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.

• Prev
• Next