| Take a lesson |
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| Written by Christine D. Johnson | |
| Monday, 13 June 2011 10:20 AM America/New_York | |
Your guide to the educational opportunities at CBA’s summer show
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| International Christian Retail Show exhibitors |
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| Written by Production | |
| Monday, 13 June 2011 10:03 AM America/New_York | |
Plan ahead for your floor time with suppliersFull exhibitor listingAbbott Hall, #239 Abbey Press, #1619 Abingdon Press, #828 African American Expressions, #1518 Alpha Omega Publications, #521 Amazing Facts, #1447 Ambassador International, #947 American Bible Society, #318 AMG Publishers, #801 Anchor Distributors, #709 Apex Trading Co., #1929 Artistic Manufacturing Corp., #618 B&H Publishing Group, #728 Baker Publishing Group, #539 Barbour Publishing, #529 Bargain Books Wholesale, #328 Berg Christian Enterprises, #2033 Bezaleel Gifts Co., #2001 Black Family Press, #341 Blossom Bucket, #2005 Bob Siemon Designs, #1711 Book Depot, #242 Booklog, #827 Bookstore Manager Software, #1410 Bowman Art, #1906 Bridge-Logos Foundation, #331 Bridgestone Multimedia Group, #1100 Brownlow Gifts, #1710 Cactus Game Design, #1919 Carolina Retail Packaging, #1706 Carpentree, #1701 Cathedral Art Metal, #1511 Catholic Book Publishing Corp., #232 Central South Distribution, #1104 Charisma Media (formerly Strang Communications), #819 Christ for the Nations, #500 Christian Art Gifts, #1727 Christian Focus Publications, #1246 Christian Life Outreach, #1147 Christian Media International/The Spoken Word of God, #1046 Christian Small Publishers Association, #338 Christian World, #1313 Christianaudio/Hovel Audio, #339 CLC Publications, #646 CNI Distribution, #1009 Comfort Publishing, #451 Concordia Publishing House, #409 Creation By Design, #1001 Crossway, #321 Crown Financial Ministries, #210 CTA, #1604 Dake Publishing, #905 Danteck Group, #1247 David C. Cook, # DaySpring Cards, #1521 Destiny Image, #211 Dexsa Co., #1611 Dicksons, #1821 Discovery House Publishers/RBC Ministries, #951 Eikon Bible Art, #1546 Ellie Claire/Summerside Press, #1507 EMI CMG Distribution, #1103 Emkay Candle Co., #900 EP Books, #547 E-R Productions, #1146 Evergreen Press, #1542 Every Good Gift, #1708 Exotic World Gifts, #2118 Faith Library Publications, #431 FaithWords/Hachette Book Group, #719 Fireside Catholic Publishing, #1438 Foundation Publications, #903 Franklin Electronic Publishers, #405 Fun Express, #2022 G.T. Luscombe Co., #1608 Gardenfire, #2027 Gifts of Faith, #96 Glory Haus, #2010 Gospel Light/Regal Books, #611 Gospel Publishing House, #847 Gregg Gift Co., #1719 Group Publishing, #909 H.J. Sherman Co., #1503 Haggai Books, #1639 Harrison House Publishers, #345 Harvest House Publishers, #639 Hendrickson Publishers, #400 Heritage Lace Inspirational, #2019 Hermitage Art Co., #621 Holy Land Gifts, #1902 Howard Books, #208 Howard Imprinting Machine Co., #230 Ideals Publications, #218 Imagine Design, #1905 Inspirational Closeout Solutions, #324 Integra Interactive, #1003 InterVarsity Press, #303-311 James Lawrence Co., #1613 JMS Marketing & Sales, #724 Kerusso, #1409 Kingstone Media Group, #649 Kirkbride Bible Co., #702 Kregel Publications, #610 Left Behind Games, #1207 Levy’s Leathers, #2112 Lighthouse Christian Products Co., #1907-1913 Lion Hudson, #511 Mach III/Color-Ons, #1609 Merch-it!, #1925 Milestones Int’l Publishers, #200 Montco Packaging, #238 Moody Publishers, #701 Munce Group, #833 Murphy Cap & Gown Co., #830 New Day Christian Distributors, #1303 New Hope Publishers, #722 New Leaf Publishing Group, #1039 No Greater Joy Ministries, #1338 Noah’s Ark Distribution, #1403 The Northampton Press, #1443 Not of This World (NOTW), #1526 Oasis Audio, #313 OM Ships International, #227 Outline Bible Resources by Leadership Ministries Worldwide, #1343 Outreach, #1539 Oxford University Press, #904 P&R Publishing, #603 P. Graham Dunn, #1627 Parable Franchising, #1339 Positive Productions Plus!, #1442 Praiz POS/Extreme POS, #322 Precious Moments, #2030 Pro Pueblo, #1509 Protec, #1904 Provident-Integrity Distribution, #1006 Pure Flix Entertainment, #1419 Rainbow Publishers/Legacy Press, #720 Revival Literature, #625 R.H. Boyd Publishing Corp., #1049 Rhythm Band Instruments, #1923 Rhythm U.S.A., #2032 Robert Spooner Galerie, #1811 Rose Publishing, #438 Royal Consumer Information Products, #1341 Saber of Truth Ministries, #1538 Scripture Candy, #1602 ScriptureWear, #2013 SDS Design Associates, #1507 Servant Marketing, #2009 Singer Co., #1601 Solid Rock Jewelry, #1805 Spirit & Truth Christian Jewelry Designs, #1532 Spring Arbor Distributors, #419 Standard Publishing, #939 STL Distribution North America, #1138 SW Press Co., #401 Swanson Christian Products, #1346, 1901 Tabbies, # 519 Talicor, #2018 Tecmark Corp., #1311 Thomas Nelson Bargain Books, #340 Tier Toys/Krazy Houze, #1607 Trinitarian Bible Society USA, #624 Trinity Broadcasting Network, #1002 True Potential Publishing, #204 Truth Book Publishers, #449 Tyndale House Publishers, #501 Union Gospel Press, #206 Universal Designs, #1700 Valtim Marketing Services, #1605 Vermont Christmas Co., #1606 Vision Street Publishing, #548 Warner Press, #201 Well Versed Gifts, #2003 Wesleyan Publishing House, #1439 WestBow Press, #623 Wholesale Christian Books, #231 Wilton Armetale, #2021 WinePress Publishing, #439 Word Distribution, #1111 WORDsearch Corp., #1340 World Wide Printing, #607 Worthy Publishing, #1545 Xulon Press, #747 Zondervan, #739
CBA Marketsquare tables Augsburg Fortress, table 6 Barbour Publishing, table 1 Copenhagen Publishing House, table 4 Josh McDowell Ministry, table 5 Thomas Nelson, table 2 Zondervan, table 3
Debut Avenue booths Ancient Essence, #da38 Be Salty, #da23 The Carpenter’s Woodshop, #da22 The Christmas Angel, TBD Coastline Imports, #da3 DVB New York, #da24 Earthwood, #da21 FaithViews, #da5 Fundex Games, #da6 Gifts and Talents, #da4 Heart on Your Sleeve Design, #da20 Heaven Sent Infant Wear (Miracle Maternity Wear), #da2 Intertech Marketing, #da26 Jeweled Cross Co., #da1 Keys to Prayer, #da8 PAJ dba Prime Art & Jewel, #da37 Poof-Slinky, #da19
CBA Marketsquare booths Abridge International, #ms14 Armour Publishing, #ms43 B&H International, #ms9 Baker Publishing Group, #ms46 Banner of Truth, #ms20 Barbour Publishing, #ms23 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, #ms13 Bill Noller International Publishing, #ms26 Crossway Books & Bibles, #ms18 Destiny Image, #ms1 F.J. Rudy and Associates, #ms21 Gospel Literature International, #ms2 Great Value Books, #ms37 InterVarsity Press, USA, #ms3 InterVarsity Press, UK, #ms27 IPRINTING, #ms34 Life Publishers International, #ms5 LifeWay International, #ms31 Messianic Jewish Publishers, #ms35 Riggins International Rights Services, #ms29 Scandinavia Publishing House, #ms22 Thomas Nelson, #ms24 Tyndale House Publishers, #ms7 WingSpread Publishers, #ms36 Zondervan, #ms4 |
| The frontliner factor |
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| Written by Eric Tiansay | |
| Monday, 13 June 2011 09:58 AM America/New_York | |
Great staff are the key ingredient in effective ‘differentiation’
There has been a longstanding school of thought that “customer experience” is key for Christian retailers in setting them apart from online shopping sites and big-box stores. Events and in-store extras such as free WiFi and coffee play a part in providing that differentiating factor. But in the end, most of the onus on providing exemplary customer experience falls back on the competency, people skills and attitude of store staff, according to industry leaders, marketing groups, chains and leading independent stores contacted by Christian Retailing.
“That means how retailers connect with people in their store—beyond just selling them something—will be a driving factor,” Riskey said. “Retailers must engage people at the level of their passion for faith-building, ministry, outreach and service, helps and more.” This goes beyond just customer service in the traditional sense of a happy greeting and quick checkout, he added. “It goes to understanding who your customer is, what they do in their life and faith and coming alongside them so they can change, transform, act out their faith or achieve their life passions.”
‘A DIFFICULT CONCEPT’
“But customer experience is a difficult concept because it is really in the eyes of the beholder,” he said. “Customer service is ... the sum of what we offer—gift wrap, Bible imprint, special order, a cup of coffee, efficient checkout. Experience is how the customer feels for having been there, and how she feels about what we do.” Adams said that “the most critical element differentiating service from experience” is the store staff and their engagement with the customer. “Survey after survey underscores the importance of helpful, knowledgeable, friendly people who connect with guests and convert them to customers,” he said. Heather Ogden, customer service representative and stationery manager at the Parable Christian Store in San Luis Obispo, Calif., takes on a mind-set to create “a great customer experience.” “I try to put myself in the shoes of the customer because I know what it feels like to receive poor customer service,” she said. “I always try to make sure I greet someone when they walk in the door, ask if they need help and let them know that they are free to ask me any questions they might have. “I feel that it is important to be polite, sincerely concerned and interested in helping the customer,” Ogden added. “By providing a great customer experience, you can gain a devoted customer and create positive word of mouth.” Parable provides resources for its 112 affiliated stores “to use as they see fit,” Adams said. “We encourage our stores to host periodic staff meetings as they are a vital ingredient for infecting all staff with the enthusiasm, team spirit, mission-mindedness, procedural skills, product knowledge and customer-engagement skills, which define who we are,” he said. “Both individual and group training are essential.” Parable provides guidelines for its stores regarding staff recruitment. “It is important to hire people who are predisposed to the ministry of our stores and inherently equipped for the jobs we are hiring them for,” said Adams, adding that hiring-assessment tools from Leading from Your Strengths (www.leadingfromyourstrengths.com) are “very helpful.” “Insights from these profiles help identify candidates with the ‘promoter-relater’ giftedness that make for good customer-engagement performance in the store,” he said. “As a Nordstrom executive once told me, ‘You can’t train someone to be nice—that’s their mother’s job. Our job is to hire nice people, equip them with knowledge of products and procedures, and then turn them loose to be nice to our guests.’ ”
‘MUST BE READERS’
Customer experience is “a critical issue” for Christian stores,” Almack said. “If customers do not have a great experience in our stores, they will not come back, and they certainly have plenty of other options these days as to where to get their Christian products.” Christian retailers must “view the experience issue from a ministry lens as well,” Almack added. “Are people having their spiritual needs met when they come into our stores? They may need prayer as much as they need a new book. When a church leader comes in, they are looking for resources and solutions—not simply products. I like to say that we are successful if the customer has had a transformational experience with us rather than a transactional one.” Training for CLC Bookcenters’ staff involves multiple methods and approaches, including two days of in-depth classroom time, which reviews the nonprofit mission organization’s philosophy, history and global scope. “An employee handbook and policy and procedures manual are given to each new team member and discussed during the first week on the job with their store manager,” Almack said. “Most importantly, they are paired with an experienced team member for several days, if not weeks, early on, for mentoring and training hands on.” The group also utilizes CBA online training and Bible training programs from Zondervan, Tyndale House Publishers and Thomas Nelson. Additionally, CLC Bookcenters hold an annual staff conference in April for one to two days of “training, fellowship, motivation and fun,” Almack added. Compensation is not the primary reason that people work for CLC, he said. “Our people view it as a vocation, calling and, in some cases, as a mission field. … We never use pay as a part of our strategy for recruitment and … often mention in the recruiting process that sacrifice is one of our core values. If a person is still interested in CLC after hearing this, they are normally motivated by other factors.”
‘POINT OF CONTACT’
“We feel that it is our responsibility to provide an excellent customer experience—from merchandising to store layout and design, to our staff interactions with the customers,” he said. “Every point of contact with the customer must be a great one.” Mardel trains, equips and enthuses its staff by first hiring “great people,” Green said. “Then we spend time with them showing them the functions and responsibilities of their position. We spend time developing and dedicating resources in areas that improve our staff’s ability to do their job well. “We strive to … pay them accordingly,” he added. “We look for those folks who align with our mission, and want to work for Mardel because of what we do, and because they want to be a part of that. If someone is ‘just looking for a job,’ then he/she will have to find that somewhere else.” Green noted that Mardel’s store personnel have “servant’s hearts.” “We know our customers do more than ‘shop’ our stores,” he said. “We are a part of helping them and equipping them in their walk. We are part of the experience of helping them learn, grow and heal and hope. We help renew minds and transform lives.” Customer service is “a priority” for Berean Christian Stores, said Director of Operations David Jordan, noting that the 18-strong chain implemented a mystery-shopper program in 2010 “to give us a snapshot at each store several times a quarter.” The questions are based on overall customer experience. “We feel this has been a great training tool for individual associates as well as the overall operation of the stores,” Jordan said. “The overall scores are shared with each team. Where deficiencies are found, we address them accordingly. We strive by not only serving our customers, but feel that engaging the customer is important as well.” When it comes to training, Berean provides new-hire orientation for every new employee, Jordan said. “The time in orientation is not only spent completing necessary paperwork, but also gives the manager an opportunity to review our policies and procedures with the new employee and answer any questions he may have,” he said. “At that point, the new employee is usually paired up with one of our more long-term, experienced employees to receive on-the-job training.” Besides offering ongoing training at mandatory, quarterly staff meetings, Berean also has a formal recognition program. The Berean CARE Award recognizes those that provide outstanding customer service with an engraved plaque and a cash bonus. The other component is on-the-spot recognition. “Managers have access to $25 restaurant gift cards to immediately recognize an employee for a job well done,” Jordan said.
‘MOTIVATION TO EXCEL’ Berean “believes strongly” in promoting from within, Jordan added. “We have many long-term, dedicated employees, and we prefer to promote these employees rather than recruit from the outside, if possible,” he said. “Our goal is to provide a competitive salary and benefits package to attract new talent, but to also provide ongoing motivation to excel through our current quarterly bonus program.”
“We communicate to our staff that if we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will,” Young said. “We try to stress to them that there is nothing we sell that our customers cannot find at another location, and that they are honoring us when they choose to shop with us.” Christian Supply employees are trained in a class called SERVE—an acrostic for Salutation, Evaluation, Referral/Research, Value-Added and Express Thanks. “Each letter of SERVE stands for a step in the process of ministering to our customers,” said Young, noting that the model was created by the store. For example, during the Evaluation step, customers are asked open-ended questions, and a staff member restates what they expressed as their need, Young added. “When referring them to the right product or right department, we walk them to the product and we never point.” During recruitment, “we look for those who have a genuine interest in the ministry of our store, and we also look for those who we feel would relate well with our customer base,” Young said. “In addition, we try to find those who are self-starters. … I am very diligent in trying to find the right people for the right positions. This is very important to me that we don’t have a round peg in a square hole.”
“We see what we do as a ministry—not just an exchange of goods for cash,” he said. “We hire the smile and train the details. … Great customer experience is not just about finding the right product. It has to be personal and, in some way, reflect the very hope and love that is at the heart of everything this store sells.” |
| Going digital with God’s Word |
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| Written by Staff | |
| Monday, 13 June 2011 09:36 AM America/New_York | |
Non-print Bibles—a growth category that stores need to understand
The digital publishing revolution isn’t just about newly written books. The Bible has been presented as an award-winning audio project in recent times and is proving increasingly popular among e-reader users. We discussed the growth of the non-print Bible market, and the opportunities and implications, with leading suppliers in the category. Joining us for the conversation were:
Shawn Carroll, COO of Immersion Digital (Glo Bible) Marianne Gelski, vice president, retail channels, WORDsearch Aaron Linne, executive producer of digital marketing, manager, B&H Publishing Group Len Williams, vice president of sales and marketing, Danteck Group (NowBible)
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: WORDsearch has been in non-print Bibles longer than anybody. How have things changed since those early days? Marianne Gelski: WORDsearch has been publishing electronically since 1987. Our readers, which run on your PC or Mac, would be Bible Explorer and WORDsearch. Basically we electronically publish the books that we’ve licensed from various publishers. I think retailers looking at electronic publishing are probably overwhelmed: “What does this mean? Where are we going with this?” The younger generation is embracing it quicker than the older generation. You can do so much more with digital print.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Is the trend being driven by technology alone? Carl Amari: I have to concur. I haven’t bought a paper book (in some time) other than The Men and Women of the Bible, which I found very useful in casting the roles. Other than that, I don’t think I have purchased one. I have a Kindle and that’s how I do it. I think it is absolutely a lifestyle and that’s where it’s all going. Already with the new Bible we just did, Truth & Life, we are getting email from people asking why it’s not on MP3 and when is it going to be on iTunes? So I definitely think it’s moving rapidly to all digital. Shawn Carroll: Absolutely, one of the things that we discovered is the nonlinear nature of digital media ... being able to dive in, explore and get context. Being able to share your experiences is also hugely Linne: Sharing is so important; that really is the future of reading even, I would say. I was working at a camp in 2001 and the pastor there, one of his messages was that at the core of us, we have this question of who am I and what do people think of me? Ten years ago you couldn’t control that. But in today’s world, I am what I tweet and I can broadcast the message of who I am to my followers and friends. So for me, I have it automatically set up that when I play a video game on the Xbox, it tweets what game I’m playing. But I also have it set up that when I’m reading a book on the Kindle for my master’s course, then I can share with people my notes. So people are saying, “Gosh, he’s reading some strange books.” That’s what I want people to know about me.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Should we lump all non-print Bibles into the same category, or do we need to recognize there are some differences? Len Williams: I think it’s a lot about the word immersion. You just look at the capability of a (new) product versus a traditional print product. Look at WORDsearch, look at Glo—you can just learn so much more by using that software. Take a product like the NowBible or a portable device—they are giving you immersion because now can read and listen and follow along anywhere you go, on the train, on the plane, wherever is convenient for you. Should they all be lumped into the same category? Not necessarily, because the number-one question we get is, how can a product like the NowBible survive in Christian retail and onward with devices out there such as the iPhone and the Droid and the iPad and the Kindle? That’s where we very simply say the NowBible—it doesn’t try to be all things to all people. There’s still a generation out there, still a lot of users out there who are somewhat afraid of technology. They are not necessarily embracing the smart-phone craze, the e-reader craze, the tablet-PC craze, but they still want something cool. They want something to use in church, convenient text and audio. That’s how we have been able to establish a niche with the NowBible. Linne: A product like the NowBible is so essential for that. When I’m reading on an e-reader, that keeps me focused, but even still I have those optional things, I have other books here and things that can distract me, especially with something like an iPad or a smart phone. But with something like the NowBible that is so concentrated on this. It is my Bible, it’s just got a screen on it. That’s so important to have, to keep that focus.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Is there a danger that technology can become more about entertaining us with the Bible rather than taking us deeper into it? Linne: You can use those same potential issues (of being able to skip from one thing to another) as benefits to studying the Bible. B&H uses a site called Mystudybible.com, where we use that ability for the rising generation (who) like things to be jumping and like things to be everything at my fingertips. So when you scroll to a passage on mystudybible.com, we present to you a whole list of other places you can go look for deeper information. Carroll: What we have actually seen is a term I used when I worked at Disney: edutainment. It’s kind of at the crossroads between the two. Truthfully you have to have the people engaged, first of all. However they get there, we are not quite that concerned. But what we found with Glo is that everything is based on the spine of the product, which is the Bible. Off of that solid core we have reading plans and journals that allow people to have that experience of study, using media to augment what they are doing in a nonlinear fashion, but at any point in time they bounce back to their reading plan. Amari: When you talk about engaging the listener, I think a dramatized version has proved to be more engaging than a single narrator. I’ve always, growing up, listened to single-reader Bibles and there are some really good ones. When you put the elements of actors—really professional actors—and original scores and sound effects, I think it engages them. It takes them back to the time ... it creates a sort of a first-time feeling for them.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Are people choosing print or digital or embracing both? Gelski: Personally, for doing Bible study I read my (print) Bible, but for in-depth Bible study, I use my WORDsearch software program. I can learn so much more quickly than I could in using a print Bible. The key thing that we need to remember is we are all so busy, and you can study faster digitally than you can by flipping through your Bible or commentary and spending hours looking for the same thing that you can search digitally.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What does the digital trend mean for retail? Williams: Christian retail is definitely embracing the NowBible, and I think they are starting to embrace a lot of the technology products. … But what I think is important for every retailer out there to realize is that they need to not only invest in the nontraditional Bibles and books and technology products, but they need to also learn and become as proficient as possible on these features. The danger is people are putting these products on the shelf and they are trying to let the packaging do the work. Good packaging and good marketing can only go so far. It really comes down to managers and frontliners needing to at least have a basic grasp and understanding of how these products work and at least some of the very short sales points and highlights of the product and what makes them user friendly, what makes it appealing to a customer. These technology products are going to produce more questions than the average traditional book; if you don’t think so, go talk to a sales representative at Best Buy or Radio Shack. You don’t have to be technology experts, but at least get a little more of a grasp of some of these newer products. Carroll: Spot on. Our experience with the launch of Glo at Christian retail was there is a huge difference between having the spine out and the category called Software in a store versus the notion of this is something that needs to be seen. We are trying to think of new and better ways to give customers the ability to see the product somehow—whether it’s visuals, a kiosk or a store PC loaded with the product. Gelski: I totally agree. What we have done recently is create a frontliner training program with each of our brand products where they can go to our Web site and review our training videos, and then each frontliner will be rewarded with a free copy of one of five titles. Hopefully that blesses them, but also helps the retailers increase their electronic Bible category. Frontline training is essential. Linne: B&H just released a study Bible for which we built a site called mystudybible.com and we gave it away to anyone. There was also a nice big sticker on the print study Bible, on the outer packaging, that said, go visit mystudybible.com. The reason we did that was because we believe that content markets content. And we believe if someone is questioning, should I be interested in this study Bible, is it relevant, that they should be able to have a taste of that and explore. Not everyone is like me and lives only in the digital world. Many, many people like carrying a physical Bible with them, so they will go back to the store and say, “I do want that. I do like the content.” So there are ways that we can partner as digital Bible providers with the traditional print media.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Is it realistic to think there is going to continue to be a strong market share for brick-and-mortar retailers as non-print develops? Williams: Absolutely. I just wish we could see more investment in technology, demo units, point-of-sale displays, kiosks, things along those lines. Right now it feels like we are not showing a customer what the product is, we are just telling them about it. Many of these products have trailers of “the making of.” It’s a game changer when people can actually see, here’s Jim Caviezel in the studio (for The Word of Promise). Just like my old, freshman English’s teacher creative-writing class: Show, don’t tell. The majority of stores don’t have a way to implement that, and that’s kind of the biggest hurdle I’m seeing—not just from the smaller independent stores, but even from the big ones.
Linne: Right, and that kind of surprises me. There are a million and one videos that are relevant to the products that are in retail stores. All it would take is downloading those videos, putting them into an iTunes playlist, making it stream and hitting play on a computer monitor while you are around the store. There are so many opportunities to share the message and so many publishers are creating great marketing content that I’m surprised I don’t see more of it in the actual physical stores.
Carroll: One of the things we have done is position Glo as a digital bible. We don’t talk about it being software because we want to break out of that category. Brick-and-mortar stores could certainly attract additional customers and skew younger and stay much more relevant were they to just take a 10-by-10 spot and make it the digital corner. Make it an exploration place. It’s all about that ability to explore and to see something. Linne: An online consumer is scanning. If they walk into a store, there is a difference there, because they are expecting the people there to be experts. So as they can do their own research online, when they walk into a store, they are hoping for human connection, saying, this is my need, point me to the right place.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Digital is challenging for suppliers as well as retailers? Linne: The hardest for both us and retailers is figuring out the new roles, the new opportunities and which one is going to be the right one. For us, we’ve discovered that the digital consumer is much more interested in growing a collection and purchasing bite-sized content. We have a Beth Moore app for the iPhone that’s a daily devotional, and we have found that consumers are much more interested in purchasing 30 days of devotionals for $1 rather than spending $10 for the 365 days. They would rather almost spend more, but get the content when they want it and how they want it, in that smaller segment. So we have to repurpose our materials and figure out what that means for when we are developing internal projects. Williams: We probably face more struggles in just increases in technology and hardware since we are dealing with actual hardware that has software on it as well. That’s been a challenge for us. We have also tried coming out with some newer lines that have a lower introductory price points than our full-size (versions), but still some of the same capabilities. We also face challenges with a product that has both text and audio, trying to have software that combines those two very delicate mediums. There’s a lot of work involved there. Carroll: We are chasing on multiple fronts. Regarding the digital consumer buying chunks of content and adding it to a library, one of the things we are very interested in about that model is, what does that do for a lifetime value of a customer? Because, rather than just buying it once, you have an opportunity to have (an ongoing) relationship with that customer and continue to have multiple content suppliers offer top-up content.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What are some of your plans for 2011? Carroll: One is our Glo 3.0 premium edition, our multi-device edition so it syncs seamlessly between PC Slate devices, the Mac iPad and iPhone to start with. Coming along with that in mid- to late 2011, we are going to be launching our app store, which is that seamless integration of people being able to buy chunks. Not only do you have a portable personal Bible and Bible study and sharing experience, but you’ve also got the ability to add content based on things that you’re interested in. Gelski: We are working on an update for our Mac products, on a lot of our electronically published books in the PC and Mac format for iPad, Kindle, iPhone and other e-readers. Linne: At B&H we have deep value with our retailer partners. We love them and we don’t want any of our digital steps to be a misstep with them, so we are going to continue to look and find some ways to partner with our retail partners digitally, in the store. Williams: We are developing and working on a potential Spanish edition of the NowBible, hope to release that by Christmas 2011. And in addition to our NowBible products, we are working on making other accessories and items available as well, such as protective cases, car chargers (and) FM transmitters to help people listen to their NowBible in the car.
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| Year of the Bible: Foundations for life |
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| Written by Staff | |
| Friday, 10 June 2011 04:51 PM America/New_York | |
Developing a passion for God’s Word in young readersChildren’s Bibles are one of the trickier subcategories for publishers and retailers alike, who have to balance multiple factors from price point and presentation to in-store placement to find their sweet spot.
With 22% of the market for that period, Thomas Nelson has sold more than 14.5 million Precious Moments Bibles, featuring Sam Butcher’s iconic teardrop-faced children, in the last 30 years. “Children’s Bibles have grown every year and are a significant part of our children’s product line,” said the company’s vice president and publisher, Bibles, Gary Davidson. Five publishers accounted for 82% of the first-quarter ECPA market, with Zondervan leading (36%), then Tyndale House Publishers, NavPress and B&H Publishing Group following Nelson. Others active in the market include Crossway, David C. Cook, Concordia Publishing House and Baker Publishing Group. The children’s Bible grouping can be a bit “blurry,” noted Ryan Dunham, senior vice president of sales and marketing for David C. Cook. “What we call children’s Bibles are for the most part Bible storybooks” that simplify the Scriptures for non- or early readers.
TEXT EMPHASIS
Zondervan’s focus for ages 6-10 is its New International Reader’s Version (NIrV), a third grade reading level edition of the New International Version (NIV). Naturally, as Bourland observed, “a translation children can easily read and understand is one of the most important ingredients.” While components like visuals and additional content are important in helping foster children’s love for God’s Word, “the editorial philosophy should always be to draw the child into the Bible text” itself, Bourland added. Her emphasis was echoed by Davidson, whose company also publishes the International Children’s Bible (ICB) at a third-grade level. “A Bible kids can read and understand is most important for kids to take God’s Word to heart, as well as application to the child’s life, interactivity with the scriptures, comprehension level of the material.” “If you don’t help kids get the message of Scripture, it doesn’t matter how great other features are,” said Jeffrey Smith, director of marketing, Bibles for Tyndale House Publishers, whose New Living Translation (NLT) has featured in editions like the Kid’s Life Application Bible. However, Davidson also noted the importance of “packaging to help catch their interest,” pointing to the company’s success with its sparkly Princess Bible, now being followed by a series of sequin-covered releases. “We research trends from other industries and then reflect kids’ tastes into the look of our Bibles,” he added. “It is important that kids not be embarrassed to carry a Bible and the cooler it looks, it might just inspire kids to spend quality time reading God’s Word.” TWO TARGETS
Having two “consumers” can create a tension in meeting different demographics, noted Dunham. “We most definitely take this into consideration,” said Bourland of Zonderkidz, “but we have found that the more fun and engaging we make the Bible for kids, the more excited parents are about purchasing it for their child.” “Adults are the primary audience so that affects how we market our product,” observed Kris Wallen, vice president of ministry services for NavPress, publisher of My First Message, which has sold 80,000 copies since its 2007 release. “We want to reach the primary audience.” For those adults who typically do the buying, price point and quality are also important, added Dunham. Parents may also be looking for a connection with the translation they use. Or the reverse—since acquiring the God’s Word Translation in 2008, Baker Publishing Group has heard from parents who “continue reading God’s Word for Boys and God’s Word for Girls after they put their children to bed,” said Publicity Manager Deonne Beron. Publishers have not surprisingly seen success with Bibles that tie in to existing popular children’s brands like Precious Moments. In addition, Zondervan brought out the VeggieTales Bible in the NIV and is prepping The Berenstain Bears Holy Bible in the NIrV for an April release. Both Zondervan and Nelson have produced princess-themed Bibles. Stand-alone editions have done well, too. Notable among them have been NLT Bibles from Tyndale, which recently became the first to use QR codes, in the iShine Bible, to link young readers to additional online content. Zondervan’s biggest achievers include NIrV and NIV editions of the Adventure Bible—third-highest seller in the ECPA list—and the 2:52 Boys Bible and The Faithgirlz! Bible. Gender-specific Bibles are proving particularly strong for ages 9-12, Bourland said.
CLEAR CHOICES
Endcap promotions and face-out positioning help parents see “an age range of products,” advised Davidson, who pointed out that “many families have more than one child, and being able to give them choices for their purchases that are similar is helpful.” Children’s Bibles need to be in the main Bible department, but well defined in their own section, “otherwise they tend to get lost in the sea of adult Bibles,” said Bourland. She also suggested organizing by translation and featuring different titles at key buying seasons, such as back-to-school and Christmas. With the high volume of gift purchases among children’s Bible sales in mind, Jim Stropnik, marketing manager at Concordia Publishing House—with more than a century of publishing in the subcategory—observed: “I’ve seen some success with cross-selling alongside some of the gift items, which can result in an increase in the size of the customer’s purchase.” Kuhn, for whom children’s and youth Bibles are “a growing segment of the Bible business,” observed that “they do well in their own sections.” |
| Nine key trends in Christian publishing |
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| Written by James and Ellen Banks Elwell; director of international publishing, Tyndale House Publishers; international publishing assistant, Tyndale House Publishers | |
| Thursday, 02 June 2011 08:42 AM America/New_York | |
From formats and advances to platforms and markets, these shifts need watching
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| Reaching young adults |
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| Written by Ken Walker | |
| Wednesday, 11 May 2011 03:16 PM America/New_York | |
Publishers connect with teens in their 'real world'
The fan mail the book generated led to personal appearances, electronic interviews and a newly discovered appreciation for teens' love of story. This interaction ultimately inspired Liparulo to write "Dreamhouse Kings," a two-year, six-book series that concluded last May with the release of Frenzy. Today, teens play a key role in his work, with a 10-member focus group vetting his juvenile fiction manuscripts. Liparulo also gets feedback from his 13-year-old son, who claims celebrity status at school because of his father's books. "I realized I love this age group," Liparulo said of his entry into the young adult (YA) market. "They weren't interested in the 'business' of writing. They wanted to know all about the very thing that made me want to be a writer: story."
"These guys are very sophisticated when it comes to story," Liparulo said. "I'm so grateful I have a young readership out there. They're quick to send emails, and they don't hold back their praise. It seems I have hundreds of 'No. 1 fans.' " Canadian journalist Mags Storey has similar feelings. She loves teens' emotional honesty, dramatic lenses for examining the world and the way they challenge everything. "I think we need to respect that and help them find answers which make sense to them," said Storey, author of the award-winning If Only You Knew (Kregel Publications, 2009). "I truly believe that teenagers are incredible people, with the potential to change the world." It is a world she believes they are more prepared to face than many parents realize. Storey recalls the teen who shared about her mother's refusal to let her read romances, even though the girl was secretly dating.
One reason for this outlook is the stream of emails her mystery novel—winner of the Grace Irwin Award for the best book published by a Canadian author, as well as the romance and YA categories at the 2010 Canadian Christian Writing Awards—has prompted from teenage girls. "I think they like that I'm honest about how messy and complicated life and faith can be sometimes, because that's the real world they're trying to live for Jesus in," Storey said. "My favorite email comes from a 15-year-old pastor's daughter, who said, 'This book says everything I always wanted to say about my faith, but was too scared to admit.' "
These authors' success bolsters Dale Anderson's belief that fantasy fiction is a tool to attract more young readers to Christian retail stores. The executive director and publisher of AMG Publishers liked the promise of this genre so much that seven years ago he converted its Living Ink imprint from Christian living to YA fantasy fiction. "This category is great," Anderson said. "The Washington Post recently had an article saying that Christian fantasy fiction has caught fire. Ignited by Harry Potter, it sent Christians looking for alternatives. We've had numerous testimonies from (teen readers) about their renewed interest in reading the Bible and turning to faith in Jesus Christ." Even though music, jewelry and apparel drive YA spending, teens are still quite interested in books and Bibles. A recent study by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association found that in 2009 shoppers ages 13 to 17 bought 6% of the fiction and nonfiction and 11% of Bibles at Christian stores. That doesn't count items parents purchased for them, which would drive those numbers higher.
"We believe God is using this genre," Anderson said. "Millions of people have read (their) books and been inspired. We think it's time to renew this vision and to promote Christian themes such as faith, hope, integrity, and honor … and that good prevails over evil." Bryan Davis, whose Raising Dragons (2004)—first in the "Dragons in Our Midst" series—has sold more than 100,000 copies, is the leading author on the Living Ink roster. Winner of the 2010 Clive Staples Award for The Bones of Makaidos (2009), Davis is working on Song of the Ovulum. The July release launches "Children of the Bard," a four-book series. Recent releases from AMG include Scott Appleton's Swords of the Six, first in "The Sword of the Dragon" series (February); The Book of Names (February) and Corus the Champion (April) by D. Barkley Briggs, the first two of the "Legends of Karac Tor"; and Map Across Time by C.S. Lakin (February).
"We're reaching a whole new audience that wouldn't have been reached any other way," Fallahee said. "Storytelling is a time-long tradition for any culture. 'Chronicles of Narnia' tapped into that tradition and now our authors are continuing it. Whether in church or out of church, kids are captivated by stories." Allen Arnold agrees. The senior vice president and publisher of fiction at Thomas Nelson lists "Dreamhouse," Ted Dekker's "The Lost Books" collection of six novels and four graphic novels and Andrew Klavan's "The Homelanders" trilogy as the kind of storytelling that captivates YA fans. Teen girls also admire the "A Charmed Life" series by Jenny B. Jones and novels by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma. Arnold credits the popularity of these authors to strong storylines and accessibility. "Teens won't read a story simply because it has a good message or their parents ask them to," Arnold said. "It has to connect on a very real level with them and be authentic. And they need the story to be in the format and accessible how they want to experience it: e-books, audio downloads, graphics, text, price. … If they can't find it how and where they want to purchase it, the sale is lost." Innovative design and interactive elements are other popular features, according to the senior editor of Warner Press. Karen Rhodes said the Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) affiliate decided to plunge into YA books in 2008 because of the groundbreaking nature of Allan and Christopher Miller's "The Codebearers" series. Not only did both brothers contribute to the story and illustrations, they have blogged and maintained a Web site to connect with teens, she said. The third title, Hunter Brown and the Eye of Ends, released in January. "We've had parents who said, 'I couldn't get my kids to read before this,' " said Rhodes, who is considering publishing two other YA-oriented manuscripts. "I'm very hopeful (about the genre). I believe they'll be drawn to anything that puts together a book and technology." Still, there is nothing for Christian teens that matches the buzz behind such general-market powerhouses as "Harry Potter," "The Twilight Saga" and "The Hunger Games." However, Arnold thinks that day will come through a bold, original series. "When it hits, it won't be from the author or publisher trying to copy the secular YA titles with a bit of Christian content thrown in," Arnold said.
A DEVELOPING MARKET The market has come a long way since 2003, when NavPress launched its Think imprint into a "black hole" of products for teens and young adults, said Rebekah Guzman, the company's editorial director. The company's goal is to produce innovative resources that speak to independent thinkers, yet has truth to motivate them to live out their faith, Guzman said. She sees enormous rewards from reaching young adults, saying that publishing messages that lead to life transformation is priceless. "Teens don't want to be told what to do; they want to figure it out on their own," Guzman said. "The Christian YA audience is highly influenced by peers, media and culture. We win their hearts by taking them and their faith, friends and lives seriously." Yet that sometimes proves challenging, particularly the tension that exists between being gritty enough for teens while not crossing boundaries of good taste. While it may clash with Christian sensibilities, it is essential to show Christ in the midst of difficult, realistic situations, such as teen pregnancies, self-mutilation and eating disorders, Guzman said. "That is what teens today are facing," she said. "YA content in the general market is getting edgier, and Christian fiction is changing, too." One general market title that has generated pre-release buzz is written by a professing Christian who reads the likes of John Calvin and Augustine. Veronica Roth's Divergent (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, May) is the first in a trilogy of dystopian thrillers. Set in a future Chicago, her debut title looks to a society where 16-year-olds must choose between five factions that cultivate a particular virtue—a choice that will brand them for the rest of their lives. Annette Bourland, senior vice president and publisher at Zonderkidz, has observed the "stellar" writing in general market YA titles. "The ABA has seen a great deal of success because the quality is so high, and the writers and their books aren't afraid to take chances and explore ideas and themes that might sometimes seem edgy, but in fact explore and address things teens face and relate to," she said. "And there's no reason why Christian publishers can't publish the same level of amazing writing, plots and characters, as well as address themes and concerns teens are looking for," she added. Bourland said that teens are able to handle books that take on the gritty and real. "This is a generation that grew up in the wake of 9/11: they know the world isn't always a safe and happy place," she recalled. "In the CBA, YA hasn't always been as keen to show the broken as it is, but that is starting to change. And it has to in order to reach the teen reader—be it fantasy or a contemporary novel, the book has to be real, and not sugarcoat a plot. "The wave may be publishers providing books that are not afraid to show a broken world, be that realistically or through a created world as Suzanne Collins does with Panem (in 'The Hunger Games'). And because we as Christians know who the ultimate power and controller of our world is, we can show there is hope and a future and light even when things look darkest." Zonderkidz takes on some real-life issues in books like May's Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston. In the coming-of-age novel, Emily Curtis and her dad are driven from their home after Emily's mom dies and the family can't pay all the medical bills. In Nancy Rue's latest "Real Life" title, Limos, Lattes & My Life on the Fringe (Zonderkidz, May), Tyler Bonning struggles to fit in with her peers at prom time. The balancing act publishers face when it comes to content poses a perennial challenge, said Jennifer Leep, editorial director at Revell. The Baker Publishing Group division released two YA devotionals, God Guy by Michael DiMarco (2009) and Devotions for the God Girl by Hayley DiMarco (October 2010). The husband-wife team runs Hungry Planet, a YA publisher known for its innovative design and with nearly a million copies in sales. Two titles from Hungry Planet and Revell—Sexy Girls (2007) and B4UD8 (Before You Date, 2010)—have won the Christian Book Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Hayley DiMarco's God Girl Bible, in God's Word Translation, released last month. Not only do vendors have to walk a fine moral line, Leep said they must appeal to two different audiences: teens who want to read the books and adults who are often the book buyers. She said the DiMarcos have done that by satisfying parents who want teens to grow spiritually and YA readers who want to grow closer to God. In addition, teens listen to someone who takes time to understand their world, Leep said. "We've seen the same principle at work with other teen titles we've published, particularly those tackling perennial teen topics such as dating," she said. "Here again, parents want their teens to be getting solid, biblically sound advice. And it's a topic teens are interested in reading about, provided an author seems to 'get' them and the content is presented in a format that keeps their attention." Still, Christians can't sacrifice quality to see the same explosion in the category as in the general market, said Shannon Marchese, senior editor, fiction at The WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Because many general market titles include dark themes, the Random House division is committed to offering creative, entertaining reads that offer hope, Marchese said. As examples of Christian success stories, she points to Donita K. Paul's "The DragonKeeper Chronicles," a five-book series with more than 300,000 copies sold; Chuck Black's six-volume "Kingdom" series and Robin Jones Gunn's "Christy Miller Collection" novels. Despite WaterBrook's long history with YA books, it still faces challenges in reaching an audience that is constantly shifting. "As with a number of demographics these days, marketing strategies from recent years do not connect directly with the intended reader," Marchese said. "The challenge is establishing contact with that 13-to-18-year-old reader and beginning a relationship with them in which they see you as a valuable content provider."
MORE THAN FICTION Fantasy fiction isn't the only segment reaching teens. Multnomah Books has a pair of popular nonfiction titles by twins Alex and Brett Harris. The brothers' "Rebelution" blog led to their first book, Do Hard Things (2008), followed by Start Here (March 2010). "The success of Do Hard Things and others like it suggests to me that a growing number of teens are suspicious of messages that major on production value or trends and minor on enduring truths, even if those truths are difficult," said Executive Editor David Kopp. Another nonfiction entry from WaterBrook Press addresses such topics as moral boundaries, romance addictions and what to do if a boyfriend is using porn. What Are You Waiting For? by Dannah Gresh released in January. Others have tackled real-life issues. Among Thomas Nelson's 2010 releases were A Guy's Guide to Life by Jason Boyett (June) and A Girl's Guide to Life by Katie Meier (June), both revised books, and perennial best-selling author Max Lucado's You Were Made to Make a Difference. He co-authored the September release with his daughter, Jenna Lucado Bishop. In February, Nelson released repackages of teen speaker Chad Eastham's The Truth About Dating, Love & Just Being Friends and veteran author Susie Shellenberger's Girl Talk With God. New nonfiction releases from NavPress include The Grad's Guide to Surviving Stressful Times compiled by the Think staff (March); and An Exposé on Teen Sex and Dating by Andy Braner (May). Though aimed at parents and youth leaders, the latter could end up reaching YA audiences. "We feel the key to winning this audience's attention is to resonate with relevance," Guzman said. "We focus on keeping current with the issues and topics young adults are dealing with rather than trends that may come or go quickly in this fast-paced culture." |
| Inside the changing world of Christian music |
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| Written by Production | |
| Wednesday, 11 May 2011 10:50 AM America/New_York | |
Award-winning artists voice their thoughts about challenges and concernsChristian music continues to touch and change lives, even as those involved in its creation and distribution wrestle with changes in the industry.We turned to some leading artists for their opinions on the issues. We asked 2010 Dove Award winners:
Special Event Album, Glory Revealed II Greatest challenge: Media outlets. It's difficult for Christian music to compete with secular music space in many of the retail outlets that sell our product. Digital impact: It's so easy to download our music to computers, iPhones or MP3 players and not have to pay for it, so it has impacted record sales drastically. Think of it like this: If you were the owner of Wal-Mart and people walked in and grabbed whatever they wanted off the shelf and walked out without paying for it, how long could you stay in business? I've read where 95% of digital downloads in the U.K. are illegal and over 75% here in America are illegal. With numbers like that, you can see how it's impacting me as an artist and my record label. Changing scene: There is no way to protect yourself from getting music stolen from you. The No. 1 person to ask would be artist and record company representatives. There are positives and negatives. Instead of people buying records now for two or three songs, they only have to buy those two or three songs online. You have to make sure you choose great songs, but definitely the negative outweighs the positive.
Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year, "Movin'" Greatest challenge: The greatest challenge facing Christian music today is its ability to cross genres and accommodate a world of listeners who want quality sound that fits their lives. We need more diverse sounds, more acceptance of various styles that are all coming together with one goal—to spread our ministries and help listeners find their faith. Digital impact: The digital movement has revolutionized how we can connect with our fans. It has also helped us get our name out there to music lovers with added benefit of instant gratification. Changing scene: We absolutely think the digital revolution will ignite change in the contemporary Christian music market as well as all of the different music genres. Personal encouragement: What has encouraged us the most is the ministry that is going on with our music. Fans are finding hope, faith, love and deliverance from dark situations through the music that our industry releases. That is amazing! To impact people in such a way is an incredible feeling ... a true honor. Retail support: Simply continue to support the records released by our format and embrace digital possibilities on the retail front.
Bluegrass Album of the Year, Naturally Greatest challenge: The greatest challenge facing Christian music today is the lack of radio airtime. When fans don't get to hear their music over the airwaves, it's hard for them to know what they like so they can go out and buy it or download it. Digital impact: Digital downloads are good because people get to enjoy the music almost immediately after purchasing. But, on the down side, we as the artists suffer financially from the loss of hard-copy sales. The profit margin with actual CDs is much greater for us than digital downloads. Changing scene: The Christian music world has already changed due to the lack of hard-copy CDs being sold at retail. Personal encouragement: We're encouraged because we know that people are still buying our products at retail. In our economy today, it's hard for people who buy tickets to come to a show and then spend more money on CDs and merchandise. We do, however, still do reasonably well in sales at our shows. Retail support: Christian retail stores need to offer a wide variety of Christian music, not just the top-10 artists. Also, in secular retail stores, the Christian music industry needs to make sure we too have ample space to display our music.
Inspirational Album of the Year, Fearless Greatest challenge: The digital age of downloading an individual song versus buying a CD has changed record companies and the way industry does business. The economy has turned touring upside down. The future of full-scale concerts and a hard ticket seems to be morphing into something else. The music groups that will survive and thrive are the ones that can reinvent themselves and do music in a different format and paradigm. God is up to something. We've got to figure out what it is. The challenge is the fear in a global economy that is reshaping music, reshaping methods. But the gospel of Christ in music will prevail. God always finds a way to get His message to the people He loves. Digital impact: I buy a song instead of an album. As a writer, I am pleased concerning downloads, but as an artist, I am torn. People are not grasping the entire spectrum of songs by listening to six songs. Most artists are trying to tell a story from the opening song to the last song. Taking a slice out of the middle gives you instant thrills/chills, but the listener is missing the journey. Changing scene: Nashville has completely changed in terms of the Christian record industry. Faces have changed. Companies have merged, downsized, restructured. Nashville is a different place. Sometimes a sleeker model is good to make us more effective, sometimes it's reacting to the times. Life seems cyclical to me, and I believe things will come back (for the) better. Personal encouragement: "Revelation Song" being No. 1 for 17 weeks straight. When you've been a Christian artist for 20 years, you get the sense that people want something unknown—fresh, new faces—so to have a song like that (that) radio embraced and audiences embraced was just so energizing. It encouraged me to keep being faithful to the calling, to be skillful and trust that God is full of surprises. Retail support: Christian retailers understand that Christian music—unlike other music—affects earth and eternity. When someone walks in their store burdened or trying (to) explain loss, a retailer can point them to an artist or a song that completely changes the atmosphere into a God-embrace. As a pastor, I've never seen so many people full of fear and despair about our nation, our economy, the uprisings in the Middle East—what a great opportunity to show them that God sits upon the circle of the earth. He is in control.
New Artist of the Year Greatest challenge: This question is really important and worthy of note. What seems to be the greatest challenge facing Christian music is trying to keep a strong presence as the entire music industry shifts into new forms of distribution and engagement. The positive impact of Christian music will always have value, but as the digital age grows, it will become increasingly important that we as Christians be as innovative as ever to spread the gospel. This doesn't necessarily mean we create our own digital subculture, but instead we should be beckoned to create art that is so rich in content that it turns the heads and opens the hearts of people who may have never heard of Christ and His love for us. Digital impact: The digital revolution has opened so many new ways to connect with people. Whether it's videos on YouTube.com, songs on iTunes or great content on a Web site, these are great tools we can use to communicate with. For Sidewalk Prophets, using video to communicate our hearts has been one of our favorite things to do. It gives us a chance to let people who may never meet us in person to see that we are real people just living and loving life together. It's one thing to be able to perform on stage and share your heart, but it's completely refreshing that with the tools available now, we can communicate our hearts via the Internet through video, audio. Changing scene: The Christian music world has already changed so much because of the digital revolution—the speed at which all things digital has flourished caught everyone off guard. Our guess is that we're anywhere between five and 10 years behind because no one was prepared for how huge the digital revolution would be. It's a volatile time for music as a whole, but not a "scary" time. In fact, these next few years are going to be interesting as great minds finally catch up and begin to figure out how to best utilize digital media. We should all be concerned if it doesn't change. As long as we're moving forward and being innovative, only good things can come from change. Retail support: The real goal is finding a way to meld physical retail locations and digital retail locations. One setback is that you can only invest so much into a person's life, digitally. Retailers who follow Christ need to put relationships at the top of the priority list. Face-to-face, loving relationships are what should and will define Christians. If we're able to build thriving outlets in our local communities, this will open the doors for a strong digital presence. This will not work vice versa—when we eliminate the true relationship between brothers and sisters in Christ and become strictly a "virtual" outlet, then we are slowly but surely losing grip on the reason we were created. Digital media is a great tool and it's best utilized when it's implemented to strengthen and enrich community and not used as a substitute for true community. |
| Giving God's Word |
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| Written by Christine D. Johnson | |
| Wednesday, 11 May 2011 08:24 AM America/New_York | |
Gift and award Bibles offer 'high value at a low cost'
"Gift and award Bibles appeal to a broad range of customers," said Chip Brown, senior vice president of Bibles at Zondervan. "They are great for childhood milestones like confirmation and graduation, as well as for adults. They are value priced, and many churches give them to parishioners. They also make a great gift or presentation Bible." Bill Westfall, vice president of sales at Barbour Publishing, agreed: "Many churches provide Bibles to students as they complete confirmation classes or when they are baptized. Also, these Bibles are typically very affordable and can be given away to people who do not have a Bible." Bookstore Manager data for the year 2010 shows Thomas Nelson and Zondervan as the strongest companies in the top 10 of gift and award Bible sales, with Tyndale House Publishers and B&H Publishing Group also competing for a top spot. The top award Bible sold last year was a burgundy King James Version (KJV) edition retailing for $6.99 from Thomas Nelson, according to Bookstore Manager. Gift and award Bibles also regularly appear on the monthly Bible best-sellers list from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.
Tyndale offers softcover, traditional imitation and premium gift Bible options, said Kevin O'Brien, director of Bibles and reference. "These Bibles are designed to offer a high value at a low cost and certainly have churches and other ministries in mind," he said. Tim Jordan, marketing manager at Holman Bibles, a division of B&H Publishing Group, observed that technology has helped to keep the costs down for gift and award Bibles, but noted that times have changed. "I think churches are behaving a little bit differently in terms of purchasing gift and award Bibles," he said. "How people are doing church kind of shifts around, especially in the children's area."
Thomas Nelson's Gary Davidson, senior vice president and Bible group publisher, agreed that the market has changed. "We don't produce as many as we once did, but that's because our market is saturated with these types of products," he said. Betty Goeckner, manager of Lifeline Christian Books & Gifts, a Logos store in Effingham, Ill., sees award Bibles as "probably decreasing, but we still stock them and we still sell them." Goeckner, who stocks award Bibles heavily during graduation season, suspects the decrease is because they are not used as much as other types of Bibles. "The print size for many gift and award Bibles, I won't say it's tiny, but it's not as inviting as some other Bibles," she said. "They tend to be given more as a keepsake than with the thought of the person reading it."
TRANSLATIONS AND COLORS In this Bible subcategory, the King James Version "is the dominant translation," Davidson noted. While sales show the KJV as the old standby—with six of the editions listed in Bookstore Manager's top 10—a few New International Version (NIV) titles and one New Living Translation (NLT) Bible appeared in the 2010 list. Zondervan publishes both NIV and KJV in both leather—look and softcover, and softcover—only editions of the NirV (New International Reader's Version), Brown said. Barbour Publishing also sells gift and award Bibles, so far restricting its offerings to the King James, said Barbour's Westfall. B&H sticks to the KJV and also publishes gift and award Bibles in its Holman Christian Standard Bible. Thomas Nelson publishes gift and award Bibles in KJV and NKJV. Tyndale has a number of best-sellers in the NLT, including softcover editions in blue and in a pink floral cover, while Crossway publishes two gift and award Bibles in the English Standard Version. Traditional colors—black, red, burgundy and blue—seem to be the standard in this subcategory. These continue to be in strong demand, Davidson said, though Thomas Nelson has added "some different colors, including pink and purple, which have been popular." Zondervan has also expanded its offerings to include more "kid-friendly" colors, Brown noted. However, B&H has "whittled down to the basic colors," Jordan said.
GROWING SALES To increase sales of gift and awards, Davidson suggested that stores mail flyers to area churches detailing the offerings available that cater specifically to congregations. "They could offer discounts to area pastors and churches who would buy in bulk," he said. "It's also an opportunity for retailers to form unique relationships with churches in their area by hosting pastor breakfasts or providing samples to local church leaders." Brown recommends gift and awards be sold on an endcap, faced out in the Bible section or on a special table during key purchase seasons such as graduation, confirmation, back to school or Easter. "These value-priced Bibles as an easy impulse if they are featured prominently in high-traffic areas," he said. Jordan suggested stores visit with pastors with a "house call" approach to see how they might meet the congregations' needs for Bibles, and pass along publisher discounts.
VARIATIONS ON A THEME Though gift and award Bibles are largely standardized, there are some variations. Zondervan has two new Italian Duo-Tone bindings in its NIV Gift Bible. A blue/tan edition was the No. 5 seller last year, according to Bookstore Manager. Zondervan is also bundling the NIV Gift Bible with the classic Streams in the Desert for the Survival Kit for Grads graduation gift pack. The $20 package is available in chocolate/forest green and chocolate/pink. For the first time, Zondervan has recently issued four imitation-leather editions of the NIV Gift & Award Bible for Kids in kid-friendly colors. "With adding 'for Kids' to the title, we are encouraging stores to merchandise these Bibles in the kid's Bible section and not just in the adult Bible section," said Brown, aiming to "increase their exposure" in stores. Zondervan is looking to those learning English as a second language with two softcover editions of the NIrV Gift & Award Bible. The Holy Bible for ESL Readers retails for $7.99. Tyndale's O'Brien has observed "a tremendous amount of growth in the premium gift category, which indicates to us that a significant portion of our customer base is looking for the value of a gift Bible in a nicer package." Thomas Nelson also has introduced a women's gift Bible line. "New pink and purple covers have proven popular with female consumers," Davidson said. |
| From keepsake to connection |
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| Written by Eric Tiansay | |
| Thursday, 05 May 2011 04:03 PM America/New_York | |
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
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. |
| Facebook Focus |
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| Written by Eric Tiansay | |
| Wednesday, 23 March 2011 04:03 PM America/New_York | |
The whys and hows of using social media effectively
If social-media network Facebook were a country, it would be one of the most populous on Earth, with more than 500 million active users. We talked with several Christian retailers about how they view and use the online service. Taking part in the conversation were: ?Angie Adams, co-owner of Guiding Light Christian Store in Barboursville, W.Va. ?Kira Brant, owner of Kira’s Cottage Christian Gift and Book Store in Franklin, Ind. ?Michelle Cousins, owner of Capstone Christian Store in Mechanicsville, Va. ?Dan Panella, owner of Vine & Branches in Lodi, Calif. ?Todd Whitaker, manager of New Life Christian Stores in Forest, Va. |
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| Bible Sturdy |
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| Written by Staff | |
| Wednesday, 23 March 2011 03:57 PM America/New_York | |
Study Bibles are the category’s heavyweight championsIf Bibles are the cornerstone of a Christian retail store, then study editions are one of the foundations of the category. Study Bibles account for around one out of every three Bibles purchased, according to sales data from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), and while the retail price is typically higher than for other editions, it’s less of a concern to purchasers. ECPA data for the first 10 months of 2010 found that leather and imitation-leather fine bindings accounted for 73% of study Bible revenues, while Tyndale House Publishers research has revealed price to be only the third most important criteria for purchasers, behind translation and features. |
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| Building on the Bible |
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| Written by Jim Seybert | |
| Friday, 21 January 2011 09:35 AM America/New_York | |
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| Devotion needs definition |
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| Written by Staff | |
| Thursday, 20 January 2011 05:18 PM America/New_York | |
One Bible category needs careful attention, but offers good returns
Other Bible categories like one-year and award editions may have larger market shares and more clearly defined selling seasons, but devotional Bibles offer a strong niche for stores able to keep on top of the opportunities. From Mother’s and Father’s Days through graduation to Christmas and other points on the calendar, devotional Bibles are a highly popular gift choice—as evidenced by Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) data from 2010 that found 45% of Bible sales were for pricier leather or imitation-leather, fine-bound editions. |
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| A touch of romance |
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| Written by Christine D. Johnson | |
| Thursday, 20 January 2011 05:06 PM America/New_York | |
New trends and advice on in-store promotions
From Karen Kingsbury’s contemporary series to Bodie and Brock Thoene’s “Zion Diaries” to Wanda Brunstetter’s Amish tales and Lori Copeland’s Westerns, romance is a wide-ranging and growing category in the Christian market. Christian Retailing brought together a number of in-the-know publisher representatives to discuss the ins and outs of the category. Taking part in the conversation were:
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: As a category, how is romance fiction doing in the Christian market?
Long: In general you see Christian fiction being driven by a lot of real “name authors.” You have Karen Kingsbury, you have Joel Rosenberg, you have these people who are identifiable as brands. Outside of that, I think when you start looking at categories, romance, whether it’s in historical or in the different flavors of romance, really does seem to be at the top of the market’s reading list right now. Bethany House has been in historical romance pretty much right from the beginning. We published Love Comes Softly—what else is that but a romance in many ways? And so we’re continuing to see particularly on our end, we are a little bit heavy on the historical romance, but it’s performing well for us.
Endlich: Romance in the Christian market is super healthy. We can’t give our readers enough books. We started out 14 years ago in 1997 with three books, and starting in January, we’re offering 14 books a month.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What subcategories of romance fiction are doing very well?
Brower: We all have our one or two Amish fiction authors. Mine is Amy Clipston and she is doing extremely well. I think the other areas are the historical and the suspense. What I’m finding for our line is that we’re primarily categorized as contemporary, suspense or historical with romance. When we categorize as strictly romance, we don’t fit with that genre quite as well. We have a healthy (presence), particularly on the contemporary side with Karen Kingsbury, Alison Strobel and DiAnn Mills, where the romance is the stronger piece to it, but they have very good plot-driven stories that are not dependent on the romance to intrigue the reader.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What do you think of the Amish subcategory and other subcategories?
Germany: Amish is definitely strong, and it kind of surprised us when Wanda (Brunstetter) took off. We didn’t really set out to create a best-seller or phenomenon to follow Beverly Lewis or anything like that, but it just seemed timely that there was this interest in Plain people and plain and simple faith, so it is interesting to see how every house seems to have their Amish line. We are continuing that with some Mennonite fiction that we have from various authors.
Downs: We are inclined to try and experiment with a lot of new things. Summerside Press has only been publishing fiction for three years now. We’ve found great success with our “Love Finds You In” line. That features real towns across America, and the romance is set in that real town. We do 12 titles a year. Half or more are historical romance and half contemporary. And of course, like everyone else, we see the Anabaptist/Amish (is) very popular, although we don’t have a specific line or specific author, we do sprinkle those among all of our fiction, so we’ll have a title or two that carry the Anabaptist characters.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: “Love Finds You” has done very well, I understand.
Downs: Yes and expanding. They’ve really taken off. That has really been the bread and butter up to this point of our fiction lines. We discussed in our editorial board meetings what the secret behind the Amish/Anabaptist fiction was, and we decided that it was that simple lifestyle, characters that the reader can relate to and taking the reader back to a simpler place or time. So we have launched a series of books called “When I Fall In Love,” and those feature books with song titles that were popular back in the 20th century. Each book is titled with a song and the era the story is set in when the song was most popular. For instance, Love Me Tender or Unforgettable, Some Enchanted Evening, Stranger In the Night, those are all some of our upcoming titles. And we’re hoping to really play on that time of life that takes us back in our memories to a simpler time.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Who is reading romance these days?
Brower: I don’t think it’s any different for Christian women than it is in the romance category at Barnes & Noble. It’s all women. There are subgenres within the romance category itself, and so you have those women who prefer the historical or the contemporary or the it’s not really chick lit as it used to be, but it’s that sarcastic, kind of witty character. Then there’s also the suspense. I think she is anywhere from 18 to 80. My mother is 84 and she continues to read romance. She skips over the juicy parts and just enjoys the story and the hope. I would guess that a lot of them are either moms or have families, but it is a wide age range and I think that it will last forever. It’s been one of the most popular categories for years. It’s been over 50% of the bookstore sales for a very long time, and I think it’s going to continue that way.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Are there any new trends?
Endlich: For the Love Inspired group of lines, we are finding a lot of authors recently that are under 35, and we think it’s fabulous adding something fresh and new voices.
Downs: It’s probably too early to see if it’s a true trend, but we’re seeing more and more interest in World War II-era stories.
Long: We haven’t acquired as much toward World War II. We are actually seeing more of World War I, into the 1900s. ... We’re seeing (1918) Spanish Flu, kind of pre-Depression, I don’t know if it’s this time period and some of the echoes that people are picking up on, so I think the early 20th century just in general feels like it’s coming to the forefront a little more.
Brower: The prime time was Americana 1890s, post Civil War to the beginning of the 20th century. Now you are going over that curve and into the 20th century as people look at that as an historical time. Even maybe five years ago I don’t know that we would have classified World War II as historical yet. … I am (also) getting more opportunity for Civil War romance or historicals, and I believe there will be a little bit more interest in them as we come up to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which is in April of 2011 because there will be lots of programs on television.
Endlich: In our Love Inspired Historical line, we are doing a few Civil War stories. But getting back to World War II for a second, for so long we have been hearing about the greatest generation, and it’s been in our psyche. What’s ended up happening is the people in the greatest generation, (we) have been kind of slowly been losing them. So there are less and less people who think of that as recent times and younger people coming in who see it as historical, so I would guess that’s probably why more people are looking at that and World War I as historical eras instead of a “when I was alive” kind of thing.
Downs: For the majority of readers, it would be their grandparents’ generation ... and many of them are gone now.
Germany: I think you’re absolutely right, and it could continue as people want to learn more about their grandparents.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What do you think is the role of writers’ associations?
Long: Romance Writers of America, I don’t know how long it’s been around, but you talk about a vocal voice for romance and that’s just a powerful organization with just a lot of people behind it. I think the inspirational side of that has been coming along. They are a small component of it. Within the Christian market, you see American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), which I think has grown leaps and bounds, and it’s gaining that presence and that stature. I don’t know the percentage of authors that we publish that are members of ACFW, but it’s a pretty substantial number.
Endlich: ACFW in particular does an amazing job helping their authors with mentoring programs, writers who have been writing for a long time helping authors who are just coming up, really just helping increase editorial and making it stronger and helping to get authors published. I remember I went to ACFW conference a couple of years ago, and it was very small, and now I hear that the conferences are 1,000 people.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: How would you advise store book buyers in this area of romance?
Downs: If there were any way possible to feature series rather than cataloging by author name, it would be an interesting study to see if you could do both.
Long: Try to have a fiction advocate as part of the staff reading these stories and being able to make informed choices. … Readers come in and they’ll always look for the name authors, but being able to then talk about a newer author or somebody who might have flown under the radar a little bit is just a great way to build loyalty.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Have you seen any unique ways to hand-sell?
Long: I’ve seen stores start blogs, review blogs. … It’s just, “I sat down with this book, and this is who it reminds me of and this is one I can recommend.” You could find a lot of hidden gems among all publisher lists. I think just broadening the number of authors who readers are coming in and taking a look at (will help).
Germany: Our local bookstore is doing something that’s a little old-fashioned. They are somehow tracking their buyers and their favorite authors, so they’ll send a postcard and say, “Hey, Wanda Brunstetter’s newest title is available and you’ll want to come in and get it on this date.” It seems to be a fairly effective thing especially for a small-town small bookstore to bring that traffic in. Usually they will offer 10% off.
Brower: Many of our books, in fact, almost all of them now have discussion questions in the back, and I would encourage the stores to create book clubs or an environment where a book club could meet. Sometimes people don’t want to admit they read romance because it’s not thoughtful reading when, in fact, it is and what helps that is having these book club questions. Utilizing the tools that are in the books themselves where they have discussion questions, the trailers that are on the Internet—so many of the books have trailers. They could easily set up something in their store that is a nonstop loop of all the different books and that would certainly get a lot of the newer readers out there. I see that as the most critical piece that the Christian bookseller can do. They have the opportunity to have the depth that other big box stores or mass-market stores don’t. They can really push the new authors. They can create that space for talking about romance and also provide them the middle books in the series and the backlist.
Downs: I actually know a few authors who have held conference calls with book clubs to discuss the discussion questions from the authors, so a bookstore could arrange, if they worked on it far enough in advance, to actually have the author address a book club group in the bookstore, online or in a conference-call kind of setting.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What is the future for the category?
Germany: It can morph into different categories and subject matter, but I think romance in general will always draw readers’ hearts.
Long: The books are going to look different, but I think in general these books are absolutely here for as long as we are.
Read excerpts here and listen in on the complete conversation at: http://roundtable.christianretailing.com. |
For CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey, customer experience “increasingly will be the critical differentiator for Christian stores and a crucial strategy to compete against online booksellers, discounters and Amazon.com affiliates selling in their bathrobes.” Engagement with customers “will build the relationship and loyalty,” which will help stores succeed, he said.
Nothing is more important than customer experience in retaining customers and “making them raving fans and evangelists for the store,” according to Parable Group Franchise Coach Steve Adams.
David Almack—U.S. director of CLC International, which runs nine retail and church stores in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey—argues that staff “must be book readers and love people,” he said. “Those two ingredients are not really trainable.”
At Mardel Christian & Education, President Jason Green said that the 34-strong chain sees customer experience as “crucial” to its success. 
At leading independent Christian retailer Chuck Wallington’s landmark store, Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C., Director of Sales and Personnel Myila Young said that “customer’s experience is the most important thing.” Founded by Wallington’s father in 1953, the almost-35,000-square-foot store won a CBA Store of the Year Impact Award in 2007 for effective marketing, staff training and merchandising.
Rick Lewis—co-owner of Logos Bookstore in Dallas, singled out for “memorable customer service” with a CBA Spirit of Excellence Award in 2009—said that customer experience is “what sets us apart” from big-box and discount stores.
Carl Amari, producer of The Word of Promise audio Bible (Thomas Nelson) and the Truth & Life
important in this era of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The idea of an interface that speaks to people in the way they want to interact with media and on the devices that they cart around with them is important. One of the things that we’re doing is going across devices, so the idea of having a seamless experience on your iPhone that then bridges to the iPad and that then bridges to your desktop.
But there are rewards for those that take on the challenge—
True children’s Bibles, using the full text of translations, really only start at around age 6 “when they are beginning to read on their own and want to carry a Bible that looks more like their parents,’ ” said Annette Bourland, senior vice president and publisher at Zonderkidz, the children’s divison of Zondervan. Children’s Bibles of this type made up 7% of first-quarter Bibles sales, reported the ECPA, with an average price point of $20.51.
Though youngsters are the eventual recipients, parents and grandparents are the typical purchasers of children’s Bibles, which, therefore, have to be created with adult interests in mind, too. “You are selling to the adult (the payer) and the end user (the kid),” said Shawn Kuhn, vice president of P&K Bookstores.
In-store, frontliner knowledge about the options and features is important. “It’s all about engaging customers and asking the right questions,” said Smith. “Asking who the Bible is for and suggesting the one that features the note sets for the unique needs of the child.” Shelf-talkers that direct shoppers the right way when staff is not available are helpful, too, added Dunham.
When he wrote his heart-pounding thriller, Germ, best-selling author Robert Liparulo never imagined the novel for adults would spark fascination among junior and senior high school students.
Not only do these 13- to 18-year-old readers understand the symbolism behind "Dreamhouse," they engage in story and characters in ways adults don't, Liparulo said. Since writing is such a lonely profession, their feedback reassures him that what he's doing is worthwhile.
Storey realizes some parents feel strongly that their children should only read how-to books on dating and morality. Yet she thinks that fiction has an amazing ability to break down walls and cause deeper reflection.
FANTASY FICTION
This is another reason Anderson believes so strongly in the kind of fantasies spun by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, which remain popular long after those authors' deaths.
AMG's sales and marketing director, John Fallahee, said Davis' works have been picked up by such accelerated reading programs as Lexile and Renaissance and drawn good marks for quality, showing that even public schools embrace them.
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Christian retail stores looking to connect more with
"These Bibles are about fine-tuning the price/value equation," Brown said. "Binding choices, readability of text, presentation page, paper quality, features such as maps, dictionary-concordance, two-column format and so on are what make them appealing."
Although churches may give a commemorative Bible to recognize a child's promotion to the next grade, some may opt to purchase other text or children's Bibles rather than the traditional choices. "We've given them as publishers so many choices that I think you might see a diminishment of your gift and award purchases," Jordan said.
Tracking changes in the way stores handling their cornerstone category
