“Catholics don’t buy books,” someone who works in the publishing industry told me the other day. He said it with a laugh, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve heard that sentiment expressed. Over the past few months I’ve spoken with a lot of folks in various roles in the bookselling world, and over and over again I’ve heard references to the fact that sales for Catholic books tend to be low. Even when you factor in market size differences (e.g. you’d expect sales of Protestant books to be higher since there are more Protestants than Catholics in the U.S.), there seems to be an impression that the average Catholic buys fewer books than readers in other demographics. I don’t have hard data to back that up and I’m not an expert on the industry, but I do know that I’ve heard more than one person who is an expert on the industry make that same quip that I heard the other day: “Catholics don’t buy books.”
What puzzles me about that statement is that it doesn’t fit with my impression of Catholics’ reading habits. When I first started hanging out in Catholic social circles I was amazed at how much these people read; I just assumed that books targeted at them must fly off the shelves. When I heard that that wasn’t usually the case, I was baffled. Was I mistaken that Catholics tend to be avid readers? Or was there something else going on?
I recently brought up the subject with a few Catholic friends who are also book nerds. Our ragtag think tank included published authors and people who have worked in the industry, and together we pondered the mystery of why books targeted at Catholics have reputations for not selling well. Here are the top theories we came up with:
THEORY 1: Catholics read in a wide variety of genres. When we considered what we ourselves had read in the past six months, the list included books in the categories of popular fiction, classic literature, political science, historical biography, science, world history, etc.—titles specifically about the Faith were only a small part of the mix. One friend suggested that maybe Catholics feel less of a need to read about their beliefs than folks in other branches of Christianity. According to this theory, the problem is not that Catholics don’t buy books, but that they don’t buy Catholic books.
THEORY 2: The market is smaller than it seems. There are around 67 million Catholics in America. However, there’s a big difference between people who are baptized in the Church and people who want to read books that proclaim authentic Catholic teaching that is faithful to the Magisterium. Perhaps some of the folks I talked to in the industry had misset expectations, due to the large number of people who might self-identify as Catholic but don’t really have an interest in exploring their faith.
THEORY 3: Modern Catholic authors have 2,000 years of competition. This was the theory I found most interesting: One thing that almost all other book buying demographics have in common is that they tend to read titles published within the last fifty years. However, when my friends and I went over the authors we’d been reading lately, the list included Augustine (d. 430), Aquinas (d. 1247), Thomas a Kempis (d. 1471), Francis de Sales (d. 1622), Thérèse of Lisieux (d. 1897), Evelyn Waugh (d. 1966) and Flannery O’Connor (d. 1964). So, for example, if a Catholic author releases a book about prayer tomorrow, her competition is not only all the other Catholic authors currently writing about the same subject, but all the Catholics who have written about it for the past two thousand years!
I don’t know which (if any) of these theories is the right one, and there may be other angles we missed, but I found it to be a fascinating discussion. I think it’s worth talking about, because the question of what modern Catholics are reading gets to the very heart of what modern Catholics value and how they see the world.
Also, one other noteworthy thing came out of these discussions: A few of the friends I talked to weren’t even familiar with the genre of books written for Catholics. They hadn’t exactly made a conscious choice to avoid it, they just didn’t know what’s out there. For anyone else in that position, here’s a public service announcement: Check out the catalogs of Catholic publishers like Ignatius Press, Our Sunday Visitor, Servant and Ave Maria Press, to name just a few. I’d love to see more Catholic bibliophiles buying titles from publishers like these; not because they’re good Catholic books, but because they’re good books, period.
View Comments
Comments
Join the Discussion
Continuing my point:
I brought a little known book on Fatima and Medjugorje apparitions (A While Longer) to a Lenten reconciliation talk at my Church one evening last month,to lend to someone who would be there. I left it in the pew and went to visit someone at the back of the church for a moment and when I came back the book was turned over. I asked the man kneeling in the pew behind me if he liked what he had glanced in it, and he said he did. I handed it to him so he could read some more of it - he eagerly devoured as much of it as he could before it was time to go.
I ended up giving him the book.
Catholics hnuger for that topic, I tell you! Oh well!
THEORY 42: The hottest topic in Catholicism today is not carried by most (if not all) US Catholic bookstores. That is the taboo topic called Medjugorje (taboo in the US anyway; it is covered heavily in Europe). Many of the books on that topic, by Catholic and Protestant authors alike, have become national best sellers, sadly enriching few Catholic book sellers. The Protestants are reaping the rewards of what could be called a ‘Catholic thing’ since many of them don’t even believe in Marian apparitions.
Since the Vatican has set up a commission to investigate it, one would think US Catholic book stores would at least sell both Medjugorje Pro and Con books placed separate side-by-side bookshelves, one section marked Pro, and one marked Con, to keep us Catholics informed, instead of completely shunning it as if ‘if we ignore it, it will go away.’ It won’t - the Vatican is officially investigating it, for goodness sake, and 40 million people, many US Catholics have visited!
Oh well. I guess the Protestants get the gravy on that one!
Catholic’s don’t read many books about our faith because we utilize experiencing God. Experiences such as the Sacraments, Mass, Adoration, devotions, prayer, listening to the Bible at Mass, and many other various ways but emphasis is on experience/living our Faith. Also, you can factor in all the documents/articles of the Church, prayer pamphlet, and prayer cards that Catholics tend to read that don’t necessarily constitute as a book. I own a decent amount of Catholic books but to be honest its more of leisurely reading. The books owned range from reflection books, to books on doctrine, and Catholic Fiction but in the end what’s learned from those books can be learned from going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist, or going to Adoration, or by praying the Rosary, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Basically it all goes back to experiencing and living your Catholic Faith. All books do is give reasons of the realness and Truth of God, Catholics don’t need to read about that when they receive the realness and the Truth of God in the Eucharist.
Has anyone pointed out that CS Lewis wasn’t actually Catholic? Still a phenomenal man and writer, but not technically Catholic.
With larger families (common among Catholics), there is not always a lot of money left over for new books. I buy Catholic books from Catholic church rummage sales - these won’t show up on book sale lists. Plus, as you mentioned, there are 2,000 years of titles to choose from so there is always a great selection of Catholic titles (much better than anything our local bookstore sells). Plus, our book-sharing circle among church friends is very active (I think I read another post about that).
Cathy writes, “when books have an agenda to say “The Church needs to change”, that will limit the “Catholic” audience”.
——
I read that, and my first thought was “Protestants don’t have books like that, because when they disagree they just run off and start a new denomination.”
In 2011, Fr James Martin’s publisher Harper released his third bestselling book in row, Between Heaven and Mirth. His previous two books, My Life with the Saints—which is published by a Catholic house, Loyola Press—and The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything, have both sold over 100,000 copies. He is probably the best-selling Catholic author of our time. Fr Richard Rohr released a new book, Falling Upwards from publisher Jossey-Bass. Sales of that book are close to 100,000 sold. Fr Robert Barron’s magisterial book (and video series) Catholicism did quite well for Doubleday, sales are in the tens of thousands. Catholics do read. Catholics do buy books. Yes, so-called progressives might not buy the same books and authors as more conservative readers, but there is no lack of fine Catholic books on both sides of the ideological spectrum. I’ve just finished two entertaining novels the were published by Ignatius Press. I believe there is more good Catholic nonfiction and fiction available than at any time in history. With the Internet and a little searching, you can find almost any book you want. It’s a time of celebration, not resignation.
What a great article and wonderful comments that address so many aspects of the topic. Here are a couple more thoughts:
As an avid reader and “revert” to Catholicism, I’ve found there are some topics that Protestants simply do better: the issue of healthy Christian living for 30-something singles was mentioned, and I would add emotional healing and integrating the power of Scripture into daily life.
I teach college Catholic Scripture courses, and when my students ask why we use, or I recommend, Protestant authors at times, I tell them to find a Catholic author doing the same thing and I will gladly promote that book instead. Unfortunately, so far no one has been able to do so!
Overall I think Catholics are more willing to read Protestants than the other way around. Because of this, some Catholic authors, much like Catholic musicians, purposefully do not promote themselves as such and thus can appeal to all Christians. Whether it is literature or guides to spiritual warfare, Catholic authors are out there but may not be recognized as “Catholic”.
I used to work in the buying dept of a book retailer. I saw what budgets did to the ability to invest inventory $ in books that would sell less than X qty in six months. (This impacted all categories - not just religion.) While some Catholic publishers have fantastic study editions of, say, Interior Castles, can a retailer support having more than one version on the shelf? And if not, is the publisher that gives best terms (most likely a non-Catholic major publishing house) going to get the coveted spot? Whether we like it or not, money does matter to what shows up in our stores.
Even a specifically Catholic book store cannot carry everything, and may be prohibited from working with certain publishers based on what is available through a distributor. And I know one Catholic publisher who doesn’t work with Amazon, so even Amazon has limits!
Our religion buyer would periodically show me a book promoted as Catholic by a major secular publishing house and would ask me about it. I wouldn’t say any were anti-Catholic, but they certainly pushed the boundaries. That immediately removes from the mix those who are serious about their faith, and those who aren’t serious probably wouldn’t pick it up anyway. This is not to say there isn’t room for dialogue on topics, but when books have an agenda to say “The Church needs to change”, that will limit the “Catholic” audience despite what a publisher might perceive.
Hi. I’m not sure whether your experts in the book industry were owners of bookstores. But I have noticed, in several places where I have lived, that the Catholic books in general-interest bookstores tend to be pretty lightweight. The booksellers tend to get what is available from their regular vendors who also deal in secular books. When I am looking for a newly-published, classic, or obscure but worthy Catholic book, I look on the internet. Sometimes my search takes me to a small publisher, sometimes to a religious order’s bookshop, sometimes to an overseas seller, sometimes to Amazon, but rarely have I ever found a Catholic book of interest in a generic bookstore. If booksellers think Catholics don’t read, maybe they’re not stocking the books serious Catholics are looking for. My friends and I joke about being addicted to books, how maybe we should “give up books for Lent”, etc.
There are tons of free books by the saints themselves online, at places like saintsbooks.net - nothing better reading for Catholics or anyone!
*THEORY 1: Catholics read in a wide variety of genres*
That is true in my case for sure. I buy a lot of books. Most of them are NOT ‘catholic books’, though. I have many books that deal with philosophy or science and of course plain literature or poetry.
I have books that deal with religion, but not always from Catholic authors. Many scholarly books are from some non-catholic bible scholars or historians, like NT Wright or D. Wenham.
I suppose that scholarly only a Bible Commentary or exegetical work needs to be ‘Catholic’ (if you want the Church’s perspective), but otherwise there are many competent scholars who are protestant or even agnostic (as long as they deal with facts and not speculation).
Also some Catholic books I have (like the ones dealing with University level Fundamental Theology and Moral Theology) were handed over to me by a relative of mine who studied theology… so I did not need to buy them.
Also as someone stated above one should state what a ‘Catholic Book’ exactly is… If you search Aquinas for example you are more likely to find it under Philosophy than Religion and usually not in ‘Catholic Books’ sections… although that depends on the book store I suppose.
Also many put Hans Kung under ‘Catholic Books’… I put it under ‘garbage’…
—
*THEORY 4: THERE ARE LOADS OF CATHOLIC BOOKS ONLINE*
I must say that online I have found LOADS of resources.
There are websites for example dedicated to St. Augustine, containing his writing (translated in several languages) and (catholic) commentaries on it.
Same goes for Aquinas (for example you can find his Summa Theologiae on New Advent).
This is also true for prayer resources. There are plenty of websites containing prayers, devotions and even (short) biographies of saints. So why would someone buy them unless they really need to.
Of course I do buy books even if I have an online version of it. I like to have a cartaceous Bible at my side, even if I can find bible passages in multiple languages at BibleGateway.com
—-
Catholic authors ought to look into CreateSpace (dot com!). Write your book, lay it out in any program you want (Word will suffice), and turn it into a PDF (download PDF995 for free, and “print” out of Word to PDF995 and you’ll have your PDF file). Upload it to CreateSpace, get your proofs, and confirm them. You can be published with an ISBN number and have your book available on Amazon.com within a week or two for a few bucks (literally, a few bucks). You also get to keep significantly more of the price markup than if you’re an author getting royalties from a publisher. They also have programs (at an added cost) that make your book available to bookstores like Barnes & Noble.
I worked for several years as a manager for a now defunct big box book retailer. I think this is a case of “all of the above.”
For example, my favorite devotional read is St Augustine’s Confessions. Not only is he not a contemporary author, but book retailers don’t tend to put him in the “Catholic” or “Christian” sections. Rather, it lands in “Philosophy,” “General Theology,” or “Classics.” Worse still for the “Catholic market” is that I have been carrying around the same battered copy of the Confessions for about 10-years. I read it through about once a year.
I think there is also a problem of popularity. I have several shelves of books by great contemporary Catholic thinkers—and it’s all stuff you’d read in graduate school. Catholic literature tends to come in two flavors—stuff for academics, and stuff for simple piety. Neither is bad, I’ve got plenty of both. However, Alasdair MacIntyre is not ‘popular literature.’ Nor is Hans Urs Von Balthasar.
On top of that, I think there is a greater sense among Evangelicals of buying “Christian Products.” I have Evangelical writer friends who will tell you they write “Christian Romance,” or even “Christian Horror.” Meanwhile, my Catholic writer friends tend to be a Catholic who writes science fiction, or a Catholic who writes detective novels—without a specifically aiming to market to Catholics.
When I decided to become a “Catholic author” I did so knowing that the market for my books would be small; so small that there would be no way that I could quit my day job no matter how much I dreamed of that. I write devotionals and adddress topics that would be of interest to anyone, Catholic or not but from a “conservative” Catholic perspective. I made the decision because I wanted to do my part to promote Catholic literacy. No matter what the books need to be interesting, relevant and deep enough to make a difference in the reader’s lives.
There are a lot of good Catholic writers and good Catholic books; we just need to continue to make it a goal to promote Catholic literacy and Catholic publishers as much as we are trying to build a Catholic culture or should I say sub-culture within our society.
There are MANY Catholic women out there who are buying books and getting inspired by Protestant authors like Joyce Meyer. We need to show them that there is a better alternative.
I read news and articles voraciously but am not much of a book-reader, though I do envy my homeschooled friends who seem to be impeccably well-read almost without exception. After AP English I hardly touched a novel again for several years. At the bookstore I can get overwhelmed and paralyzed by the number of choices and, not wanting to make a poor investment, walk out empty-handed instead. When I do read a book, it’s more often than not one from the fascinating oeuvre of Oliver Sacks, the neuroscientist (Brandon W, if you think any serious nonfiction subject must necessarily be dry, I recommend ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat’—you’ll be delighted). I, too, wonder if they accounted for people who don’t get their fix at mainstream bookstores, but at secondhand shops, or people like my dad who will borrow, read, and then pass on to the next person?
-
“When I converted to Catholicism, I suddenly found that everything I already read was Catholic or dealing with Catholic themes, or responding to Catholicism.” elizabethe, I like that, it is so true. It is the same with me and music.
-
Angela: Thanks at least for not bringing the potty mouth here this time.
Catholic writing is not free of strong pressure in the debatable, open areas of theological opinion ...so it is not free. And non free writing is predictable. If a Catholic writer felt that the beatification of John Paul II was ill advised and he detailed that in a book respectfully, that writer would not be published by the Catholic press and the secular press might see little money in publishing it. Or a Catholic writer who wrote a book against the current anti death penalty position would again face the identical forces: he or she would not be published by the Catholic press and this time for affirming what Aquinas et al affirmed in view of Rom.13:4 for centuries.
Our writing should not be free in the de fide or infallible or inerrant areas. But it should be free in the open areas and it is not. In Catholic comboxes I’ve been censured more times than Woody Allen trying out a standup routine in Baghdad.
Of course, it is kind of hard for a Catholic to buy Catholic-oriented books when THERE AREN’T ANY ON THE BOOKSHELVES. Before they finally put a bullet in their brain, I noticed Borders religion section, and its Catholic subsection, shrinking more and more. The same thing has been happening to Barnes and Noble.
. .
Look, we can’t buy books if they are not on the shelves. If they want us to buy their books, they need to stock them.
I’m confused. Is the issue that Catholics don’t read, that Catholics don’t purchase books, or that “Catholic” books don’t sell? They all seem to be intermingled here. I’d have to go with Theory 1, if I accept any of these premises at all. To use myself as a case study: I read about a book a week, but I don’t limit myself to books on the Catholic faith or books by Catholic authors. If you were to judge my reading habits solely upon sales receipts, you would conclude that I never read anything. This is because I get almost all of my reading material from the public library.
I used to love going into so-called Christian bookstores and asking for their sections on patristics or Aquinas.
How about Theory 4: Catholics love their local public library!
At least that’s MY excuse!
My wife just complained that today we got 6 more new books in the house because we already 4 books five days ago.
1- Computers/Web
2- Teenager fiction
3- Philosophy/Logic
4- Morality
5- Development of doctrines
6- Catechism for youth: YouCat (3rd copy because I gave away trhe previous two)
Except for number 5 they are contemporary books. I think that we do not waste money on stupid books for sure but that does not mean that we do not buy books.
Also, “protestant” Christian books are readily available in many retail outlets—look in WalMart’s book section, or the book / magazine areas of grocery stores. Generally evangelical fiction / inspiration / self help books can be found easily there. Also, I think people are more comfortable handing these on to family and friends. The books are seen as more general interest.
I read only scholarly books. Because of time constraints and the increasingly high cost of such books I have been purchasing less of them.
Great point, Vince C, and those words should be preached in homilies and faith formation groups. So many times I’ve heard similarly flawed assertions of being knowledgeable about the Catholic faith from lapsed Catholics who’ve taken up preaching in one Protestant denomination or another.
Maybe part of the problem is we don’t buy in regular bookstores or at Amazon. We buy used, church bookstores/gift shops, directly from Catholic presses/ministries (EWTN). And, of course, the fact that you can get many classic Catholic works as free e-books doesn’t help. During the years I was away from the church, I found very little interest among Protestants (other than ministers) in reading anything published more than a few years before; Catholic works, on the other hand, rarely show their age and remain readable and spiritually current for ever. I’m still reading Fulton Sheen, as an example.
Dear Jennifer, All these theories play a part in the statistics. I do think that more Catholics will begin buy more books now that many public libraries are slowly, “literally” getting rid of many classics (which includes of course our Catholic classics). Also, Catholics who go to Mass and Adoration frequently can often find wonderful used Catholic books, magazines & even CDs kindly left at the back of the church or chapel by other faithful visitors with bigger book & entertainment budgets. And let’s not forget that many parishes maintain good if not totally up to date libraries. Confession: I went thru a phase - since Austin is so well supplied with secular bookstores that lean toward new-agey or anti-Christian titles - of ordering Catholic books from them (doubles or triples of certain ones they would not willingly stock) and then not always picking all of them up - so the bookstores would be stocking some very strongly Catholic books anyway & praying for conversions for their readers.)
I inherited a 51 volume set of “Harvard Classics”, copyrighted in 1910. This includes St. Augustine’s Confessions (which I struggled through about two thirds of) Dante’s Divine Comedy (which I was able to follow more easily in a heavily footnoted paperback edition from the 1950s) and Blaise Pascal’s reflections.
Dante had no love nor admiration for some of the popes and bishops of his day, and describes the torments assigned them in *Inferno* graphically.
C.S. Lewis has a fantasy trilogy (*Perelandra*, *Out of the Silent Planet*, and *That Hideous Strength*). These explore the conjectures that other than the human race (which fell through Original Sin and was redeemed), there might be another created race which never fell; and another which had fallen and NOT been redeemed. We also have the *Narnia* series, and several works of his apologetics. Technically Lewis was an Anglican, teetering on the edge of “crossing the Tiber” for many years.
Tolkien was formally Catholic, but his fiction is not necessarily more Catholic than Lewis.
We also have English translations of two volumes of B-XVI’s *Jesus of Nazareth* and at least one other book of his writings. Also, Bob and Penny Lord (Journeys of Faith) have published many paperback books on the Eucharist, Lives of the Saints and appearances of the BVM as at Lourdes and Fatima.
The guilt we express is having purchased the books and often not taken the time to read and reflect on them.
*Introduction to the Devout Life* (by St. Francis De Sales) has some worthwhile pointers for anyone who wants to go beyond simple rote prayer.
Our problem is that we buy books, tapes, etc. at conventions and seldom take the time to read or listen to them. Many of the books we read come from our local library.
As at least one commenter above noted, the competition for a “Catholic” book is not limited to work in current publication.
TeaPot562
Theory 4: Most Catholics have families to care for so it makes more sense to buy used.
En serio, I can barely rub two nickles together most of the time yet manage to find great stuff in the bargain bin at various used places or online.
And of course there’s always the library. What do I need to own a copy of Garuti’s “Primacy of the Bishop of Rome and the Ecumenical Dialogue” for when I can just look it up for free?
Books is $$$ mang ;) [/deliberate bad grammer]
Also, I usually only want to own a book after I’ve already read it and know for a fact that I’ll be referencing it often or wanting to read it again. Otherwise what’s the point in having it sit on the shelf? To make me look smarter than I actually am? That illusion will quickly vanish as soon as you talk to me.
I have to add that many Catholics, especially young faithful Catholics that follow the Church’s teachings on being open to life, don’t necessarily have a lot of spare money (or time) for books. I read many Catholic books, but most of them I try to get used on Paperback Swap or borrow from the library. I don’t necessarily think this makes up for the huge gap, but their are just other things that I need to be spending my money on right now.
Jennifer,
Like you, at first-thought I am surprised.
In my opinion, after some reflection, all 3 of your theories,
1) We are well rounded
2) The market is small - even among this demographic, there is truly much diversity
3) Competition from the last 2000 year.
are all true.
However, I feel there is a ring of truth to Angela and Theory 5: They are BORING! I would phrase it a bit different.
1) For much of the things I’m interested I needed a decade plus to ramp up my vocab, Latin/Greek and history in order understand. I’m in my 60’s, studied engineering at Cal and converted to Roman Catholicism from SF “spirit of V-II” Catholicism in the early 80’s. It is still not easy to read.
Things that above were somewhat mentioned but I think need clarification, like Michael, above, where for one reason or another, we read the same amount of time per day but not the same quantity:
2) I do not have to time to read books like I did when I was younger. Family: having to work/prepare/update (5:15am to 7pm M-F), kids (remaining 7, 12, 16yr) juggle school, soccer, basket ball, little league, catch up & strategizing with the wife, house/car repairs and maintenance, parish/sacramental life. I see about half the “like minded” Catholics that I know in this situation. I see some do fine; others are like me.
3) I’m not reading for the adventure, I’m here to learn. I do not like being burned, wasting time and money. I do not trust the contemporary authors to cover the topic that they might drag me though in order to understand their point just to find that they had a problem with the church; I might learn how that person views the world (past/present), or they might be plain silly, loyal or not. I’m interested in history, apologetics, exploring certain teachings and current event in the Church. You mention <<Ignatius Press, Our Sunday Visitor, Servant and Ave Maria Press>> and I might add Pauline Press. In my mind these are beginning for selection; I then need to be introduced. I go to people I trust who have already read the books. I inquire about the plusses and minuses in the book and the author. I have less of an investment in reading summaries on New Advent, Catholic Answers or Catholic World Report.
England and America being adamantly non- and anti-Catholic for centuries, English-speaking Catholics often have to look to translated works for good material. Historically, this took a toll Catholic reading habits, even those inclined to read works of piety.
Book reading is down for everyone, though—digital fora leave people disinclined to take in a novel; they settle instead for tweets and quick posts.
Another factor, I think, is that there just aren’t many good Catholic authors writing in English today.
Every Catholic who reads this should go out and buy a Catholic book that was written in the last five years! And since many will not…maybe you and I should go out and buy two or more! I bought two yesterday and will go out and buy two more tomorrow if you do!
Jennifer, thanks for this topic. I agree with theory 3. When I started to read catholic books, I began with st Francis de Sales treatise of love and then followed by writings of other saints.
Catholic books are my favorite and if you have the right authors like a Peter Kreeft “the God who loves you” you will enjoy it and grow in faith.
I think one factor is that, when it comes to the religious genres (and that is, I think, what the writer was primarily referring to), practicing Protestants are more heavily networked among themselves when it comes to recommending books (and music and movies) than Catholics in general (practicing Catholics are a much smaller sub-group). For example, if their pastor (especially) or Bible study or youth group leader recommends a book, they are more likely to go seek it out, either at a Christian bookstore or one of the big book chains (which, incidentally, is one reason why you see more Protestant books there than Catholic books. Supply and demand.). When was the last time you heard a Catholic priest recommend a book from the pulpit? I remember our former pastor did this ONE TIME about ten years ago, and there was such a rush at the parish bookstore after Mass, you couldn’t get in the place. All the copies they had sold out, and they had dozens of orders for more.
Another reason, in my experience, is that for whatever reason, MANY Catholics are uninterested in learning more about their Faith. How many times have you heard someone say, “Hey, I was altar boy; I went to 12 years of parochial school. Don’t tell me I don’t know the Faith.” Well you know what? If you stopped learning then Faith as a child, you have a childish understanding of the Faith. If you think you know everything there is to know about the Faith, you’re not going to see the necessity of growing into an adult level of knowledge of the Faith.
I am co-owner of a small Catholic bookstore. What we don’t stock, we can order for customers. Thank goodness we don’t need to make a profit because the markup on books is not all that high.
I always wanted to own a bookstore, who knew it would take becoming Catholic to get my wish?
Easter vigil - 2008
I like to read books (fiction) also with a Catholic genre (Micheal O’Brien) for instance, as well as Chesterton, St. Augustine and other early apologists as well. Although I have bought some in hard cover, I do have a Kindle e Reader and download a lot on that, some of which are free.
I like to be able to choose a book for Lenten reading (especially on Fridays during Lent). I’m a senior and we have way too many books on our shelves now, but of course have the religious books I can go back to time after time.
I don’t think that Catholic reading is going done, but I just think the selection is more varied so people can “pick and choose. Being on a budget (Social Security) I can’t always afford the price of a hard cover book unfortunately. And my local library doesn’t carry much. I’d suggest to Catholic publishers to sell more to libraries if they can, and also covert some into digital books, where more people may buy them.
Great topic. I wish I was smart enough to generalize about the reading habits of others but as my mother used to say, “Son, you’re cuter than a panda but your carburetor is plugged up.” To this day, I have no idea what she was talking about.
Notwithstanding my Mom’s non sequitur, I can make a few observations of my own. I just finished writing my first nonfiction book. In writing my book proposal, I had to analyze both the potential market and the competitors––and then try to convince the reader (agent and/or publisher) that my book was worthy enough to enter the public domain. Tall task. I know what I like. But others? I love compelling, accessible and relevant stories that have meaning for my life. I’m mesmerized by a unique story of struggle and ultimate redemption. I relate to lessons arduously learned. I will also acknowledge that times are particularly tough and that we all strive for answers, especially when we’re spiritually hungry.
But as to why I keep reading a book beyond chapter one, there’s really only one reason. Good writing. No matter the topic––Christian Living, Inspirational, Faith, Spirituality, Evangelism, Theology, Personal Growth, Apologetics, Spiritual Warfare, Autobiography, Humor, Miracles and on and on––the wordsmith has to engage me. When I’m captured by a literary style, I’m in for the long haul; I’ll be with him/her until the end. Are there Catholic books out there that meet my standard? Absolutely. But more are needed!
@elizabethe
I think you make a good point. Years of reading a variety of books from various sources (certainly many of them unfriendly to the Catholic Church) ultimately brought me to the Catholic Church. Protestants (and many other groups) tend to be very insular, and seek out material that confirms their pre-set beliefs - i.e. confirmation bias. What I have always found is that there can be value in anyone’s ideas, but you don’t have to accept everything out of their mouth as true, simply because they had 1 or 2 good ideas. When taken as a whole, I found myself pointed to the Catholic Church. After 20 years of wandering in the wilderness I became Catholic in the last year.
Based on my experience, I would say that all three theories are correct, and that your last point about some Catholics not being aware of the Catholic book genre is correct as well.
When I converted to Catholicism, I suddenly found that everything I already read was Catholic or dealing with Catholic themes, or responding to Catholicism.
There is no “Catholic” genre. Is Thomas Aquinas a “Catholic” writer? or a philosopher? Is Graham Greene a “Catholic” writer or does he write literature? Same with Evelyn Waugh and Flannery O’Connor or, as mentioned above, Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. Catholics don’t write genre, they respond to the world, informed by their Catholic beliefs.
I can think of a dozen authors off the top of my head, and could come up with a hundred more with time, who, in some sense, are “Catholic” writers and who Catholics draw deep spiritual insight from, but whose works would never be classified as “Catholic genre books.”
Protestants are the ones who need explicitly Protestant fiction, Protestant romance, Protestant mystery, Protestant self-help, so they aren’t corrupted by improper beliefs. Atheists (not all) are the ones who read only works friendly to atheism or hostile to religion and who demand that public discourse be purged of all reference to beliefs other than theirs.
Catholics read everything. I’ve never even thought of saying to myself “I will only read books that reaffirm my religious beliefs,” or “I will only read and draw insight from books that target my specific demographic,”—what an impoverished worldview!—I read everything.
I love Project Gutenberg—you can get all kinds of information that is now in public domain—including early atheists, agnostics, and works by Darwin!
——
A surprising amount of early fiction also has agnostic/atheist attitudes. Many writers were more humanist in those days.
...I thought this article was going to talk about how Catholics have too many books to buy, but not enough time to read them! :)
When I go to the religion section in a bookstore there is a whole section on Christian fiction—many of them in the genre of romance. A nice read if I don’t want to think too hard. But to find Catholic fiction I have to go to the literature section. Just an observation.
I think Catholic parishes and Diocesan newspapers do a poor job of promoting Catholic literacy. I read at least two Catholic books per month, often more. I get most of my leads from watching EWTN and picking up reference books,titles and authors that I then buy. I don’t know of any Catholic Book Club discussion groups. An interesting sidelight. At Barnes and Noble I saw apair of elderly ladies with quite a few copies of Pope Benedict’s book “Jesus of Nazareth”. I asked them what parish they were from. They were from Highland Methodist in Bloomington,Mn. They like the Pope’s books because he lacks ambiguity,and is faithful to Scripture.
THEORY 7. Since Catholic literature, theology, philosophy, and etc. have a 2000-years history you do not need to buy them (if they are older than 50 years). You find most of them for free at
http://www.gutenberg.org (The Gutenberg Project)
I can understand the frustration (all too well) of trying to read complex, dry material. I have a published non-fiction book I wrote, and it’s so dry I can barely stand to read it, myself. However, any book on a serious subject - particularly an issue as complex as theology or philosophy - is likely to be very dry. It just sorta comes with the territory.
-
As to why Catholics seem to read fewer Catholic books, I think part of it is that Catholics tend to find their faith in community, works, rituals and traditions, rather than text. As Brandon Vogt points out, that is more the habit of Protestants.
The last fifty years? You mean no one reads The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia?
Anyway, Theory #6: Many Catholics are like me (I have Asperger’s Syndrome), such that text reading isn’t their best medium. I tend to see the shape of the paragraphs more than the content, and so my eyes kind of glaze over, and I skim. I’m more of a visual or audio sort (especially when combined) so that I get more out of it if it’s a comic, or something I’m being told, or better yet something I’m watching like a movie or a play. I don’t know how many Catholics are like that, but I’d imagine one appeal to Catholicism for people like me is what has been used as an insult to the Church by others: its apparent “legalism”. That is, clear rules for what the Church teaches and why that can be applied to various situations.
To some extent I have to agree with Angela. While I was considering converting to Catholicism, I bought many books. Of those, most have extreme depth which was fine for me as a doctrine studying, apologetics teaching, door-to-door Protestant considering switching teams. However, as I’ve encountered in this journey, many cradle Catholics have an interest in learning the deeper aspects of their faith but starting off on the 72 oz steak from the Big Texan isn’t the way to go. You have to start off with something more easily digested and consumed.
The other problem I have is that there tends to be many assumptions. Can you please point to me the literature for single people in their 30s? Lifeway (the Southern Baptist Convention’s publication and distribution arm) has everything from Sunday School Literature to Fiction to Motivational and Devotional books. I recently was looking for a book to use with a group in my parish who are post college, not married, and don’t have kids. I have yet to find a book that is Catholic though I found a GREAT volume of Protestant literature, mostly from Lifeway. If I found a Catholic book it was focused on people who were already married, teenagers, or still in college.
Oh, and try finding a local Catholic bookstore. Not so easy either.
I am an avid Catholic reader. I used to read Protestant books but like what Brandon said, it is a “shallower read.”
I have my own in-home library and currently I’m absolutely in love with the books written by Michael H. Brown! He’s an amazing author! For those that are not familiar with him, check out: www.spiritdaily.com I really enjoyed his book: The Other Side. Brown has done years of investigations and interviews of people who have experienced what death is like and came back to tell. His book by far exceeds anything I have read previously. Other excellent books are: Spirits Around Us, Tower of Light, Witness, The Bridge To Heaven, Prayer of the Warrior, The God of Miracles, Trumpet of Gabriel. Michael Brown has a brilliant mind! He also knows and has interviewed visionaaries from Medjugorje, has studied other apparition sites and knew and interviewed Maria Esperanza of Betania…the mystic who had similar gifts as Padre Pio.
After reading Catholic books for quite some time now, the Protestant books don’t even compare. I have cleared all but one out of my library.
I think that for Evangelicals there’s a quasi-sacramental aspect to reading Christian books, just as there is for Christian music, video, bumper stickers, what have you. In the absence of real sacraments, all this subculture stuff is an important part of their faith-expression. That may account for their greater activity in the book marketplace (and the popular Christian subculture generally) compared with Catholics.
Angela, try dropping by a local Catholic bookstore. I promise that you’ll be amazed and impressed by how relevant and interesting the inventory is.
I don’t know if it the same in Protestant communities, but many Catholic churches and communities have their own libraries and book-sharing groups. There are SO many Catholic books out there, who can buy and store them all? Although, I do know a few professors who have probably bought them all and then some, but that’s a different story.
Angela, by saying Catholic books are boring you obviously haven’t read any of the works of GK Chesterton, one of the most thought-provoking authors and social critics I’ve ever read regardless of genre. Thomas Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain has its share of conflict and tragedy even as Merton finds the peace he searched the world for. Even some of Garry Wills’ straight historical works (and I know he has his outs with the Church) carry a lot of enlightenment. But Jennifer, no mention of GK or Hillaire Belloc by YOU either? And of course, Catholic clown prince Lino Rulli’s “Sinner.”
Great post Jennifer! Thanks for the shout-out. OSV certainly believes in Catholic books AND Catholic readers!
With my own experience in both Protestant and Catholic book spheres, here’s my sense:
The average Protestant reads more Christian books per year than the average Catholic, but they tend to be shallower reads. Go to an evangelical bookstore and you’ll find a selection that’s a mile wide and an inch deep. The typical Catholic bookstore is the opposite (in my experience). Catholics may read fewer books but the titles they do read tend to have more meat to them—I think this is even true of the Catholic devotional book market.
The other thing I noticed, and this is *very* crucial, is most Protestants are “people of the book.” Literacy, reading, words, logic, and systematic thought, all products of both the printing press *and* the Protestant revolution, are part and parcel of the Protestant DNA. Their whole faith depends on one’s ability to comprehend a book, therefore it’s natural that Protestants are more bookish.
When I was a Protestant, spiritual reading was a primary discipline. Outside of prayer and corporate worship, the best way to grow closer to God was through the Bible or other books. But in Catholicism I find a whole array of paths. There’s Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, the Mass, the Sacraments, and more, all of which draw emphasis away from spiritual reading.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m the biggest proponent of good Catholic books. I’m convinced they have great power and I stand alongside St. Josemaria Escriva: “reading has made many a saint.” Yet while it saddens me, I’m not surprised that Catholics read less than other Christians.
Theory 5: Catholic books are BORING!—they have no relevance in everyday 21st Century life. If they want to read about anything all they have to do is pick up the Catholic books they already have. There is nothing new in Catholic belief and this blog, among others, filters current news so that Catholics might get curious about anything else.
——
Other genres are much more interesting.
THEORY 4. Many Catholics are not comfortable reading in English or are more conformable reading in their native language.
Join the Discussion
We encourage a lively and honest discussion of our content. We ask that charity guide your words. By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our discussion guidelines. Comments are published at our discretion. We won’t publish comments that lack charity, are off topic, or are more than 400 words. Thank you for keeping this forum thoughtful and respectful.
Comments are no longer being accepted on this article.