Two Judson Press books were among the winners. Profiles in Black: Phat Facts for Teens by Marvin A. McMickle won in the African American Studies category, while Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down by Kirk Byron Jones was recognized in the Audiobook: Spiritual category.

"We have received more than twice as many registrations as we did last year at this point," said CTAI President Jim Powell, noting that hotel and registration costs are lower for the event than last year's show.

A regional chain in the Pacific Northwest, Christian Supply Centers (CSC) recently downsized, closing eight of its stores in September. The chain, owned by Oregon industrialist Robert Pamplin, still operates five stores in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Jim Shelley, manager of the chain's store in Spokane, Wash., replaced former General Manager Gunnar Simonsen, who departed the company prior to the store closings. Shelley, who was not available to comment, will lead CSC with increased focus on the five remaining stores in cites such as Beaverton, Ore.; Spokane, Wash.; and Cour d'Alene, Idaho.

Distributor's initiative offers Christian bookstores 'a way to keep up' with publishers' new titles

STL Distribution North America (STLD) is anticipating the results of its new program to help stores keep on top of new releases.

The first shipment in the distributor's SNAP initiative went out in September. So far, more than 30 stores across the country have signed up for the program, launched at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in July.

SNAP—standing for STL New Auto Placement—offers a 43% discount on 10 new titles selected by STLD from several publishers, and automatically ships two copies of each.

"We were thinking that some of the major publishers have increased their margins so much that some of the smaller stores aren't able to really do business with them anymore," said Rick Regenfuss, STLD vice president of sales and marketing. "We thought that perhaps there was a place for us, where stores might outsource that part of their ordering to us."

The monthly selection, made by STLD staff, includes large and small- to mid-size publishers. "We choose what we believe are going to be the top 10 releases for that specific month," Regenfuss said.

Enrollment for the program is for a minimum of six months for stores with current STLD accounts, and the books can be returned if retailers are uncomfortable with the content or doctrine.

Dennis Lovvorn, owner of New Covenant Christian Bookstore in Shelbyville, Tenn., who signed up for the program while at ICRS, told Christian Retailing that it was too early yet to judge SNAP.

Though he has been in business 15 years, he thought that having help in identifying strong new releases could be useful. "When you are wearing 73 different hats, sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the new releases as well as you would like," he said. "It's just a way to keep up with them."

Meanwhile, Editorial Unilit has launched an "As Seen on TV" campaign—geared to assist Christian bookstores in promoting the sale of new Spanish releases and reach customers "straight to the heart."

"Currently, Christian booksellers are facing two realities: the global economic crisis and the abundance of new releases produced each month," said Editorial Unilit Vice President for Sales and Marketing Luis Fernandez Jr. "Which book do we choose, and how do we promote it among so many new titles? Considering the needs of the Christian population, we firmly believe that 'As Seen on TV' is the solution."

More than 200 bookstores throughout Latin America and the United States are taking part in the campaign, which features audiovisual materials offering customers information about the latest releases, company officials said.

Zondervan's Wal-Mart line , Nelson specials for Christian retail

Competition for Bible sales has heated up as the industry's two leading publishers introduce separate exclusives, new programs and revised products.

News of Zondervan's exclusive Wal-Mart editions launched in September prompted complaints from some Christian retail supporters disappointed by the move. Shortly afterward, Thomas Nelson announced a series of developments it said were "in direct response to the needs of Christian retailers and their customers."

Between them, the two companies have the lion's share of the Bible market, consistently dominating the best-seller charts with their New International Version (NIV), King James Version (KJV) and New King James Version (NKJV) libraries.

Zondervan's "Essential Bible Series" is available only at Wal-Mart through January 2010.

Featuring both first editions and repackaged best-sellers, the 12 titles include regular and large print editions of the NIV Study Bible, Large Print King James Version, The Busy Mom's Bible, The Adventure Bible and The Beginner's Bible.

"Wal-Mart appeals to shoppers because it's familiar and inviting, yet there was a clear opportunity in the Bible category to make the product more accessible and eliminate confusion," said Chip Brown, senior vice president and publisher of Bibles at Zondervan. The line "is presented in a simple and personal way to help make Bible selection easy, so that consumers can walk away feeling confident that they have put the right Bible in their cart," he added.

Commenting on the news at Christian Retailing's Web site, industry observers expressed concern that the decision would make it harder for Christian bookstores to compete with the retail giant.

"Thanks Zondervan," wrote John Samuels. "Now there's one more reason for customers not to visit their local Christian bookstore this Christmas season. When we're all out of business, is Wal-Mart going to sell the rest of your repertoire?"

One respondent defended the move. "Why all the hate towards Zondervan?" asked James Ring. "More people will see Christian products at Wal-Mart than will ever see them at a CBA store—and surely we want the world to read the Bible."

Nelson's efforts include six exclusive Bible editions for Christian retailers, switching its Bible range to a single ISBN system next year to make ordering easier and a new spinner-rack study-guide display that reduces the category's footprint.

The Christian retail exclusives—which will begin shipping next spring—include KJV and NKJV UltraSlim editions, the NASB large print MacArthur Study Bible and The Voice New Testament With Psalms and Proverbs.

Meanwhile, as Nelson debuted its complete The Word of Promise Audio Bible this fall, Zondervan has repackaged Inspired By... The Bible Experience, first released in 2007. The redesign emphasizes the celebrities involved in the production and features an 800 number on the cover that shoppers can dial to hear excerpts.

"We have given the project more of an overall entertainment look than a traditional Bible look," said Bran Scharp, Zondervan's vice president of Bible marketing.

The Christian imprint of general market publishing house Simon & Schuster (S&S) since 2006, Howard Books is repositioning itself as a trade book publisher in the "New York of Christian publishing," according to Jonathan Merkh, Howard's vice president and publisher.

The company has shifted from publishing gift books—Howard was known for its best-selling "Hugs" series among others—to focus only on trade titles.

With the battered U.S. economy still trying to pull out of the worst downturn since World War II, Christian retailers are preparing for the most important—and busiest—season of their year by promoting "real giving" this Christmas.

As financial analysts forecast flat holiday sales at best due to recession-weary consumers, retailers are ensuring that they don't lose the true spirit of the season in part by spotlighting Christian retail channel exclusives.