Yes, I know it isn't my day to blog but I promise this will be a short one.
To follow up on the article written about the Christian fiction industry, an article has just been posted at Associated Content about Christian blog tours that I think is just as interesting.
Off and on the LGG list, people have discussed fiction blog tours over the past year. Something Sue Dent and I discovered is that the big tour: Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (CFBA) is exclusive to books published by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (and their affliation with the Christian Booksellers Association).
I was shocked to hear this . . . to hear that yet another organization was exclusive and refuses to acknowledge the quality of fiction published by small, mid-line and large independent Christian publishers as well as Christian fiction published by mainstream publishers.
For a long time, the CFBA kept its cards close to its vest. After all, they toured Never Ceese just over a year ago—a grand novel, yes, but one published by a Christian company not affliated with the ECPA or CBA.
I had my suspicions when I asked Bonnie Calhoun if she would tour Flashpoint and Forever Richard but tried anyway. It wasn't until later, in communication with Sue Dent, that the CFBA administrator said "CBA" only, that they received too many books and needed to draw the line somewhere . . . and that independent, self published, POD publications are usually inferior.
After this point, a note was posted at the bottom of the home page.
Interestingly, a couple of CFBA blog members argued the point in a previous blog . . . they said that there was no way that the blog tour was exclusive. Even their own members aren't/ weren't aware of this.
Because of this we researched the other blog tours to see what stipulations they had and this is the crux of the article.
If anyone has additional information about other blog tours (not review sites) . . . please let us know.
So, go and check out Frank Creed's articles! at Associated Content
6 comments:
As a side note, Glass Roads is a public relations firm that works with a LOT of CBA/ECPA affiliated authors. They are not exclusive. The do offer a blog tour package of $1750.
I asked them about it in an e-mail. They had to have my name before they would answer any questions. I gave it and asked if they could get me on the CFBA since this was the biggest tour. Several times the word probably and maybe was used before I was told that YES definitely.
I then explained, as I'd already done, that my book was not CBA or ECPA affiliated and CFBA doesn't tour anything unless it is.
They said they'd check that out!!!! They didn't even know!!!! The answer they came back with was that for $1750 they couldn't guarantee anything and if a guarantee was what I was looking for then they couldn't help me.
That was the end of that.
The blog tours listed in our article are fee. Don't you dare pay for them.
This news doesn't surprise me. These venues don't publicize it when they restrict anything...be it blog tours, "best book" competitions, or any of the possibilities that might get an author noticed. ACFW did not publicize it when they restricted their book of the year contest to ECPA/CBA (and the terms are used interchangeably, we just say "CBA" as shorthand) approved publishers.
So this means, in the normal way, that them who has, gets. The group I know most about, the ACFW, has merely ensured that a big name author will win the book of the year thing and get therefrom an even higher profile.
And then there's the rest of us...when they made this change, they didn't let the membership know in any overt way. I had to ask.
Jesus reminded the Pharisees that the Law told them not to muzzle the ox. So what does that have to do with Christian Fiction blog tours? Just this, if the "ox" is working for the Master, then let it do its job and let it graze and enjoy the benefits along the way. Are CBA/ECPA works good? Some of them, or most of them, depending on your viewpoint, but there are other writers who are also writing for the same Master. Turning them out because of some rather arbitrary guidelines makes no sense and is not Biblical. Remember Jesus also said that if a person is for them they can't be against them.
Well, I'm extremely frustrated. I've tried to post several times at Associated Content and it won't post anything I put. I even joined and now I've sent them an e-mail. I've got so much I want to add but can't. Is anyone else having this problem? I'll be reduced to commenting here if I can't figure things out which I guess won't be that bad, just aggravating. It's like being held in from recess! LOL
Wow. That's irritating. Have you tried posting under any other name besides "Sue Dent?" Try posting as "Ted Dekker" and see if you get through! (I kid! I kid!)
I'll be interested to see what you have to say if you are ever able to get it to stick to the Internet somewhere.
Oh XDPaul, that's funny. Dekker! LOL I sent another email to associated content so we'll see. In the meantime, I'll post here. I like it here anyway.
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