More on Speculative Fiction

What does your publisher’s gut instinct say about miracles happening against a technological backdrop? I’m talking the occasional big miracle here, like instant healing, someone being raised from the dead, or having the technical plans of an advanced spaceship being revealed one piece at a time to an entire team of people, while other people have been called to assemble the
spaceship? No magic, no occult, no vampires, just religious people exercising their faith and being blessed for it — on another planet.

Thanks!
Melanie

Oh, I can give you a real clear answer on that one–I don’t know!

Seriously though, let’s look at in two segments: national and LDS.

National: Does “Left Behind” ring any bells for you? This is a clear indication that there is a market for speculative fiction with a Christian backdrop and a strong message of faith. Also, Orson Scott Card’s Homecoming series, especially the first two, have spiritually based characters, if not straightforwardly Christian. I don’t think they sold as well as his Ender series, but they made it to the Sci-Fi book club. I’ve read lots of other sci-fi books that were faith based, but not necessarily Christian faith based. So in this context, does your basic plot fit in with what is being published nationally–maybe.

LDS: The fact that Pitch #5 in my contest is currently in first place tells you something. (Unless the writer bribed all their family & friends to go vote for it.)
Also, look at the view count on your bio. It has had 1,854 views. I don’t know how many of those have come since you started talking about sci-fi but I would guess a significant portion of them have. So in this context, would your plot intrigue an LDS publisher–maybe.

Let’s see if we can get a better idea of the interest level. See “Poll” in my next post. Also, I am going to contact a collegue of mine and see if she will set up a poll at the latterdayauthors site for me, because I am genuinely interested in the answer to your question.

P.S. The poll is now up over at latterdayauthorsDOTcom. It’s in the Writing Fiction section under the thread “Has Sci-fi’s Time Arrived?”

(Let me just say that some people are big whiny babies and I didn’t pinch her that hard!)

(Also, I have perfectly legitimate reasons for not revealing my identity and none of them have anything to do with being a “chicken-liver,” as she so eloquently put it. BTW, if that’s the best she can do…)

Author: LDS Publisher

I am an anonymous blogger who works in the LDS publishing industry. I blog about topics that help authors seeking publication and about published fiction by LDS authors.