how to make march madness even madder

On "Selection Sunday" each year, a committee appointed by the NCAA selects and seeds the top 64 Division I men's basketball programs to play in their championship tournament. Oh, in case you missed it, there is an Opening Round that started in 2001 where two teams played for the final spot in the tournament. Starting in 2010 there were four play-in games, so 68 teams get selected for the tournament. The winner of each play-in game would go to one of the four regions, except this year, when two went to one region. Go figure.

What most of us think of as the first round is actually the second round. But on to my point of how to make March Madness even madder.

Even with 68 teams making the tournament, there is angst and gnashing of teeth and cries of "no fair" for those "bubble teams" that don't make the tournament. No matter where you draw the line this would be the case, of course. (Note: Just because the top four NCAA DI college football teams play a mini tournament starting this year, don't believe for a second that there won't be impassioned cries of "unfair" from the next few teams in the final BCS rankings or whatever rankings they use.)

a look at the Christian fiction category

Publishing professional and friend, Dan Balow, recently took a look at the Christian fiction category in his blog for the Steve Laube Agency. His analysis includes some counterintuitive insights for publishers and some very specific advice to retailers that I wanted to share here. (Since my novels are considered "tweeners" - somewhere between the Christian and general markets, I especially appreciated what he had to say.) Dan - thanks for permission to use the following!

Just how well is Christian fiction doing?

Last year, two Christian publishers downsized or suspended their fiction programs. Currently, some Christian publishers are nervous about fiction and in a wait-and-see mode before they attempt to expand it or try new things. Others are excited about growth potential in the category and are taking an aggressive stance toward it.