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Benefits of Reading Self-Published Christian Fiction

Posted byKristina HallPosted inRandom ThoughtsTags:, , ,
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This would probably be a good time for me to make a confession … Before I self-published, I almost never (if ever) read novels by self-published authors—the main reasons being that I normally get my books from the library (yes, I know I’m cheap) and because I prefer reading physical books instead of ebooks (I’m also old-fashioned). I’d also heard some not-so-great things about self-published books.

Over the last month or two, I’ve read several great self-published novels, and I’ve realized I’ve been missing out. I’ve even started reading some ebooks 😀

I’ve also discovered some benefits of reading self-published Christian fiction.

Actually Christian. The majority of the self-published books I’ve had the pleasure of reading have been full of Christian themes/morals.

Variety. In traditional Christian publishing, most stories fit in one of a few genres. The publishers aren’t normally willing to take a chance on unique books that may or may not sell when they have their tried-and-true genres that are already popular. Obviously, self-publishing isn’t regulated by a major publisher, and authors make the decision on what types of stories they want to publish. This leads, in the case of the books I’ve read, to books that are unique in the best of ways.

Conservative values. I know this isn’t the case for all self-published books because not all of them are written by conservative authors, but I’ve been impressed with the values I’ve found in self-published Christian fiction as a whole.

Have you read any good self-published books recently?

Published by Kristina Hall

Kristina Hall is a sinner saved by grace who seeks to glorify God with her words. Things Not Seen is her debut novel. She is a homeschool graduate and holds a degree in accounting. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, arm wrestling, and lifting weights.

12 thoughts on “Benefits of Reading Self-Published Christian Fiction”

  1. YES! I’m the exact same! I didn’t have access to self-published books (because, prior to Covid, I practically lived at the library), not to mention the only ones I ever saw where those trashy paranormal icky things. But once I became a self-published author and started connecting with others (like you!!), I found so many AMAZING authors who write just as good as traditional authors with even better Christian content! #selfpublishedauthorsrule #indiebooksarethebest

    Liked by 3 people

  3. *high fives* I SO agree with you!!!! I am actually a proud reader of indie fiction. For me, it’s a lot because I love reading YA fiction, but I can NEVER find any clean ones (even some of the Christian fiction is now getting content I don’t support nor approve of). And I’m not gonna compromise my beliefs just to read a book. So that’s when I found that (though not all) there’s actually a lot of clean YA fiction out there in the self-publishing group that’s actually really good. And, well, here we are now. I like to think that being exposed to books my fellow authors aren’t, actually makes me a more unique author, cuz what you read kinda influences what you write in a way. So, yeah, now I’m just rambling, lol. But I LOVED this post!!!!!!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Yes! I despise when a Christian book makes me feel like I’m compromising just to read it… They’re supposed to be Christian books, not have nasty content! I haven’t read a bunch of Christian YA, but I’ve seen similar problems with adult Christian fiction… It’s sad…

      I absolutely agree that being exposed to a wide variety of authors makes a person a better/more unique author! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post!!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Not 100% on topic, but I’m adding a little info in case any book lovers who haven’t heard of this are stalking the comments… 😀

    I check out library books rather often too, and they’re sometimes books I requested the library to purchase. My library allows card holders to submit up to 15 purchase requests a month. Most of the requests I’ve made in the last few years have been approved.

    Some libraries/library systems are open to purchasing independently published books. Some aren’t. But it’s always worth it for fans of indie books to check.

    As an indie author, some of my books (a few print copies but mostly ebooks through OverDrive) have gotten into libraries, including books purchased and added to library catalogs because someone asked.

    I’m not sure all readers know that a lot of public library collections are influenced by what library users ask for, not only by what libraries decide on their own to make available.

    Heh heh heh, I should probably put this in a blog post… 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

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