Report calls niche category ‘one of the fastest-growing genres in romance publishing’

Amish inspirational fiction has been spotlighted as “one of the fastest-growing genres in romance publishing.”

USA Today focused on the category in a 1,400-word report in August that noted how “in our sex-soaked society, nothing seems to inflame the imagination quite like the chaste.” “It’s a huge, huge, huge trend,” said romance blogger Sarah Wendell, co-author of a book on romance fiction.

Exploring the popularity of Amish novels, English professor Pamela Regis, author of A Natural History of the Romance Novel, told the newspaper: “Simplicity is a hallmark of that community, and simplicity is powerful.”

Trade association releases monthly statistics to help publishers make ‘intelligent decisions’

A new monthly report on Christian book sales is being made available by the publishers trade association.

Data from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is to be reported by Christian Retailing to help publishers and retailers track trends in the market.

Publisher’s growth due in part to several fiction authors hitting the ‘New York Times’ best-seller list

Zondervan posted “strong growth” in the financial year ended June 30, company officials have announced.

Citing “success on a variety of fronts,” the news followed parent company HarperCollins’ announcement of an increase in profits of $77 million in the previous 12 months.

Zondervan spokesperson Tara Powers said that the company’s improvements were in part due to several fiction authors hitting the New York Times best-seller list, including Karen Kingsbury, Terry Blackstock and Tim LaHaye.

Leading names voice support for inaugural retail awareness campaign

A bevy of authors and artists has voiced support for the first nationwide Christian Store Day, to be held Oct. 23.

More than 20 leading names from the Christian book and music world have given their backing to the initiative to raise awareness of Christian retail stores.

Digital editions among giveaways and specials for inaugural Oct. 23 event

A free copy of the 2010 Christian Book of the Year is to be given away as part of the first Christian Store Day, aiming to boost traffic at Christian stores next month.

A PDF download of Richard Stearns’ The Hole in Our Gospel (Thomas Nelson), which received the top award in the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) annual prizes in May, will be included in the $5 benefit CD being produced for the Oct. 23 event.

Organizers hope that several hundred stores across the country will sign up for the event, which will feature author and artist appearances, giveaways and special offers.

Raising money for Compassion International, Samaritan’s Purse and World Vision efforts in Haiti, the limited-edition CD will feature up to a dozen tracks by leading contemporary artists. Likely to be included are Newsboys’ “Build Us Back” from the group’s latest release, Born Again, and “All In” from TobyMac’s Portable Sounds. Other artists will include Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli and Sidewalk Prophets.

The CD will also include the first episode of Phil Vischer’s new children’s DVD series, “What’s in the Bible?” (Tyndale House Publishers), and digital editions of Remember Why You Play by David Thomas (Tyndale House) as well as The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels and The Aedyn Chronicles: Chosen Ones by Alister McGrath (both Zondervan).

More than 100 books, CDs and and DVDs will be available for sale as $5, $10 and half-price specials, with vendors supporting the effort also providing free products for hourly giveaways.

Modeled after Record Store Day, which has created awareness of independent music stores in the past few years, Christian Store Day is being promoted as an occasion to “Celebrate Faith and Community.” The idea is to raise awareness of Christian stores as the Christmas shopping season begins.

Backed by CBA, ECPA and the Christian Music Trade Association with support from Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Word Distribution, EMI CMG Distribution and Provident-Integrity Distribution, the event is being coordinated by Nashville area-based marketing consultant group Propeller.

Stores have until Sept. 23 to register as participants in the program—for which there is a $25 sign-up fee—with product to be shipped a week to 10 days before the event. The campaign will be promoted through social media and to the three charities’ supporters, with radio advertising also possible, said Propeller Executive Vice President and COO Bob Elder.

The Munce and Parable marketing groups were supporting the effort, he added. LifeWay Christian Stores would be taking part. Although it had been part of the organizing committee, Family Christian Stores would not be joining in this year because of “executional” challenges, Elder told Christian Retailing.

Planning for Christian Store Day began at the International Christian Retail Show in 2009, with involvement limited to three initial vendors to make organization easier, Elder said. Some other suppliers had subsequently expressed an interest in being part, and could be involved in future years.

Organizing details of the event had been a challenge, Elder said, but there was “a deep commitment to the marketplace” from those taking part. “There is an entrepreneurial spirit of love and service to the body of Christ that happens through a local Christian retail store that has been all over this.”

The aim was to “create a repeatable event and learn from the marketplace what works and what doesn’t and then grow from there.”

Digital platform could build on ‘unique trust,’ says summit briefing paper released by CBA

As discussions continue about an industry-wide platform for delivering e-books to Christian stores, CBA has released the briefing paper that helped launch the initiative.

An industry task force looking at how retailers may be helped to find a toehold in the growing digital book market was launched at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in St. Louis.

Representatives of leading stores and marketing groups, publishers and point-of-sale service providers have been talking about the best way Christian retailers could make e-books available to their shoppers online or in-store.

One option under consideration is the IndieCommerce, white-label e-commerce platform serving general market independent bookstores, from Ingram—parent company of Spring Arbor (SA).

Following ICRS, CBA published the document that formed the basis of talks at the Digital Summit held during the June 27-30 event.

The 14-page report—available at CBA’s Web site, www.cbaonlione.org/documents/DigitalSummitBriefingFin.pdf—said that the growth of e-book sales, estimated to increase 5-10% annually for the next few years, threatened the viability of Christian stores as a source for book buying.

The document expressed concern that some stores might abandon the category prematurely, as had happened with the digital revolution in music—though physical sales of music had not declined as much as some had predicted. The same give-up scenario with books “would dramatically change the face of the channel and the nature of Christian stores.”

Advocating a channel-wide solution, the paper noted that Christian stores have “a unique position of trust to recommend, educate and connect with customers that can’t be matched online.”

CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey told Christian Retailing in July that, working with the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, there was “consensus from leading retailers and publishers that it would be of value to explore whether or not there is a possible cooperative solution that would enable publishers to sell e-books through Christian stores.”

He added: “We believe there is concern among retailers and publishers that the rapid growth of e-books could seriously cannibalize sales from stores and significantly affect Christian-stores.” The task force was a forum “to discuss options and possibilities and whether or not there could be an alternative for loyal Christian-store consumers to buy e-books through their favorite stores.”

According to the International Federation of Phonographic Industry, Riskey said, digital music sales had “skyrocketed” more than 940% since 2004, while overall music revenues declined approximately 30% “meaning people are buying less music.”

Zondervan’s NIV Bibles top e-book charts, while NavPress’ ‘Pink Edition’ sees third print run

Leading publishers have reported positive response regarding digital Bibles as well as new Bible campaigns and products.

New International Version (NIV) Bibles have been among the fastest-selling e-book products on Apple’s iBookstore and Amazon’s Kindle Store, Zondervan officials said. Amazon announced in July that it was now selling more e-books than hardcovers.

Meanwhile, NavPress’ The Message Remix Solo: Pink Edition—a Christian retail channel exclusive Bible offering encouragement to women with breast cancer—has had three print runs, while selling more than 20,000 copies.

Since the beginning of 2010, the NIV Bible and NIV Study Bible have been among the top five e-books in the Religion & Spirituality category of the two online e-book stores.

“A growing number of consumers are adopting the e-reader format, whether it’s the Amazon Kindle, the Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble Nook or Sony Reader,” said Chip Brown, senior vice president and publisher for Bibles at Zondervan. “Many of these consumers are purchasing an e-Bible so they can have the Word of God in an easy-to-use digital format. We’re encouraged by the success of our e-Bibles to date, and remain committed to offering consumers the content and features they want in the format they desire.”

E-Bibles now represent more than 40% of the company’s e-book revenues, and in several instances they have outsold some traditional hardcover Bible products, Zondervan officials said. From mid-May to mid-June, the NIV Study Bible for Kindle sold more units on Amazon.com than the hardcover edition.

The first publisher to have Bibles available in the iBookstore with the launch of the iPad, Zondervan has published more than 15 Bible titles for e-book readers and currently has 1,450 books and Bibles available in the e-book format across the various platforms.

At the end of May, the Association of American Publishers reported that in the first quarter of 2010, overall e-book sales showed a year-over-year increase of more than 250%.

Meanwhile, NavPress has donated more than $20,000 to breast cancer research—a portion of profits from The Message Remix Solo: Pink Edition, company officials said. The pink-accented Bible with The Message text—which retails for $17.99—released last September to coincide with October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

NavPress is releasing The Message: Solo New Testament Pink edition this fall. NavPress officials said the company has received numerous accounts of how The Message Remix Solo: Pink Edition has offered hope not only to those facing breast cancer, but also for their families and friends.

“We are very excited about the impact that our Pink Solo campaign has had not only in the lives of those who received this devotional, but also with the contribution we have been able to make to the National Breast Cancer Foundation,” said Jill Johnson, associate Bible publisher at NavPress.

Elsewhere, David C. Cook’s The Action Bible was showcased at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July in San Diego, which drew more than 125,000 pop-culture fanatics of film, television, comic books and video games.

Sergio Cariello, a well-known Brazilian-American artist who has drawn Spider-Man for DC Comics and Superman and Batman for Marvel Comics, worked for three years on illustrations for The Action Bible—a 752-page updating of the publisher’s successful Picture Bible.

“It is a privilege and the honor of a lifetime for a Christian cartoonist to get to draw and bring to life God’s own stories,” Cariello said.

‘Nothing too surprising’ regarding increased sales, decreased revenues for audiobook industry

Audiobooks experienced a 4.7% unit sales increase last year, though like much of the publishing industry, the sector experienced a drop in revenue in 2009, according to the Audio Publishers Association (APA). The association recently released the results of the Survey of 2009 Sales, with independent research firm Lewis&Clark surveying audiobook publishers.

Audiobook publishers met the recession by selectively reducing prices on audiobooks in 2009, which contributed to a 12% decline in revenues, but sales increased to nearly 20 million units for the year.

Revenue reported by the 29 member companies for 2009 was $291 million. The APA estimates that the total size of the audiobook industry, based on dollars spent by consumers and libraries, is approximately $900 million.

“The good news is more people are experiencing audio as a result of having value-priced options available, both in the traditional CD format and the growing digital download market,” said Janet Benson, APA president. “It is wonderful to see that the popularity of audiobooks is still holding strong.”

Beth Anderson, chair of the APA Research Committee, added: “Many businesses and industries saw sales drop in 2009. The fact that we saw an increase in the number of audiobooks sold indicates that consumers appreciate the value audiobooks.”

The APA study found that CDs represented 65% of audio revenue and 46% of units sold, while digital downloads represented 29% of audio revenue and 49% of units sold.

The survey also revealed an expected boost in fiction sales and a slight drop in nonfiction sales—a typical occurrence for a non-presidential election year.

Dan Balow, publisher of christianaudio, told Christian Retailing that the results of the survey yielded “nothing too surprising.”

“It was expected (to see) increase units, decreased revenues,” said Balow, who joined christianaudio June after serving as publisher at Oasis Audio since 2006. “The accelerating digital market for audio would decrease revenues, simply because digital pricing is about 30% less than physical product.

“The preeminence of unabridged content is interesting when you think that it was just a few years ago that Christian publishers would publish abridged audio packages, simply to get the price down,” he added. “That issue is no longer significant with digital.”

Balow said the Christian product market, in general, is “very price-value-driven.” “I think audio for the Christian market will mirror that of the general market, decreases of physical product at retail and continued strong migration to digital,” he said. “Christians might be among early adopters of technology, hence digital, because it is less expensive.”

According to the latest figures from the Association of American Publishers, audiobook sales increased 5.1% in May—with sales totaling $12.9 million—and the category’s year-to-date sales were up by 13.1%.

Waterbrook Multnomah reports cutbacks; Howard Books announces several promotions and staff additions

Several publishers have reported cutbacks, promotions reflecting “growth mode” and resets for a “broader market.”

A subsidiary of Random House, the Crown Publishing Group confirmed layoffs in July at its Colorado Springs, Colo.-based WaterBrook Multnomah evangelical book division.

“We have no further details or comments to provide beyond confirming that a small number of positions within WaterBrook Multnomah have been eliminated,” David Drake, senior vice president and executive director of publicity of the Crown Publishing Group, told Christian Retailing.

In August 2006, Random House—the largest English-language trade book publisher in the world—acquired Multnomah Publishers and merged the imprint with WaterBrook Press.

Meanwhile, Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (S&S), announced a number of promotions and staff additions in June.

Previously vice president of publicity, Jennifer Willingham was promoted to associate publisher, while Angie VanTassell was hired as director of publicity. Additionally, Libby Reed was appointed as publicity assistant. Ashley Earnhardt, previously marketing associate, was promoted to publishing manager. In the editorial department, Holly Halverson joined Howard Books as senior editor, while Jessica Wong—previously administrative coordinator—was promoted to associate editor.

“These promotions reflect the growth mode we’re in at Howard Books,” said Jonathan Merkh, vice president and publisher. New York City-based S&S acquired Howard Publishing in February 2006 and changed its name to Howard Books.

Elsewhere, Harvest House Publishers has introduced a new department to launch the company’s new direct-to-church sales initiative.

President Bob Hawkins Jr. announced that the Eugene, Ore.-based publisher had put in place a Corporate Development and Services Department led by Mary Cooper, who was promoted to executive vice president. Cooper, who has been with Harvest House for 18 years, was formerly the vice president of administration.

Aiming to reach “a broader market,” the publisher’s new department would launch direct-to-church sales, oversee operational functions and provide oversight of the company’s Web site. Assisting Cooper would be Heather Green, who was promoted to corporate development and services coordinator.

“My firm belief is that, with this new structure and Mary’s gifted leadership in place, Harvest House will more easily be able to implement our core values, realize better cohesiveness, effectively develop new markets, increase brand loyalty from our customers and embrace our purpose and the products we produce with more passion and creativity,” Hawkins said.

No one was laid off or replaced with the initiative, which went into effect in mid-June, company officials said.

HarperCollins bringing out books in advance of ‘The Voyage of The Dawn Treader’ movie

“The Chronicles of Narnia” series is to get new titles and new editions to mark the release of the third movie adaption, out later this year.

HarperCollins is bringing out the books—through Zondervan at Christian retail—in advance of the Dec. 10 premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader from Walden Media and 20th Century Fox.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be updated with movie covers in multiple editions, including adult softcover, rack-sized paperback, digest-sized paperback and the seven-book boxed set.

New products will include two “I Can Read” books for children aged 4 to 8, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Quest for the Lost Lords and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Aboard the Dawn Treader. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will also be available in new editions, including a “read-aloud” edition and a book and audiobook CD package.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the publication of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the first in C.S. Lewis’ famed fantasy series, Zondervan is publishing a deluxe edition of the complete “Chronicles of Narnia,” packaged in a slipcase and retailing for $100.

Zondervan spokesperson Tara Powers said that the company would be working closely with CBA accounts to draw attention to both the movie and the books. “We have developed a custom merchandise kit with movie images that will include in-store signage for all kinds of fixtures,” she told Christian Retailing. “We will also be distributing bookmarks and movie posters for our accounts to share with consumers. We will be coordinating a book giveaway at screenings to further underscore our message of reading this literary classic before seeing the movie.”

Additional promotional efforts include a “Read It Before You See It” print and radio media campaign. that will be coordinated with 20th Century Fox. Zonderkidz will target Christian youth with direct-mail campaigns to youth workers.

Anticipating the latest “Narnia” movie, Powers said: “We believe there is always a market for a truly great adventure story—be it in print, on screen or both. The ‘Narnia’ series continues to excite readers more than 60 years after they were first written and will continue to for generations to come.”