News Bits

1. Well now, if this isn't a novel for literary types. And, according to many amazon reviewers, quite refreshing and original. Check out Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable.

2. Author and editor Jeff Gerke has announced the launch of Marcher Lord Press:

For years now I have been thinking about a new way of publishing Christian fiction. As both an author and an editor at traditional publishing companies I have been simultaneously encouraged and discouraged by the way things are.

I've been encouraged at the rise of the "weird" Christian fiction, like SF and fantasy. I love these genres and am thrilled to see them grow. But I've been discouraged that there were so few opportunities to get this kind of fiction published. And many of the so-called speculative fiction titles that DID get published ended up not selling well, and thus confirming publishers' feelings that this kind of fiction has little or no market in CBA.

It finally dawned on me that the demographic reached most successfully by CBA fiction is not, as a group, interested in "weird" fiction.

The puzzle formed in my head and I couldn't stop trying to figure it out: How can I get Christian speculative fiction past the CBA industry and into the hands of the fans out there who devour it?

My solution has been to launch a small publishing venture of my own. Marcher Lord Press is an independent publishing company specializing in Christian speculative fiction: the weird stuff. We're not going up against the big boys or trying to get into every bookstore in America. We're not even after the same audience they are. We're an indy press with a sharply focused mandate going after an identifiable niche audience.

3. Are you aware of the Christian bookstore locator on the CBA web site? Look for the gray linked icon on the left side of the home page. The locator includes web sites for the Christian bookstores in your area, when applicable.