Top Christian Writers.
Who Are Today’s Best Selling Christian Writers of Literature & Fiction?
Christian fiction continues to sell — really sell. And continues to grow in readership.
As I update this, the #1 Christian bestseller on Amazon is READING THE BIBLE WITH RABBI JESUS: How a Jewish Perspective Can Transform Your Understanding by Lois Tverberg, on Kindle. The top seller in Christian Literature & Fiction is CHASING FIREFLIES: A Novel of Discovery by Charles Martin.
In paper, the top best seller is PRAYER JOURNAL FOR WOMEN: 52 Week Scripture, Devotional & Guided Prayer Journal by Shannon Roberts. And in Fiction it’s THE SWEETEST OBLIVION by Danielle Lori.
TOP CHRISTIAN WRITERS 2024 – Best Selling Christian Books Tolkien to Kingsbury.
Also among the Best Sellers in Christian Fiction are THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, Boxed Set by C S Lewis. THE STRANGER IN A LIFEBOAT: A Novel by Mitch Albom. FROM LUKOV WITH LOVE by Mariana Zapata. SNEEZY THE SNOWMAN by Maureen Wright. ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE: A Novel by Louise Perry. REDEEMING LOVE: A Novel by Francine Rivers. And FORGIVING PARIS: A Novel by Karen Kingsbury.
RANGER FAITH: Texas Ranger Heroes Book 4 by Lynn Shannon is #1 on the Kindle Best Sellers on the Christian Literature & Fiction Paid List. And POISONED LEGACY: Of Gold & Blood Book 1 by Jenny Wheeler is #1 on the Free List. Search ’em out!
Not always listed in the Christian category, Tolkien’s LORD OF THE RINGS still sells worldwide, in 45 languages.
For those of us who enjoy — and need — a good story with genuine Christian heart, here are some of my favourites.
Still in print, the 20th Century saw some literary masterworks in the true Christian spirit. J R R Tolkien’s little Hobbits battled dark forces seemingly too powerful to overcome. Englishman C S Lewis gave us Aslan the Lion of Narnia. And G K Chesterton wrote about timid Father Brown with his confessor’s knowledge of human frailties and passions.
Tolkien remains the most popular author listed by younger readers. He’s remembered by fans years later. Paolo Romeo has reported, “My favourite author is JRR Tolkien. My devotion started exactly 30 years ago, when I first read THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. And then all his books translated in Italian at that time. Subsequently I read all his books in English as well.
“…a storyteller, a philologist at Oxford, a parent, a Roman Catholic, and a keen observer of the world around him. I was so taken by Tolkien’s life that his writing inspired me to move and study in the UK when I was 19. It still bears much influence on my life.”
Other writers of Faith followed to entertain us with their inspirational fiction into the new Millennium, becoming today’s top Christian writers.
JANETTE OKE. Janette Oke (née Steeves) was born on February 18th, 1935, in the Canadian western community of Champion, Alberta. She grew up on the vast Canadian prairies, steeped in its folkways and history (including the revered history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police). She also grew up with the independent, conservative values of the time and place, becoming a committed Evangelical Christian. Janette graduated from the Mountain View Bible College in Canada.
Her first novel was ONCE UPON A SUMMER. Published in 1981 by Bethany House, it was a Christian novel that blended history, romance and faith.
Her second novel was WHEN CALLS THE HEART — the first in her Canadian West Series — and a bestseller. WHEN CALLS THE HEART told the story of teacher Elizabeth Marie Thatcher who arrives from the cultured East. She faces a rougher place and culture than she had expected. Her faith is tested. But she meets her Mountie. The novel was a success, and has been adapted into a popular television series.
She’s gone on to sell millions of titles and is considered the originator of modern faith-based Christian fiction.
Other titles include A BRIDE FOR DONNIGAN, A QUIET STRENGTH, ANOTHER HOMECOMING and BEYOND THE GATHERING STORM. Recently, Janette returned to the Canadian West with WHERE COURAGE CALLS, WHERE TRUST LIES and WHERE HOPE PREVAILS.
Many of her books are available in boxed sets.
Janette Oke has received the 1992 ECPA President’s Award. As well as the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award for her “significant contribution to the Christian book industry.” She has also won both the Gold Medallion Award and the Christy Award for fiction. Janette and her husband, Edward, still live in Alberta, Canada.
FRANK PERETTI. Called “America’s hottest Christian novelist” and “a sanctified Stephen King,” Frank Peritti is a top selling Christian author, with millions of sales.
Born in the Canadian western town of Lethbridge, Alberta, in 1951, Peretti grew up in Seattle, Washington. He started with a stint of playing banjo in a bluegrass group and studying English, screen writing and film at UCLA.
Then he assisted his father in pastoring an Assembly of God church and began a writing career.
Following his first sale, a fantasy novel entitled THE DOOR IN THE DRAGON’S THROAT, Perretti published THE PRESENT DARKNESS in 1986. Considered the first of the new Christian fictional revival, THE PRESENT DARKNESS has been called his masterpiece. It still sells and draws new fans to his published novels. His concept of “Spiritual Warfare” continues to engage readers.
Other literary works include PIERCING THE DARKNESS, PROPHET, THE OATH, HOUSE (coauthored with Ted Dekker) and Frank Peretti’s latest, a trilogy. The Harbingers Series: INVITATION, THE ASSAULT and PROBING.
KAREN KINGSBURY. Born in 1963, Karen Kingsbury lives with her husband, Donald, and six children in the Pacific Northwest state of Washington, close to the Canadian border.
With millions of sales, her series of Christian novels include her Firstborn Series, Redemption Series, Red Glove Series, 911 Series, Women of Faith Series. And her newest, the Sunrise Series. One of her first Faith-based books, DEADLY PRETENDER was made into a CBS Movie-of-the-Week. It was re-titled, “Every Woman’s Dream” for broadcast.
Karen’s latest release is the Children’s Story ADVENTURE AWAITS, written with Tyler Russell.
She has been called “the queen of Christian fiction” by TIME Magazine. Karen has said, “Fans say that they are closer to God and each other after reading the stories the Lord has given me to write.”
TERRI BLACKSTOCK. Terri was born in Belleville, Illinois, on Dec 7, 1951.
With over 30 titles published, Christy Award winner Terri Blackstock’s book sales are in the millions. Her Christian fiction novels include LAST LIGHT, Restoration Series #1, DAWN’S LIGHT, Restoration Series #4, the Christy-winning INTERVENTION, and DOWNFALL, Intervention Series #3. Terri’s latest title for 2018 is IF I LIVE.
Terri’s advice for aspiring Christian Writers is:
“Don’t get it right, get it written. I used to spend weeks writing and rewriting the first three chapters, until I heard this bit of advice. Now I write the first draft without judgment, and rewrite extensively on the subsequent drafts. Just having the book on paper — even if it’s terrible — makes the rest of the job seem easier.”
TED DEKKER. Ted was born in 1962 in the wilderness of Netherlands New Guinea. His parents were Canadian and American missionaries. In an interview, he said, “I grew up in one of the darkest places in the world you can imagine, in the jungle, with cannibals. We’re talking about animism, heavy spiritualism, tremendous amounts of fear. Co-workers of my parents were killed and eaten. By cannibals… ”
Now living in Austin, Texas (with his wife and two of their daughters), Ted Dekker has published over 40 novels. He writes Christian fiction in the Thriller/Suspense genre. With titles on the New York Times Best Seller lists, his novel THE BRIDE COLLECTOR was nominated for a 2011 Christy Award.
Other novels by Ted Dekker include BONEMAN’S DAUGHTERS, ADAM, and, coauthored with Tosca Lee, FORBIDDEN, Books of Mortals Series, #1. His 2018 publications are THE 49TH MYSTIC, and, in October, RISE OF THE MYSTICS.
And here’s the good news for those of us who love Christian fiction: new works are being published every day! Don’t you Love it?
“Live Free, Mon Ami, and God Bless!” – Brian Alan Burhoe
UPDATED March 13, 2024.
Did you like this Christian Book Review?
THEN YOU’VE GOT TO SEE “THE WRITERS OF THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE” — MY MOST POPULAR LITERARY HISTORY POST:
The Christian message has been an essential element of Mountie Fiction from its beginning.
The Reverend Charles William Gordon, writing as “Ralph Connor,” reflected his passionate beliefs in his earliest novels, including CORPORAL CAMERON OF THE NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE: A Tale of the MacLeod Trail, the story that created the Mountie Fiction genre.
Others, such as Archdeacon H A Cody, who as a young man had done missionary work in the Yukon Territory, followed. James Oliver Curwood (who coined the phrase “God’s Country,” using it in a number of book titles). Janette Oke with her popular Canadian West series. And Alan Morris with his Guardians of the North series from Bethany House. All continued the tradition.
An extensive look at the writers who created the magnificent Mythology of our North-West Mounted Police. My Top 10 Mountie Fiction Writers, including Ralph Connor and James O Curwood, in some detail — and a look at many other authors. Amply illustrated with marvelous magazine and book covers. FREE TO READ ==> The GREATEST AUTHORS OF NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE FICTION
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” J R R Tolkien
Further Christian Writers Reading:
THE LETTERS OF J R R TOLKIEN, Edited by Humphrey Carpenter with Christopher Tolkien, George Allen & Unwin
A HOBBIT, A WARDROBE AND A GREAT WAR: How J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 by Joseph Loconte, Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins
JANETTE OKE: A Heart for the Prairie by Laurel Oke Logan, Bethany House
To read about Early Christian Writers, from Paul of Tarsus to Augustine of Hippo, see List of Early Christian Writers.
TOP CHRISTIAN WRITERS 2024 – Best Selling Christian Books Tolkien to Kingsbury.
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