The Down Lo: The Shack? For the win? For the loss?

I read The Shack last week. More precisely, last Wednesday night. I started it around 8:00 PM and couldn’t really stop. At 3:00 AM, my lights finally went out. I cannot recall the last time I did that with a book simply because I was intrigued.

When one of my roommates, who works at Focus on the Family, learned of my all-nighter, she immediately asked my opinion of the book. Apparently, the Focus staff has received quite a few earfuls regarding The Shack and its content that can seem heretical.

I shared my thoughts with my roommate, something I’m not going to do here though. In the course of our conversation what struck me as ironic is how divided some are on this book. I can see how this situation could easily turn into an unfortunate dramatization of Matthew 7:4.

For retailers selling it, I imagine The Shack is helping boost some sales. Otherwise, how did it climb to #4 on the best sellers lists? What I am curious to know though is how are customers responding to it? For those carrying the book, have your customers come back to share their opinions? For those not carrying the book, how have your customers reacted to your decision? And where is the line drawn when it comes to heresy, especially when a profit can be made?

Comments

[Bryan Brock]

Heresy is such a loaded word. I wonder who gets to decide when a book is heretical? The author? The publisher? The retailer? The reader? The pundit? I suspect that if we took a survey many books we sell would be called heresy by someone along the way.

We have sold a lot of copies of The Shack in our store and there are a lot of stories that have filtered back to us. One or two have not liked to book. No one has called it heresy. Most enjoyed the book and said that it challenged them to think and to search scripture. But perhaps the most interesting story was from a woman who read the book and the next day discovered her cancer had returned. She was given only two months to live and is now is hospice care. She came into the store and bought several copies to give to family and friends who were dealing with the devastating news. The book touched her life - helped her imagine the unimaginable love of God - and is helping those who love her think differently about life and death. Is that heresy? Then count me in as a heretic.

[Lauren]

Cool story, Bryan! Thanks for sharing!

[Carol Olsen]

I watched The Shack rise on the Christian Best Seller List that I get each week through Book Store Manager. I had no idea that it was a controversial book. When I finally got two copies in they were gone immediately. So I ordered four and when they came in I bought one and read it.
I think it is marvelous story that will help the average person come to a better understanding of the Trinity. "The Shack" pictured the relational aspect of the Trinity in a way that I have never thought of before. We all have a "Great Sadness" in our life and I found this book very comforting in regard to my "great sadness". I have recommended it to pastors and lay people alike. It has definitely created dialogue but the overwhelming response so far is positive. A very conservative pastor just left my store. He admitted that he laid the book down for a week because he didn't like where it was going. But then he picked it up again and finished it. Today he bought another copy to give to a fellow in his congregation. He admitted that even though he initially had reservations, the overall benefit of the book is outstanding. But you have to keep reading. I found that it was not a quick read. It was very contemplative. If you read it too quickly you run the risk of missing some key points. I am now reading it a second time with highlighter in hand.
I believe William Young puts some things out there to make us think but we have to keep reading. I found that he always brought it back within the boundaries of Christian doctrine. He also explained to Mack that God had to appear initially as person that shocks the readers of the book. But he did this just to get Mack's attention. Well it certainly works because everybody has said that is where they start to question the validity of the book. We have to remember that it is fiction. I think it is one of the best books I have ever read excluding the Bible of course.

[Angela]

A very good friend of mine helped shape the story of "The Shack," and we were fortunate to have early reads of "The Shack." So it's been very exciting to watch it climb the best-seller lists!

My Sunday School class has read and discussed it together. I have 2 very good friends who lost children about 7 years ago, and reading this book has helped them deal some more with their loss and grief.

To me the biggest benefit was that I think differently about God - he's somehow bigger and yet more intimate than before.

When you read the author's notes, you see that he wrote this as a story for his children, not as a theological treatise, and I think it should be read that way.

I've read it about 8 times, and like Carol, I find myself stopping for periods of time to think about what has been written and trying to ingest it. I gave copies to my family at Christmas, I've given it to friends, and I'll keep giving it away.

[Pat Walter]

Hey Lauren! Thanks for blogging and challenging us into discussion.

I was given this book by another church bookstore so my first experience with this story was a passionate presentation of its merits. Upon reading it, I understood the excitement that was being generated and I fully agree with some of the more profound perspectives shared within its pages. As with any book a certain level of discernment must be applied and the Shack is no different. But overall, the story is very well written and absolutely filled with nuggets for our faith. I also agree with the avove comments regarding the extraordinary presentation of the Trinity and the common thread we all have in some "Great Sadness".

What has been difficult for me to grasp is the amount of negative comments on the book. I had one customer who challenged that I had it on the shelf. When I probed her regarding the source of her opinion, I discovered she had not read the book and based her perspective on an amazon.com customer comment. Secular viewpoint! Another comment was an opinion that it was "new age". Again this person had not even read the book. I am convinced at the power of this book because I have not experienced this level of attack by the Enemy about a book in a long time. The best part is the number of stories of redemption, healing, and fresh perspective on the Gospel that continue to hear every week on this work. It's worth exploring William Young's web site as well, where several of these claims are addressed.

One final thought, Lauren. This is the type of book the CBA channel cries out for. And what it so desperately needs. You won't find this book in the discounters yet, and I doubt its caught on in many secular bookstores. This book represents the value and knowledge that CBA stores bring to our Kingdom customers and all the delightful stories of changed lives and healed hearts is a pat on the back of the synergy of author, publisher, and retailer.

Have a great day!

[Lauren]

Hey Carol - Thanks for taking the time to respond! Cool to hear what's been happening with the book!

Pat - Since you put it there, I'm going to ask the follow up question - if the channel is crying out for more books like this (which I don't doubt it is), how do we get them? Where do they come from? Do we just have to wait on God to provide something like this or is there a way to cultivate more books like The Shack?

Angela - hey girl! Do you know who has the rights for The Shack? I can only imagine what the response would be to a film version of this book!

[Pat Walter]

Lauren,

There is no question that the Shack has moved into the main stream secular channels and done very well. Which is unfortunate for us because it dilutes our customers a bit by giving them more choices in where to buy. This book stood out for so long because it was promoted by word of mouth, so the marketing so personal. And the only place it could be found was in the Christian channel and national chains and online stores. For me I really had a personal connection for this book and promoted heavily as a unique offering and the kind of gem that seperated our store from the big box and discounters. As its success grows that advantage has been reduced somewhat, but we are still performing well with the hopes of a discussion guide and movie to extend its life.

That said, this type of quality book is out there in full force. There are a couple of new releases that I am begging people to get excited about. Maybe they aren't as compelling as the Shack but are well written and fulfill much of the same thirst we all have to get to know Christ more completely. To answer your questions, the books are already on the shelf for the most part. But several elements play out that make it difficult for books to succeed on this scale on a regular basis. The culture is not ripe with passionate readers, there are far too many choices within the Christian marketplace, and us retailers need to understand how to reach the market more effectively.

Following the Shack and Windblown Media would make a fascinating case study of our Christian Retail channel. That's a loaded question in so many ways and much to discuss in this area. Keep up the good work, love the blogs from all of you at CBA.

[Sue Dent]

I think it's important to note that The Shack tops this list without being written by a CBA or ECPA affiliated author.

The Shack, which is self-published, initially couldn't even get into a CBA affiliated Christian bookstore. CBA affiliated bookstores only pull stock from CBA and ECPA and you have to pay to become a member. This is to protect the conservative core audience of CBA Christian Bookstores.

Mr. Young's book, with a marketing fund of $200, starts selling like hotcakes elsewhere and all of a sudden, it gets a stamp of approval from CBA. CBA Christian bookstore owners start putting in on their shelves and suddenly there's controversy.

CBA and ECPA core market readers have responded accordingly. They do not like the book. They're offended by it and say so at every turn. Most readers from the market this book targets, the general market of Christian readers, enjoy the book emmensely which equals Best Seller.

It does make one wonder about motive though. There are tons of non CBA and ECPA affiliated books that actually appeal to CBA and ECPA's core market of conservative evnagelicals. Why does CBA only approve the ones that stand to irritate their core market?

Because the bottom line is money and not market.

And for the record, this book did not become a bestseller based on readers from CBA and ECPA's core market. That's just when the real controversial post started showing up. CBA approving this book based on sells elsewhere has had the same result as tossing a dog a bone and telling him not to eat it.

It wasn't written to appeal to CBA and ECPA's core market which does not represent the bigger market of Christians the general market serves. Controversy may sell books but it didn't sell this one. A good story did.

[Sue Dent]

By the way, if you want more books like this, they're everywhere. Just look in the general market. You can go to my website to read about mine. It was written by a Christian for the general market was short-listed for a Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel and voted Book Club Choice of the Month of July (I think) at the American Christian Fiction Writers Association.

You won't find it in any affiliated bookstore because my first publisher wasn't affiliated though she was hooked up with STL/Faithworks at one time.

The sequel will be out *visit www.foreverrichard.com to see this* and my new publisher isn't affiliated either but is a Christian publisher.

Lots more where The Shack came from but most Christian authors who write for the general market know how their work stands to do in the unique and conservative CBA market. Most just don't want to risk it.

[Lauren]

Sue,

It seems you write from a place of bitterness and that concerns me; however, I do recognize these are your opinions and appreciate you sharing them. Will you take a few minutes though to join me in reviewing your words so we might arrive at a different conclusion?

First, I’d like to establish what exactly CBA stands for. Over the years three distinct meanings have developed for those letters: CBA – the trade association, CBA – the convention, and CBA – the marketplace. These three meanings are often, unfortunately, interchanged which can result in the actions of CBA – the trade association being confused or misrepresented by CBA – the marketplace. I think it would be wise of you to distinguish which CBA you mean when you post comments like this last one.

Second, I think you also might want to refrain from making such wide-sweeping generalizations such as, “CBA and ECPA core market readers… do not like the book,” or “It makes me wonder about motive though,” or “The bottom line is money and not market.” Have you asked individual Christian retailers, who have devoted their lives to their profession, what their motives are? Yes, Christian retail is a form of retail, which means owners need to make a profit to continue running a successful business to in turn care for their customers as best as possible, but I can guarantee you integrity of the Gospel trumps profits.

Third, it is up to the individual store owner to determine what compromises the Gospel’s integrity. CBA – the trade association does not and cannot approve of what products a Christian retail store stocks, nor what products the suppliers make. As opposed to popular belief, CBA – the trade association does not have any specific guidelines or enforce any specific guidelines regarding what is allowed to be published. We do not tell publishing companies that books they publish are or are not Christ-honoring. It is their decision to publish a book or not. If we were to approve of all books published, that would be restraint of trade and CBA – the trade association would be in violation of numerous U.S. laws. I encourage you to review the qualifications for retail and supplier memberships on our website.

Fourth, we invited Paul Young to speak at ICRS so retailers could hear from him directly regarding his book. CBA - the trade association wanted its member retailers to be able to hear from Young, make their own decisions about the book, and not rely on grapevine conversations.

Fifth, if the Shack did not become a best-seller because of the CBA/ECPA core market, then why did it start appearing on both their best-seller lists long before it appeared on the New York Times best-sellers list? Where did the word-of-mouth viral marketing begin and through what channels did it spread?

Sixth, I don’t think it’s necessarily appropriate to criticize consumers for purchasing or stores for selling The Shack simply because word got out that it was an interesting book.

Seventh, this blog is not intended as a marketing tool. In the future, please refrain from using it to post information about your own products. If you wish to market your books to our retail members, there is information on our web site about how to do that: http://www.cbaonline.org/nm/MarketProduct.htm

Thanks,
Lauren

[Sue Dent]

Not sure how what I wrote came off as being bitter but okay. CBA and ECPA core market readers don't seem to like the Shack. They make this very clear in their blogs and reviews.

I have answers to all the other questions you brought up as well but I do realize now that this is probably not the place to address them. You have your ideas and I have mine.

God Bless,
Sue