First-time author Don Furr has come up with an unusual way of ensuring a literal sales spike for his book.

Each copy of his time-travel novel that takes readers back to Jesus' last days comes with a nail hole driven through it and can be displayed hanging on a small wooden cross.

Quest for the Nail Prints, published in March by Sheaf House Publishers and in its third printing, took Furr 13 years to write. He was inspired to pen the novel after reading Left Behind by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.

The idea to punch a hole through the book—which adds around 9 cents to the production cost of each copy—came soon after he started writing. "I haven't seen anything else like it," he said. "I kept watching the market, hoping that nobody would do it and they still haven't."

Furr drew on his professional background, as the owner of an Arlington, Tenn., company that designs and builds trade-show exhibits and point-of-purchase displays, for the eye-catching idea. "I wanted to draw people to the book," he said. "I will do whatever it takes to share Christ."

One person who told him she thought the hole was a gimmick later said that when she reached the part of the story that relates to the nails, she "embraced it all."

Furr created a 5-foot wooden cross on which 14 copies of the book can be hung from nails. He took offers for 17 of the displays at Christian Retailing Retailing ReBoot conference and trade show, April 26-28.

Furr has also taken a DeLorean sports car that he owns, tricked out similar to the one in the time-travel movie Back to the Future, and parked it outside churches and stores where he has held signings, to create a draw. Having written evangelistic dramas for his church, Furr is currently at work on a sequel to Quest for the Nail Prints.

"We have found the uniqueness of the display is a huge selling point for the book," said Sheaf House Director of Marketing and Publicity Penney Carlton. "People are just naturally drawn to the cross. ... (Furr's) cross display and marketing materials—that stores can utilize—have a proven to be a major selling force of the book."

• Prev
• Next