” then I’ve got a book for you! Jaime’s debut novel is set half in the present, half in the past, with an intriguing suspense plot that ties the two together. Our team loved her writing voice and were hooked from the first page—we hope you will be too!

Plot: Fleeing a stalker, Kaine Prescott purchases an old house sight unseen in Wisconsin, which turns out to have a dark history: a century earlier, an unidentified woman was found dead on the grounds. As Kaine tries to settle in, she learns the story of her ancestor Ivy Thorpe, who, with the help of a man from her past, tried to uncover the truth about the death.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy intricate plots, a storyline that doesn’t shy away from tough issues, and page-turning action as the tension ramps up.

One of the greatest encouragements for authors is to see early sales and reviews for their books—especially newer authors. So go ahead, pre-order the ones that stood out to you. Support a new author that you can be confident is worth your time. We only recommend the best!

What’s another way you can think of to encourage a new author?

One of our readers asked this question in our survey: “How much research do your historical authors do to write their novels? What does that look like?” My answer, of course, was: I have no idea. But I do know who to ask!

I decided to get some answers by asking the authors of our two historical fiction releases for this month. Methods, time spent, and overall enjoyment level will vary from person to person, but here’s a little glimpse inside the research process from Melissa Jagears and Connilyn Cossette.

Amy: On a scale from 1-10 (1 being I’d-rather-be-live-bait-at-a-mosquito-farm, 10 being this-is-better-than-pure-happiness-dipped-in-chocolate), how much do you enjoy research?

Melissa: 6. (Using the research while actually writing is much more fun.)

Connilyn: 10! I absolutely love research and spend many happy hours following rabbit trails of information that don’t ever make it into my books or that constitute the background of one line that no one will probably ever notice. But that’s okay with me! I am a well of useless knowledge. Although research paired with chocolate would be even better.

Amy: What’s one research tip you’d pass along to a writer who was working on a historical novel for the first time?

Melissa: Don’t stop writing to check on historical accuracy unless you know it will derail your story or make you rewrite a significant portion if you’re wrong. For example, don’t stop to look up if the word “thingamajig” was in use yet or what sort of car your hero could drive, just make a note in the margin to look it up and go on. You can lose your writing momentum and hours of work in history rabbit holes. Go back to your margin notes and fill in the details when editing, because who knows, you might ax the whole paragraph anyway.

Connilyn: Keep track of your sources so you can find it again later. This was something I did not do for my first book and I sorely regretted it. I like to double-check my facts and if I cannot find my source then I have to waste time in the editing stage searching for it all over again. Nowadays I keep links to most sources in Evernote and Scrivener so it’s pretty simple to check back later.

Amy: What’s one research tidbit that played an important role in your latest novel?

Melissa: For my Teaville Moral Society series, I had to figure out how they’d treat and discuss an infant with fetal alcohol syndrome before anyone knew what it was.

Connilyn: Alanah, my main character, is an archer so I had lots of fun researching archery. My kids just happened to be taking an archery class during that time so that helped, but I also spent a couple of hours watching videos about how to construct a compound bow from wood and sinew, just like Alanah would have in Ancient Canaan. If the power grid goes down and I have to hunt for my own food, YouTube totally has me prepared.

Thanks for helping me answer this one, ladies! If you’d like to see how history is interwoven with these two stories, check out an excerpt of A Love So True and Wings of the Wind.

Readers, is there an era of history you especially like reading about?

I see you there, cunning reader who thought I’d completely ignore this question because I was afraid of showing favoritism. Or maybe you thought I’d be vague and say, “That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child.” Haha! Guess I showed you.

The question, from our Ask BHP survey was, “If you had to pick a favorite Bethany House book, which would it be?”

And for me, the answer is easy: my favorite Bethany House book is Saint Ben by John Fischer. Since this novel is out of print and was first published in 1993 (check out that 90s cover!), I’d say this is a pretty safe choice, since none of my current authors can feel left out.

That, of course, isn’t the reason I chose it. Saint Ben will always have a special place in my heart for several reasons.

First, while it turns out that many of my favorite Christian children’s series were published by Bethany House, Saint Ben was different. It’s general fiction, almost a coming-of-age story, and really more for adults than kids, but my sixth grade teacher read it out loud to us one chapter at a time. It was the first book that I can remember distinctly shaping my faith, edging out The Silver Chair by a few months. The story, set in the 1950s, was about more than just the Rose Bowl parade or the Edsel or two pastors’ kids playing pranks on their church congregation, though those are all part of the story. It was about doubt and the courage to ask hard questions of God. That’s something twelve-year-old me was just starting to work through, and I loved realizing I wasn’t alone.

Second, John Fischer was the first author I ever met. I don’t know how my teacher worked it out, and I know it was so last-minute that none of us were able to buy a copy to be signed, but John Fischer came in to speak to my little sixth grade Christian school class, which, of course, I thought was the coolest thing ever.

Third, this one stands up to multiple re-readings now that I’m an adult, and it has a depth I didn’t notice my first time around, handling some difficult topics that you don’t often see in Christian fiction.

At the time, of course, I had no idea Saint Ben was a Bethany House book (at age twelve, I don’t think I realized that someone actually published books—I thought they kind of sprang up onto the shelves by magic). In fact, I didn’t make the connection until I walked into the Bethany House offices for my interview four years ago and saw this painting outside the office of our vice president of sales and marketing.

Turns out, it was a favorite of his too, enough that he wanted to display the original oil painting right by his door. So whenever I walk through the halls of our office, I remember my old friends Ben and Jonathan.

If you get a chance, I’d highly recommend finding a used copy of this classic and reading it. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

Can you remember the first fiction book that had an impact on your faith?

Back to BHP’s virtual mailbox to answer questions today! Here’s the one I chose for this month: “Do publishers purposely start trends (setting, genre, issue, etc.) or does one book with a unique angle get large sales, so others jump in with similar books?”

And the answer is…drumroll please…both. And sometimes neither. And sort of, but it’s complicated.

Let me unpack that a bit.

Sometimes publishers start trends by what they choose to publish, though not always intentionally. For example, Beverly Lewis grew up in Lancaster County and thought it would be interesting to write a novel that introduced readers to the Amish. The Shunning became a huge success, and since readers couldn’t get enough of the journey to a simpler lifestyle, other authors began writing Amish fiction. Beverly Lewis and Bethany House started the bonnet novel trend…but without meaning to start a trend, much less a whole new sub-genre of Christian fiction. The editors just enjoyed the intriguing story and responded to it.

There are times when publishers see an existing trend early on and want to publish something in it by requesting manuscripts of a certain kind. For example, one of our acquisition editors might tell her contacts in the industry that she’s looking for say, romantic suspense. That lets agents know which queries are the best ones to send that editor’s way.

Other times, writers, agents, and editors will see something that’s taking off in the general market and see if it can translate to the Christian market. That doesn’t always work, of course. Sometimes, certain categories don’t “take off” in the CBA. For example, there are some Christian YA dystopian series, but they didn’t find nearly the success of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and the rest of their ABA counterparts. And some trends just don’t have a chance—you didn’t see any Christian publishing houses dying for novel similar to Fifty Shades of Grey, for obvious reasons.

Sometimes, though, this strategy does well. For example, with more Americans watching British period dramas and TV series like Downton Abbey, British-set books increased in both the ABA and CBA, especially in the Edwardian and Regency time period. Julie Klassen was one of the first Christian authors writing Regency, and Bethany House has added several new authors whose tales are set across the pond, including Roseanna White and Kristi Ann Hunter.

Other trends seem to go through ups and downs—military novels are all the rage, and then you can hardly find a uniform anywhere. Biblical fiction is popular, then sparse, then swings a comeback. Chick lit is everywhere, then nowhere. One year middle grade books about horses see a surge in popularity, the next year…no, let’s face it, elementary-aged girls will probably always buy horse books. But you get the idea.

Maybe an experienced sociologist can parse the evidence and determine just what led to the rise and fall of these trends. (And some have—for example, comedies tend to do better in times or war or economic hardship because people want to be able to forget their worries and laugh.) For the most part, though, many factors contribute to why a theme, setting, or plot rises or falls in popularity.

(Incidentally, this is why it’s not always good for writers to “write to a trend.” They might be getting on a bandwagon just as readers are getting off. It’s better when writers write the stories they feel most passionate about, because they’ll usually be better at writing those anyway…and no matter what’s trending, a compelling, well-written story is always going to appeal to readers.)

Occasionally, trends just happen by sheer coincidence, even when the authors are from the same publishing company. At Bethany House, we tend to notice them and shake our heads: a season where fully half of the leading ladies are redheads, for example, or two new fantasy series releasing within a few months of each other where the heroes names are Wilek (KINSMAN CHRONICLES) and Wilet (THE DARKWATER SAGA). At that point, you just shrug and say, “Great minds think alike!”

What are some trends you’ve seen in Christian fiction lately? Any trend you’d like to see but haven’t yet?

Welcome to our monthly Ask BHP series. Here’s a fun question: “As a marketing person, do you ever advise authors on what not to post from their author pages on Facebook, especially on controversial issues? I’d be interested to hear what you think is wise for authors to say online.”

I often see agents writing blog posts on this topic, since they’re very focused on the authors’ careers and the choices they make that can alienate readers, but that’s not really my role. Occasionally one of our authors will run something by me and say, “What do you think about this?” And at that point, I give my honest opinion. But otherwise, I don’t like to meddle in what our authors are doing, because it’s up to them to use their own best judgment.

That said, here’s a good principle for Christian authors when considering what to say on the Internet (or, hey, Christians in general).

It comes from a Bethany House potluck.

We recently had a chili cookoff, complete with miniature testing cups, fancy voting scorecards with different categories, and fabulous prizes. I’m not much of a chili person, so I decided not to enter and made bread instead. (Don’t overestimate me as a chef—bread is one of the few things I can consistently make well.)

As I sat there trying my fourth sample of chili, I had a revelation: there are two ways to win a chili cookoff.

The first is to be the best at making chili among several tough competitors.

The second is to be the only one who brought homemade yeast rolls.

If you aren’t seeing parallels between that and social media posts, here’s how it relates: there are two ways to win the Internet.

The first is to be the best at the contest everyone else is having—shouting the loudest, posting the most articles, responding to comments that disagree with you with the best arguments and shutting everyone else down.

The second is to be the only one entering a different contest. Continue reading →

Another year, another series of monthly Ask BHP posts! We got some great ones in our survey (feel free to add more anytime), and here’s our first: “Since libraries provide books to people for free, are libraries a benefit or detriment for authors and publishers?”

Almost every publishing employee and author you meet sincerely loves libraries. This is not just a line we use when speaking to a crowd of librarians, or a crowd that might possibly contain a librarian, or a crowd where someone might quote us to a librarian friend of theirs. We really mean it.

Now, we might be slightly biased, since authors and publishing employees are devoted “book people” who often practically grew up in a library. Objectively, though, libraries are helpful to publishers. Here are a few reasons why.

One of my favorite library-related cartoons ever.

First, libraries buy books. They have a budget set aside for that purpose. Your tax dollars at work, making the public literate, exposing people to great works of literature and fun pieces of entertainment, and keeping kids off the streets and safely tucked inside adventure novels for days at a time (or was that just me?). Even when the economy is down and bookstores decline, libraries stay fairly constant in the amount of money they send our way.

That said, certain authors/series/genres do tend to do better in libraries than others. Sometimes the reason is easily discernible, sometimes it’s a mystery. Overall, though, the sales groups that handle library orders show up in our top customers all the time.

Second, libraries introduce people to authors. As I think through my personal shelves, many of the books there were ones I first checked out of the library. Recommendations from friends are all well and good, but I am a choosy reader. I prefer to read before I buy…but I do buy. Like me, many readers will buy an author’s book or entire backlist after finding a book they love at the library.

As for the most voracious patrons whose library cards have long faded due to over-use and who never purchase an actual book for themselves…if the library wasn’t there, maybe they’d buy more books. Or maybe they’d borrow from friends or buy used or whatever. There’s nothing wrong with any of those options. It’s just to say that there’s no evidence that library usage corresponds to a loss of potential sales.

Third, libraries contribute to a general love of books. That seems vague, but hear me out. Libraries teach children to be readers, so they’ll grow up to contribute to book sales when they’re older. They also host book signing events and author chats, sponsor book clubs, recommend and display their favorite novels, a provide a space for readers to pursue the best hobby around…all of which tends to lead to more sales for us.

And if that went from “vague” to “money-grabbing” for you, just a reminder that even publisher—and even people on the marketing “dark side” of publishers—do love books. That’s why we’re here. And while there are bottom-line reasons we’re glad libraries stay in business, mostly, we just can’t imagine life without them.

So, if you’re a librarian, here’s a heartfelt thanks for all you do! Keep supporting books, readers, and authors. And if you’re a reader, don’t forget to request your favorite authors from your local library (even if you already own the books) so others can enjoy them.

Here’s your chance readers, aspiring authors, and people generally interested in books in any way! I’m collecting questions for next year’s Ask BHP posts, where I answer your questions (or, in some cases, find someone more knowledgeable to answer them instead).

This is an open call for anything you’ve wanted to know: about prices, cover designs, marketing, what frustrates our editors, how to correct a spelling mistake on a cake in frosting (yes, that happened on a cake delivered to one of our company celebrations), or anything else you’ve been wondering.

I won’t get to them all, and we might have already addressed your question in a past post, but that’s okay! Ask away so I won’t resort to making bad book spine poetry every Thursday of 2017.

Click the quill to enter the survey.

And while I’m at it, thanks for being great, readers! It’s always fun to chat with you on the blog and see your responses on social media.