Why is it So Hard to Find Christian Books For Teens?

Does your local library or bookstore have a section dedicated to Christian fiction for teens or (at the very least) a viable number of Christian YA fiction titles mixed in with the mainstream selections? No?

Neither does mine. In truth, it is very hard to find Christian books for teens.

My local library contains a scattering of Christian books for teens, none of which were printed in the past five years. Conversely, a search for “Christian teen fiction” at Barnes & Noble or Amazon yields an admirable list. Until you look closer and find that most of the results don’t mention anything about faith or God. Either their search mechanism doesn’t work properly, or they’re trying to cover up the fact that they don’t have much in this area.

Why is this so? My personal journey into this corner of publishing has drawn my attention to three contributing issues, with one looming large over the other two.

1) A Quietly Evolving Market

In its earlier days—as little as 20 years ago—Christian fiction overall was centered more around religious issues and sentimentality (think historical romances and the Left Behind series) rather than personal, real-life issues, thereby earning the label “sanitized.” Meaning the stories lacked any grit.

When it came to worldly issues, they played it safe by avoiding them.

In the past decade or so, we’ve seen two positive shifts in Christian fiction:

1. More imperfect characters with messier lives, and stories that address tougher issues like trauma, addiction, sex, and eating disorders.
2. Christian titles spilling into other subgeneres, including fantasy, dysoptia, sci-fi, and suspense. Christian teen readers with varied tastes finally have the same options as mainstream YA readers.

This is a good thing! Except, the world is taking a long time to notice. Most people still associate the phase “Christian YA fiction” with terms like prudish, preachy, and boring. (Even I’m guilty of that at times.)

Which sort of plays into the next point.

2) Not Enough Readers

Compared to the general fiction market, Christian YA fiction is a niche market. Which is to say it caters to a very specific group of consumers who share certain characteristics—in this case Christian + teenager. Trends show that teens are still voracious readers, but fewer teens want to be labeled Christian. Fewer Christian teen readers means fewer consumers buying Christian YA books. And a drop in sales gets a publishers attention.

Trends show that teens are still voracious readers, but fewer teens want to be labeled Christian.

Because, let’s face it, publishers need to make money too.

Yes, there are still avid Christian YA fiction readers (anyone else raising their hand wildly?). But where are they? How do we reach them? This is the second problem publishers face: How to get their books into the hands of the target audience. Increasingly, literary agents and publishers of YA fiction are requiring authors to have a ready-made platform (as in, hordes of followers) before they’ll even consider publishing your book.

I know this all too well.

But while slow-moving trends and decreased readership are difficulties faced by the Christian fiction market, the real reason it’s hard to find Christian books for teens is the growing anti-Christian sentiment.

3) Hostility to Christianity

The world has always been, in one form or other, hostile to Christianity. And can you blame them? Today, it’s vogue to be tolerant of other cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. Even better if you applaud those who have assumed a “modern” set of values. 

“I believe what I want to believe, you believe what you want to believe, and we’ll all get along.” 

Christianity is not known for being tolerant. Nor should it be.

Christianity is not known for being tolerant. Nor should it be.

Jesus did not say, “I am A way and A truth and A life” in John 14:6. He said, “I am THE way and THE truth and THE life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through me.” (See 10 Things Jesus Never Said In the Bible.) He left no room for uncertainty and no room for alternative options.

Like Jesus, true Christianity must be intolerant of sin and lies. It is not loving to allow someone to believe a lie that will ultimately hurt him. But the world wants us to do just that and since we won’t, they’ve begun to cancel Christianity out.

Christian posts are labeled “hate speech.” Christian beliefs are targeted as old-fashioned bigotry. And more and more publishers discourage strong Christian elements. Even renowned Christian fiction author Robin Lee Hatcher went indie in recent years because her longtime publisher no longer tolerated the overtly religious themes of her books.

This makes it hard to find Christian books for teens.

What Does God Say?

​​”As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish . . . so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:10-11

Faith will not become extinct as long as the world still turns. We can wring our hands with worry over the shrinkage of Christian publishing . . . or we can look to the horizon and know that God’s purposes will be fulfilled.

Often through us.

So what’s the good news?

Christian fiction for teens is not a dead market. A number of publishers, including Tyndale House, Zondervan, and Thomas Nelson, still focus solely on Christian fiction (albeit, with lighter doses of religious elements). And many Christian authors, both indie and traditional, have managed to thrust a book or two into the world. A few have even gained footing on the steep slope of publishing and continue to put out new works.

Where to Look When It’s Hard To Find Christian Books For Teens

A few Christian authors who have successfully treaded the churning fiction market:

• Jenny B. Jones—contemporary
• Sara Ella—fantasy
• Melanie Dickerson—medieval fairy tale romance
• Bryan Davis—fantasy

This market will not die if we keep demanding more from it. 

And of course there’s Robin Jones Gunn’s contemporary Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen series, popular when I was a teen. I still recommend them today. (Just note that they were written during a time when a “text” was a heavy book you carried to geometry and “tweeting” was something the birds did in the trees.)

For more specific recommendations, see my post How To Find Clean Young Adult Fiction in a Dirty Market.

What You Can Do to Help

Honestly, the best way to help Christian YA fiction authors roll out more books is to sign up for their newsletters and follow them on social media. This convinces publishers that we are still an active force. Subscribers to my email list get blog updates, monthly reading reccommendations, and bonus content.

This market will not die if we keep demanding more from it. 

Ask your library or bookstore for more Christian teen fiction. Support your favorite Christian authors while seeking out new ones. And if you’re looking for a quick read right now, check out my selection of contemporary Christian teen short stories.

Happy reading!