An Interview with Shane White

For a change of pace, I thought today I’d do an interview with Shane White. Shane is our National CBA Sales Manager at Harvest House Publishers and has been a great advocate for our fiction with his numerous accounts.

Nick: Shane, you were early to spot the trend of Amish fiction in the CBA marketplace. Did you suspect this genre would have the staying power it’s had?

Shane: I always thought Amish fiction would become a permanent genre in CBA. Even when the sales slow down from the peak there will still be loyal Amish buyers.

Nick: Is it just Amish fiction that’s doing so well or anything that’s historical romance?

Shane: Amish and Historical Romance are the two categories where I am seeing strong sales. In the historical category the best sellers are set in 19th or early 20th century America.

Nick: The question on the minds of many fiction authors (after how long will Amish fiction be popular?) is what’s the next trend? Any predictions?

Shane: I’ve heard that historical southern novels are doing well. Like I said earlier I think we will always see Amish fiction in the CBA market.

Nick: Beyond the genre question, are there other ingredients in a book that your accounts want to see in a novel?

Shane: Romance, Romance, Romance. Romance is so strong in CBA. Setting and cover are also very important.

Nick: Many of the readers of my blog want to write contemporary fiction. Can you offer any hope for them? Any suggestions?

Shane: From what I am hearing, Karen Kingsbury is the only author who can sell large quantities of contemporary fiction. It is a hard market for contemporary fiction. I was just looking at a catalog from a major CBA retailer and less than 20% of the titles shown were contemporary.

Nick: In your years working with CBA fiction, what’s been the biggest surprise for you?

Shane: How big Amish has become. I knew it would be big but I had no idea how loyal the readers would be to the genre.

Nick: Probably the most talked about Christian novel in recent years has been The Shack. Did the success of that novel surprise you?

Shane: I was very surprised. The Shack was one of those once in a lifetime books. People were talking about this book even if they didn’t like it.

Nick: In her recent blog, Harvest House author BJ Hoff lamented the trend away from longer “mega-novels” with 400+ pages. Are larger novels making a comeback with your accounts?

Shane: I have seen some “mega novels” do well. But I think most readers are looking for smaller more consumable books in the 300 to 350 page range.

Nick: In non-fiction, we hear about the importance of authors having a platform from which to promote their books. Is a platform helpful or necessary for a gifted fiction writer?

Shane: Not so much a platform as having a presence with your readers. Websites, newsletters and contests are great ways to connect to readers.

Nick: Is there any hope for authors wanting to write fiction for men?

Shane: Men’s fiction is a tough sell in CBA but there have been success stories. Joel Rosenberg and Ted Dekker have both been promoted to men in CBA.

Nick: Any other words of wisdom for fiction writers?

Shane: Be original! Don’t try to be a copycat of bestselling authors.

Nick: How about non-fiction? Are there any trends there we should know about?

Shane: Women, Bible Study and Prayer are currently strong categories.

Nick: What are your reading tastes? What’s on your nightstand now?

Shane: I love World War II and Spy Novels. Some of my favorite authors include Daniel Silva, Jack Higgins and from CBA I am anxious to read the new Ted Dekker.

Thanks, Shane for your insight–and for the great way you represent our books into the CBA market.

There you have it, folks. It’s not too late to begin working on that Amish novel. The genre will be around for a while yet. A long while.

11 replies
  1. Trish Perry says:

    Love me some Shane White! Hi, Shane, and thanks, Nick, for featuring Shane.

    It does bug and puzzle me that contemporary is such a hard sale right now (I love reading it!), but I do appreciate the hard work you and your team do in promoting contemporary as fervently as you can.

    Your insight into the market is always tremendously helpful. Thanks so much for the update.

  2. BJ Hoff says:

    Continually grateful for the way Shane supports his Harvest House authors. His savvy, his wisdom, and his ongoing concern aren’t concentrated only on our books, but he has a genuine interest and concern for us as “people.” Somehow he manages to make us feel like family.

    Always enjoy hearing his thoughts on books, the market, and life in general! Thanks to both of you for this interview.

    BJ

  3. Richard Mabry says:

    Nick and Shane, Thanks for sharing your insider “take” on this important subject. I guess no one’s crystal ball is perfectly clear on this, but it appears that you all have the experience to make a pretty good informed guess.

  4. Kellie Gilbert says:

    I find it discouraging when I hear of so many contemporary READERS having to go to the general market to find new titles to enjoy. Perhaps we’re experiencing a chicken/egg situation – if there were more great contemporaries published, perhaps readers would wander back to the CBA for their fix. Me included…(although Carla Stewart, Susan Meissner and Gina Holmes are authors worth following!)

  5. James L. Rubart says:

    Once again it’s confirmed; I’m not the typical CBA target.

    Historical? Nah. Can’t say I have a stack on my nightstand. Or even one. Amish? Hmmm. I watched WITNESS with Harrison Ford. Does that count?

    Enjoyed the article Nick and Shane. Appreciate the insight and perspective.

    Jim

  6. Nick says:

    Jim, here’s hoping you’re able to help pave the way for a wider variety of fiction in CBA. (Jim is the author of the very well-received novel “Rooms”).

  7. BJ Hoff says:

    Started this comment once before and it “disappeared.” I’ll try again. Just a thought about the historical/contemporary situation: those of us who have been in publishing for several years are well aware that the pendulum swings back and forth. Only a few years ago the CBA market seemed to lose interest in historical fiction. Agents (and authors) were hearing “don’t show us historicals … we want contemporary these days.” Historical novels were still being published, enough of them that most of us managed to keep writing, but they weren’t on most publishing houses’ lists of favorite things. Now the picture has changed, and historical fiction is “in” again. But you can probably count on the fact that the pendulum willl swing back again–it always does, at least with the strongest genres. Naturally, I’m enjoying the latest wave of historicals, but the reality is that things change.
    (Except perhaps the popularity of Amish fiction!)

    That being the case, I’m still wondering if CBA won’t eventually see a resurgence of the heftier novel. To some extent, I base that on what’s happened in the general market over the past couple of years. If you look at the success of Ken Follett’s mega historicals and others such as The 19th Wife, The Thirteen Step, Philippa Gregory’s novels, and many others–and given the fact that most often CBA eventually follows suit with “trends,” only later, the possibility *does* exist. I’m not actually anticipating it. I’ve learned to be content with writing a smaller novel, though I still search out the mega novels for my own reading, wherever I can find them. (Nick–please do not edit those last few sentences!)

    I do think it’s helpful, though, in weathering the passing trends to remember that about the only thing we can count on in publishing is *change.*

    BJ

  8. Cara Putman says:

    Great post, and fun to get Shane’s perspective. The CBA market is so volatile right now. Not everybody wants to write Amish, but there are new authors in that genre all the time. And it’s fun to see historical make such a resurgence, but I just read a contemporary romance last night/this morning that had all the elements I love: great hero and heroine, great writing, amazing humor. I truly hope authors like Jenny B Jones, Trish Perry, Brandt Dodson, and Jim Rubart can spread the market. We should be offering great books…in all genres. But there is that pesky detail called sales!

  9. Jan Cline says:

    Whew, glad Im at least on board with writing Historical Romance and WWII! I am one of those readers who is very surprised that Amish has endured so long, and that contemporary romance is hard to come by. I talk to other readers that feel the same way, but the public decides!
    Great interview.

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