Mastering opportunities in the foundational category is a must

The recent spate of best-sellers by outspoken atheists, the circulation of The Da Vinci Code’s church-conspiracy theories and a national decline in church attendance haven’t harmed the Bible’s popularity: In an April 2008 Harris Poll, Americans named history’s best-seller their favorite book.

That’s simply because while most ancient books can only be found in museums, the Bible is still relevant and answers life’s most difficult questions, according to American Bible Society President Lamar Vest.

“Its popularity is unparalleled, its appeal eternal,” Vest said. “Most importantly, the words of this Book change lives. Despite growing opposition from various segments of our society, the Holy Scriptures remain a steady force in our world.”

And they remain the cornerstone of Christian retailing—not only serving as the inspiration for all other products, but being presented in an almost dizzying array of options themselves.

Although uninformed shoppers may ask what “the Bible” costs, any Christian retailer can describe hundreds of translations, designs and study options. Retailers contacted listed 800 to 1,000 varieties in stock, while in 2007, Christian stores’ sales covered 7,000-plus SKUs, according to Michael Covington of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

The growing diversity of the Bibles market is illustrated by the venerable Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, which for years came in one version: King James (KJV). Today, publisher Kirkbride Bible Co. lists 112 SKUs, not counting software editions.

Though the Thompson still only comes in four translations—with the New International Version (NIV), New American Standard Bible (NASB) and New King James Version (NKJV) added to the KJV between 1983 and 1997—the many variations within each version have bumped the company’s SKU count past the century mark.

The count even surprises Kirkbride President Michael Gage, whose family founded the Indianapolis-based company in 1908.

“That’s the number one concern with stores, because of the turnover of clerks and (finding) someone to man the Bible section and who’s educated about what’s in the section,” Gage said.

The huge selection means that Christian retailers need to know how to choose, stock, merchandize and sell Bibles well if they are to make the most of what is their core competitive advantage.

In addition to all the handheld versions, the Bible can be downloaded, searched online and comes to life on crisp audio recordings. None of this is surprising, according to research commissioned by Thomas Nelson in 2006.

Consumer taste

Wayne Hastings, senior vice president and group publisher in Nelson’s Bible division, said the company discovered a wealth of customers who are desperately seeking God. To buttress their search, they may grab a new Bible if it fits in their briefcase, the color matches their Sunday suit or it can be played on an iPod during commutes.

“In the U.S., 38% of our customers own three to 10 Bibles,” Hastings said. “What you have is a customer who is looking to fill niches within their library. They’re filling out this library … with the ultimate goal of getting closer to God. They want that relationship.

“They’re willing to spend money on multiple Bibles to do that. That’s why these niches are important … because the consumer says they’re important.”

Not only is demand for variations driving supply, but the Bible also helps attract destination shoppers. When it comes to breadth and depth, no one can touch Christian bookstores.

“I would say it’s our number one product and it continues to sell in spite of the economy,” said Paul Glenn, book department buyer for the Potomac Adventist Book & Health Food Store in Silver Spring, Md.

“It does help the Christian bookstore to be a destination place for Bibles. Christian bookstores are the only place where you’ll find a significant variety. And with secular stores that carry Bibles, there’s not always somebody there to hand-sell them.”

At Guiding Light Christian Store in suburban Huntington, W.Va., Bibles (30%) now outrank books (20%) in generating sales. Where book buyers are quick to grab a title online or from a discount outlet, customers want to check out a Bible’s features, said co-owner Roy Adams. “That’s one thing that is a strong seller for us,” Adams said.

The Bible even tops sales at the place one would expect most people to already own a copy—church. Geni Hulsey, president of the Church Bookstore Network, said the Bible is the first or second most popular item at most church bookstores.

“Just because they are at church, (people) are thinking about the need for spiritual material, including Bibles,” said Hulsey, who managed The Garden Bookstore at Houston’s First Baptist Church for 15 years.

Although the array of choices means retailers must spend more time explaining features, the president of an Arkansas-based chain said that this personal attention offers Christian stores a competitive edge.

“I think that’s what gives us an advantage over Amazon.com, Sam’s or Wal-Mart,” said John O’Dell, head of the Arkansas-based Christian Book Outlet (CBO). “Customers know we have product knowledge.”

Product knowledge

Knowledge spells a critical difference when consumers are increasingly turning to general markets for other Christian resources, said Covington, ECPA’s information and education director.

“Those who do an outstanding job of supporting their local markets with a great selection of Bibles, with the ability to offer competitive special ordering (and) a knowledgeable sales staff … have a better chance at doing well with Bible sales,” Covington said.

A well-informed staff is crucial to Christian stores maintaining their edge in a market where chains such as Books-A-Million are expanding their Bible sections.

Besides this challenge, industry research shows that nearly half the people entering Christian stores in search of a Bible leave without one, typically because they are overwhelmed by the choices in front of them.

Resources offered by CBA and various publishers aim to help rescue some of these lost sales.

In addition to a Bible translations and versions poster, CBA maintains ongoing best-sellers lists for translations (both dollar and unit sales), Bible studies, children’s Bibles and study/specialty Bibles. The association also markets frontline Bible e-learning software to equip retail staff.

Although such publishers as Zondervan offer online training and include free-product incentives for completing the course, one veteran retailer prefers the days when more sales reps visited the store in person.

“I know publishers have to streamline their efforts, but it used to be exciting to have them come in,” said Brian Tolliver, formerly a sales associate at the now-closed Berean Christian Stores’ Southport outlet in Indianapolis. “They’d have a morning meeting and bring free product. It got you excited and informed you about the product.”

Merchandising systems

When it comes to merchandising, the time-honored method has been to shelve Bibles by translation, the method preferred by most retailers with whom Christian Retailing spoke, although some chains sort by publisher.

An approach introduced by Thomas Nelson, based on its 2006 research, is a “felt needs” model, where Bibles are grouped by types, such as study Bibles, devotional, daily reading or large print. Approximately 150 independents and several non-Christian retailers had picked up on the offering by late 2008.

This grouping allows customers to see a greater range of products instead of taking them into a particular translation niche, which many don’t understand, Hastings said.

“Looking for type and translation becomes a feature like power steering in a car,” Hastings said. “You’re unlimited because you’re looking at need rather than a specific translation.”

CBO prefers to shelve its Bibles by translation, utilizing pre-printed headers from Zondervan to identify its products. “That gives a customer clarity about seeing if he’s buying the King James Version (KJV), New Living Translation (NLT) or children’s Bible,” O’Dell said. “And, it’s hard for our staff to mis-shelve a Bible.”

The translation system also worked best at The Garden Bookstore in Houston, although Hulsey said that varied among other church operations: “As I correspond with other church bookstores, I have had some tell me the felt-needs system has worked very well for them.”

No matter how their Bibles are grouped, many retailers grapple with the product explosion, but Tolliver doesn’t share their apprehension. There are so many different types and kinds of people in the world, he thinks the industry should do everything it can to reach them with God’s Word.

“You get so many different people coming through the doors with so many needs,” Tolliver said. “Customers come into the Bible department and say, ‘Gosh, where do I start?’ But as long as you’ve got (staff) there with product knowledge, that helps alleviate frustration.”

For O’Dell, the variety of Duo-Tones and other cover choices has been driving sales of late. Different styles and features sell more Bibles, he acknowledged, with new looks appealing to customers who already own several copies.

“Having two or three Bibles isn’t enough if there’s another product out there that brings out a deeper view,” O’Dell said. “You’re not really selling people another Bible as much as a feature to enhance their personal study.”

If there is an old standby in the Bible department, it’s the KJV, which ranks high in sales nationwide.

In West Virginia, the once-traditional favorite accounts for seven of every 10 Bibles sold at Guiding Light. That is why Adams would like to see more options available, such as KJVs for women with a pink cover spotlighting breast cancer awareness or more of the ever-popular white covers.

While he sometimes feels a bit overwhelmed by the constant stream of cover changes each season, on balance he doesn’t think there are too many Bibles. He only carries about 10 translations of the many that exist.

New versions

No matter the version, though, another reality is on the minds of most Bible publishers: the visually oriented tastes that dominate the under-40 demographic. Technology advances are enhancing new Bibles’ more graphic design, with recent developments making it possible to print four-color illustrations on Bible paper.

Brian Vos, director of Bibles and e-commerce for Baker Publishing Group, sees an expanding Bible section in the future. “For a long time it was a sleepy section with the King James,” he said. “It’s very competitive (now), but there are still a lot of opportunities for new Bibles.”

Thomas Nelson shook things up five years ago with the introduction of its “BibleZine” format, presenting the Bible in magazine style. But while the series has proved very popular, there seems to be a limit on the boundaries for what is acceptable in Christian stores.

Despite the economic downturn that accelerated last October and cut into the year’s book sales, many retailers and publishers were looking for the multi-hued Bible field to end 2008 on a positive note, thanks to a healthy crop of fall releases.

Among the popular items were Crossway Books & Bibles’ ESV Study Bible; Thomas Nelson’s new translation, The Voice, its Chronological Study Bible and three new versions of the Word of Promise audio Bible; and Tyndale House Publishers’ NLT Study Bible>.

In the fall, Zondervan rolled out an MP3 version of its popular audio Bible, Inspired By… The Bible Experience, including text to allow users to read while they listen. However, its major ’08 releases were the 30th anniversary editions of the NIV, including an updated NIV Study Bible, updated Teen NIV Study Bibleand the NIV Adventure Bible for kids.

Crossway’s experience with the ESV Study Bible—released seven years after the translation’s 2001 debut—demonstrated the market’s receptivity to new editions. Crossway has sold more than 185,000 copies of the study Bible, with the first two printings selling out less than a month after its Oct. 15 debut.

In addition to the study Bible, Crossway promotes the ESV itself, an update of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version (RSV), and offers an audio version of the translation, the ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible, on CD and MP3.

Digital emphasis

The fact that Crossway’s ESV is even offered in audio demonstrates how multiple options are becoming standard Bible fare.

Although Tyndale didn’t include Internet hyperlinks in its new study Bible, purchasers gained limited access to an online version that went into beta testing last fall.

The digital version is just one of Tyndale’s high-tech Bible products—which include iLumina, with more than 500,000 in circulation—and a pocket Bible for Windows.

“It’s almost at the point where it’s become an expected part of what’s going on,” said Kevin O’Brien, Tyndale’s director of Bibles and reference. “We’re seeing as many people use Bible software or PDAs. The ability to have access to the information is highly regarded.”

Nor is the bleak economy harming high-end products. Several publishers said demand has remained steady for premium versions retailing at $100 and up.

Vos acknowledged some impact from the worsening economy last fall. However, he said Bible aficionados still like the goatskin leather covers and quality bindings of the Cambridge Bibles that Baker Publishing Group distributes in the U.S. and Canada.

While most publishers see a continuing demand for print Bibles, it remains to be seen how Inspired By …The Bible Experience and The Word of Promise will affect the field for audio and video products.

Both productions had a dramatic effect, said Brian Scharp, vice president of Bible marketing for Zondervan. “They demonstrated it’s possible to (improve) a product that was considered a niche product,” said Scharp, noting that entering the Christmas season Inspired By … The Bible Experience had sold 750,000 copies.

Of course, no matter how many options are available for readers, publishers have an underlying concern: Research shows that despite a huge circulation, too many owners seldom read their Bibles.

Thus, one of Zondervan’s goals is to persuade readers to engage the Word on a more regular basis, Scharp said.

“We hope to inspire them into a deeper dive into God’s Word,” he said. “Our goal is to create Bibles that are as accessible to as many people as possible.”

Best-selling 
Bibles for 2008

Drawn from its PubTrack Christian sales data from Christian retail stores across the country, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s Top Twenty Bibles list for last year spotlights some of the strengths of the category for Christian stores.

With prices ranging from $1.99 to $4.99, the top three sellers highlight the potential for multiple sales for purchasers wanting to give away the Scriptures in evangelistic efforts and the opportunity for stores to connect with consumers who are ministry-minded.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of niche-audience versions, like Zondervan’s $44.99 True Images NIV in bubble gum/chocolate Duo-Tone, underscores the higher-than-average sales to be found in moderately priced editions.

And while later-in-the-year new releases from Tyndale House Publishers and Crossway generated much interest, their sales were not high enough to displace longer-established editions on the list.

1. Text Bible-NKJV (Thomas Nelson), $2.99
2. Outreach New Testament–ESV (Crossway Books & Bibles), $1.99
3. Operation Worship Bible–NLT (Tyndale House Publishers), $4.99
4. Thinline Bible-NIV, burgundy bonded leather (Zondervan), $24.99
5. The Adventure Bible-NIV, hardcover (Zonderkidz/Zondervan), $26.99
6. The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible-NKJV, CD (Thomas Nelson), $49.99
7. Gift and Award Bible-KJV, black leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $4.97
8. Adventure Bible (Updated)-NIV, hardcover (Zonderkidz/Zondervan), $27.99
9. Gift and Award Bible-NKJV, black leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $5.97
10. Quest Study Bible-NIV, hardcover (Zondervan), $34.99
11. Witness Edition Bible-NIV (Zondervan), $5.99
12. Gift and Award Bible-KJV, red leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $4.97
13. Thinline Bible-NIV, black bonded leather (Zondervan), $24.99
14. Thinline Bible-NIV, navy bonded leather (Zondervan), $24.99
15. Princess Bible-ICB (Thomas Nelson), $24.99
16. Gift and Award Bible-KJV, navy leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $4.97
17. Finding God: New Testament-NIV (Zondervan), $4.99
18. True Images-NIV, bubble gum/chocolate Duo-Tone (Zondervan), $44.99
19. Gift and Award Bible-NIV, black imitation leather (Zondervan), $7.99
20. Gift and Award Bible-NIV, burgundy imitation leather (Zondervan), $7.99

Type: Independent
Region: Midwest
Location: Busy intersection leading into town

Appearance:
Inventory:
Staff: 0

External appearance: After getting off a major highway and being visually bombarded by signage through the retail corridor leading downtown, the store's corner spot beside a vast, uncluttered parking lot was a welcome pause. However, the store was part of a rather stale two-store, stand-alone center, brightened only by a decorative mural on the side of the building.

Window display: A few window-cling promotions decorated the large front window, but a sunshade-down even on a cloudy day-obscured the store's inviting interior. However, there was no confusion that the store was "open," as indicated by a lit neon sign.

Entrance: Multiple airlock doors led into the store, and the spacious vestibule had large windows and a garden bench-the first hint that this store was a gathering place for Christians in the community. Between the doors and windows of the vestibule were graffitied spots on the wall where anyone could post signs for childcare, roommates or concerts.

Layout and inventory: Past the front entrance, a makeshift clearance bin muddled the otherwise attractively displayed multitude of Christian prints, frames and gift items. It was enticing to bypass the store's main artery, which cut through the store and led to a centrally-located checkout counter, and instead meander through the sections of framed prints, greeting cards and books.

Among the angled bookshelves the stock seemed meager, and there were numerous empty spots. In some places entire shelves were bare, especially in the children's area. This area was corralled off by shelving, with a computer just outside the area to occupy older kids.

The music section was partitioned off, and a coffee shop-rivaling popular chains with its stylish décor and hip, homey presentation-was tastefully isolated in the front quarter of the store.

Interior appearance: Warm, with contemporary décor colors and nice lighting. Secured glass shelving, without the sense of being untouchably fragile, attractively bounced light to feature unique photo frames. The card section's distinct lighting would enable even seniors to read the decorative fine print on greeting cards.

However, there was an assault on the ears, if not the eyes-extended-play contemporary rock music blared from ceiling speakers, making it a challenge to recall a title or to search out the right book from among the meager offerings.

Staff: Noncommittal. Although there were as many employees as customers in the store, no frontliners offered greetings or help. I sought out an employee and asked for a novel for a 10-year-old voracious reader, assuming that nearly any Christian title could be suggested.

The young lady pointed to some books that are part of a large series and said, "I don't know what these are about." She asked her senior employee, but she hadn't read any of them either. The young staffer and I then went to the teen area, where the fiction was very slim and teen-issue related, and she said, "A lot of moms buy these."

"What are they about?" She didn't know.

Verdict: The messy entrance area was a turnoff. If the store wants to be a hub for its community, a simple bulletin board can convey that with professionalism. Inside, stock deficiencies could easily be concealed with product face-outs.

The store is obviously a destination for Christians in the community, but the extensive variety of gifts along with the samplings of books and music and an entire coffee shop overextend the knowledge of the staff. The lack of training was apparent-teaching employees to brew hot lattes is relatively simple, but teaching them how to sell books takes more work.

If this were your regular store? I'd stick with the reasonably priced coffee and special-occasion gift purchases.

Would a non-Christian feel comfortable here? Yes. The store seems like a Cheers for the coffee crowd. No one would fear getting thumped by the Bibles, which are safely placed in a far back corner. But, unfortunately, the staff's lack of presence means that unless you were a faithful regular, no one would know your name.

What will you remember of your visit a week from now? That I should go elsewhere if I want recommendations for good books.

THE STORE OWNER RESPONDS: The store owner declined to respond.

Type: Independent
Region: South
Location: Medium-size strip mall
Appearance:
Inventory:
Staff:

External: Located in a busy strip mall in a lower-income area near a Wal-Mart. The lighted sign was easy to spot between all the other neighboring stores. Even though there was traffic, it was easy to find parking in the well-lit lot.

Most of the national media’s reporting on the economic challenges we are facing seems to me to have come from Chicken Little.

While there’s clearly no denying that the recession is impacting both retailers and suppliers in the Christian products industry, the reality is that the sky is not falling. Indeed, there are noteworthy bright spots amid the dark clouds.

I want you to look up—not for falling debris, but for hope. The good news is that wonderful Christian resources are on the shelves of stores across the country offering more help and encouragement than any network TV station is willing to mention. These books, DVDs and other materials contain the answers to every challenge known to man.

Some retailers are showing a level of Mother’s Day initiative and ingenuity that, well, would make their mothers proud. Instead of relying solely on special gift titles or promotional materials from publishers, they’re looking for inventive ways to drive sales mom’s way.

Retailers interviewed by Christian Retailing agreed that Mother’s Day is a great time for selling frontlist as well as backlist books, gifts—including gift books, music boxes, trinket boxes, plaques, vases, hand lotion and jewelry—and greeting cards.

Matt Nicholson, owner of Lakewood Christian Gift Center in Lakewood, Wash., ranks Mother’s Day as his second biggest sales season, and plans to create his own shrink-wrapped gift baskets this year.

“We’ll handpick items that will be a good match for mothers, whatever we have at the time, I imagine,” Nicholson said.

As a Munce Group store, Dightman’s Bible Book Center in Tacoma, Wash., has the benefit of a catalog full of Mother’s Day specials. Munce will be mailing more than 3 million catalogs and will provide stores with signage. Despite the advantage of being a marketing group member, owner Donna Dightman Baker isn’t resting on her laurels. For example, she purchased some close-out packages of discontinued items for mothers from P. Graham Dunn.

Bryan Sapp, manager at Family Books & Gifts in North Highlands, Calif., plans to host a mother/daughter tea. He will advertise the event through customer e-mails, a mailed flier and a newspaper advertisement. Tickets for the event will be sold at $3 a piece.

“Our events always do really well,” Sapp said.

Gifts galore

The reason Mother’s Day is so important for Christian retailers is simple: People love to get gifts for mom.

“If you wanted a short version of trendy items for Mother’s Day, you can never go wrong with jewelry or picture frames,” said Tina Wohlgemuth, general manager of Servant Marketing, a Texas-based company. “It all depends on how much money the customer is wanting to spend.”

In order to drive gift sales during the season, retailers might consider putting together a large display with all sorts of gifts and books for Mother’s Day. It should be placed front and center in the store, said Steve Mohler, vice president of marketing for Dicksons Gifts.

“My wife likes to buy journals for her mother,” Mohler said. “If she goes to buy the journal and displayed next to the journals is a nice mug, more than likely that store will get additional cash register rings from her.”

“Your display should offer a variety of price points as well,” said Sherry Morris, marketing manager for Carpentree. “Create something that gives consumers options.”

Publisher strategy

Most publishers focus on gift books during Mother’s Day, if they release any new products at all.

Barbour Publishing is releasing two new products, with its A Celebration of Mothers ($9.97, March) by Helen Steiner Rice and Power Prayers for Women gift edition ($14.97, March) by Jackie M. Johnson.

Few publishers are producing special books for Mother’s Day this year. For example, Beacon Hill Press won’t publish any books for mothers around Mother’s Day, although it did in 2008 with the release Quiet Moments for Moms by Joyce Williams and Quiet Moments for Grandmothers by Kay Marshall Strom.

“It was more of a fluke,” said Barry Russell, Beacon Hill marketing manager, adding that the company’s strategy is “to develop resources that come alongside moms … on more than just the celebrated special days of the year.”

Thomas Nelson didn’t wait to release the mom-friendly Robin McGraw title during Mother’s Day. Rather, What’s Age Got to Do With It? came out in December, with the publisher advertising the book in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine and promoting it with a national radio campaign.

The enterprising Christian retailer need not wait for special Mother’s Day titles to make hay in May. Last year, Sapp took the newly released God’s Master Plan for Your Life by Gloria Copeland (Putnam Adult) and created a Mother’s Day promotion around it.

“The publisher didn’t link the book to moms, but we did,” he said.

Creative marketing

Retailers are keeping a keen eye on their marketing spending. The Friendship Bookstore in Burnham, Pa., runs daily ads on a secular radio station year-round. Because of the station’s format, during Mother’s Day the highlighted product must appeal to a general audience, said store manager Theil Kauffman.

“You can’t measure radio exactly, but it works well for us,” he said. “People come into your store and say, ‘Where’s that book from the radio?’ ”

The Potter’s House in Valdosta, Ga., takes a new media approach. The store has a Facebook account where new releases and promotions are posted for online viewing.

“We post links so that viewers can hear or see clips of products we are promoting,” said Lee Andrews, store manager. “All of this is completely, 100% free.

“For Mother’s Day, we will use Facebook to send blasts to our customers about featured products. We keep adding ‘fans’ of the page so that each blast is being automatically received by more people, and then those people can choose to ‘share this post’ with other friends who aren’t yet fans of our page.”

Some stores are looking to connect with local churches to spur Mother’s Day sales. Kauffman holds an annual pastors’ breakfast and sends out a quarterly newsletter to those pastors. The spring issue will include Mother’s Day specials.

Nicholson noted that whatever a store’s resources, initiative and inventiveness can go a long way toward success.

“We are only limited by capital. We have all the rest,” he said. “This ingenuity all comes about not just through our own work, but through the blessings of the Holy Spirit. … It all comes from God with His will and the Holy Spirit’s help when you understand that the store does not really belong to anyone but to Him.”

Mother's Day Gifts

Barbour Publishing

A Celebration of Mothers ($9.97, March) celebrates motherhood with Helen Steiner Rice poems.

Power Prayers for Women gift edition by Jackie M. Johnson ($14.97, March) covers topics such as “My Emotions” and “My Home.”

Brownlow Gifts

Brownlow has unveiled several gift books, including the Gardens of a Mother’s Heart watercolors/essays/scripture collection ($14.99) edited by Caroline Brownlow and the accompanying journal ($9.99). The company will also publish “Heart Strings” miniature gift books ($5.99 each), with matching mugs available ($9.99). These products were to release Feb. 1.

Carpentree

Carpentree unveiled three new frames in January: Mothers, a pewter embossed frame ($15); Virtuous Woman, an embossed gold frame with scripture ($16.50); and Mom and Me, which holds a 4-by-4-inch photo ($12.50).

Zondervan

Eight Little Faces by Kate Gosselin ($14.99, April) includes photos from famous parents Jon and Kate Gosselin of the TLC TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8. In the book, Gosselin reflects on such themes as perseverance and encouragement.

The Best Is Yet to Come by Fran Fernandez ($16.99, April) offers 60 devotional meditations for women caught up in the hectic pace of life.

The pro-marriage hit Fireproof (Provident Films/Provident-Integrity Distribution) shot up to the top of the SoundScan Christian Videos list for sales the week ending Feb. 1, while Gaither Vocal Band Reunion Volume One (Gaither Music Group/EMI CMG Distribution) reached No. 1 on the Christian/Gospel music Christian retail chart.

After Fireproof , the best-selling DVDs were: 2. Facing the Giants (Provident Films/Provident-Integrity); 3. Gaither Vocal Band Reunion Volume One (Gaither Music Group/EMI CMG); 4. Gaither Vocal Band Reunion Volume Two (Gaither Music Group/EMI CMG); 5. Flywheel (Provident Films/Provident-Integrity); 6. Alligator Hunter, Life at the Pond (Isaac Entertainment/Word Distribution); 7. The Gift of Christmas, Really Woolly (Flying Rhinoceros/DaySpring); 8. The Second Chance (Provident Films/Provident-Integrity); 9. Wow Gospel 2009 by various artists (Wow Gospel/Provident-Integrity); and 10. Love's Enduring Promise (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment/Word).

'Struggling' store closes: Just for Heaven's Sake, the Christian bookstore in Tampa, Fla., that expanded to become Saint Thomas Café last year—is closing after 13 years. Said owner Darlene Yetta: “We've always struggled, and I needed to get a job that paid.”

The St. Petersburg Times

'Shack' changes publishing: William P. Young's The Shack is cited as an example of how new technology has meant that “vanity publishing has become practically respectable,” in an essay on the changing face of the book world.

TIME magazine

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1873122-4,00.html

Author's 'empty nest' inspiration: Sharlene MacLaren's career as a novelist—which has just seen her seventh book, Hannah Grace: The Daughter of Jacob Kane, released by Whitaker Publishing—when as an empty nest parent she “asked God to give me direction for the next season of my life.”

The Grand Haven Tribune

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/293621262241857.bsp

'Gaither means Gospel': The name Gaither “is synonymous with gospel like the name Rolling Stones is with rock 'n' roll.”

The Huntsville (Ala.) Times

http://www.al.com/religion/huntsvilletimes/news.ssf?/base/living/1232705734193000.xml&coll=1

A purpose-driven magazine: Rick Warren's new quarterly Purpose Driven Connection, published with Reader's Digest Association, is not just a magazine but the name for “a multimedia, multiplatform community.”

Advertising Age

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=134076

Urban publishing expands: Where there was once only Bill Cosby and T.D. Jakes, “a whole new generation of writers of color are creating books to inspire and entertain.”

The Bradenton (Fla.) Herald

http://www.bradenton.com/701/story/1176488.html

'Magic' basketball moments: Pat Williams, the Orlando Magic's senior vice president, is a prolific writer whose latest, Chicken Soup for the Soul Inside Basketball, out next month, is “packed with 101 short basketball inspirational stories.”

The Rocky Mountain News

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/nuggets/archives/2009/01/schemmel_writes.html

'Amazing' creation of 'CompassionArt': Michael W. Smith says that his involvement in the CompassionArt album which brought together leading Christian songwriters to raise money for charity was “one of the most amazing times of my career.”

The (Nashville) Tennessean

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090125/TUNEIN/901250324/1005/ENTERTAINMENT

Charity music's big goal: Proceeds from the multi-artist CompassionArt CD raising money to help relieve poverty could “make a difference for several generations.”

Reuters

http://uk.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUKTRE50N0NQ20090124

'Naked' honesty about faith: Andrew Farley, a professor of applied linguistics at Texas Tech and pastor of Lubbock Bible Church in Lubbock, Texas, addresses performance-based Christianity in The Naked Gospel, to be published in August by Zondervan.

The Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/012409/loc_380938956.shtml

Denominational store closes: Pathway Bookstore in Cleveland, Tenn., “may or may not be revived in a smaller footprint,” according to Scot Carter, director of Department of Communications for the Church of God International Offices.

The Cleveland (Tenn.) Banner

http://www.clevelandbanner.com/index.cfm?event=news.view&id=046FFEB3-19B9-E2E2-672710F5AB5DB704

Church store shuts doors: Faith, Hope & Love Christian Books and Gifts Store in New Britain, Conn., opened in 2006 by members of the town's McCullough Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, has closed.

The New Britain (Conn.) Herald

http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2009/01/25/news/doc497d2a9407872502647911.txt

Store owners' email scam: Randy and Jill King, owners of Kings Christian Bookstore in Boone, Iowa, were subject of an email scam after their business email account was hacked.

KCCI.com

http://www.kcci.com/news/18568450/detail.html

New store in Canada: Faith Family Books and Gifts opens in Scarborough, Ontario in April, managed by two former employees of R.G. Mitchell which closed its stores last year.

Quill& Quire magazine

http://www.quillandquire.com/google/article.cfm?article_id=10473

Young author's motherly inspiration: University of Georgia pre-journalism student Brittney Holmes, whose third inspirational novel comes out this summer, credits as one of her inspirations her mom, best-selling author Kendra Norman-Bellamy.

The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.)

http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/storage/paper871/news/2009/01/26/News/University.Freshman.To.Release.Third.Novel-3596338.shtml