Despite religion's growing impact on the general book market and mainstream companies producing more faith-based books, Christian publishers held their ground at last week's BookExpo America (BEA) in New York.

Geoff Cohen, key market accounts manager with Regal Books, said on Friday that his booth at BEA had been quite busy. "The market is beginning to notice us a whole lot more," he said, adding that Regal was displaying some titles with mainstream appeal, "topics that are relevant to the community at large." A few of those were Release the Pain, Embrace the Joy by Michelle McKinney Hammond, The Divine Diet by Carole Lewis and I'm Pregnant … Now What? by Ruth Graham and Sara Dormon.

Barbara James, vice president of sales with Integrity Publishers, thought her company's presence at the show "turned out really well."

An Integrity title that drew interest from retailers shopping the exhibition floor was Rescue Your Love Life: Changing Those Dumb Attitudes & Behaviors That Will Sink Your Marriage by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

"They get that and laugh about it," James said, explaining that the titles displayed at the show are carefully selected to appeal to the mainstream audience.

James said she had attended "half a dozen" BEA conventions and had seen more publishers and retailers embracing CBA titles at this show.

Other CBA companies exhibiting at BEA included Baker Publishing Group, Barbour Publishing, Broadman & Holman, Crossway Books & Bibles, DaySpring, Harvest House, Howard Publishing, InterVarsity Press, Moody Publishers, Multnomah Publishers, NavPress, Strang Communications and Tyndale House.