‘No doom and gloom’ from publishers, distributors and booksellers

The global economic turmoil was the topic of conversation during the fifth annual Spanish Evangelical Products Associa tion (SEPA) Summit.

A record number of publishers, distributors and booksellers from across the U. S. and Latin America attended the event, held Nov. 20-22 in Nashville, which was hosted by B&H International.

Spanish Evangelical Products Association (SEPA) Executive Director and Editorial Unilit President David Ecklebarger said the 71 attendees were surprisingly optimistic.
“For the most part everyone seemed to be upbeat yet conservative and watching expenses,” he told Christian Retailing. “Not that the industry is seriously hurting yet, but we’re all fearful the economic problems … will have an impact.

“The credit crunch (in the U.S.) may not be felt in Latin America for three or four months,” he added. “Some people mentioned being slightly down, but sales remain steady, and we’re not deeply concerned at the moment.”
SEPA Treasurer and Editorial Portavoz Publisher Tito Mantilla said “there was no feeling of doom and gloom.”

“Everyone was still pretty positive,” he told Christian Retailing. “They mentioned the crisis and appreciating U.S. dollar, but they were more concerned about learning how to better operate their business.”

SEPA Vice President and B&H International Vice President of International Sales Jim Cook said “a lot” of the Spanish publishing houses were either restructuring because of the economic downturn or in anticipation of a looming crisis. “There’s a little bit of nervousness,” he said.

Ebett Rivera-Kading, owner of Pan de Vida, a Chicago-based Christian bookstore that specializes in Spanish products, said she was concerned about the sliding economy.
“I’m buying very carefully—and I’m not normally a frugal buyer,” she told Christian Retailing. “Now I’m thinking three times before I buy anything.”

The summit featured workshops on topics such as branding, ethics and business, reaching pastors, developing a business plan, and tips on opening a bookstore.
The gathering also allowed publishers to present their latest products “in a less hectic setting than Expolit”—the largest trade fair in the U.S. for the Spanish-language Christian literature and music world, Cook said.

“The camaraderie was high,” he added. “What happens in our industry is special. I don’t see that existing on the English side.
“We sit in on each others’ presentations,” Cook added. “We’re not threatened by that. We’re in this together.”

SEPA President and Vida Publishers Senior Director of Sales, Marketing and Client Services Peter Cerra added: “Our industry still has a lot of room for growth.”
SEPA’s 17th annual Expolit convention is set for May 14-19 at the Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel and Convention Center in Miami.

Doug Lockhart and Scott Bolinder appointed to executive positions of not-for-profit organization

International Bible Society-Send the Light (IBS-STL) Global has appointed Christian publishing industry veterans Doug Lockhart and Scott Bolinder as president and CEO of its North American operations and president of global publishing, respectively.

Effective Jan. 1, Lockhart replaced David Passman, who was to retire in early 2009.  Lockhart served in the last year as vice president of communications and external affairs for the Hope Network, a Grand Rapids, Mich., based Christian human services organization. Lockhart previously served for five years at Zondervan, including two as president and CEO.

Lockhart will oversee IBS-STL’s Distribution North America, publishing, outreach, development and administrative divisions—based in Johnson City, Tenn., and Colorado Springs, Colo.

IBS-STL Global President and CEO Keith Danby said Lockhart was “God’s person to take us to the next stage of our development.”
Passman added that he had admired Lockhart’s “humility and determination as a leader for quite some time.”

Bolinder joined IBS-STL following more than 20 years as executive vice president of publishing for Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Zondervan.

Danby said Bolinder was “one of the most respected Christian publishers in the industry.” Bolinder’s work with leading authors Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Philip Yancey, John Ortberg, Karen Kingsbury and Lee Strobel “makes him uniquely qualified to lead our global publishing efforts,” he added.

“In addition, Scott is one of the main catalysts for the commercial success of the New International Version (NIV) and getting it in the hands of more than 400 million people worldwide,” Danby said.

In the November announcement for the appointment of Lockhart and Bolinder, IBS-STL also appointed Steve Johnson to the new position of vice president of Communication and New Media. Johnson is a veteran of IBS, holding numerous leadership positions within the organization and most recently serving as global publisher.

IBS-STL officially merged in March 2007 to form one of the largest not-for-profit literature organizations in the world—a move that company officials said would maximize Bible distribution around the world.

IBS is one of the world’s largest translators and distributors of Scripture, and is the copyright holder of the NIV—the world’s most widely read contemporary English translation of the Bible. Zondervan holds exclusive North American rights to the NIV.

Distribution of ‘life-transforming products’ is increasing despite the widely sliding economy

Despite the global sliding economy, Christian product sales continue to grow in double digits in many parts of the world, according to Christian Trade Association International (CTAI).
One major Nigerian distributor told CTAI that his company’s sales were up 40% over 2007.

“We see the world economic news and are amazed how little it is impacting sales of Christian resources in Nigeria,” the businessman said. “That’s why I and many of my fellow Nigerians will be at Marketsquare International. We are ready to buy the products that we are selling out of.”

The positive overseas outlook comes as buyers and suppliers from more than 20 countries prepare to meet in the U.S. for CTAI’s second annual Marketsquare International, to be held Jan. 15-17 in Atlanta.

A South African publisher told CTAI that his company’s sales were up 30% this year, while a large Brazilian publisher said his company’s sales were up 26% for 2008.

“Certainly the current economic struggles have impacted the world,” said CTAI President Jim Powell, who was told of the businessmen’s reports. “But Christian product sales can be anti-cycle—rising when secular sales fall. For many, domestic sales are slowing, but (international sales) represent a growing segment in the market. … God is increasing the distribution of life-transforming products and resources that honor Him.”

Marketsquare International, which drew 300-plus attendees from 22 countries to Toronto last January, will offer inspirational events, training for publishers, distributors and booksellers, as well as an exhibition area for products and translation-rights sales. The event was launched to provide a North America buying platform after CBA scrapped its Advance winter show after several years’ falling attendance.

Meanwhile, CBA Indonesia’s Indonesian Christian Retail Expo 2008 drew about 10,000 attendees and nearly 225 exhibitors to the first-ever event of its kind in the world’s largest Muslim country.

Held Sept. 12-13 in Jakarta, the expo featured music, book and media presentations for the public as well as times of testimony, and praise and worship. The show also featured children’s events and seminars on media influence and filmmaking.
Themed “Gather to Grow,” the event also included “Be Light in the Marketplace,” a two-day bookseller training session. Established earlier this decade, CBA Indonesia is a founding member of CTAI.

Elsewhere, Marketsquare Asia 2008 and the Korea Christian Rights Fair had a 43% increase in attendance compared to the 2007 event, CTAI officials said.
Held Sept. 7-9 in Hong Kong, Marketsquare Asia drew more than 30 mainland Chinese publishers who attended for the first time thanks to scholarships from the Global Publishers Alliance, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s sister organization.

New releases, creative marketing spur Bible sales growth 'in uncertain times'

Christian retailers and publishers are putting their hopes in the Bible to help reverse downward sales trends in a foundering economy. 

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG)—which analyzes trends in publishing—reported earlier this year a steady market gain in the Bibles category in the last few years and estimated that sales from Bibles, testaments, hymnals and prayer books reached $795.2 million in 2007. BISG predicted that the market would generate $823.5 million in sales this year.

U.S. publishers say domestic downturn has positive return at international rights gathering

Frankfurt Book Fair

U.S. Christian publishers reported brisk business during the world’s biggest annual book exhibition.

Held Oct. 15-19 in Frankfurt, Germany, the Frankfurt Book Fair celebrated its 60th anniversary, attracting a record 299,112 attendees—a 5.6% increase over 2007—and 7,373 exhibitors from 100 countries, according to organizers.
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has represented Christian publishers at the event for more than 20 years through its cooperative exhibit, also known as the Christian Collective.

Mark Kuyper, president and CEO of ECPA, said 18 companies representing 27 publishers went to the fair, with a particular focus on foreign language rights licensing and international sales.

Michael Covington, ECPA’s technology and information officer, said the contingent reported an extremely full schedule coming into the show with additional walk-up business during the fair.

He added that one publisher—David C. Cook—was so busy that many times the publisher’s representatives at the event met with international clients simultaneously. Cook also needed additional space outside of the company’s booth in order to conduct business.

“Some of our publishers told us that the (downturn) U.S. economy appeared to have a positive effect on rights sales at the fair,” Kuyper told Christian Retailing. “Because the dollar was weaker against most currencies, it provided the opportunity for international publishers to buy rights at great prices.

“Standard Publishing joined us for the first time, and two companies did not return (from 2007),” he added. “We expect a couple of publishers to expand their booth next year.”

Standard Publishing President Larry Carpenter said the Cincinnati-based publisher joined the group because the company “wanted to significantly increase our international presence.”

“Our first priority was to meet with international publishers to discuss the rights to publish our products in their respective languages,” he told Christian Retailing. “Second, we wanted to meet with distributors to discuss them selling our English-language products in their countries. Third, we met with individual retailers to sell them products directly.”

Carpenter said Standard would “definitely” return to the show in 2009.  “In fact, we are currently considering exhibiting at the London Book Fair also,” he said. “ECPA made it very easy for us to attend the show.”
Marilyn Gordon, director of rights and contracts for Baker Publishing Group, attended the fair for the ninth year.

“This fair is an important time to connect with current international publishers and also to meet new publishers,” she told Christian Retailing. “Our fiction titles are well-received in the European community and our nonfiction titles throughout the world.”

'House' release reignites industry debate over content limits

 Fears that an R rating for “Christian horror” movie House could scare away some of its intended audience seemed to have been realized with a modest opening in theaters last month.

But though the film based on the book by leading Christian authors Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker finished in only the 24th spot in its opening weekend, it did reignite debate within the Christian products industry about what are appropriate boundaries for content.

Teen panel offers young consumer insights at ECPA’s conference

Christian publishers exploring digital content opportunities were given food for thought by a group of Christian teens who revealed some of their personal media habits, last month.

Overturning some assumptions, the young participants in a panel session at the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) Publishing University (PUBu) conference in Chicago said that despite the other media formats available to them, they still enjoyed reading books and shopped at Christian stores.

But the books they chose were ones that “tell stories,” noted ECPA Information and Education Director Michael Covington.

Move made by publisher after largest Christian distributor in Canada filed for bankruptcy

In the wake of the largest Christian distributor in Canada recently filing for bankruptcy, Thomas Nelson has offered to distribute its products directly to Canadian Christian retailers.

Ontario-based R.G. Mitchell Family Books (RGM), which began operations in 1934, unexpectedly closed Sept. 15—causing some U.S. publishers to scramble to find other sources of distribution in Canada.

Brittany Lassiter—Nelson’s international marketing specialist for international sales—told Christian Retailing that the company notified Canadian bookstores via e-mail Oct. 1 regarding distributing books, videos, software and Bibles directly from the Nashville-based publisher’s warehouse.

Non-print offerings expand, with retailer backing

With a growing number of Christian publishers stepping up their digital publishing emphasis, Christian retailers are cautiously optimistic about the impact of the push.

Zondervan’s October announcement that it would serve as the exclusive distributor of the Reader Digital Book by Sony to the Christian retail channel spotlighted the non-print focus.

In addition to Zondervan and Thomas Nelson, Baker Publishing Group and David C. Cook are increasing the number of titles they offer to Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle users.

Publishers, retailers use creative marketing promotions to counter downturn economy

With the economy continuing to struggle, Christian publishers, distributors and retailers are warily optimistic about the upcoming holiday season—tightening purse strings and implementing innovative marketing promotions to entice consumers who continue to pull back on discretionary spending.

Verne Kenney, Zondervan’s executive vice president of sales, said the company “had a solid first quarter,” but was “experiencing softer sales in the first couple weeks of October.”

“While we are in the midst of some very challenging economic times, Zondervan is optimistic about the upcoming holiday season,” Kenney told Christian Retailing.