ECPA’s Executive Leadership Summit, Eric Metaxas’Bonhoeffer winning the Christian Book of the Year and Scott Macdonald being named Zondervan CEO—listen in as the magazine’s editorial team looks to the month ahead.

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Truth to tell, I'm not very good at the having-faith thing. I'm more Gideon (looks around, bewildered, and asks, "Who, me?") than Caleb (grabs Geritol and jumps up, "Gimme that mountain!").

But I am learning to correct my glass-half-empty vision. For starters, there is a glass. It isn't broken. And it has stuff in it. With room for more. That's all reason for optimism.

Same thing with the Christian retail world. As we prepare for our Retailing ReBoot event this month—intended to help set stores for the possibilities ahead—I am pretty pumped.

OK, we've had the Internet. Wal-Mart and its followers. The recession. Oh, and digital books. But for any whose shoulders  might slump Gideon-like at the thought of all this, let me offer some Caleb-ish signs of life.

Good books. Yes, we all know about the fluff and chaff that's out there, but take a look at the substantive books that are big sellers. Crazy Love and Radical aren't quick-fix, easy life-is-a-beach reads. They are calls to action.

Then, what about Bonhoeffer? A brick of a thing, 600-plus pages about some relatively obscure German pastor from half a century ago. Wouldn't you love to have been in the meetings about that one at Thomas Nelson? Yet it's been an enormous success, not just hitting the best-seller and you-must-read  lists, but also sparking media attention and conversation about what it means to have radical faith.

There's still hunger for life-changing content.

New stores. We have seen more longtime retailers saying their farewells recently, but in some instances this has been more about a lack of succession than just business problems. And, we are also seeing a few veteran stores expanding, while more newcomers to the industry arrive—who know what they are getting into and yet are heeding the call. With no "remember when" days to look back on, they might be more open than some to new ideas and ways.

Supplier support. While I don't believe Christian suppliers ever abandoned Christian retailers in the gold-rush days of general market interest in Christian products, it sure felt like that to some. But as the high tide of get-it-at-Wal-Mart has subsided, I'm sensing some measure of a return to their first love, as it were, for Christian publishers.

They recognize, perhaps afresh, that the Christian retail channel remains their core, foundation and greatest champion. I see Tyndale House Publishers' co-opening a Christian bookstore in its own backyard to fill a long-standing gap, and Thomas Nelson's Hot Off the Press product alert and TNIndies social media initiatives at least reflective of, if not directly attributable to, this broader shift.

Then there is heightened activity at the distributor level, with Spring Arbor's recent self-avowed recommitment to the Christian retail channel and STL Distribution North America's entering the print-on-demand market to help stores.

Closer to home, this year we have seen the highest-ever number of entries for our annual Retailers Choice Awards, which gives Christian stores the chance to name what they believe to be the most important new releases of the last year. I believe this also points to suppliers' recognition that their relationship with the Christian retail market is unique. With other channels, they may do business; with Christian retailers, they do ministry.

World events. So, what has change in the Middle East got to do with Christian retailing? More than just selling some additional end-times guides. We're seeing global shifts unlike any since the fall of the Berlin Wall. People are being stirred beyond their own domestic concerns to look at what is happening abroad and consider some of the implications—and the beliefs and philosophies that are driving and shaping change. 

Funny that such a conversation should start in a year when the Bible already has a heightened place in the public consciousness, thanks to the 400th-anniversary celebrations of the King James Version and the release of the updated New International Version.

With all this in mind, I'm encouraged to switch Gideon's gloom for Caleb's confidence. How about you? Yes, you. Let's go claim that mountain—the one with your name on it.

We'll be sharing some practical ways to do that at our event for church and independent stores, Retailing ReBoot 2011, in Orlando, April 26-28. Come and rub shoulders with other Caleb-spirited retailers—whether church-based or independent—and go back to your store encouraged and equipped. You'll find more details at our Web site, www.christianretailing.com.

Come and raise a (figurative) glass to Christian retailing. It'll be half full.

Thank you so much for publishing the wonderful piece in the December 2010 Industry Forum by David Almack. The title and subtitle said it all: "Reading is our industry's key to survival: Knowing and loving the books we publish and sell is essential to our success."

Like Almack, I've been distressed to realize the number of authors, publishers, editors, sales reps, store owners and frontliners who simply don't seem to care much about reading widely. Almack wisely reminded us of the joys of a passion for the printed page that must be central to our calling in the book world. That this is linked to our fidelity to God, our obedience to develop the Christian mind and our effectiveness in ministry in our complex world underscores the urgency of his good reminder. 

That our financial success is at stake may be most obvious, but it is these deeper matters—are we pleasing God, making a difference in the lives of others, being agents of Christ-like transformation of the culture, and are we nurturing the habits of heart and mind that form character and integrity and biblical wisdom that reading facilitates, that make our work so urgent? 

Even pastors and church leaders have too often been seduced away from the task of study and thoughtful disciple-making, so the local Christian bookseller sometimes has to supplement the feeble diets that some of our customers have. If we don't know and love books and insist on their value, how can we possibly expect others to?

So, thanks, Christian Retailing, and thanks, David. This was one of the most important industry articles I've seen in 30 years. I pray there is a renaissance of the renewed mind (Rom. 12:2) inspired by serious publishers, well-read reps and book-loving local shops who equip the saints to love and use books as tools for the kingdom of God. This piece is a wake-up call, and I'm sure many of us are grateful.

Byron Borger

Hearts & Minds

Dallastown, Pa.

www.heartsandmindsbooks.com

What do you think?

Share your opinions on these and other industry issues by writing to: Andy Butcher, editor, Christian Retailing, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746. Or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. we reserve the right to edit letters for style and content.

Family Bibles go from the coffee table to the dining room

A family Bible used to be an oversized, thick version of God's Word handed down with each successive generation recording information about the family's history in it. But new family Bibles are no longer just basic text editions recording births, deaths, baptisms, confirmations and marriages—and often collecting dust on bookshelves. 

 The subcategory now offers a variety of features—including color illustrations, drawings and art, children's stories and pictures as well as expanded notes and records sections—all designed to encourage family members to read the Scriptures together.  

"We believe the family Bible market is trending toward family engagement—not coffee—table fixtures," Zondervan Senior Vice President and Publisher for Bibles Chip Brown told Christian Retailing.

 One of several publishers that offer 40-plus different family Bibles, Zondervan has three in its line—Family Bible, Family Keepsake Bible and The Family Reading Bible—all in the New International Version (NIV) and retailing from $29.99-$49.99.

 Thomas Nelson offers two—Painter of Light Thomas Kinkade's Lighting the Way Home Family Bible, NKJV and Family Bible: KJV Edition, published as a commemorative edition marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Version (KJV).

More than 2,000 units were shipped on its release in October, and more than 1,000 units were ordered and shipped in December and January, "indicating a strong consumer response to the premium keepsake quality of this heirloom Bible for gift-giving," said Gary Davidson, senior vice president and group publisher of Thomas Nelson's Bible group.

Family Bibles account for less than 1% of every Bible purchased in Christian retail outlets, according to sales data from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). Zondervan's Family Bible, Duo-Tone burgundy was the best-selling family Bible during the past two years.

According to ECPA sales data for 2010, Nelson had the highest market share of the subcategory (36%), followed by Zondervan (24%), Oxford University Press (17%), B&H Publishing Group (10%) and Fireside Catholic Bibles (3%).

Nelson has published approximately 100 different family Bibles since 1970, including King James and New King James editions, as well as Catholic and Spanish editions—with total sales exceeding
1 million units.

SALES UPSWING

Karmen Kelly, buyer and owner of The Bible House in Searcy, Ark., told Christian Retailing that she had to backorder Nelson's Family Bible—which retails for $99.99—at Christmastime. 

"I ran out of stock twice, even though it's an expensive Bible," Kelly said. "We are continuing to sell it well this year. It's quality. When you compare it to other Bibles on the shelf, it's hard to turn that one down."

In business for more than 37 years and located 45 minutes from Little Rock, Ark., the 4,000-square-foot Bible House—which carries hundreds of SKUs in Bibles—has seen a surge in family editions.

"We've had an upswing of families looking for them," Kelly said. "We carried maybe two to three family Bibles three years ago, but now we carry at least 10 different styles from five to six publishers. We've had a return for people looking for traditional Bibles with record-keeping pages in the front. They're willing to pay more for family Bibles." 

Besides Zondervan's The Family Reading Bible and Nelson's Family Bible, the Bible House carries the KJV Cornerstone Family Bible and Holman Family Bible Deluxe Edition (both Holman Bible Publishers/B&H Publishing Group), as well as Spanish and Catholic family Bibles. 

"We try to meet the needs of everyone in the market, especially because the category has definitely picked up," Kelly said. "I think people are searching for a return to roots, family bonds and traditional values. The family Bible is something that is associated with that. It's like tracing your heritage."

FAMILY FOCUS

"Traditionally, family Bibles are purchased as keepsakes or family heirlooms," Davidson said. "The success of our Precious Moments family Bible and the Thomas Kinkade family Bible testifies to the enduring value of family Bibles. ... Both of these Bibles were published in numerous editions that served a full range of customer and markets."

 Davidson said that family Bibles are "not a primary focus" for Nelson's Bible division, but added what is important is "getting families together to read the Bible and encouraging them to put God's Word into action together. ...

"Although at present we don't offer a wide selection of the traditional, larger-sized family Bibles, I would still say that we're focused on family in our Bibles," he said.

Brown said that Zondervan's Family Bible—first published in 1985—and Family Keepsake Bible fit the classic category of family Bibles. Both are large-format Bibles that include extensive family record sections with pages to record births, deaths, marriages and other family events. 

Sales for The Family Reading Bible have been strong. "We believe family Bibles fit into two very different categories," Brown said. "The first is the classic, coffee-table Bible category. This category has not experienced much growth in recent years. The second category is the family devotional category. 

"This is a growth area in the Christian market. Current Christian market trends indicate a clear shift toward emphasizing the importance of parents as spiritual leaders in the home." 

FIELD-TESTED

Zondervan's The Family Reading Bible was field-tested with 43 families to ensure that the reading plans fit the needs of families with children at various ages and stages of spiritual development. 

"The Family Reading Bible was based directly on primary research with Christian parents," Brown said. "We found that many Christian parents wanted to have family devotions, and thought they should be reading the Bible with their children, but were often unsure how to accomplish this."

The Catholic Family Connections Bible, with the New American Bible translation, was published in March 2010 by Saint Mary's Press as its first family Bible.

"We launched this Bible in response to customer requests to offer a family version of our best-selling Catholic Youth Bible, with nearly 2 million copies in print," said company President and CEO John Vitek. 

"Parents want to feel connected, and they want their children to feel connected to family,  their faith, their community," he said. "So, we looked to build the Bible around these essential connection points, to provide a Bible that is practical and helpful in everyday life. … 

"Catholic parents are looking for a Bible that gives them simple, easy-to-use, engaging material to help build a family practice of reading, studying and living out the teachings of the Bible and their Catholic faith."

Elsewhere, Tyndale House Publishers does not offer a family Bible with its New Living Translation, but that could change. "Tyndale is open to developing family Bibles, and may do so in the future," Jeffrey Smith, director of marketing, Bibles, for Tyndale, said. 

To read an extended print edition of this article, go to familyBibles.christianretailing.com.

What does Bill Wiese's 23 Minutes in Hell (Charisma House); Stormie Omartian's The Power of a Praying Parent and The Power of a Praying Wife (both Harvest House Publishers); Sarah Young's  Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson); and Patrick Morley's The Man in the Mirror (Zondervan) have in common?

Listen in as Christian Retailing News Editor Eric Tiansay discusses the sleeper hits, which are million-plus sellers, with Woodley Auguste, director of marketing and publicity for Charisma House; LaRae Weikert, vice president of editorial for Harvest House Publishers; Laura Minchew, vice president and publisher of children and gift specialty books for Thomas Nelson; and Don Gates, vice president of marketing for trade books at Zondervan.

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Christian Retailing's Retailing ReBoot, Soul Surfer's forthcoming premiere and this month's 42nd Annual Dove Awards—listen in as the magazine’s editorial team looks to the month ahead.

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