The Undiscovered Country

Everything Except . . .

December 20th has come and gone with no response from the publisher. Disappointed but not surprised.

The biggest question: Now what?

I started searching literary agents that accept "religious" (see below for my reason for adding quotes) material, and most say, "everything except science fiction."

What is it about Christian literary agents and publishers that don't merely shy away from science fiction, but actively avoid it?

I remember the last time I went to a writers conference, I sat at a table of a literary agent (who I knew wouldn't accept my work, but I wanted to listen to what he had to say about the market), and he asked what each of us wrote.

When my turn came up I said, "Science fiction."

He grimaced and said, "Okay, next."

I was, for the most part, ignored the rest of the evening. I felt a bit like a pariah, like I had admitted to writing snuff-erotica. I wondered if he mentally held up a cross to ward off any demons attempting to possess him.

That's not to say there are no more avenues to explore. There are still a few Christian publishers that will accept science fiction, and I can always self-publish (in the true sense of the word, not vanity publish).

My problem is they're all smaller presses, and I will have to do the bulk of any marketing, which would be no different from self-publishing. The only difference would be the cost of printing.

It sucks, because I did think my book was a good fit for the previous publisher.

In thinking about it more, however, I wonder if they didn't want it because some of the scenes are a bit graphic. Not gratuitously (I didn't think), but one never knows what another person thinks is gratuitous or not. We all have different standards.

I can't give up though. I will eventually find right avenue to get my book to print, whether it be traditional or self. I will simply have to continue to submit, or plead God for a sign if he indeed wants me to go the self-publishing route.

Because the purpose is to get my words out there. The path I take to get there, while important, shouldn't be the primary consideration.