Christian publishers look for sports books with ‘substance’

Although the Indianapolis Colts were the favorite to win the 2007 Super Bowl, few in the book world expected their coach, Tony Dungy, to follow his National Football League (NFL) title with a championship-level publishing record.

However, when Dungy’s Quiet Strength (Tyndale House Publishers, 2007) topped the New York Times best-seller list, it sparked a wave of Christian-based sports books. Another crop of titles is releasing during the second half of 2010.

“We have seen a huge spike with Dungy’s book, which we were in the auction for,” said Mark Tauber, publisher of HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. “This was a whole new world of sports memoirs that can work, especially when they have a faith piece to them.”

“It’s one of the iconic books of the decade,” said Todd Starowitz, public relations manager for Tyndale.

Nearing the 1.2 million mark in sales, Quiet Strength did so well that many Christian retailers were disappointed in the sales of his follow-up, Uncommon (2009)—even though the latter has sold more than 300,000 copies.

Still, Dungy has developed a solid following; his latest, The Mentor Leader, released Aug. 3. His astonishing success also keyed Tyndale’s major push into the genre. Among its string of best-sellers: Don’t Bet Against Me! (2008) by Deanna Favre, wife of star quarterback Brett Favre; The Winners Manual (2008) by Ohio State coach Jim Tressel; and Game Plan for Life (2009) by ex-NFL coach and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.

First Things First (2009) by now-retired quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda, is another Tyndale best-seller about to release in paperback. Also coming out in paper, FaithWords’ Role of a Lifetime by sports broadcaster James Brown releases Sept. 2, a year after the publication of the hardcover edition.

In July, Tyndale released Coming Back Stronger, the memoir of 2010 Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saints’ book debuted at No. 1 on the Wall Street Journal list and in the top five on the Publishers Weekly and New York Times hardcover nonfiction lists. On book tour, he signed approximately 22,500 books.

Brees’ book is doing well largely because of his high profile in the sports world, but an upcoming title shares the story of the unknown Faith Christian School football team from Grapevine, Texas.

Tyndale will release Remember Why You Play in October. The book is sports columnist David Thomas’ account of the Faith Christian season that included a game against the Gainesville State Tornadoes, a school for juvenile offenders. The story is being made into a movie, One Heart (Et3rné Films/Birchwood Pictures), slated for premiere in November 2011.

Sports are stirring enough excitement that they convinced Barbour Publishing—more familiar for its Amish fiction and Heartsong romance novels—to enter the field. Senior Nonfiction Editor Paul Muckley said its new Playing With Purpose by Mike Yorkey is unusual for a Barbour stand-alone title.

The book profiles three National Football League (NFL) rookie quarterbacks: Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams, Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos and Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns. The trio routinely competed for college football’s coveted Heisman Trophy.

“This proposal caught our imagination because the three quarterbacks profiled all have such a clear Christian testimony,” Muckley said.

Bridge-Logos Publishers, another house with a modest sports history, added two titles to its 2010 lineup. Just out is Gators for God by Suzy Richardson, which reviews the testimonies of former players like Tebow and Danny Wuerffel.

“We think the stories of men who are in the book will serve as role models for boys,” said Bridge-Logos Publisher Lloyd Hildebrand. “Because of players who are well-known, we believe it has great national and even international potential.”

Bridge-Logos’ other sports entry is March’s Rekindle Your Dreams by Trish Porter. Although a 1988 Olympic high jumper, a neck injury forced her into retirement. After returning to competition in her 40s, Porter became a world-record holder. Her book appeals to women because it encourages them to pursue their passion, Hildebrand said.

Although Howard Books only does one or two sports titles a year, it landed a coup with the memoir of recently retired Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden. A well-known figure in Christian circles, Bowden’s Called to Coach debuted in August.

In October, Howard will resurrect the saga of Marion Jones, the former Olympic champion who was stripped of her gold medals after a doping scandal.

Now playing pro basketball, Jones is a frequent speaker to youth, urging them to make the right choices—symbolizing her book’s title, On the Right Track.

“Their faith stories are what’s most attractive about both books,” said Rebekah Nesbitt, vice president and editor in chief.   “These people have had an impact on culture. People talk about them.”

WaterBrook Press is dipping its toe into the sports field again with The Walk, an Oct. 5 release by free-agent running back Shaun Alexander, who previously told his life story in Touchdown Alexander (Harvest House Publishers, 2006). His new book focuses on a walk with God rather than sports.

“We see him as a Tony Dungy-style Christian leader, speaker and teacher with a long and fruitful ministry career ahead of him,” said Ken Petersen, vice president and editor in chief of The WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

A tough sell

Despite Tyndale’s success, Starowitz said sports books aren’t the easiest product to market. A former media relations assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles and current statistician for the Chicago Bulls, Starowitz said Tyndale researched the genre after Dungy’s debut topped the Times’ list.

“It was one of only 20 sports books that had ever reached No. 1,” Starowitz said. “It’s not an area that is as successful as most people think.”

The lukewarm reception to several sports titles is one reason B&H Publishing Group is largely on the sidelines today, according to Gary Terashita, executive editor of the Fidelis Books imprint.

He points to modest sales for Beyond The Game (2005), a youth title co-authored by Yankee star Andy Pettite; The First Tee Shot (2004) by PGA golfer Wally Armstrong; and Every Child is a Winner (2002) by Upwards founder Caz McCaslin.

The Nashville house has also done several sports-themed Bibles and devotionals, but Terashita prefers titles by well-known athletes.

However, even high-profile athletes have to go beyond “how I won it,” said Steve Lawson, acquisitions editor for Regal Books.

“We look for titles with substance, with a strong spiritual value and takeaway,” said Lawson, whose company published The Greatest Coach Ever: Timeless Wisdom and Insights of John Wooden, bumping up its release several months to July after coaching legend John Wooden died June 4 at age 99. Written with Fellowship of Christian Athletes members, The Greatest Coach Ever is a collection of 52 tributes from coaches, athletes and friends influenced by Wooden’s philosophy.

Demand for Regal’s Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success has skyrocketed since Wooden’s death, prompting Gospel Light to print 100,000 more copies, company officials said.

This month Regal also issues former coach Tom Osborne’s Secrets to Becoming a Leader.

“If you look at the success of Tony Dungy, John Wooden, (pitcher) Josh Hamilton or Joe Gibbs, it’s not just giving their ‘how they came to Christ’ testimony. It’s how they lived out their faith,” Lawson added. “The ones that tend to be written like an expanded sports page will get a lot of initial buzz just because of the person’s name. But there’s got to be more to it for it to … have staying power.”

Pluses in retailing

Just as sports books offer hurdles for publishers, they pose marketing challenges. Most retailers don’t have a Sports section, generally shelving the titles in Biography, Inspirational, Men’s or Devotionals.

Kevin McDonell, senior book buyer for Mardel Christian & Education, called the category “up and down” for the Oklahoma City-based chain. Dungy’s first two books have been the strongest recent titles.

“I believe they can,” he said of sports books’ value. “I know Dungy’s (first) book had a great message in it. We saw many churches use it and the corresponding curriculum to host men’s Bible studies.”

In the NFL hotbed of Green Bay, Wis., football books outsell soccer, golf and other sports, said Karen Grosse, owner of Lighthouse Christian Books. She said that illustrates that sports that are big in a particular area will sell there.

Football’s popularity in Green Bay explains the appeal of Dungy’s books, although not many other titles have sold well lately. Grosse attributes that to big box stores discounting them heavily, meaning Lighthouse isn’t “top of mind” for sports.

Still, the store carries a large selection, with the main criteria for stocking a particular book an example that enables young people to look up to sports figures. In the past, books by such Packers as Reggie White, Ken Ruettgers and Josh Bidwell have stirred excitement, with their book-signing parties well attended.

“I believe most of these books are good for the Christian channel,” Grosse said. “We have people involved in many areas of sports. They like to read stories about the lives of sports figures and the paths that they have taken to get where they are.”

Others see pluses in sports as they utilize personal appearances, regional titles or merchandising tie-ins.

Sports fan Arden Bender of Bender Parable Christian Store near Buffalo, N.Y., hosted a late June book signing with Jill Kelly, wife of former Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Jim Kelly, for her Prayers for Those Who Grieve (Harvest House Publishers, June).

Bender has been working to arrange a return appearance tied to her latest release, Without a Word (FaithWords, Sept. 9). The newest book chronicles the story of the Kellys’ son, Hunter, born with a rare disease that later claimed his life.

This month Harvest House is releasing a companion volume by Jill Kelly, Prayers of Hope for the Brokenhearted.

To be featured on NBC’s Today show Sept. 9, Jill Kelly is well-acquainted with Bender’s store; she’s a regular customer. Her June appearance there attracted a steady flow of customers and sales of 45 books.

In the past, Jim Kelly has also made personal appearances, signing memorabilia for a purchase of a Hunter’s Hope Bear. Sales raise money for the Kellys’ foundation.

“I think these books are good for the Christian channel,” Bender said. “There’s a lot of Christian sports fans out there. Or maybe men who don’t necessarily read a lot, but something like that would be more of a draw for those who are ‘closet readers’ or only read once in awhile.”

They don’t have to be national draws, either. Last fall the Lemstone Parable store in Hiram, Ga., sold more than 200 copies of Daily Devotions for Die-Hard Fans by former pastor Ed McMinn.

The series is produced by McMinn’s Extra Point Publishers. The company focuses on the Southeast, with 19 editions for fans of such schools as Georgia, Auburn, Clemson and Florida State.

“I’ve done a couple church events and men’s events, and they’re pretty popular,” store owner Mike Dunn said. “It’s a regional thing that’s still building.”

Dunn displays the books with other products like writing tables and pens with scriptures. He leaves the table in place for at least the first month of football season.

Another retailer located 10 minutes from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp stocks football-themed purses, totes, license plates and other items. The Steelers are most popular, followed by Penn State and Pittsburgh.

Manager Becky Sharp said Majesty Christian Store in Greensburg, Pa., started carrying the merchandise two years ago. Majesty uses a display kiosk in its mall location to attract shoppers.

“You can walk into any store and find T-shirts and hats,” Sharp said of their alternative selection. “The purses are one of our biggest sellers. We draw people who aren’t even Christians, who wouldn’t (ordinarily) step foot into a Christian bookstore.”