‘Much greater interest’ in Christian titles about president-elect since his historic defeat of Republican rival John McCain

Books about Barack Obama by Christian publishers have “gained steam” since the Illinois senator made history by becoming the first African-American to be elected president.

Curt Harding, senior publicist for Thomas Nelson’s Business and Culture line, told Christian Retailing that The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield “started out just so-so, but has gained steam since the election.”

“We printed 80,000 and 50,000 are still out there averaging 500-700 sales per week,” he said. “What we hope is now that he is the president, people will be curious about what influences will frame his policies.”

Evelyn Curtiss—owner of Word of Life Christian Bookstores, which has two locations in Los Angeles—said The Faith of Barack Obama had been her “biggest seller” of titles about the president-elect, even outselling Obama’s The Audacity of Hope (Three Rivers Press).

“There has been a much greater interest in the Obama books since the election,” Curtiss, president of Christian African-American Booksellers Association (ABA), told Christian Retailing. “More and more people who didn’t vote for him are coming in the store saying, ‘I need to read more about him.’ It’s more of a historic thing.”
STL Distribution North America officials said The Faith of Barack Obama—released in August—was a modest seller before the election, but was now selling more rapidly. STL also distributes The Faith of Barack Obama audiobook (Oasis Audio) and Barack Obama: An American Story by Bob Carlton and Ariele Gentiles (Zondervan/Youth Specialties) to Christian bookstores.

Released in November, An American Story had a first printing of 160,000. The biography—which made the New York Times’ best-seller list in the Paperback Nonfiction category—was written specifically to inspire teens and empower them to change the world regardless of their circumstances, Zondervan officials said.
“We’re very happy with how it’s selling,” Zondervan Director of Public Relations Karen Campbell told Christian Retailing. “We are now in our fourth printing. It is continuing to sell at a very good pace.”

Youth Specialties Vice President of Marketing David Palmer added: “We have had strong support from ABA accounts from the start, and select CBA accounts have expressed excitement and support. We are hoping that as stores understand better the content of the book and its relevance and appeal to students of all stripes, that we’ll expand that base of support.”

Capitalizing on growing interest in the 44th president, Hachette Book Group USA was selling The American Journey of Barack Obama by the editors of Life magazine—released in October by Little, Brown and Company—in the Christian retail channel.

Curtiss said besides the Obama books, her store was carrying gift items bearing the president-elect’s likeness, including calendars, T-shirts and framed picture artwork. She added that Obama’s inauguration and presidency was significant for African-American Christian bookstores.

“I think this is an opportunity for the stores to really feature Black History Month in February,” Curtiss said. “I call it a defining moment to highlight it.”

Meanwhile, sales of biographies by Christian publishers about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the unexpected running mate chosen by Republican presidential candidate John McCain, slowed after Obama’s victory.

Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned the Political Establishment Upside Down by Kaylene Johnson (Epicenter Press/Tyndale House Publishers) reached the New York Times’, Publishers Weekly’s and CBA’s Top 50 best-sellers lists.

“It’s still early, but we estimate our sell-through will end up around 115,000 units from three separate printings,” Mavis Sanders, Tyndale’s corporate publicist, told Christian Retailing. “Since the election, book sales have slowed down, (but) there is still some movement with the book.”

Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader by Joe Hilley (Zondervan)—which had a first printing of 160,000 copies—also reached the New York Times’ best-seller list in the Paperback Nonfiction category.

“With an aggressive first printing, we remain satisfied with book sales,” said Zondervan Vice President of Marketing for Trade Books Ginia Hairston.

Meanwhile, media outlets have reported that Palin was interested in signing a book deal of her own in the near future.

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