Promotions that help Christian retailers in 'slumping economy' have been 'incredibly successful'

Christian publishers say they have received "a fantastic response" to promotions designed to offer help to bookstores in light of the continuing recession.

NavPress' $5 Book Deal—a Christian retail channel exclusive—has proved "a tremendous success" so far, company officials said. Launched in January and continuing through December, independent Christian stores can purchase the month's pre-selected NavPress title for $2.75 and then sell it for $5. As of the first week of January, more than 11,900 units of the pre-selected titles had sold, NavPress officials said.

"This is a fantastic response at an incredible opportunity for the independent retailer," said NavPress Sales Manager Eric Helus.

The $5 Book Deal lineup—which features NavPress top sellers—includes Becoming a Woman of Excellence by Cynthia Heald (May); Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely by Melody Carlson (July); Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow (September); and Abba's Child by Brennan Manning (December).

"The $5 price has been the magic number over the past year or two in retail," Helus said. "Our yearlong offering helps make a sampling of our best-selling titles available at a price point that will allow the reader who might not be familiar with or interested in buy and read these books. At the same time, retailers can cross-promote the $5 books with the respective author's other titles to increase sales."

Meanwhile, Thomas Nelson Fiction's new line of "first novels," which began selling for $2.99 in November through the Christian retail channel, has been "incredibly successful," said Allen Arnold, the company's senior vice president and publisher for fiction.

The first four in the promotion were Chosen by Ted Dekker, Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter, Without a Trace by Colleen Coble and Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman. Four more titles were released last month, including Tim Downs' First the Dead and Robert Whitlow's Deeper Water.

"The first four titles … have sold through at a brisk pace," Arnold told Christian Retailing. "Even more exciting is that the readers are coming back to Christian retail for additional novels in these series at full retail price. ... This is a low-cost, low-risk sampling program for fiction lovers to discover their next favorite author and series. A true win for the author, the retailer, the reader and Thomas Nelson.

"We've sold many, many thousands of each title, and could have sold even more except the promotion was limited to upfront orders within a certain window of time, " added Arnold, noting that Nelson will continue the promotion "as long as retailers continue to support it." "The long-term payoff is how many new readers of each series we create, and the initial read on that is very strong."

Elsewhere, Barbour Publishing's Sales Rescue Package initiative for retailers was successful, company officials said. Designed to help stores generate sales and launched during the International Christian Retail Show last summer, the risk-free program featured a special introductory offer to Barbour's new DayMaker Gift Book Program, which included 180-day billing, 29 new gift items and 50% discount as well as free freight, free returns and free corrugate display.

"Many retailers have commented on how much they appreciate Barbour's efforts to help them in this slumping economy," Nola Haney, sales manager at Barbour, told Christian Retailing.

"With the rollout of our new permanent fixture and a new name, DayMaker Inspirational Gifts, the program is continuing."

Barbour has sold the packages to nearly 400 Christian stores, she added.

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