Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friend: Future events such as these will affect you in the future. You are interested in the unknown, the mysterious, the unexplainable. That is why you are here.
So begins Plan 9 from Outer Space, often considered the best, worst sci-fi movie ever made. But I often think of that line: “We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.” Well, it’s true and sounds profound.
Then you think about it for a second and realize it’s just reductive.
Nevertheless, we are interested in the future as it relates to many things. One area of particular interest to me is the future of science fiction publishing because, if everything works out, it’s an arena in which I may spend a significant part of my life. There are other genres which I want to explore, like pulp crime fiction, adventure stories, westerns, murder mysteries, and so forth. But so far I’ve had the most success in writing and selling stories set on other planets or featuring alien spacecraft.
That’s the market.
Or is it? This recent article from World Magazine notes that Christian science fiction and fantasy writers are having a difficult time getting published. The evangelical press doesn’t know how to edit or sell those genres anymore, or simply doesn’t think they’ll do well in the Christian market. Never mind that C.S. Lewis, arguably the most successful Christian storyteller since Jesus, wrote in both genres and most of us grew up reading his work. Never mind that all modern fantasy is indebted to Tolkien, who wrote from a Catholic worldview. Never mind that Christians are just as likely to read Harry Potter or The Expanse as anyone else.
No one in the Christian publishing houses knows how to read or sell sci-fi or fantasy. Nope.
The article does note that this seems to be changing. A representative at Baker says she hopes, “we’ll be able to return to publishing more traditional fantasy novels.” Given a mention earlier in the piece about Realm Makers, a gathering of hundreds of Christian writers of speculative fiction, I’m sure places like Baker are getting inundated with genre manuscripts. If traditional publishing is going to survive, they’ll have to accept the supply and the demand.
But is it too little too late?
Baker “hopes” they’ll eventually “return to publishing” genre fiction. Big ships turn slowly. Smaller presses, like Enclave, are swooping in to capture the market. But they only publish 20 titles annually, when, as the article notes, speculative fiction makes up 85 percent of the secular market, it’s not enough. The future is (obviously, to some of us) indie. World tells us that seven of the 12 books of the year at Realm Makers were independently published. That makes sense when we consider the lack of publishers putting out speculative fiction. There will be more indie books in the small pool.
Here’s the other thing to consider, and it should scare publishers: indie novels are good.
We’re at a point now where the independent author can get enough beta readers to handle the editing, AI to make cover art, and crowdfund the printing. No more waiting for a manuscript to work its way up to the top of the slush pile and go through the editing process. Traditional publishing worked well for a long time and will never completely go away. But it won’t be the norm for much longer.
Besides, the nerds have always been the outcasts.
BasedCon was created because the traditional sci-fi book conventions became hostile to those who lean right. I have no idea how Realm Makers leans, which is a shame given that it’s for Christian writers. But the majority of the authors I met at BasedCon also have religious convictions and work those themes into their novels. I suspect, however, they too would struggle to get published through a trad publisher. I know I would. My two most successful stories have featured protagonists who are explicitly agnostic, and while they have character arcs and I incorporate spiritual themes from a Christian perspective, they never have that Come to Jesus moment. Why? Because I’m more interested in those spiritual themes than messaging.
Let the reader connect the dots. Or not. I’m just here to entertain as many people as possible.
Some of the BasedCon authors use bad words in their books. They write how real people talk. Readers want a degree of reality in their fantasy, and nothing will change that. I write characters who are on the fence on spiritual matters. That’s where many people are. No amount of preaching in what’s supposed to be entertaining will change that, either. And I don’t think the Christian bookhouses are any more comfortable with that than they are dipping their toes in a market dominated by Harry Potter’s witchcraft.
So where will readers and writers be spending their time, money, and future? In indie novels.
Need some help finding something good? Head over to Upstream Reviews and find something new to love.
