‘Sanctified Stephen King’ to be commended for body of work

Best-selling author Frank Peretti has been named this year’s recipient of the American Christian Fiction Writers’ (ACFW) Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The very essence of what Christian fiction could encompass forever changed with the release of Peretti’s This Present Darkness,” said ACFW executive board member Allen Arnold. “That wasn’t Frank’s goal. He quietly wrote the story that God stirred his heart with. But that novel ripped wide the veil between the seen and unseen.

“That novel brought men and teens in droves to the Christian fiction aisle—no small feat,” added Arnold, formerly Thomas Nelson’s fiction publisher. “It showed how Christian fiction can be muscular and unabashedly speculative with angels and demons fighting around us and impacted by our prayers. More than 25 years later, Frank continues to quietly write novels from his home in the wilderness—novels that quicken the pace and stir the souls of any who dare dive in.”

In addition to his New York Times best-sellers This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness (both Crossway), Peretti’s other novels include the best-sellers House and Monster (both Thomas Nelson) and Illusion (Howard Books). The Oath (Word Publishing) was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award for best fiction. 

With more than 15 million novels in print, Peretti has been called “America’s hottest Christian novelist” and a “sanctified Stephen King.” 

Three of Peretti’s novels have been adapted into feature films, including the Young Adult title Hangman’s Curse (Thomas Nelson), The Visitation (Thomas Nelson) and House.

Peretti and Carol Awards winners will be honored at the ACFW national conference, to be held Sept. 15 at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis. Best-selling author Robin Jones Gunn is the keynote speaker of the conference.

Twister that killed 24 left the Moore area ‘like a war zone’

Mardel Christian & Education, Berean Christian Stores, Kerusso and others in the Christian products industry rallied to help survivors of the May 20 tornado that devastated much of Moore, Okla. The twister killed at least 24 and injuring more than 200. 

Moore is located near Oklahoma City, corporate headquarters of Mardel, which has three stores in the area. Mardel customers supported tornado survivors when they purchased the chain’s exclusive Hope unisex T-shirt. All profits from the sales of the shirt were donated to Convoy of Hope for relief efforts. 

Berean gave customers an opportunity to buy a Bible to encourage survivors of the tornado. The “Buy a Bible to Benefit Oklahoma Relief and Recovery” initiative is part of the 18-outlet chain’s Give Hope In Deed project, where each store is involved in ministry to local people in need. 

“For every Bible purchased by a guest, Berean will contribute a Bible to a tornado victim in Oklahoma,” Berean Director of Marketing Denise Chaney said. “The guest can then write a short, encouraging note to the recipient of the Bible on a Give Hope Indeed sticky [note], and guests may also choose to give the Bible they purchase as well. 

“There is a possibility of Berean sending over 7,000 Bibles to the area,” she added. “We have partnered with Matthew 25 Ministries here in Cincinnati, who indicated that they would be delighted to include these Bibles in their parcels being delivered to the tornado victims in Moore.”

Kerusso’s Father’s Day Sale offered a 10% discount on all its products, including iPhone covers and travel mugs. The company encouraged shoppers to “help share God’s love in Moore,” with 10% of sales on Kerusso.com going to the Salvation Army.

Meanwhile, Yancy donated all proceeds from her new single. Sale via iTunes of “Safe,” featured on Yancy’s recently released worship album, Roots for the Journey (Elevate Entertainment/Syntax Distribution), were donated to Nashville-based Conduit Mission.

Jerry Pennybaker is the manager of the Mardel location in Norman, Okla.,  and lives in Moore.

“My house is only 300 yards away from where the tornado hit, but it missed our house,” Pennybaker said.

“It felt like a war zone for sure,” he said. “We went through our house to clean up mud and debris. We found important documents from other people, a teddy bear and about 20 stray dogs as we were picking up. It’s kind of surreal.”

Residents ‘move from crisis mode to rebuilding’ after fire

CBA, several Christian publishers and authors in Colorado Springs, Colo., have expressed a sense of relief as they escaped unscathed one of the most destructive blazes in the state’s history.

More than 500 houses were burned and two killed by the 16,000-acre Black Forest fire, prompting thousands to flee. The blaze, which began June 11 and stretched 22 square miles, took nine days to contain, the Associated Press reported.

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group Publicity Manager Beverly Rykerd told Christian Retailing that the company’s offices reopened June 18 after closing two days. WaterBrook Multnomah has a staff of 45 in Colorado Springs.

“No homes were lost among WaterBrook Multnomah’s staff—praise God,” said Rykerd, who was able to return to her Black Forest home after being evacuated.

Rick Christian, founder of Alive Communications and Bondfire Books, said several employees of his literary agency, including his family, were evacuated.

“We did not close because our offices aren’t in the fire zone, and so our offices became a storage place for displaced fire victims,” said Christian, who lives in the Black Forest area. “While our homes are safe so far, we’re surrounded by smoke and the heartache of others who didn’t have advance notice and escaped with just the clothes on their backs or who couldn’t reach their homes because the fire spread so fast.

“I was personally moved by the generosity of those who reached out to us,” he added. “Last year, with the Waldo Canyon fire, we took four families into our home. This year, those same families reached out to us in extraordinary ways. The helpers became the helped.”

The Black Forest fire was located near last June’s Waldo Canyon fire, which destroyed 346 homes and killed two.

CBA President Curtis Riskey said no employees of the Association for Christian Retail lost their homes. 

“One team member was evacuated, and we had another prepared to leave at a moment’s notice who lives just outside the pre-evacuation zone,” he said. 

Left Behind best-selling author Jerry B. Jenkins, who lives in the Black Forest area, posted on his Facebook page that his house was “unscathed.”

“Night rain helped and firefighters are optimistic about containment,” said Jenkins, who evacuated 85 miles to the west with his wife, Dianna. “Then Black Forest moves from crisis mode to rebuilding.”

Publishers’ group developed a special education program for Book Expo America

A session promoting Christian content and digital publishing trends were major highlights for Christian publishers during the U.S. book world’s biggest event, recently held in New York City. 

Held May 29-June 1 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Book Expo America (BEA) drew about 20 Christian publishers, including Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Tyndale House Publishers, B&H Publishing Group, Baker Publishing Group, Barbour Publishing, Harvest House Publishers, Charisma Media, Moody Publishers, Regal Books/Gospel Light and Oasis Audio.

ECPA President and CEO Mark Kuyper said that the organization developed an education program at BEA “promoting Christian content as a way to meet the needs of retailers’ communities.”

R.R. Bowker Senior Account Executive David Campbell presented consumer data, “which demonstrated that the majority of general trade consumers expressed an affiliation to Christianity,” Kuyper said. “It also showed that those who bought Christian books spent more then the average shopper and did so in almost every other category of the store.

“Our panel of publishers talked about the best opportunities to connect with consumers through expanded offerings in key categories and promotional seasons,” he added. “It [went] very well according to the coordinator who reviewed the surveys shortly after the session. She has asked us to do another session next year.”

BEA Education Director Sally Dedecker said expo officials are also working with ECPA to set up a dedicated pavilion for next year.

Moody Publishers Publicity Manager Janis Backing said the highlight of BEA was a digital book presentation. 

“It was very informative about the new trends in digital publishing—an area we are very interested in investing in and learning how we can apply it to our publishing plans,” she said. Gospel Light Director of Trade Sales Ken Lorenz said he “made a lot of digital and e-book contacts” at BEA.

“The best part was contacts with the major digital people like Apple, Sony and Amazon,” he said.

Focal point for church stores on the exhibit hall floor was ‘a place for fellowship and to share information’

The Church Connection Center was the focal point at ICRS for church store managers and staff—and those considering entering the church store market.

With activities coordinated by consultant Geni Hulsey and the Church Store Network along with CBA, ICRS offered a number of workshops, product display tables, a Church Store Luncheon and other opportunities for networking and engaging with church store staff.

With a convenient location on the show floor, the center helped to draw more church bookstore leaders, Hulsey said. Last year, church store workshops took place in a room outside the floor area.

Using Social Media Effectively for Church Stores by consultant and marketing strategist Gunnar Simonsen; The Key to Success: Inventory by Karen Bilbrey, director of business development at Send The Light Distribution; and Events—Inside and Out with Rose Seeley, retail services director, Cottonwood Bookstore in Los Alamitos, Calif., and, by video, Martha Brangenberg, manager of Charis Christian Bookstore in Largo, Fla., presented a few of the workshops that drew interest.

In the social media session, Simonsen urged church store staff to pay attention to the human element of Facebook, Twitter and the like, and to engage by listening to what others are doing and saying online.

“If we fail to humanize social media, we fail to set sail to something that is sustainable,” Simonsen observed.

In coming up with a strategy, Simonsen said two of the big questions church stores have to ask are “Where do we want to take our audience?” and “What do we want to awaken in our audience?”

In Bilbrey’s workshop, she focused on creating a good product mix, inventory turns, P.O.S. systems and evaluating sales success.

“Be cautious about opening accounts with too many vendors,” she said. “Instead, evaluate which vendors you are seeing consistent sales/orders with.”

Seeley and Brangenberg’s presentation made event planning easier with helpful hints, checklists and pre-made forms. The presenters covered what to do before, during and after every event as well as the timing and steps required.

“One to two weeks before the event, hold final staff meetings and review your to-do list,” said Seeley. “You also should meet with volunteer staff if necessary and get the store ready for the event.”

Cesar Loya, manager at Parchments at Calvary in Albuquerque, N.M., said he found the session presented by Mary Lou Alexander of Spring Arbor Distributors “very helpful.” 

“We at the store have made it a goal in the past to help other churches establish bookstores,” Loya said. “The information that she shared was very clear and concise.”

The idea for the center was to give  church bookstores an opportunity to connect with one another.

“There are issues within the church bookstore and operating a church bookstore that are different from an independent store or a chain store,” she said. “Our purpose was to address that. We also wanted to allow a place for fellowship and to share information.”

The luncheon—sponsored by Send The Light, Rose Publishing, Bridge-Logos, Innovative and Signature Websites Network—was a highlight Tuesday with an appearance by John Morgan, a George W. Bush impersonator and address from author Kathi Macias on human trafficking.

ICRS Thumbs Up:

• Variety of publishers—big, small, custom, self, traditional—on the floor
• Openness to individual authors provided by Author Avenue
• Rick Santorum’s choosing ICRS to make the announcement of his career move into movies
• Michael Landon Jr.’s ready access to retailers
• Canadian Mounties welcoming show attendees on the floor
• Max Lucado to retailers: “You are absolutely essential.”
• Companies that donated supplies and attendees who helped fill bags for those in need
• More than $6,000 invested in Humanitri’s mission in St. Louis
• Ken Barun’s testimony at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s well-attended My Hope America breakfast
• Crossway’s well-planned 75th anniversary dinner
• Cover My Expenses program to help make the show affordable for retailers
• To Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for giving retailers a lavish reception—one of the only free exhibitor events with food 

Thumbs Down:

• Volume of a nearby event competing with Church Connection workshop
• Lack of timekeeping at the worship service, which caused the entire evening to run more than an hour later than scheduled
• Shuttle service that stopped earlier than Sunday and Monday events
• For the literature and signage that misspelled Steven Curtis Chapman’s name and for the floor signage in the hallway that misspelled “exhibits”

Scriptures need a stronger presence at ICRS, says key retailer

The Word of God in its many iterations drew retailers who roamed the exhibit space at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). From Catholic gift editions to children’s storybook Bibles, interested buyers and readers found an array of titles to choose from, though at least one bookstore buyer wished for a stronger Bible presence at the show. 

Charisma Media showcased its Modern English Version (MEV), described as “the most modern translation produced in the King James tradition” in the last 30 years. A word-for-word translation that keeps the beauty of the King James Version while offering clarity for modern readers, the MEV will be released in 2014. 

The Common English Bible (CEB) shared booth space with Abingdon Press, its sales distribution partner. Having made its debut at the 2011 ICRS, the CEB continued to draw interest among retailers who helped make it a best-seller throughout 2012. Its Deep Blue Kids Bible was one of several children’s Bible products on display throughout the show floor.

For Louis McBride, Bible buyer for Baker Book House, the largest Christian bookstore in West Michigan, “Bibles didn’t have as strong a presence as they should have because the Bible market is still strong.”

McBride, who led two workshops at ICRS—Overcoming Obstacles in Reaching the Catholic Market and Introduction to Selling Seasonal Catholic Products—attended a Zondervan-sponsored breakfast for its Bible buyers. He also commented on the lack of a strong Bible presence at the Tyndale and Crossway booths. 

“Bible sales are still strong, though some vendors overdo it with so many SKUs and niche Bibles, which makes it hard for staff to stay current,” he observed. “On the other hand, Tyndale and NavPress don’t freshen their Bibles enough and their covers aren’t strong.”

Tyndale does have an unusual children’s Bible releasing in September for kids ages 8-12. The glipit Bible has a unique cover with 120 silicone pieces in four colors and glows in the dark. The acronym “glipit” stands for God’s Love Is Perfect, Patient and Personal.

Available in blue or purple editions with a washable, easy-grip cover, the Bible can be changed on the outside as God changes kids on the inside, Tyndale said. It also comes with a glow-in-the-dark cross. 

The English edition features the New Living Translation, while the Spanish edition uses Nueva Traduccion Vivente.

Crossway did highlight its English Standard Version (ESV) translation at its 75th anniversary banquet Monday night. Each guest there received a top-of-the-line ESV legacy edition marking the special occasion.

Several specialized groups put in an appearance at ICRS, including the American Bible Society, Trinitarian Bible Society and Kirkbride Bible Co. The American Bible Society holds licensing rights to the Good News Translation, formerly the Good News Bible, and the Contemporary English Version, designed for grade-school students. 

The Trinitarian Bible Society translates and distributes Bibles in other languages, and sells the KJV to the public. Kirkbride is also a specialty Bible company, publishing and distributing the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, which was first published in 1908.

Fireside Catholic Publishing provided a number of gift-edition Bibles, from confirmation to graduation editions and wedding to personal-use Bibles. 

“I was surprised that Fireside had been at ICRS for 28 years,” McBride said. “I was pleased to see them there.”

“Looking back at ICRS,” added McBride, “vendors as a whole could have done a lot better job making the Bible presence stronger because it’s such a big portion of sales at Christian bookstores.”

Citing declining retailer participation and reduced support to partner ministries, CBA is ending Christian Store Week.

“Christian Store Week was a great idea and worked well for a season,” CBA President Curtis Riskey said. “It raised awareness of Christian stores, sent traffic to them and increased sales to many retailers. However, the ministry return for the significant time and resources to manage the project could not be offset.” 

Declining consumer donations for exclusive music albums was also a factor in the decision to end the three-year program, CBA said.

Usually held the first week of October, Christian Store Week raised more than $100,000 for ministry projects.

Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award presented; two Hall of Fame members inducted

The 2013 Christy Awards honored a new group of writers and publishing professionals with three new initiatives at the 14th annual celebration that took place Monday, June 24, at ICRS.

The first Christy Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Lee Hough, longtime literary agent with Alive Communications. He started at the agency in 2001 and in 2010 was named vice president.

“I’m at peace,” said Hough, who is battling cancer. “I have gratitude. I am so looking forward to seeing the Lord.”

The first two members were inducted into the Christy Awards Hall of Fame, honoring those who have received at least four Christys. 

Karen Hancock was the first inductee with four awards (2003-2006) for her books, including Arena and The Shadow Within. Lynn Austin, who has received eight Christy Awards, was also inducted. She won awards in 2002-2004 and 2008-2012. Her first Christy was awarded for Hidden Places and her most recent for Wonderland Creek. 

Also created this year was the Book of the Year Award, given for the breakout novel Into the Free by Julie Cantrell, which also received the Christy in the First Novel category.

“When I wrote Into the Free, I didn’t have a clue I was writing Christian fiction,” Cantrell said. “The book was just who I was.”

The awards, held at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel, were emceed by agent Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency, with keynote speaker Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Agency.

See the complete list of winners at www.christyawards.com.

CBA’s annual report says most independent stores suffered declines in 2012 but some saw sales jumps

Christian retailers saw sales jump 8.55% in 2012 compared to 2011, according to CBA’s annual State of the Industry report. Every quarter last year saw a sales increase versus the same period in 2011. 

However, the also found that about 60% of independent retailers suffered sales declines in 2012. But some independents, who reported sales surges, had “very strong increases”—mostly above 7%, with a strong percentage more than 15%, according to CBA’s CROSS:SCAN sales data, which is aggregated from 600-plus Christian stores. It’s the first year CROSS:SCAN has been used extensively in the survey, CBA officials said. 

“Christian stores are in a major transition,” CBA President Curtis Riskey said. “Retail success is being defined by two primary strategies: either competing on price or by creatively defining retail space in terms of engagement and relationship. 

“The stores that reported sales increases are strong and connecting better with customers both through technology and compelling in-store experiences,” he added. “They are adapting to selling e-books and deploying more digital marketing and customer interaction. It’s not just about price.” 

Other key findings from the report:

*Black Friday sales in 2012 were up 22%, overturning a two-year slump of same period declines. However, total Christmas-season sales were up only slightly (1.6%). Political grandstanding over the “fiscal cliff” federal budget talks and payroll-tax increases dampened Christmas season spending overall, according to retail economic analysts.

*There were 39 net store closings in 2012 compared to 22 in 2011 and 63 in 2010. The bump in net store closings was blamed on the lingering recession and high unemployment.

*Books and Bibles remained the top categories for Christian stores. DVD sales increased significantly from 2010 to 2012, up 24.1% in units and 17.9% in dollar sales at suggested retail price.

Usually published in March, the report was delayed by technical development of new CROSS:SCAN reporting tools and internal changes. The 2013 report is free to CBA members who took part in the survey and is available at www.cbaonline.org.