Nothing Kills the Edginess of a Product Like Curriculum
Regular readers of both this blog and Thinking Out Loud know that I’m a rather rabid fan of all three fiction titles by James Rubart. But I was rather distressed to see that B&H Fiction sister company Lifeway has mined the first title, Rooms for a small group curriculum. At first glance, one would think this can only be a good thing, since it encourages people to read the book; but I know in our market, people can’t afford to buy the book and purchase a study guide; and I also know in this market people won’t support the use of a fiction title for small group study, with the exception of one or two fringe “reading groups.”
For me, the presence of a Bible study and DVD kit from Lifeway only serves as a reminder of two things. First, despite the edginess of the book — this is the first B&H fiction title I’ve ever carried — we are again confronting the fact that B&H is, after all Broadman and Holman, the same conservative Baptist publishing company representing, among their constituency, some people who probably consider the reading of Christian fiction on the borderline of sinful, if not already over the line.
Second, it’s a reminder that there is no resource out there that Lifeway is not prepared to exploit. Another product where they reap the revenues and booksellers are left with next to nothing. But as I’ve said before, somebody has to underwrite that large Nashville office and staff, and spinoff luxuries like Lifeway Research. That somebody is you, and your customers.
Did Rubart have a choice? Maybe not. Or maybe someone convinced him that this was a good idea. I don’t agree with any suggestion that this will sell more copies of the book. Rather, I think it confines it to a category of merchandise more suited to Sunday School class material instead of the “hot” fiction it was. Or for that matter, “cool” fiction. Too bad.
