| The big picture |
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| Written by Staff | |
| Monday, 21 December 2009 08:59 AM America/New_York | |
Christian Retailing editors on what mattered most in 2009, and why
The industry year was dominated by challenges for the Christian product world's three trade associations, endeavoring to find their new place of influence with members buffeted by a diversified market and floundering economy. The single most dramatic headline of the year was one of the last, with the sudden, late-October departure of CBA President and CEO Bill Anderson. After almost 25 years as the face of Christian retailing, his resignation left the association facing a major change as it continued to refit itself. Anderson's departure, without explanation, came as a surprise to many—especially after a 60th-anniversary summer convention that was much more successful than a lot of insiders had anticipated. While attendance at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in Denver in July was down again, continuing a several-year slide, most attendees voted the retooled event shortened by a day a major success. Though many suppliers had scaled back their presence at the show, many reported the best business in recent memory, with an overwhelming sense that the mood was more optimistic than it had been for some years. Another significant indicator of change in the industry at ICRS was the announcement of George Thomsen as CBA's new chairman-elect—many noted that the manager of a church-based store was being called on to lead an organization that at one time had marginalized such operations. The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) had egg on its face after the much-touted premiere Christian Book Expo (CBE) went down in flames in Dallas in March when less than a tenth of the anticipated 15,000 turned out for the consumer-focused event. Despite the clear failure and the $250,000 debt they were asked to help clear, many ECPA member houses still voiced support for some kind of reader-centered event promoting awareness of Christian books. That prompted ECPA staff to fly an experimental, smaller CBE banner at the Miami Book Fair in November, where they represented a collective of Christian publishers. As regards the Gospel Music Association (GMA), some were surprised that—taking into account recent years' significant slide in CD sales—the Nashville-based group had not faced difficulties earlier. When they came to the fore, however, they did so quickly, with GMA President John Styll departing in a cost-cutting effort that was followed by a celebrity-led concert and "garage sale" to ensure the group's "survival." As part of its reorganization as a more member-led group, the association also announced that it was scrapping its annual music week industry conference for 2010, though retaining a roster of events leading up to the Dove Awards on April 21. The downturn in the economy prompted a variety of promotions and specials from suppliers, including David C. Cook's debt relief program to help stores maintain local church business accounts while paying down debt. Bridge-Logos Foundation tried the hardest to bring a smile while offering some help in tough times. The company organized a custard-pie-in-the-face contest for its rep who secured the fewest store appointments at ICRS and a "Cash for Clunker Books" offer, giving stores discounts for replacing any turkey title, regardless of who published it.
Amid declining book sales, the fiction category continued to grow, securing a more prominent place in the market. While at least one publisher reported double-digit growth, others joined the party, launching their own fiction lines, including Abingdon Press and Nordskog Publishing. At ICRS, best-selling novelists such as Karen Kingsbury, Terri Blackstock, Beverly Lewis and Robin Jones Gunn were among those representing the category, celebrating the year's best at the annual Christy Awards and participating in signings and a special luncheon co-sponsored by CBA. Fiction writers were also among a growing group embracing social media marketing to aid in spreading the word about their books and interacting with their readers. Through the use of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, authors like Brandilyn Collins and Tricia Goyer shared behind-the-scenes views of writing novels and offered tips for aspiring novelists. Rick Warren, who quickly amassed a large Twitter following when he joined the network, launched a contest for the design of his upcoming book, The Hope You Need (Zondervan), through the medium. Donald Miller also used the social media site to market his latest release, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years (Thomas Nelson), "tweeting" clues to the location of manuscripts hidden across the country. The Internet also provided publishers new marketing opportunities, as several created advance book blogging review programs, offering preview copies of galleys in exchange for reviews on blogs and online bookstores. Publishers also turned to what some see as a bright spot in the book industry—self-publishing. B&H Publishing Group's CrossBooks debuted at ICRS, followed soon by Thomas Nelson's announcement that it would dust off its WestBow Press name–formerly given to its fiction line—for a self-publishing venture. Seeking other sales opportunities, publishers increasingly turned to non-print avenues for books, including audiobooks and ebook editions through Amazon's Kindle store. Zondervan's Symtio digital platform experienced what company President Moe Girkins called a "phenomenal" year, doubling its presence in Christian retail stores in 2009. Backlist titles continued to perform well, with Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages (Northfield Publishing/Moody Publishers) celebrated at ICRS with a special reception for its continued placement on the best-sellers lists. Other titles with continued long shelf life included Don Piper's 90 Minutes in Heaven (Revell/Baker Publishing Group) and John Eldredge's Wild at Heart (Thomas Nelson). Meanwhile, more recent releases continued to generate attention and sales, including The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group) and William P. Young's The Shack (Windblown Media/Hachette Book Group), which has now sold more than 8 million copies. Taking their place among the previously released titles on the best-seller charts, some of the most successful new releases included titles from Max Lucado, Miller, Francis Chan, Bruce Wilkinson, Ted Dekker, Beverly Lewis, Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn and Jentezen Franklin. One of the biggest flops of the Christian book year was the Christian Book Expo, promoted as the go-to event for Christian book lovers. It drew only a fraction of its expected attendance to the Dallas Convention Center in March, leaving the organizers, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and sponsoring publishers with huge financial margins to make up. However, many attendees commended the ECPA for the concept of the event—which included sessions with authors Lucado, Henry Blackaby and even noted atheist Christopher Hitchens—but speculated on how the lack of marketing and advertising contributed to its failure.
BIBLES: Digital emphasis looks to find new audiences // by DeWayne Hamby New technologies gave rise to a new non-print push for bringing the Bible to more readers and listeners—such as the new ESV Study Bible (English Standard Version), which gave readers access to exclusive online content and also featured a version for the Amazon Kindle. Users of the popular digital reading device were able to choose from a variety of free Bible translations offered during the year from Zondervan, Baker Publishing Group and Crossway, while Thomas Nelson took to the blogosphere to create interest for its new translations The Voice New Testament and The Expanded Bible. The Glo multimedia Bible arrived from Zondervan in October. Designed by Nelson Saba, who developed the Saba said the concept behind the Bible was to reach modern audiences that didn't turn to the printed word—an idea taken to heart by other publishers offering non-print Bible offerings such as the portable devices Go Bible, My iBible and NOW Bible. Thomas Nelson released the The Word of Promise Audio Bible, in CD and mp3 format, completing the set which began with the New Testament, a previous ECPA Christian Book of the Year winner. The Bible, a dramatic audio theater rending of the Scriptures complete with musical soundtrack and celebrity vocal talent, was promoted through an iPhone application, Web site and a spotlight in media outlets such as The Chicago Tribune. Even though non-print Bibles gained prominence, 2009 was still a standout year for the printed Word—most notably for a newcomer, the ESV Study Bible (Crossway Books & Bibles). The Bible—honored with the ECPA Book of the Year and the winner in the Bible category at the 31st annual Christian Book Awards and as a Christian Retailing Retailers Choice Award winner—was also a hit with readers, exceeding the publisher's expectations by selling 200,000 units within the first five months of release. While the ESV translation gained popularity, on its way out was Today's New International Version (TNIV) from Zondervan. The publisher announced in September plans to discontinue the controversial translation, which had struggled to overcome criticism since its 2002 debut. Instead, Zondervan is revising its popular New International Version (NIV), which, with more than 300 million copies sold to date, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009 with a cross-country bus tour, culminating in a new Bible handwritten by more than 31,000 participants. In addition to new translations and technologies, readers were offered more specialty Bibles, such as The American Patriot's Bible (Thomas Nelson), the NIV Waterproof Bible: Sportsman's Edition (Bardin & Marsee) and the NIV Stewardship Bible, the Holy Bible Stock Car Racing Edition (Zondervan). Also releasing were Bibles that included writings of best-selling authors, such as Joel and Victoria Osteen in The Hope for Today Bible (FaithWords), Stephen Arterburn in the Every Man's Bible (Tyndale) and Warren Wiersbe in The Transformation Study Bible (Tyndale). Crossway and CBA teamed up for a push to provide 1 million of a Christmas-edition ESV Outreach New Testament delivered to homes across the country. The Christian retail exclusive offered shoppers a chance to pick up a value-priced package of 50 Bibles to distribute to homes through the holiday season. NavPress also partnered with CBA to introduce its The Message//Remix Solo: Pink, a version of its popular daily reading Bible designed to promote breast cancer awareness.
MUSIC: Strong sellers emerge, despite shrinking market // by DeWayne Hamby Although sales of physical music product didn't quite face the double-digit decline of the previous year, the Christian music industry continued to adjust to fit a shrinking market. The struggling category had a lower profile than in recent years at ICRS, apart from the event's Sunday evening The Power of Music sponsored by the Gospel Music Association (GMA). Music's struggles most visibly affected the Gospel Music Association, established to "expose, promote and celebrate the gospel through music" and its events. A 20% drop in attendance at 2009's GMA industry conference during Gospel Music Week and the emergence of a competing national radio conference prompted the GMA's decision to cancel the 2010 annual conference. The GMA also restructured, with John Styll, president and CEO, resigning his post in September in a cost-cutting move, followed by a fund-raising campaign to alleviate past debt. Through all the changes, Ed Leonard, chairman of the GMA board, said the group's mission was to "reset" to better meet the needs of its members for the future. There was an emotional return to the spotlight for Steven Curtis Chapman, who lost his daughter in May 2008, as he received two 2009 Dove Awards, Songwriter of the Year and Artist of the Year. The singer and his family were featured in several high-profile media appearances—including interviews in People magazine, and on CNN and ABC's Good Morning America—around the release of Beauty Will Rise. The album debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard magazine Top 200 Albums list, while his previous release, This Moment—including the song "Cinderella," celebrating father-daughter bonds—appeared in the top 20 of the year. Another big release in November, Until the Whole World Hears by Casting Crowns, will impact the sales charts well into 2010, if the band's past efforts are any indication. The group released a Christmas record in 2008, Peace on Earth, which again hit the top of sales charts in 2009, and its 2003 debut project was still poised to end the year in the top 10 best-sellers. The group was joined on the sales charts with best-sellers from other popular pop/rock bands Third Day, MercyMe, Jars of Clay and Newsboys, who replaced longtime lead singer Peter Furler with Michael Tait (dcTalk, Tait). Worship music continued to be a major emphasis. Worshipers gathered at concerts and browsed stores to find familiar songs like "Healer," "God of this City," "Revelation Song" and "Jesus Messiah" from artists including Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Michael W. Smith, David Crowder Band, Israel Houghton, Desperation Band, Leeland and newcomers Meredith Andrews, Bluetree and Kari Jobe. The general market crossover trend—which worked well for American Idol—turned-Christian music staples Mandisa, Chris Sligh and Phil Stacey—hit a bump when music legend Marie Osmond appeared at ICRS to announce a forthcoming inspirational disc to be distributed through Word. The singer's Mormon background renewed a familiar discussion among retailers and other industry insiders about the criteria for determining which music is appropriate for Christian retail shelves. With a release date for Osmond's recording yet to be announced, the debate seems sure to continue in the days ahead.
Inspirational gift suppliers and retailers banded together in new ways in light of the economic downturn. It was one for all and all for one, as Barbour Publishing offered a Sales Rescue Package giving a 50% discount to stores with a free display, free freight and 180-day billing. Retailers who took advantage of the Sales Rescue Package could also return product that was unsold, free of charge. Divinity Boutique also came to stores' aid, creating its own Stimulus Package to the tune of $100,000 retail value. The company was to give free greeting cards, while supplies last, to any independent Christian retail store, and to date, has given away cards worth $30,000. On the supplier side, an alliance was formed by four companies—Precious Moments, Fenton Art Glass, Cathedral Art Metal and About Face Designs—who joined forces to develop and maintain a national independent sales organization. The companies expected the unnamed alliance would enable them to achieve product line sales focus and enhance in-field customer service. Cause marketing remained a significant thrust. Living Epistles' sales of its Promise Olives T-shirts demonstrated eco-friendly ideals, with the company donating 50% of profits from each tee sold to Monte Christo Ministries in South Africa. Cause Care aims to help children as well. Sales of Cause Care's inspirational toothbrushes for adults and children benefited Feed the Children at the rate of 20 cents per brush sold. DaySpring and Kerusso teamed up with Compassion International. Proceeds from sales of DaySpring's "Colors of Compassion" calendar and cards benefited the Christian child relief organization, while Kerusso's Live for Him campaign aimed to contribute a portion of sales to children waiting for sponsorship. Manual Woodworkers & Weavers also donated a minimum of 10% of the wholesale price of designated products to Compassion's Child Survival Program. DaySpring also promoted the cause of healthy marriages with a tie-in to the popular movie Fireproof. Its line of "Inspired by the Fireproof Movie" cards sold through at more than 90%. Island Wall Entertainment tapped into the high-tech world with its digital purity ring iPhone application that aims to complement traditional purity rings while spreading the word of the benefits of staying pure until marriage. Users can take a pre-recorded purity pledge via their iPhone or iPod Touch and then display their purity ring spinning on the screen. With parents still often choosing to spend for their children despite the budget squeeze, Kerusso expanded its line of "God's Girlz" dolls, this time including an African-American named Imani. Kerusso also made news by being included on Inc. magazine's fastest-growing private companies list for the third consecutive year. Sales success with the company's Light House Apparel Center prompted the introduction of a similar display for kids' tees. More than 300 Kidz Light House display units have been placed in Christian retail stores, and retailers are reporting significant sales increases. One supplier chose to change directions, opting out of what had become a staple in its offerings, the gift book. Howard Books, known for its popular "Hugs" series, announced it would be moving away from new gift titles and would focus its energies on trade books.
With the worst downturn since World War II having grabbed most of the headlines, children's product suppliers and retailers were also impacted by a new federal law designed to protect children from tainted products. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was passed by Congress in 2008 after Mattel recalled more than 21 million toys imported from China in 2007. Many were found to have dangerous levels of lead. Barring the sale of goods aimed at children 12 and under, including toys and clothing, that contain more than 600 parts per million of lead, CPSIA went into effect effect Feb. 10, 2009. But the Consumer Product Safety Commission approved a year's stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for children's products. For Julie Kaempfe, owner of His Gem, CPSIA had increased her baby apparel company's product costs. "Fabric content and small-parts testing have always been performed on our baby products," she said. "CPSIA now requires additional safety tests, which are quite costly but allow us to provide our customers with greater peace of mind." Testing ranges from a couple hundred dollars to $4,000 per item to comply with the CPSIA. Trent Bowen, children's buyer for Mardel Christian & Education Supply, said CPSIA impacted Christian children's product suppliers and retailers. "Some manufacturers are going out of business, others are significantly reducing SKUs," he said. "How many new product innovations have you seen in the last year? Not many, and that's never a good thing. CPSIA rules, updates enforcement are going to be a big deal." Children's market consultant and author Mary Manz Simon said that CPSIA "continues to be a confusing mess." As far as new products released, the VeggieTales shoes by Jibbitz—a division of Crocs—were "the biggest hit" for New Day Christian Distributors when they were introduced during ICRS, said Director of Marketing and Promotions Joanna Price. "VeggieTales is a proven name in Christian retail, and Jibbitz is a proven name in the mainstream," she added. "It just makes sense that if you take two great products and put them together, there will be a demand." New Day had sold more than 10,000 pairs of the VeggieTales shoes weeks before Thanksgiving. Kelly Graham, co-manager of Prestonwood Bookstore at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, said new releases from the "Gigi, God's Little Princess" series (Thomas Nelson) were good sellers, too. "The princess phenomenon in the secular market still continues, and Walsh's series continues to be a well-written and marketed contender in the marketplace," she said.
DVD: Category explodes, pushing savvier merchandising // by Andy Butcher Any lingering doubts Christian retailers may have had about the legitimacy or value of a home-viewing section in their store were emphatically swept away with the astonishing success of Fireproof, whose DVD release was credited not only with helping save marriages but with keeping a number of stores in business, too. Brisk sales of the special Christian-retail edition released in January played a large part in the remarkable near-doubling of DVD sales recorded in the channel through the first half of the year. But the marriage drama was not the sole factor, with significant growth also seen in what has been identified as the new "short film" category. This genre was exemplified by the popular "Nooma" series, which reached its 20th-episode release, and spotlighted in a DVD-focus seminar at ICRS. There, marketing expert Bob Elder urged stores to break out those niche titles for special promotion, while also taking general DVD merchandising up a notch. The growing number of subcategories and titles demanded something more than a simple A-Z filing, he counseled. The rising tide for Christian movies was evident elsewhere at ICRS again, with new releases once more a greater focal point of the event than music, as was traditionally the case in previous years. There were long lines at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver to meet Fireproof creator brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick. The Albany, Ga.-based pair's success inspired a string of other church-based productions across the country, with the 32-minute drama The Board, by members of Bethesda Baptist Church in Brownsburg, Ind., one of the first to arrive on store shelves during the year. While quality remains a question for those looking to repeat Fireproof's low-budget success, one early example of the notable results that can be achieved with minimal money was Pendragon: Sword of His Father. The grand-sounding Burns Family Studio behind the Dark Ages Britain action adventure was actually two homeschooling families who made the movie with the help of family and friends. Among the more significant releases from more established Christian production stables was November's well-received Sarah's Choice (Pure Flix Entertainment), featuring popular singer Rebecca St. James in her first leading role in the story of a young single woman facing an unplanned pregnancy. While Fireproof spawned a best-selling book (The Love Dare), the sequence was reversed when Baker Publishing Group licensed Worthy Resources to produce 90 Minutes in Heaven: Seeing Life's Troubles in a Whole New Light, which offered small group materials based on Don Piper's best-selling 2004 back-from-the-dead account. Several other best-selling books were also successfully mined for the broadening small group DVD market. They included Franklin Jentezen's Fasting (Charisma House), Francis Chan's Crazy Love (David C. Cook) and Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (Thomas Nelson). The continuing rise of releases aimed at adults meant that children's viewing was again a more modest slice of the overall DVD pie than in previous years, but there remained a healthy appetite for the likes of VeggieTales, Tyndale House's "Friends and Heroes" and Nelson's "Gigi" and "Hermie and Friends" series.
NICHE MARKETS: Special-interest sales a bright spot // by Andy Butcher Special-interest suppliers found the year to be a healthier one than did many of their mainstream market counterparts, even seeing some growth. The election of President Barack Obama as the nation's first black leader was credited with energizing the African-American sector, creating an increased interest there in patriotic products because "they feel more a part of the country," observed Evelyn Curtiss, chairwoman of the Christian African-American Booksellers Association. President Obama's achievement was celebrated with a From Slavery to the White House calendar that sold more than 50,000 units for stationery and gift company African American Expressions, part of what Sales Manager Ron Gilmore quipped was a personal "stimulus package" for the supplier. The Hispanic area remained robust, with organizers "pleasantly surprised" by the success of the 17th annual Expolit conference in Miami, in May. Though suppliers reduced their floor space, sales at the event were the best in recent years. David Ecklebarger, president of the Spanish Evangelical Products Association, noted that some members had seen great growth in the preceding months. At Editorial Unilit, Manager of U.S. Sales and Key Accounts Rick Heyer pointed to a growing number of Christian stores wanting to expand their Spanish sections. "There are some that are finding that they are having much more of a Spanish ministry ... and that they need more space for more titles," he noted at ICRS. Later in the year, more than 200 stores in the U.S. and across Latin America signed on to take part in the company's "As Seen on TV" campaign, launched to help Christian stores promote new Spanish releases. The buoyancy of the Spanish scene was also underscored by expansion at several suppliers, notably in the area of fiction. Whitaker House moved to meet some of the demand for what Vice President Bob Whitaker Jr. called "good Spanish fiction" with translations of contemporary novels by the company's leading novelist, Sharlene MacLaren. That initiative followed Grupo Nelson's release a few months earlier of a historical novel by Uruguayan doctor Alvaro Pandiano Figallo. Larry Downs Jr., vice president of the Spanish division at Thomas Nelson, said that the pioneering release of an original Spanish-language work showed the publisher's commitment "to original Spanish fiction while giving a name to voiceless writers who want to write fiction." Growing opportunities in serving the Catholic market were highlighted at ICRS, when R.R. Bowker publishing research specialist Kelly Gallagher revealed that those identified as "liturgical" Christians—a grouping that includes Catholics—comprised the second-largest buying group in Christian retail stores, behind evangelical believers. That finding came as no surprise to Mark Brosz, vice president of sales and marketing for Fireside Catholic Publishing, who said that it served to confirm the demographic shift of many people from heavily Catholic parts of the area to "traditionally Protestant areas." As a result, more Christian stores had been seeking help in knowing what to stock to serve Catholic shoppers, he said, advising evangelical retailers not to "segregate" items and to treat Catholic visitors "with respect." Vital Signs Christian Retailing teamed up with consultant Jim Seybert in 2009 to encourage dialogue on a wide range of topics—from church stores and consolidation to staff training and coupon use—in the Christian products industry. Retailers, suppliers and interested associates participated in six Vital Signs surveys. Now, in our year-end look back, online at vitalsigns.christianretailing.com, we are offering some highlights, with commentary to encourage even more discussion on these important issues.
News quiz It was a year focused on healthcare and the economy, with an impact also felt in the Christian products industry. Big changes in 2009 included the departure of veteran leaders, bailout deals and cooperative ventures. Test your recall of the industry news headlines of the last 12 months in our Quiz of the Year. Find it online at www.christianretailing.com/newsquiz.
Persons of the Year 'Ambassador,' 'Pioneer,' 'Prayer Warrior,' 'Friend'You told us who made the biggest contribution in 2009 | by Andy Butcher
Readers paid tribute to the unsung heroes of the Christian products world when Christian Retailing asked them to nominate their Industry Person of the Year for 2009.
He was put forward by Ed Nizynski, vice president of sales for Lighthouse Christian Products, who paid tribute to Haines' "invaluable product knowledge and sales experience." Through 30 years in the industry—previously with Genesis Marketing, Bob Siemon Designs and Living Epistles—Haines had "contributed immeasurably to the inspirational industry," said Nizynski. "He is the man sought out when it comes to product development."
Through the past year, Reeves had "become more than a sales rep, she has become a friend and prayer warrior. She truly has gone the extra mile for me."
In addition, Peterson was "also involved in other areas of ministry to bring relevant events to middle-sized towns and to help grow local independent bookstores and churches."
"Our relationship has elevated beyond buyer-rep. Bob is a genuine family friend that I trust and respect. He's a true ambassador for Christ."
Wood "continues to come up with creative ways for Canada's Christian bookstores to grow and prosper," Hackett said. Thomas Nelson Publishers President and CEO Michael Hyatt was nominated by Marty Thomas, buyer and department manager at Shepherd's Fold Books in Rock Hill, S.C. "Through social networking, (Hyatt) has elevated the awareness of Christian publishing," Thomas said. Femi Abugo, CEO of Ef Charis Ventures, a store in Lagos, Nigeria, suggested author John Maxwell. "His writings on leadership are most needed in these days for effective church growth that will enable Christians to really be Christ ambassadors," he said.
Winners of the prizes for those making nominations were: Glo digital Bible—Ed Nizynski; Free registration for The Gathering 2010—Marty Thomas of Shepherd's Fold Books.
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