Launching the e-book edition Dec. 21—the first time a new translation has been offered in digital format before print publication—Zondervan sold twice as many copies of the digital NIV compared with the same period in 2009, company officials said.

The updated NIV debuted as the No. 1 e-book in the Religion & Spirituality category of Apple's iBookstore and was ranked No. 7 for all books on Apple. It also made the Top 100 in Amazon's Kindle Store, the top 25 e-books in Barnes & Noble's NOOKbook Store and USA Today's Top 150 Best-Selling Books.

With the publishing industry breaking numerous records with e-book sales, the NIV Bible was among the best-sellers during the Christmas season, said Moe Girkins, president and CEO of Zondervan. "We are encouraged by this early enthusiasm for the updated NIV, and anticipate continued momentum as we introduce additional digital NIV products leading up to the print launch in March."

The revision of the NIV was announced in September 2009 and completed in a year, with the new text made available online for review and comment. As part of the update, the controversial Today's New International Version—beset by criticism of some of its gender-related changes—is being phased out.

The new NIV eBook Bible has been redesigned for "an intuitive user experience," Zondervan said, with a crisp font and maximized readability. The new edition also features quicker speed turns and a numbered footnoting system to enable readers to easily jump between Bible text and footnotes.