Are you an LDS novelist?

Mapletree Publishing Company is looking for quality, experienced LDS novelists who want to take their fiction to the next level—to market it in national markets.

LDS authors, let's have some written works of fiction where the characters, whether all of them or just some of them, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Have them go to the temple, do home teaching, have family home evenings—the things that LDS people do. And let's act like these activities are normal—things normal people would do—not the activities of some fringe group.

We are motivated by this philosophy: We believe that LDS works can be made interesting and helpful to non-LDS readers, too. In fact, we have a strong feeling that LDS authors need to be a little more brave in sharing their values and even their culture with the world. Are other religions as shy as Latter-day Saints are? Everyone knows about Catholic masses, meatless Fridays, confessions, rosaries, etc., whether they're Catholic or not. LDS authors—why not be a little braver in sharing your LDS religious experiences with others through your novels?

Fiddler on the Roof is about Jewish religious practices and how they interacted with revolutionary forces in Russia. Ask yourself: Do you have to be Jewish to understand, enjoy, or derive lessons from the play or movie? How many fewer Jewish people are there worldwide compared to Latter-day Saints? Why does the world know more about Jewish practices than Latter-day Saint practices?

The Sound of Music gives a prominent role to Catholic beliefs and practices. Did the writers try to alter, camouflage, or apologize for any of that? Or did anyone in My Big Fat Greek Wedding act shy about discussing Greek Orthodox practices. If not, then why are Latter-day Saints so apologetic and shy about putting their characters, beliefs, and practices out for all to see?

I have heard speculation from LDS authors in answer to the question, "Why are there no LDS books on the national market?" They theorize that people outside the LDS market aren't interested in LDS authors. After studying the matter, the answer doesn't seem to be that so much as that LDS publishers frankly have never really pursued national markets. National markets are much tougher than LDS markets. You can't just put a title out there and expect it to get noticed on its own—you have to do many things differently to get a book to succeed nationally. LDS publishing companies aren't set up to be able to do those things, and so LDS books haven't attracted the attention of the general buying public.

Come pioneer with us!

Mapletree knows how to help a book succeed on the national scene. You write it—we'll use our editing and marketing savvy to get it into the general market. We work with both LDS and non-LDS people. Our staff and the free-lance people and contracted people who work with us are of mixed denominations—but they all respect LDS values. They can help evaluate your work and see that it will sell to a non-LDS audience. And then we will do those things that will help it to succeed nationally.

Please see our page exploring LDS attitudes towards those not of our faith.

What kind of works are we seeking?

If you want to target national markets, your writing has to meet the standard of those markets, which may be considerably more demanding than the standards you're used to. Click here to read what the elements of quality fiction are, as we look at it—qualities that are shaped by national standards. Your book will be submitted to reviewers, and hopefully good reviews will help it start to stand out from the pack. There are about five hundred new titles published each day in the United States. Your book has to stand out.

Can we succeed at this?

We're absolutely confident that we can. Our reception among national distributors, reviewers, and bookstore buyers has been very positive. The time is ripe for LDS authors to come "out of obscurity." People will respect LDS values and beliefs if Latter-day Saints are open and not condescending. A key ingredient is going to be to rid yourselves of the notion that just because someone is LDS, they're better than someone else. There are some LDS people that seem to have that attitude, but you don't stand a prayer of a chance in the general marketplace if that attitude shows up your novel. (Please see our page exploring LDS attitudes towards those not of our faith.) If your writings show a respect for the beliefs of others and a recognition that there are many good people of all faiths, and if they are of sufficient quality, we're confident that they will be widely accepted by good people everywhere.

Mapletree Publishing Company—a publisher cultivating national markets for LDS authors.