Q - If my non-fiction self-help book is primarily targeted to non-Christian women, yet could also be valuable for Christian women, is it best to seek a secular publisher or a Christian publisher that markets to both?
A- This is an important question, because it deals with an issue many writers don't seem to understand. There are general publishers and there are Christian publishers--as you know. The reason for the two categories is because they each publish for a distinct segment of the market. The fact that there are Christian publishers is because they want to publish books for a definably Christian audience. For that reason they want their books to be specifically Christian. Obviously there are books like the one you describe that might well sell in both markets, but a general publisher will not publish a book if it is too religious, just like the Christian publisher won't publish it if it is not Christian enough. Many writers make the mistake of trying to strattle the fence and write a book that tries to hit both markets. The problem is that are not any stores to sell them in that are willing to try and strattle that fence as well. Try to sell the book to a general market, unless it too Christian. Whether or not it untimately sells to Christian readers will likely depend on your ability to market it to that audience.
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How about the other side of the fence: I am marketing my memoir "The Will to Love, a memoir of being raised by saints".
It's the love story about my very Catholic parents and their adorable marriage for 46 years as a polio quadriplegic and her devoted caretaker. This memoir shows how Catholicism was the tool of ritual and faith for their joyful union and my happy childhood.
However, it is a story of family challenge and triumph beyond the faith story. It is inspirational and humorous for any reader. Would targeting Christian publishers limit reaching readers?
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