Barbara's Random Thoughts

I came across a link to this article in a recent Publisher's Lunch email. The fifth author to be discussed is Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the Left Behind series. There are so many comments to make about this excerpt that I'm not sure where to start. But here we go:

Speaking at a seminar on Christian fiction, Jenkins struggled to explain the phenomenal success of the series.

Yeah, well, I struggle to understand the phenomenal success of the series.

"I like to think it's the great writing," he said, laughing.

I'm laughing, too. But probably for different reasons.

"It continues to astound us. Because it's so many millions, we're way past the point where we feel like we should take any human credit for it. I mean, I don't want to sound too mystical, but we feel like God is in this, and it's a message that we feel like he wants out there."

Ok, back the truck up there. Because the book has sold so many copies, God must approve of the message? Wha--? God's behind the success--and the message--of all best-sellers, eh? That makes perfect sense.

The most challenging thing about writing Christian fiction, he said, is balancing the desire for realism against the expectations of religious readers.
"I don't use foul language myself, but I hear it, and I think I could reproduce it, and it might be realistic," Jenkins said. "But you weigh that against a hundred stores that say, 'We're not carrying that because it's got this word in it,' it's just not worth it."
Then there's the problem of keeping the standard of quality that readers of the series have come to expect.

I can't imagine that it's difficult to maintain the standard of quality that the series has demonstrated so far. Mainly because "quality" is not the word that I would use in reference to the series.

"You try not to think about the fact that a certain number of millions of people are waiting for the book," he said. "The pressure is, I could write a mediocre book and my career could be over tomorrow. I could sell two or three million because people are waiting for it, and then they go, 'I thought this guy could write.'"

Or, you could write a mediocre book and sell tons of copies. Like you've been doing for the entire series so far.

Ok. That's the end of my literary snobbishness for the day.