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.

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