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Writer's pictureKent Holloway

Think of the Children!!! A Call to Action...Or 'The Potential Death of a Writer's Career'!

Updated: Oct 29



Anyone who's been following my writing career over the years (since 2008) knows I have four big characteristics beyond anything else.


  1. I've struggled from Day 1 to define my brand. My niche. My identity as a writer. I've talked about this quite often in blog posts past. Starting out as a paranormal thriller author. Dabbling in fantasy. Moving onto mysteries reluctantly (and discovering I loved it). But despite relatively settling on the whole mystery author vibe, I still have an esoteric set of interests that can often conflict with that branding.


  2. I struggle with series. I simply have too many interests. Too many ideas flowing through my imagination-rich noggin. Too little time to spend on developing series on books that either just didn't sell well or I've simply lost interest in (most of the time, it's loss of interest in the characters themselves as I tend to be heavily focused on character more than story in most of my books). Because of this, I'd rather move forward! I'd rather press on to the myriad of other tales I have stewing than 'waste time' on writing books that might not sell well given the track record of the previous one. But as I know intellectually (and have been told counteless times by other writers) many readers, for better or worse, won't even start a book unless they know there are several books already written in the series. I'll get back this in a bit.


  3. I love kids. I know it's weird for a grown man with no children of his own to say in these days and times, but I really do love kids. It's why I can't wait every year for Christmas and the chance to be Santa Claus for them during our county Christmas party. I love the light in their eyes when they see me. I love the huge smiles. The energetic jumping when I...in my Kringle regalia...walk into the room. The innocence completely unencumbered by the weight of cynicism or an effort to appear 'cool'. And while I don't have children of my own, I have a strong strong strong desire to to turn my writing endeavors toward them in hopes of delighting them and fostering their wondrous imaginations!


  4. And the fourth characteristic of me...not just as a writer, but as a person...and by far most important of all, is that I'm an unapologetic Christian. Worse for many people, I'm a conservative Christian. A Baptist even! Gasp! An ordained Baptist minister no less. A bonafide preacher at times! I know those things can be anathema to some, but it's reality. I'm an author with a strong conservative viewpoint in theology, economics, and social issues. Although I do try to keep politics of any kind out of my writing...whether for grownups or kids. But my faith DOES inform every aspect of my life in some way, therefore, I'm sure it influences my writing as well. In fact, while only one or two of my books could be classified as 'Christian fiction' or Christian nonfiction (in case of my book 'I Died Swallowing a Goldfish and Other Life Lessons from the Morgue'), almost all of them have a biblical worldview of things in some way or another. At the very least, I strive very hard in each book I write to ensure I do not write anything contrary to Scripture or what might be considered a 'false teaching'.


WARNING: This is where my writing career is potentially tanked by what I'm about to say. Potential triggers are likely.


I say all this as a preface to the main crux of what this post is about. I've struggled with sharing this with ya'll. It really is potentially deadly to my career as a writer because I'm going to ruffle quite a few feathers. But the cold hard truth of the matter is, God won't let me alone about this. I feel that this is a calling from God in the purest and clearest of ways. In fact, I've not felt so certain about anything as I am that God is calling me to do this. It's horrifying, but here goes.


Put simply, I want to write more Middle Grade fiction (i.e. stories for kids typically aged 9-12 (or tweens), although usually fun for ANY age). Here's the quiet part shouted out for all to hear: the publishing world today--whether you want to admit it or not--is pushing an agenda on our kids. A left-leaning agenda. A 'woke' agenda, if you will. Being a fan of many middle grade books myself, I see this all the time, so you can't deny it. It's happening.


Now, let's be clear: if you don't mind your kids, students (if you're teachers), nieces/nephews, grandkids, etc being exposed to certain elements of our society (i.e. the sexualization of children), that's up to you. I'm not here to judge your values. And I'm not necessarily trying to say there needs to be a complete counter-balance to the left-leaning shift in kid's publishing either. The fact of the matter is, when I was a kid, I just wanted to be entertained. I wanted to play. I wanted to be a kid. I didn't want to be 'educated' about anything that wasn't in a textbook or basic school curriculum. If I read or watched a movie/TV show, I just wanted to veg and forget my troubles. I didn't want to be preached down to (one way or another). In effect, let's let kids be kids. Let boys climb trees and girls play with dolls (or if you had friends like me growing up, the girls could climb trees with the best of us!). At this age, kids aren't trying to figure out their identities. They're not worried about cultural norms. That shiny red fire engine from Tonka? It's just a fun toy to play with. Nothing more. Nothing less. But the publishing world (and much of academia) seems hell-bent on challenging these children to other pursuits and frankly, I'm tired of it.


You might say, "But Kent, kid's books aren't preaching agendas to kids today. At least not by some menacing left wing agenda. They're not sexualizing them or trying to make them question their identities." Look, I won't argue with you on that. I guess, that's a matter of opinion. But unfortunately, I think kid's books today are bent toward a certain ideology that has no business in the world of children.


What's more, I believe today's publishers are pandering to certain marginalized demographics at the expense and exclusion of the more traditional demographic (ironically, marginalizing children under a more traditional belief system). There's nothing inherently wrong with representing a marginalized group...if it's central and appropriate to the story itself. It's when it's done simply to HAVE a story about a marginalized individual for the purposes of pushing certain ideas that I take issue with. That's when it's preachy. That's when it's agenda. And once again, it makes the more common 'traditional' individuals feel that they're the odd person out (by the way, NO child (no matter where they may lie among the sociological spectrum) should ever feel they're the 'odd' one...let's set the record straight there). But kids shouldn't feel as if something is wrong with who they are simply because they happen to be part of a group considered 'traditional'.


Look, I'm only saying that authors and publishers should focus on fun, entertaining stories for kids and leave the 'narratives' to the grown ups, if they feel so inclined. Unfortunately, I've spoken to a lot of parents about this issue and a vast majority of them truly have no idea what books their kids are reading (this seems more prominent within public schooled families than private or home-schooled ones). During a busy workaday week, many parents just don't have time to review the material their kids are absorbing (whether it's books, TV, or Internet stuff). Honestly, that's on them. It's their responsibility, not the school system or libraries or bookstores. But there's so much we can do to help these tired, overworked parents when it comes to their children's books.


The Call to Action!


Back in 2022, I released my very first middle grade mystery in this vein of providing stories to kids of a certain age without agenda or bias or some lesson they were to learn. Just a fun kid's mystery (or sort of Hardy Boys meets The Three Investigators meets Stranger Things) called 'The Mystery of the Undying Man'. It was supposed to be the first book in a middle grade 'The Grand Avenue Detectives' (which was rather semi-biographical for me with a heaping helpin' of ghosts, conspiracies, and mad science run amok). Truth is, it didn't do well at all. Even today, there are only 12 reviews for it on Amazon (although they're all quite positive reviews).


But I was horribly disappointed in the sales for this book. As a matter of fact, just as my YA fantasy, The Legend of the Winterking, that also failed miserably...I wasn't just disappointed, I was devastated. I lost all interest in pursuing further books in either series.


Time, as they say, heals wounds, however. It also provides invaluable insights into why some things we do fail. In this case, I realized that I'd approached the marketing the same way I approach my grownup books. But kids don't buy books in general. Their parents do. And parents can only buy books for their kids if they're aware of them. The only way many parents can even be made aware of non-agenda fun stories for their kids is if they're introduced to them by several different avenues: 1) school libraries, 2) school reading lists or book clubs, 3) homeschool organizations, 4) word of mouth by other parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and even teachers/librarians.


As an indie author, let's face it: it's not easy to get a middle grade book into ANY of these things without having a large, far-reaching publisher doing most of the heavy lifting. But we've already discussed the leftist bent these publishers already have. If you don't believe me on this, check out any publisher website you can think of. Go to their 'Submissions Page'. Take a look (very carefully) at what they say. Invariably, most of the large publishers (whether adult or childrens) will preface everything by some variation of the following: "We give preference to stories and authors representing a marginalized aspect of society." Try being a white, heterosexual, CIS male trying to get a book published by one of the Big 5 publishers (or any number of smaller children's publishers) and see how far you'll get. [I told you this post might be a career killer!!! I'm stacking the firewood around my own heretic burning party right now!]


Point is, a conservative Christian male author most likely will have to continue to publish solo if he hopes to keep his middle grade stories free and clear of a particular bias or agenda. So, if that's the case and if I'm going to succeed in this MG writing endeavor, I'm going to need your help. I don't expect everyone to appreciate what I've said in this post or what I'm trying to do. And that's fine. But for those who agree with me...for those who want to see kids have a choice in the types of things they read without fear of negative influences, listen up.


Go to your school libary. Ask them to order The Mystery of the Undying Man (it's available through Ingram distribution, so all libraries should be able to get them). Go to your school's PTAs or English teachers and ask them to take a chance and place the book in the school's reading lists. Go to your local bookstore and ask them to stock it in the kid's section. Homeschool and have a local homeschool organization you belong to? Let them know about it as well. Right now, as it's my only MG novel, it's all I have to offer. But I promise you, more is coming. Coming very soon. And yes, that means book two of The Grand Avenue Detectives series (and a few other surprises down the road).


I'm committed to this endeavor. I love kids. I want to make kids happy. Make them laugh. Entertain and thrill them. I want to do so without an agenda one way or another while also providing safe, clean reads. Yes, my books will have monsters in them (cartoonish monsters, of course). Yes, they'll have elements of fantasy or even horror. But I guarantee you they'll be safe for your kids to read. I've staked my entire writing career on letting you know this, so you know how serious I am about it. This is my promise to you: If you help me succeed with Middle Grade books, I promise your kids or grandkids or students won't be disappointed. What have you got to lose?


Ways to help in Summary:

  1. Ask your school library to carry my middle grade books

  2. Try to get my books on school reading lists or book clubs

  3. Ask your local bookstore to carry them in their kids' sections

  4. Word of mouth, word of mouth, word of mouth!

  5. Share my MG books with your local homeschool or private school groups!


Thanks for everything! And God bless!


Addendum:

For those curious, don't worry. While I will be focusing much of my attention on these middle grade (and I suppose maybe a few young adult) novels, I'm still going to pursue my grownup pulpy mystery stylings as well. I retire in just 17 months from my day job and anticipate being able to go full time writer when that happens!

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