Marcher Lord Press Presents Christian Speculative Fiction: Publisher Jeff Gerke Speaks Out

Jeff Gerke's reputation as supporter and yeoman of Christian and Biblical speculative fiction is known throughout the Christian publishing industry. His experience runs from novelist to editor to publisher. His publishing venture, Marcher Lord Press, has been a concept long awaited by authors and readers alike. Jeff is here today in the second of a 3-part interview, to discuss issues around promoting and marketing Christian speculative fiction.

Frank: I occasionally assist Cynthia MacKinnon of The Writers' Café Press as acquisitions editor. One of the pleasant symptoms of Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) spec-fic stonewalling I've discovered is the quantity of quality manuscripts that have been submitted to TWCP. Writers have had plenty of time to learn the fiction craft. One of the disadvantages of Indie presses is the limited number of titles that can be effectively marketed. TWCP, for example, is booked through 2009. How have you found the quality of any early submissions, and as the publisher's new paradigm employs POD technology, do you have a limit to the number of titles you can get to-market annually?

Jeff: I've been an acquisitions editor for three Christian publishing companies. I was doing so before these houses became closed to unagented proposals. Therefore I've seen what gets sent to "regular" publishing companies in the CBA, both by individuals and by agents, so I can compare those proposals to what I'm seeing now in the proposals submitted to Marcher Lord Press.

I can tell you that the quality spectrum is the same. I certainly get a much higher percentage of speculative fiction now, though I was already beginning to become known for liking speculative fiction even before I left my final staff position. But I still see the same highs and lows in the proposals I receive. Some are amazing. Some are . . . not as amazing.

You're right that some truly fabulous authors have not been given an opportunity to have their novels published, just because they write speculative fiction. I'm reaping the benefits of that, as I have access to a quality of writer that an indie press like me wouldn't be able to enjoy if I were trying to publish, say, Christian prairie romances. It's rarely ever a bad idea to be the leader in a niche market.

As for number of titles, I'm not limited by using print-on-demand technology. Indeed, I have communicated with another Christian indie press that releases something like 60 titles a year using POD technology. I have chosen to release three books a season in two seasons per year, at least for now. This decision has nothing to do with the printing technology I'm using. It's about choosing the very finest manuscripts out there--and giving each one my best efforts.

In the future, if this thing takes off and I'm able to bring on staff or whatever, I might increase the number of titles I'm releasing per season and per year.

I intend to begin republishing some out-of-print Christian speculative novels--with new covers and added bonus content--sometime in the future. But that's probably a year off, at least. That would increase the number of titles I release per year, but not necessarily the number of original titles. Original Christian speculative novels will always be my primary focus.

Frank: I am pleased that you have pointed out that POD (print on demand) is a printing technology not a form of publishing. So many people misunderstand this concept and I shake my head at the statement, oh, she's POD published. Even large publishers use POD for certain publications; it doesn't have to be a sign of self-publishing or inferior product as some believe. It is a method of printing. Okay, off that horse . . . What tips can you give to authors who are considering submitting manuscripts to MLP?

Jeff: I give full writer guidelines on the Web page: In brief, I am interested in full-length Christian speculative novels for adults.

That means no YA, no novellas, no Westerns or True Crime, no poetry, no plays, and no graphic novels. For me to consider a novel, it must already be complete, at least in rough draft form. It must be at least 65,000 words long. The novel must arise from an Evangelical Christian worldview and must be identifiably Christian in some way. The audience must be adults.

As for tips on the writing itself, I urge every aspiring MLP author to carefully consult my Fiction Writing Tip of the Week column on my other main site, WhereTheMapEnds: I have published there the de facto Jeff Gerke School of Fiction Writing. I've revealed what I consider good fiction to be. Manuscripts that more closely match the teachings there will find a warmer welcome with me than mss. that do not.

That's not to say I'd definitely accept any ms. that matches my teachings about fiction, nor is it to say that I would never publish a ms. that violates one or more of my teachings. But it's a good resource for novelists to consult.

Frank: Music to my ears, Jeff: adult speculative fiction. The big Christian publishers have all but ignored this area and brings me to my next point, marketing. Due to the recent trend of corporate outsourcing a small press can subcontract all its needs to produce products of equal quality to the major houses. The only real difference at this point is a publisher's marketing budget for each book. I've always heard radio is one of the most cost effective means of advertising. Please explain how you plan on drawing Christian genre fans to MLP's hard-copy and online catalogs?

Jeff: Over my years in the Christian publishing industry I have become skeptical--some would say pessimistic--about the effectiveness of traditional marketing efforts. When it comes to fiction, especially fiction off the beaten path, Christian publishers don't really know how to market it, in my opinion. Novels by big-name authors sell no matter what, and novels by "no-name" authors do not. In some mysterious way, some no-namers become big-namers. But it's sometimes in spite of, not because of, the efforts of the marketing department.

I should hasten to say that marketing departments do know how to reach the core CBA fiction demographic with information about upcoming Christian novels: they take out an ad in Today's Christian Woman. That works well for the majority of novels published in the CBA. Marketing departments are therefore doing very well the job they've been tasked with. However, you can quickly see how that wouldn't work for most speculative fiction. The subscriber base for magazines like that is not, as a group, interested in vampire novels or science fiction.

I'm also unconvinced that radio advertising is especially effective. Again, for books by big-name authors, all you have to do is let people know that a new novel is coming out. That's enough to sell lots of books. But it's harder to sell novels by lesser known authors.

Radio interviews are of doubtful effectiveness, too, in my opinion. I once did a 1-hour in-studio interview on a major Christian radio station in a major metropolitan market in the Bible Belt, talking about my latest Jefferson Scott novel (www.JeffersonScott.com). It was a great interview. We had a book-signing lined up the very next day, so we plugged that signing at least eight times on the air. After all that, only one person came to the signing.

Now, if I'd been a well-known author, the interview would've been very effective in drawing people. But for relatively unknown novelists, I think radio interviews, radio ads, and print ads can be a waste of time and money.

That's not what we want to hear, I know. And it's not what I believed for at least the first half of my career in Christian publishing. I thought that if you could just get a good marketing budget, you could make virtually any novel a best-seller. That's not the case.

So when I began thinking about how I would do marketing if I had my own publishing company, I began with that realization. I knew from the outset that it wouldn't behoove me to spend thousands of dollars buying ads in Today's Christian Woman or related outlets. Not for the books I'd be publishing. Indeed, I had become convinced that print ads in general don't pay for themselves unless the book being advertised is by a well-known author.

I was playing in a whole new sandbox, and I knew it. I was trying to sell "weird" fiction to an audience besides the core CBA fiction demographic. On a tight budget. Clearly, the standard marketing techniques would not be for me.

So I consulted my good friend, Christian novelist and online marketing guru Randall Ingermanson, for ideas. I won't go into too much detail about his tiger marketing techniques, but I will say that my giant prize giveaway--and the ability to increase your chances of winning by referring others to register for the contest--are results of that counsel. As are the bonus e-books you get for free if you purchase MLP novels on Launch Day. Even my Web site dedicated to Christian speculative fiction--www.WhereTheMapEnds.com--is in some ways a long-term marketing effort for Marcher Lord Press.

Beyond that, the marketing efforts for the launch of Marcher Lord Press consist primarily of the prize giveaway, a growing subscriber base, interviews like this one, and a September chock full of Internet activity. September will see a flurry of blog tours, book reviews, interviews with me, and more, all driving people to MLP to sign up for the grand prize, to be given away on Launch Day: October 1.

Frank: We really are at the dawn of a new age with spec-fic clearing the same kind of hurdle that Christian rock music had to overcome. I agree that the CBA is not going to be the gatekeepers of Christian spec-fic. Spec-fic in the free market has leaked around the dam of "Christian" publishing houses, through the river of Indie presses.

Founding a Christian and Biblical spec-fic-exclusive publishing house is a step in the right direction, but should we be thinking bigger than that? What about an association of industry people who are working together to popularize the genre? I think we all intended to be the central gathering place, but pooling our resources might help. Apart from the Lost Genre Guild and Where the Map Ends, Rebecca Miller's CSFF blog tour, Rick Sutcliffe's ARJAYbb, Bill Snodgrass' Double-Edged Publishing, and Christian Fandom leap to mind. Other genres such as westerns could use the help as well. Do you think genres ignored by the CBA banding together in an association would be a business advantage in the publishing industry?

Jeff: I'm a big believer in like-minded Christians helping each other out. People with similar visions following the same Lord are just best friends who haven't met yet. Banding together will certainly be a good thing.

Indeed, one of my administrators at my forums site, The Anomaly, is making preparations for something that may be exactly what you're thinking of. She has secured the domain www.ChristianSpeculativeFiction.com and is doing early work to put this thing together.

Will a coalition of Christian speculative fiction sites give us a business advantage in the Christian publishing industry? I don't think so. I think the Christian publishing industry isn't where we should be looking to expand. The CBA has their core demographic and the core demographic has the CBA. They're happy together and have no interest in inviting others to the party, in my opinion. Why try to force them to embrace something they clearly dislike?

A coalition of Christian speculative fiction sites would be advantageous, however, in other ways. It would be a boon to the sites themselves, to the fans of this kind of fiction, and to the authors involved. Bringing together as many members of our demographic as possible can only help us all. It will also help publishing efforts like those at The Writer's Cafe Press and Marcher Lord Press find more and more eager readers for their books.

Frank: In our last interview you spoke of other spec fiction mediums breaking out after Christian genre fans finally discover that their favorite novels are on the Web rather than in CBA stores. I find a lot of people in the LGG interested in graphic novels. Have you any words of hope for fans of such?

Jeff: It should bring them hope to realize we're living in a publishing revolution. I think we'll see more Christian speculative graphic novels being produced independently and then made available over the Internet. Think a YouTube model. Artists and writers will put their stuff online and hope to find an audience. It's like the groups of modders who get together to make a mod of their favorite computer game. Of course, like anything else, some will be better than others.

If enough such ventures prove successful, someone (or multiple someones) will start consolidating and getting bigger. Their products will become slicker, with higher production values, and they will be able to afford more money for marketing. They will reach a larger audience. In short, they will become respectable. (Then, of course, they'll become monolithic corporations and we'll be right back where we are now--needing indies to come along and run the blockade!)

Frank: One of the publicity advantages of being an author of Christian fiction is competition in a different category: fewer titles. Our subculture has its own print, radio and, TV media in which to create buzz. Christian fiction shelves in secular shelves, or as you call it Death Row (cracks me up), is indeed a dusty place. Instead of publishers calling a work Christian sci-fi, should they just be tagging them as sci-fi and let our titles compete in the free market?

Jeff: I've asked this very question to my friends in the sales departments of at least two Christian publishing companies. And yet my understanding of it is still shaky.

I think it primarily has to do with the buyers at the bookstore chains. For Barnes & Noble, for instance, there's a buyer for romance novels, a buyer for psychology and self-help, a buyer for biography, etc. As I understand it, each one of these buyers is given a set budget and is charged with using that budget to meet with the various publishers to fill those specific shelves in B&N stores.

There's a buyer for SF/Fantasy, but this person is not the same as the buyer for Religion. When a Christian publishing company approaches Barnes & Noble and says they'd like to have their books considered for placement on B&N's shelves, they are sent directly to the religion buyer. The religion buyer has a budget to select books for the religion shelves. Whatever the religion buyer orders goes on the religion shelves. If the religion buyer orders a bunch of copies of a Christian science fiction, where's it going to go? On the religion shelves.

The religion buyer obviously wouldn't want to spend money on something that goes onto another department's shelves. The trick, then, becomes how to get the SF/Fantasy buyer--not the religion buyer--to look at a CBA publisher's books.

I thought that made perfect sense. I might not like it, but I could at least understand it. Unfortunately, at least one sales rep I talked to said this simply wasn't the case, that other things were at work.

So I kept trying to figure it out.

I thought there might be a religious prejudice involved. Like maybe the chains had the opinion that the only true SF had to be secular SF and any religious content was unwelcome. No one wants to be tricked into swallowing a Christian book when all they want is fantasy, for instance.

But that doesn't seem to hold true, either. We can all point to standard SF novels with lots of religious overtones: Paladin of Souls, A Canticle for Leibowitz, every vampire novel, not to mention the Buddhism-filled Star Wars novels. So it can't be that.

One sales rep told me it has something to do with advertising in in-store catalogues. He said that if he were to go to B&N with ten standard Christian novels and only one Christian SF, the B&N buyer would accept the ten but reject the one. The reasoning is that B&N wants to create catalogue pages with several similar books from the same publisher.

If that CBA sale rep were to have approached the same buyer with ten Christian SF novels and one standard Christian novel, the buyer would've accepted the ten Christians SFs and declined the one loner. They would be able to group the ten together in a nice catalogue page. But you can't do that with standalones. And what CBA house is going to produce ten Christian SFs in a single publishing season?

Me, I don't know. I don't pretend to understand it. I suspect it may simply be habit now: the buyers at the bookstore chains know what category each publisher fits into, and they just leave it at that.

The beauty of something like Marcher Lord Press--an indie press selling directly to the consumer--is that there are no categories to navigate or gatekeepers to get past. The challenge is to get people interested. When they become interested, they can select from one giant, Internet-sized shelf.

Frank: Jeff Gerke, thank you for participating in this interview. As always, we learn so much from your experience and expertise--and enough to realize that we're building a new frontier with Biblical speculative fiction and the learning curve is a steep one. There are no easy, die-cut answers but what seems to be obvious is that our efforts should focus on building our own homestead instead of knocking on the fence of the Christian publishing industry in the hope that we will gain entrance.