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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Author: Go Mainstream With The Message Christian Writers Urged To Aim For Secular Readership

Kelly Mcbride Staff Writer

A wildly popular Christian author made a low-key appearance Friday, hoping to encourage other writers to break into the Christian market.

Frank Peretti, 44, is the author of 10 books including “This Present Darkness,” which sold more than 2 million copies and is now a Hollywood screenplay.

He signed books, counseled other writers and gave the keynote address Friday at the Northwest Christian Writers Conference at Templin’s Resort.

“We want to motivate the (Christian) writers to write for a general interest market,” said Cindy Radavich, one of the conference organizers. “We don’t like seeing the market divided like it is.”

Christian books are the fastest growing area in the publishing market. But most sales of books with a Christian message, fiction or non-fiction, happen in Christian bookstores.

Peretti is one of the few authors who has been able to “cross over,” the industry term used when a specialty writer makes it to the shelves of general interest store.

Even then, many Christian writers’ books are banished to the religious section of a mainstream book store.

Peretti’s new novel, “The Oath,” is his first book to appear on shelves at mainstream bookstores, rather than the religious section. It is a mark of his success, Radavich said.

However, because Peretti’s publisher specializes in Christian material - and is not represented by a secular publishing house - his books are not eligible for most national bestseller lists.

“There’s this funny gap in the numbers,” Peretti said. “There’s two different, distinct markets: The Christian market and the secular market.”

While many Christian authors view the different treatment as discrimination, Peretti said it doesn’t bother him.

“People come in asking for my book,” he said. “As long as they can find it, I don’t care where they shelve it. My books are a good read, even if you’re not a Christian.”

Peretti’s novels feature Christian characters struggling to live out their beliefs in a secular, sometimes evil, world that conspires against them.

Despite his success, Peretti does not set himself on a pedestal. He wore an open collar shirt at his appearance Friday and talked at length with many of the people who approached him during the book-signing.

Approximately 125 people paid the $185 fee for the conference, which runs through Sunday. They included already-published writers and people hoping to step into the world of writing for the first time.

Other Christian writers frequently ask Peretti for advice on breaking into the general interest market.

“You have to ask yourself why do it at all,” Peretti said. More money, prestige and respect are all the wrong answers, he said.

“The only reason you would do something like that is because you’re trying to spread the Gospel and Christ’s message through your own personal message,” he said.

, DataTimes