Author of ‘Life-Changing Fiction’ expands reach beyond books to radio, film—even cruises

Karen Kingsbury has become a household name for many a reader of faith fiction. With a seemingly unquenchable desire to write what she calls “Life-Changing Fiction,” Kingsbury now has more than 20 million copies of her books in print with 15 recent titles having made their debut at the top of the New York Times best-sellers list.

Her current publishing contract—a 14-book deal with Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster—launched with a heartwarming Christmas tale that combined the love of a historic bookstore and the love of a couple. Released in October, The Bridge is an example of the author’s stand-alone women’s fiction Howard will publish, but the deal also includes some nonfiction.

Publisher Jonathan Merkh said that Howard specifically sought out Kingsbury to help develop its line.

“When Howard Books transitioned to Nashville and my vice president, Editor in Chief Becky Nesbitt, and I started strategizing about Howard developing its trade book line, we targeted several authors we’d like to work with,” Merkh said. “Becky had an existing relationship with Karen and brought her into the Howard family when Karen was up for a new contract.”

However, Howard is just one of several publishers Kingsbury has worked with in the course of her writing career. Her last book with Tyndale House Publishers was the 2008 title Sunset, part of the “Sunrise” series and the culmination of 14 books focused on a family that became near and dear to many a reader.

“Tyndale is proud to be the publisher that launched her with the original Baxter family series of books,” said Karen Watson, associate publisher, fiction at Tyndale House.

Zondervan has also published Kingsbury works, including Coming Home, and the “Bailey Flannigan” four-book series comprising Leaving, Learning. Longing and Loving, the latter a New York Times No. 1 best-seller.

Attempting to pin down the exact elements that make Kingsbury successful, readers and retailers tend to use words like emotive, connecting and encouraging.

“Karen is known for her masterful, heart-rending relationship stories,” Howard’s Merkh said. “ I think she really understands what makes readers’ hearts beat faster. She understands readers’ desire for love and connection, both earthly and heavenly. She captures those emotions and translates them into beautiful stories that resonate with readers on many levels. 

“What makes Karen unique is the same thing that makes her successful,” he added. “Her ability to write tender, emotive relationship stories and her ability to truly connect with her readers.”

Sue Brower, executive editor at Zondervan, also notes Kingsbury’s “unique relationship with her fans.”

“Her stories and characters are authentic and vulnerable offering hope and encouragement to the reader,” Brower said. “Karen’s goal is to create ‘Life-Changing Fiction,’ and through her novels she has been able to reach the spiritually lost and help them transform their lives through faith in Jesus.”

One retailer got down to brass tacks when describing Kingsbury’s success.

“Not to make it sound flippant, but she writes what people like,” said Chris Jager, fiction buyer for Baker Book House. “She developed a huge fan base early, and they, for the most part, have stayed very loyal.”

The “Redemption Series,” written with Gary Smalley, was successful, Jager said, because “she hit a chord with many people because the Baxters could have been their own family, neighbors or fellow church members. Then readers ate up the other series.”

Jager also pointed out that “the CBA market owes Karen a lot, especially the fiction department. She tackled issues like AIDS, divorce, cancer and others that many of the authors were staying away from. She wasn’t afraid to take the issues right to ‘Mayberry’ and force people to face them. She knew that people of all races, social classes and beliefs were dealing with these issues and were looking for ideas and answer of how to cope. She led the way for other authors to follow and readers loved it.”

Kingsbury attributes her success to simply following the direction she believes she receives from God.

“The Lord puts a story on my heart, but He has so many other hearts in mind,” she told Christian Retailing. “I haven’t changed anything—I write the story He gives me, and I pray that it touches people all over the world. God has simply expanded the boundaries, increased the territory. People have the walls of their hearts down when they read a novel. If it’s compelling, if it keeps them turning the pages, then God can speak to them in a very vulnerable place. When I pray about the impact of this Life-Changing Fiction, I believe readers and books in print has only just begun. The bigger it gets, the smaller I feel. It’s all for Him, through Him and because of Him.”

Kingsbury strong relationship with her reader “friends” sometimes comes through in her storylines.

“Karen presents realistic situations in her stories, often taken from the stories fans have told her about their lives,” Brower said. “She knows how to reach the reader in a deeply emotional way while still leaving them with hope for the future.”

She has been called “America’s favorite inspirational novelist,” perhaps because of “her connectedness to her fans through social media,” Brower said, noting her ever-growing list of Facebook friends—nearly 275,000 and counting—her online chats as well as the fact that she “keeps a dialogue going consistently.”

Merkh has also observed that Kingsbury “leaves each reader feeling special” as she interacts with them.

“She calls her readers ‘friends’ because that’s what they are,” he said. “Karen is actively involved with her readers—her friends—online and in person.  Whether it’s at a book signing, an event or an online chat, Karen talks with, connects with and prays with her readers.”

Kingsbury truly makes herself at home with her readers in the virtual world—which at times connects with the real world.

“I gather with them in my virtual living room (Facebook), and we have Latte Time or virtual chats,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll be at events and I’ll recognize a face and sure enough—they are my friend on Facebook or Twitter. I have about 300,000 friends on Facebook and about 35,000 on Twitter. But anyone who has ever read one of my books knows my heart. I don’t have fans. I have friends. In the end, there will be no autograph lines in heaven. Like my dad would say, the books simply give me a reason to connect—my heart to theirs.”

Though many women read Kingsbury, her readership expands far and wide, even to “middle school boys and 95-year old women who write to me at times,” she said. “But if I had to narrow it down to a demographic, I’d say avid readers age 13 to 55—mostly women. Still, I love hearing from the truck driver who reads the ‘Redemption Series’ at truck stops or the young Amish girl who finds hope in a story like The Bridge. Anyone who loves to read usually loves my books—again something only God could arrange.”

Readers who want to further connect with Kingsbury will find her at signing books, speaking at Extraordinary Women events, hosting cruises, sharing her own “The Heart of the Story” segment on Keep the Faith radio, working with movie producers to bring her stories to theaters.

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