Associate Publisher Interview ~ Chip MacGregor, Part I

Jerry Chip MacGregor (note the lack of “ ” on either side of Chip) is an Associate Publisher with the Hachette Book Group USA, formerly the Time Warner Book Group. He oversees the editorial function for two imprints, Warner Faith and Center Street. The former is the line of Christian books produced in the US by Hachette, the latter is the “heartland” publishing initiative for the company, offering fiction and nonfiction books that reflect the values of middle America.

Chip would like to think he is notorious in Christian publishing circles for being (a) a snappy dresser, (b) an insightful critic of writing and books, and (c) an international bon vivant. In reality, he’s a bit of a pain. Many know him for being a successful literary agent for years with Alive Communications – a place where he represented such luminaries as Brennan Manning, Michelle McKinney Hammond, Lisa Beamer, and dozens of others. Others recognize the name from having spoken at more than a hundred Christian writers conferences (clearly the man has too much time on his hands).

What you might not know is that Chip comes from an immigrant family (his grandparents came over from Scotland), grew up in Witch Hazel, Oregon, in a household where neither of his parents went to high school, and was the first person in his family to ever graduate from college. He was first published at the age of 8 (a letter to the editor), got his first real job in publishing while he was in college (copy editor for Clearing, a magazine for junior high science teachers), graduated with a Master’s degree from Talbot Seminary, and did his doctoral work at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!). He has authored about three dozen books with his own name on the cover, another couple dozen with someone else’s name on the cover, about 40 Bible study guides, and been a contributor or general editor for many other projects. After making his living as a writer, he began working with other writers as an editor, then as an agent, and he maintains a keen interest in the mentoring of Christian writers around the country.

[That’s pretty much the official story. Can I give you some other details? I’ve been married to Patti for 24 years, God help her. I’ve got two kids in college at Seattle Pacific University, and another about to go to college. I love Shakespeare, baseball, reading great novels, and card magic. My books have hit #1 in their category on the bestseller lists three times. I enjoy all things history, and currently have a book contract with Random House to do a book on the medieval church from an organizational development perspective.


One of the things that is so striking about you, (besides your good looks, amazing fashion sense and obvious genius), is your blatant honesty. Does speaking your mind get you into as much trouble as it seems it would?

Yes and no. Some people (many people) seem to be fans, and send me nice notes on occasion, like when they’ve gone off their meds or had too much to drink. Others clearly do NOT like me. Especially nice church ladies who can’t understand why I’d say that a book is bad or a writer has done a terrible job. They’re entitled to their opinion. But something those in the industry know is that I rarely get upset when someone disagrees with me. This is a business, and I treat it as such. If somebody wants to disagree, they’re entitled to do so. And they’ll find I can take it. But the funny thing is, most who disagree never actually write to me. Instead, they write to others, and make subtle remarks about my character, because they don’t have the brains or the balls to be biblical and confront me.

Too bad. I learned long ago that there’s nothing I can do about rumors (and I’ve had my share). So for all the noise and hoopla surrounding my thoughts, careful readers will see I’m always trying to do the same thing: help writers improve by pointing out the things I believe to be true and the lessons I’ve learned.

However, yeah, sometimes I get into trouble. For example, I happen to think Jim Dobson is a guy who did a lot of important things for the Christian community in this country. Back in the days when he was the face of evangelicalism, he was doing good stuff, and getting people to talk about important issues. At the same time, I’ve offered the occasional criticism (let’s face it: the man can be a tad bit sensitive; he’s no biblical scholar, so his attack on Zondervan’s NIrV was astoundingly stupid; and I thought BRINGING UP BOYS was flabby, redundant, and out of touch – nothing more than a means of making money on his good name). But when I shared some criticisms of his book at a Christian writers’ conference in California several years ago, somebody sent him the tape. He had -- (well…that may be too strong…I don’t have any direct evidence Jimbo actually set this in motion) – SOMEHOW, by some unknown means, one of his henchmen at Focus on the Family called me on the phone to berate me. For what? Criticizing his stupid book? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I mean, you’re telling me that Jim Dobson is sitting there amidst his millions of dollars and numerous real estate holdings, and he’s concerned because Chip MacGregor offered a criticism of a book that he didn’t even write? Give me a flippin’ break. I called the guy a moron and hung up.

Oh, and the story doesn’t end there. After sharing that story in print one time, I had several people write to me to offer criticism – not of Dobson and his band of merry men, but critical of me for daring to say something negative about Saint Jim. So, yes, I occasionally get some heat. But nothing I can’t take. I’m a critic – a critic of books and writing, and particularly of Christian books and Christian writers. Don’t we need critics to offer some perspective and advice now and then?

Um… I should add one thing: If I spent a lot of time complaining about all the criticism I get, I’d be crying wolf. I don’t get that much. Sometimes my employers have been unhappy when I’ve said something about an author they’d like to work with. And I certainly have my faults: I suffer fools badly. I can be too caustic. I’m occasionally wrong. But I really do think I’m helping move us forward, even if it’s only in a small way.

One of the debates in Christian book review circles is a lack of harsh reviews of CBA books. Should Christian authors be brutally honest when we review other Christian authors?

One of the things I noticed several years ago is that the world of Christian publishing had become awfully “nice.” Nobody ever got a bad review, even if the book in question was clearly a hunk o’ dung. I remember reading this very polite review for a CBA novel about ten years ago – I read the novel, but the only way I could finish the stupid thing was to tear out the pages I’d read and light them on fire, in hopes that occasionally sticking my hand into the flames would keep me awake. Mourn the trees that died so this tome could see print.

That experience made me wonder…why can’t we be honest? I mean, how are we ever going to get better as Christian writers if we feel the Lord is somehow calling us to be eternally nice? I’d suggest that many of the Old Testament prophets helped the culture make strides not by being nice, but being honest – even blunt. Ditto Paul. Ditto Jesus, for that matter (take a peek at his criticisms of the upstanding church leadership of His day). Okay, I understand that we sometimes do a nice review to help a book sell. Or to pay back a friend who said something nice on our own book. Or because we can’t think of anything else to say. Fine. But where does that author go to get better?

Think of it this way: Let’s say we have this nice young novelist who has just published her first book with Heartsong Presents. It’s a genre romance (Daphne meets Buck. They fall in love. Buck, who is as stupid as his name would suggest, misunderstands something and they quarrel. The romance is off. Then the fire breaks out and threatens Daphne’s barn. Buck comes to the rescue. They both are too stupid to realize they’re just characters in a trite novel, so they fall back into love again. They move into each other’s arms. There is an ellipsis in which nonChristian readers will assume they’re going to have sex. And the story wraps up with everyone tired but happy.)

Okay. She (the author, not Daphne, who is busy having an ellipsis with Buck) gets her book reviewed in a couple places. The reviews all say, “It’s lovely.” Her friends at church are impressed. She gets to sign copies at her local Christian Book Store (which is no doubt having a sale that week on Thomas Kinkade Napkins and Precious Moments Soap-on-a-Rope). She gets to hold it up at Glorietta and have all the wannabe’s fawn over her.

So…how does Ms Novelist improve her craft? I mean, everybody is telling her that she’s suddenly a genius. She starts posting opinions on Chi Libris and the WritersView. Pretty soon she is mistaking her inexperience as experience; substituting immaturity for maturity. And she moves on to sharing her weakness with everyone as though it were a strength. (Think that ain’t happening? Take a look at the writing experience of some of the experts.) I’m just trying to point out Ms Novelist needs to have a dose of reality. She needs somebody who is a bit farther down the path to suggest to her that she’s not All That.

So I think part of my job, part of the responsibility I have to the industry, is to try and help Miz N improve. That means I get to be honest. And I should point out that I long ago stopped reviewing books for magazines, newspapers, web sites, and other places that are basically marketing venues. I never try to torpedo anyone’s book, so you won’t find a bunch of toasty reviews I’ve created in trade magazines. It is NOT my job to harm someone’s book sales. If Christian Retailing and Publishers Weekly want to give the book solid reviews, then I think that’s great for the author’s sales. My comments ALWAYS take place in venues that are followed by writers, NOT by the general reading public. (In fact, my ego stays in check by reminding the rest of my brain that, outside of the very small audience that is Christian writers, nobody really knows who I am.)

So what’s the harm in being honest? Even brutally honest? Can’t we all admit we’ve got stuff to learn? I read books about writing regularly, because I really want to improve my craft. I listen when somebody I respect talks writing – a Cec Murphey, a Doc Hensley. I even listen to writers I used to represent, because I represented some good people, and I love hearing what they have to say – a Mary DeMuth, a Julie Barnhill, a Keri Kent. I figure if I’m going to be an opinionated loudmouth, that’s okay so long as I can back it up. But that means I really need to be teachable, or I’ll turn into nothing more than a pompous ass.

What does an associate publisher do? (Or in your case what should you be doing?)

As Associate Publisher, my job is to coordinate the editorial function for the Nashville offices of HBG/USA. I’m in charge of the acquisitions process for all the books we publish, so I’m regularly identifying and chasing authors and ideas we need to pursue, looking for areas where we can grow. I implement company policies and try to give strategic direction to our list. I oversee the list, the budget, the personnel, and the processes in the editorial department. When I arrived, our office wasn’t very strong with our systems. Now we’ve got great people in place and our systems seem to have been smoothed out.

I hire (and occasionally fire) editors, train the staff, and make sure the Editorial Assistants are moving forward in their careers. I do some editing and copy writing, and I try to stay in touch with some of our key authors and agents, as well as connect our office to our marketing, sales, and managing editorial departments. I go to lots of meetings and drink an inordinate amount of coffee. Right now I’m part of a strategic planning group out of New York that is moving our company forward technologically by exploring new ideas and systems that can help us do our jobs more effectively.

But, in all fairness, most of the work gets done not because of me but because of the people who work in editorial with me. This is no false modesty – I’ve got people around me who are great, and who routinely make me look good. In my opinion, the editors we have at Hachette Book Group are as strong as any set of editors anywhere.

Can you explain the process a publishing board goes through in deciding to publish a book?

To be continued tomorrow ...