Where Does Our Fiction Fit In?

by Aubrey Reiss Taylor @aubtaybooks

Writing this post led me back to some musings I had scribbled during the first year of my writing journey. At the time, I was questioning where I fit in, and it’s a question I am still unable to answer perfectly.

Markets and genres are important ways to define our writing, yet these are areas where self-published authors often struggle. Perhaps the more successful indies have clearly defined what they write and where they fit in, but for many of us, that’s not the case.

Like many independent authors, I write from the gut. Perhaps too stubbornly, I refuse to filter my writing through market and genre expectations, and while that makes it harder for me to sell books, I have a God-given drive to write the things I do, and I would not be happy writing anything else.

I know that I am not the only member of ACFW who writes for the General Market as well as the CF market. One can easily be a Christian who writes fiction without being an author of Christian Fiction. Still, our worldview likely influences everything we write.

Certainly, many readers would appreciate a clear divide between my CF books and my GM books, perhaps by the use of a different pen name, but to me, there is no clear divide. Does that become a question of integrity? I hope not, because I am genuine throughout my books: this is just life for many people.

Whenever possible, through my Author’s Notes, blogs, social posts, and newsletter, I make it clear that I’ve gravitated toward the General Market because of the types of issues I feel led to address and the audience I feel called to reach (more on that in a moment). At the same time, I openly acknowledge that my books will always be influenced by my Christian faith.

Two years into this journey, my desire to speak to the lost overwhelmed my desire to tell a more faith-forward story. There is a world out there in darkness, and people who do not feel seen by the church. More than once, I’ve heard people say that if they walked into a church, the place would spontaneously combust, or implode on top of them. God can certainly prompt an unbeliever to pick up a Christian book, but the General Market should likewise be flooded with high-quality books written from a biblical worldview, books which speak truth to people who would not set foot in the Christian section of the library or bookstore.

Winding back to my original premise, do we know where our writing fits in? If we can’t put our finger on exactly what we’re supposed to be doing, are we willing to think outside the box? When we ask God about Option A and Option B, are we prepared for Him to answer us with Option C?

Certainly genre and market are important, but His purpose is greater than both of these things. He may clearly guide us within them, or He may show us a different path; he may call us to a niche, or to writing as a ministry and not a source of income. Are we willing to take a different route if that’s what He calls us to?

When I begin to question myself, I remember the way I’ve clung to Him, waiting on His timing and following His lead. I may not see a constant stream of income or high page reads in KDP, but He knows how to assure me that I am still walking His laid-out path and that my books fit perfectly in the space for which He created them.

Aubrey Reiss Taylor unites fascinating history with a passion for redemption, creating a unique brand of wartime sagas written from the German perspective. Her books hail from a Biblical worldview but are full of grit and honesty. She is a mother of three and married to her best friend Brian.