Movie tie-in products from publishers and suppliers help propel growing Christian film industry

Led by Soul Surfer, a plethora of Christian-themed movies has been generating a buzz at the box office, while drawing mainstream media attention. 

Capitalizing on interest in the faith-based films, Christian publishers and suppliers have produced movie tie-in products, which are helping propel the growing Christian film industry.

Soul Surfer—the inspirational life story of surfer Bethany Hamilton, the Christian teen who had her left arm bitten off by a tiger shark—finished in the top five for its first two weekends after debuting in more than 2,000 theaters in April.

Heavily marketed to the faith-based community, the movie—which stars
AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany; Dennis Quaid as her father, Tom; Helen Hunt as Bethany’s mother, Cheri; and Carrie Underwood as church youth leader Sarah Hill—received mixed mainstream reviews, but an A-plus from CinemaScore’s moviegoer polling. The Orlando Sentinel noted that the film was “the best faith-based film ever made ... uplifting, entertaining and wonderfully acted.”

Distributed by Sony Pictures’ TriStar label and marketed by the studio’s faith-based division
Affirm Films and FilmDistrict, Soul Surfer—which had a production budget of $18 million—had made $30 million at the box office at press time.

Rated PG for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material, the film is based on Hamilton’s Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board (MTV Books), which was sold in some Christian bookstores.

Several Christian-themed products are tied to the movie, including Soul Surfer: Movie Edition (MTV Books) and Devotions for the Soul Surfer (Thomas Nelson). Zondervan has published Rise Above: A 90-Day Devotional, Soul Surfer Bible and Ask Bethany: FAQs: Surfing, Faith and Friends. 

Although some of the titles date back to 2007, “they have done well, and have been steady backlist sellers,” said Don Gates, vice president of marketing for trade books at Zondervan. “We expect to see renewed interest with the movie’s release.” 

Meanwhile, church resource organization Outreach released four products, including Soul Surfer Church Kit, Soul Surfer DVD Study, Soul Surfer Study Guide and Soul Surfer: Catching God’s Wave for Your Life—a nonfiction book for preteens and teens. In June, Regal Books is publishing Raising a Soul Surfer by Cheri Hamilton—the young Hamilton’s mother.

“We expect the Soul Surfer-themed products to do very well,” Outreach Director of Product Development Jennifer Dion told Christian Retailing. “With a cast that includes major stars, we expect Soul Surfer to have broad exposure and create demand for movie-themed products.”

Dion added that Outreach has sold more than 2.3 million products related to Fireproof—which made $33.3 million at the box office in 2008, despite a modest $500,000 budget.  

A  church-produced film like Fireproof, The Grace Card—a police drama featuring Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr. and a $450,000 production budget—made $2.4 million at the box office after seeing a limited theatrical release in February. It releases on DVD in August, and is available through Provident-Integrity Distribution.

Elsewhere, Jumping the Broom—scheduled to release in 2,000 theaters May 6, Mother’s Day weekend—was billed as “a lighthearted faith and family movie that cleverly addresses the cultural and spiritual challenges of abstinence, motherhood, family and relationships using comedy instead of a moral rod.” The movie stars Angela Bassett (Notorious, Meet the Browns), Paula Patton (Precious, Deja Vu), Laz Alonso (Just Wright, Avatar) and T.D. Jakes, pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas and best-selling author.

 Jumping the Broom is “not the type of film often considered ‘Christian,’ with a clear connection between a life change and a conversion of faith,” producers of the film said. “It is, however, an insightful study in relationships that comes from pastor (Jakes), who has observed people for many years.”

Also scheduled to release May 6, There Be Dragons—about Josemaria Escriva, founder of the Catholic Opus Dei movement and made by Roland Joffé, director of the Oscar-winning The Killing Fields and The Mission—was “a beautiful story” that “will resonate with the community of faith,” according to the film’s producers. 

Motive Entertainment, which developed resources for Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ and the first two installments in “The Chronicles of Narnia” film series, released teaching and preaching materials tied to There Be Dragons.

Another on-the-way title is Jerusalem Countdown, based on the book by John Hagee (FrontLine/Charisma House) and to be released in August, starring David A.R White, Lee Majors, Stacy Keach, Jaci Velasquez and Randy Travis. 

Zondervan is releasing a movie tie-in edition to Seven Days in Utopia—which stars Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo, and is scheduled to hit theaters Aug. 12. The film is based on Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by David L. Cook, published in 2009.

Meanwhile, Doonby, starring John Schneider and Jennifer O’Neill, is scheduled to be released in September. Described as a cross between It’s a Wonderful Life and Crazy Heart, the film tells the story of a Sam Doonby (Schneider), “who comes to a small town and turns it upside down with his revelations,” the film’s producers said.  

Releasing in theaters Sept. 30, Courageous is the widely anticipated follow-up from the makers of the hit movie Fireproof—a top-selling DVD at Christian retail since it was released in January 2009. 

Debbie Woodard, co-owner of Bethany Book & Gift in Baxter, Minn., saw the movie at one of its preview screenings for retailers and was “very impressed,” she told Christian Retailing. “We’ve told our staff that we expect the impact to be at least as powerful as Fireproof was. … We have begun a ‘waiting list’ of people that want to purchase the DVD.”

Tyndale House Publishers will publish the novelization of Courageous. Based on the screenplay by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, Courageous: A Novel—to be released in August—will be written by Randy Alcorn. The film addresses fatherhood through the lives of four police officers.

A plot device in Fireproof, the Kendricks’ The Love Dare (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group)—published in 2008 in paperback and in imitation leather in 2009—and their The Love Dare Day by Day devotional and wedding edition have sold more than 4 million copies internationally. 

Big Idea has expanded licensing for its popular VeggieTales brand, introducing a new crop of merchandise. 

The company recently signed deals with several new partners for products, including floor and tabletop cardboard play sets from Box Creations; “GigglePOD” interactive kid’s video booths from Primary Leisure Global; removable wall art from Brewster Home Fashions; children’s furniture from Golden Chair; and karaoke CDs from DayWind Music. The new products will hit retail shelves starting this summer, Big Idea officials said.

Big Idea also recently added licensing partnerships with American Puzzle Company (wooden puzzles and trains); Zoobies (plush pillow character and blanket combinations); Tabbies (index tabs, stickers, temporary tattoos and wall clings); and Victory Designs (children’s guitars). 

Additionally, VeggieTales has been licensed to Enesco and its Gund and Gregg Gift divisions (plush toys and gifts); Dynamic Displays (parade and event inflatables); Talicor (puzzles and games); Kids Stuff Marketing (regional and catalog products); Cranston (cotton fabrics); ConAgra (fruit snacks); and Northwest Company (bedding, blankets and throws).

Former employee and his sons take over at Wellspring Christian Resources

 There is new two-generation ownership of a long-standing independent Christian store.

John Desaulniers Jr. and his two sons, Joseph and Wesley, have taken over Wellspring Christian Resources in Urbandale, Iowa, from Bev Channell and her daughter, Kelly Maigaard. The two women had bought the former Boone’s Book and Bible Store—which dates back to 1943—17 years ago.

The purchase marks a  return to the store for Desaulniers, who worked there for four years until 2004, when he joined B&H Publishing Group as a sales representative. He lost his job there last fall in a downsizing move.

Channell said that the decision to sell the store followed the death of her husband in 2009 and Maigaard’s sickness, which had left her unable to work for more than a year. “We firmly believe that God led us into it, led us through some great times and some not-so-good times, and now we can see His hand in leading us out,” Channell told Christian Retailing.

“We feel very blessed that John came on the scene as I was proactively planning to pursue the sale. ... He is a good friend and he has a passion for the independent bookstore.”

Desaulniers is general manager, while Joseph and Wesley—with whom he formed limited company Aldertree Enterprises for the purchase—oversee sales and human resources and operations, respectively.

With stints at Moody Bookstore in Chicago and the former Riverside Distributors during his near-30 years in the industry, Desaulniers said that he was aware of, but undaunted by the challenges facing independent Christian retailers.

Music sales were rebounding through in-store burning, and statistics on readers of e-books suggested that they reading more and still enthusiastic about print books, he said. “A lot of it really comes down to customer service, and the people we have in the store are passionate about what we do. We are not just doing this as just a job, but we love the Christian products industry.”

Staff numbers have been cut by half due to the takeover. Desaulniers has also dropped his Parable marketing group membership and plans to fulfill online orders in-store. He and his sons plan an emphasis on local marketing, reaching out to churches in the area and reintroducing an emphasis on home-school materials.

“For the last six years with B&H, I was in stores, and I saw how other stores were doing this,” he said. “I’m taking a lot of that expertise of my former B&H customers and trying to bring it in-house here.” 

Wesley Desaulniers said that he was pleased to be working together with family members. “We have always been close, and in this, we are able to know what are the strengths and weaknesses of our business partners already and we know how to work off of each other well,” he said. “It also gives security that all of the members of the ownership have the same vision for growing the business for longevity.”

‘The Shack’ and ‘A Christmas Snow’ are repurposed for theater-goers with experimental events

William P. Young’s best-selling novel, The Shack, has been brought to the stage in an experimental event exploring new ways of bringing books to life.

Due to premiere in May ahead of a potential wider release, Stories From the Shack was to feature music, dance, sand painting, aerial artistry and comments from Young and some of the readers whose lives have been touched by his novel. The two-hour presentation, featuring audience interaction, was described as “sort of a mash-up of Cirque du Soleil meets Charlie Rose,” by co-producer Jim Henderson.

Meanwhile, A Christmas Snow, one of the best-selling inspirational DVDs of the 2010 holiday season, is due to come to life at The Starlite Theatre in Branson, Mo., for a two-month run from Nov. 1.

The three lead cast members from the Destiny Image Films release—including Catherine Mary Stewart (Days of Our Lives)—are to reprise their roles in the production, which tells how “the storm of the century brings the gift of a lifetime.”

The first release from Destiny Image Publishers’ new movie venture, A Christmas Snow sold around 75,000 copies in the six-week Christmas selling season, beating sales projections, said Joel Nori, director of the film division. 

There was a simultaneous release of a novelization of the film by Jim Stovall, co-executive producer; an audio edition of the book; a music soundtrack; and a journal, Restored, which relates to a journal kept by one of the characters in the film.

Stories From the Shack was inspired by the 100,000-plus emails Young received from people who had been impacted by The Shack (Windblown Media/Hachette Book Group), which has sold more than 20 million copies, Henderson said. “I realized that it was not just a book, it was a phenomenon,” he told Christian Retailing.

The production was to debut in Seattle, May 8, with performances also scheduled for San Diego (May 20); Boise, Idaho (June 4) and Denver (June 17). Henderson said that if the four shows—with a budget of around $500,000—were successful, a longer tour could follow.

Co-producing Stories From the Shack with Henderson—whose own books include Jim & Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation About Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians (BarnaBooks/Tyndale House Publishers)—was James Rubart, president and CEO of Barefoot Marketing and author of Rooms (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group).

Mark Schoenwald named CEO as Michael Hyatt steps aside

A leadership change at Thomas Nelson is set to take the world’s largest Christian publisher further beyond the printed page.

New CEO Mark Schoenwald intends to broaden the diversification begun under his predecessor, Michael Hyatt, who remains chairman of the board and will continue to represent the company in an ambassadorial role.

“We really no longer see ourselves as a book publisher,” Schoenwald, 49, said after the announcement of his April promotion from chief operating officer. “We are really a content provider and want to deliver it in any format our consumers desire.”

Schoenwald, who retains the president’s title he previously held, cited Nelson’s live events and its digital publishing initiatives as ways in which the company was moving beyond traditional publishing, but said that it remained committed to the Christian retail channel. 

“We have deployed by far the most resources in that area and will continue to do so,” he said. “We have learned over time that our strength is the core Christian content. When we get outside of that and try to become something we are not, we really lose our competitive edge.”

For Hyatt, launching Nelson into
e-books and social media was one of the five most significant accomplishments of his near-six years as CEO. The leadership timing for the transition was good, he said, with the company’s fiscal year having closed recently with 6% growth over the previous 12 months.

While part of that was due to the runaway success of Todd Burpo’s Heaven is for Real, with more than a million copies sold, other areas—including children’s books, gift books and Bibles—had seen significant growth too, said Schoenwald.

Formerly an executive with home décor, garden and gift companies, Schoenwald joined Nelson in 2005 as chief sales officer. During the time he rose behind the scenes in the organization—becoming president and COO in 2009—Hyatt was taking an increasingly more public profile as a blogger and speaker. He also served as chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), 2007-2010.

“While I intend to continue the strong focus and discipline in regard to running the business, I will be more visible externally at industry events,” said Schoenwald. Hyatt said that his future plans include writing books, likely to be published by Nelson, and “pursuing other business interests.”

Under his leadership, the Nashville-based publisher, publicly traded since 1969, went private in 2006 in a sale to InterMedia
Partners. The same year, the company acquired Integrity Publishers and sold off its Cool Springs Press gardening imprint. 

In 2007, Hyatt took Nelson through a major reorganization, scrapping its 21 imprints in favor of the Thomas Nelson banner with separate divisions for Bibles, Christian and general trade books. 

On the grounds that the event was not worth the big investment, the company stopped exhibiting at the International Christian Retail Show in 2008—though its remainder and international interests continue to have a presence—and instead held an Open House for its top retail accounts in Nashville. Originally envisioned as an annual event, it has not been repeated to date.

Retailer and publisher campaigns focus on ministry, outreach opportunities

With heightened general public attention on God’s Word this year due to the King James Version’s 400th anniversary, retailers and publishers are seeing a good response to initiatives to help get the Bible in as many hands as possible with giveaways and promotions.

Among the efforts is one led by a bookstore manager for the second-largest Christian chain in the country, which has donated thousands of Bibles to military personnel overseas. 

Scott Reed, manager of the LifeWay Christian Store in Conyers, Ga., who served in the U.S. Air Force as a staff sergeant in a security team detail 20 years ago, began asking customers in October 2010 if they would like to donate a Bible to “a wounded warrior” recovering at an American military hospital outside of Ramstein Air Base in Landstuhl, Germany.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Reed, a Gulf War veteran, told Christian Retailing. “I had an original vision to provide 200 Bibles from our store, but it has turned into thousands of Bibles.”

The Wounded Warriors Ministry Project (WWMP), an initiative of the store’s Military Chaplain Outreach Program, has grown to include eight other LifeWay stores and a church in Conyers.

 Reed’s campaign is separate from CBA’s Operation Worship Bible initiative with Tyndale House Publishers, in which nearly 800,000 units have been sold in the Christian retail channel and sent overseas to American military personnel since it began in 2008. The campaign is expected to reach a million units sold in the next 12-18 months, Tyndale officials said.

 Similar in concept to the Operation Worship Bible effort, Tyndale launched the Inspire Life Bible Campaign to coincide with this year’s Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on Jan. 23—a partnership with Care Net Pregnancy Centers and Christian retailers—to provide free Bibles for pregnant women who are pondering an abortion. 

Running through May, the initiative invites customers to donate a copy of Tyndale House’s Beautiful Everyday—a softcover edition of the New Living Translation, which retails for $5.99. 

“We have had a great response from Christian retail, selling over 200,000 Bibles,” Tyndale House Publishers National Sales Director John Johnson told Christian Retailing. “We had many stores sell 500, 700 and even 1,000 Bibles. … Not only did the customers in Christian retail stores respond wholeheartedly to this outreach, but all of the sales occurred within less than 12 weeks.”

Elsewhere, Thomas Nelson has launched a Christian retail channel promotion to help a Christian humanitarian organization end poverty and preventable deaths among children in the United States and abroad. Through the God’s Word in Action “Buy a Bible, Help a Child” promotion, sales of Nelson Bibles—including children’s and Spanish-language versions—will support World Vision.

Nelson will donate a minimum of $75,000 to World Vision, with the potential for more based on sales from the promotion. When World Vision combines Nelson’s donation with matching grant funds and corporate donations, the donation multiplies four times, company officials said.

“Based on our fiscal plan for the upcoming year and matching grant funds, we have set an overall goal to provide more than $1 million to help children through World Vision,” said Nelson’s vice president and publisher for Bibles, Gary Davidson.

Funds generated by the promotion will provide immunizations, prenatal and ongoing medical care, vitamins and deworming medications, bed nets for malaria prevention and food.

Launched in April, the promotion is part of Nelson’s God’s Word in Action campaign, which is inspired by Ps. 82:3: “Stand up for the poor and the orphan; advocate for the rights of the afflicted and those in need” (The Voice). 

Meanwhile, Zondervan made 1 million free online downloads of the entire updated New International Version (NIV) text available in the lead up to the March print arrival. Demand for the new NIV prompted the publisher to increase its original print run of 1.4 million to 1.9 million copies of various products. The print releases followed the debut of the updated NIV eBible, released in December 2010. It has become the fastest-selling e-book in Zondervan’s history, with more than 50,000 units sold to date. 

LifeWay’s Reed said that customers donating a $5 Bible for the WWMP has not hurt sales at his store. 

“When we ask our customers if they want to donate a Bible, seven out of 10 times they would say, ‘Absolutely,’ ” he said. “It’s helping sales, but it’s certainly not our motivation. If we put ministry first, the sales will naturally follow. We were able to sell far more of the $5 Bibles because there’s a ministry behind it.”

Reed said that more than 2,000 Bibles have been donated and are in the process of being “deployed” to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Landstuhl. “The donated Bibles are absolutely making a difference,” he said.

Bradford Phillips, a U.S. Air Force chaplain in the Wounded Warrior Ministry Center at LRMC, wrote in an email to LifeWay that “we can’t keep enough nice Bibles here.”

Bibles “are always needed,” Phillips said. “When we get to the floors, we always ask each warrior if they need a Bible and a devotional. At least 50% of the time, the answer is ‘yes.’ ”

Screening of 'Courageous' and other inspirational movies will add 'new dimension' to Expolit

The largest trade show in the U.S. for Spanish-language Christian products is showcasing inspirational films for the first time this month, with a screening of Courageous—the widely anticipated follow-up from the makers of the hit movie Fireproof—which will release in theaters nationwide Sept. 30. 

To be held May 19-24 at the Doubletree Hotel & Miami Airport Convention (MAC) Center in Miami, Expolit 2011 is introducing the ExpoCinema movie segment—which will "add variety" to the event, said David Ecklebarger, the Spanish Evangelical Products Association's (SEPA) executive director and president of Miami-based Editorial Unilit. 

"Concerts have and will continue to be a big local draw, but I am excited to see the new dimension that film showings add to Expolit," he told Christian Retailing. 

The screening of Courageous will feature Roberto Amaya, who plays Javier—a Hispanic character in the movie, that "will be embraced all over the Spanish-speaking world," said B&H Publishing Group Vice President of International Sales Jim Cook. The film addresses fatherhood through the lives of four police officers.

B&H Publishing Group will promote the Spanish version of Courageous Living by Michael Catt (B&H Books), senior pastor of Courageous' film-making brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick's home church, Sherwood Baptist Church, in Albany, Ga. B&H will also spotlight several other Courageous-related products to be released in the fall.

Other movies to be screened at Expolit include Fireproof and Poema de Salvación (The Salvation Poem)—a film based on the life of Argentinian rocker Pablo Olivares. 

"I constantly have filmmakers interested in coming to Expolit," said Marie Tamayo, vice president and director of Expolit. "We hope that (ExpoCinema) will be a regular feature of Expolit."

Also new at this year's convention will be the ARPA Awards, which recognizes excellence in Spanish-language Christian music. To be broadcast live on the TBN Enlace network, the eighth annual awards will feature performances by Manny Montes, Ricardo Rodriguez, Funky and Master Key.

Noting that Expolit's venue, MAC Center, recently went through a $18 million renovation, Tamayo said that registrations for Expolit at press time were running 18% more than last year's event. 

The show has a wide international reach, drawing an average of 140 exhibitors from all of Latin America, Spain, England and Japan. 

Several well-known authors will be featured in workshops, including Neil Anderson, Shannon Ethridge, Dr. Don Colbert and Holly Wagner. SEPA's Gala Dinner and Awards will feature author and evangelist Luis Palau as the keynote speaker. 

Concerts during Expolit will include performances by Marco Barrientos, Ingrid Rosario, Álvaro Torres and Nancy Amancio.

Cook said that Expolit is "one of the most important events" for B&H Publishing Group. "It has become the best gathering place in the Spanish market to network with the leaders of our industry," he said.

Best-selling author's 'Love Wins' views on heaven prove divisive

Best-selling author Rob Bell's latest book has sparked a "firestorm," with some Christian stores refusing to stock it due to its controversial view on heaven and hell.

The author of Sex God and presenter of the popular "Nooma" video series discussed Love Wins—which critics say promotes universalism—in an interactive, live streamed event on the eve of the book's release date in March in New York City. 

Bell's conversation with Newsweek Senior Editor Lisa Miller at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, which also featured the author answering questions from the audience and Web viewers, drew hundreds to the venue and more than 6,000 people on the Internet.

HarperOne brought forward publication of the book—subtitled "Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived"—from March 29 to March 15 because of interest in the title. Reporting on the "firestorm" surrounding the book, CNN said that the furor centered on concerns that Bell was "heading towards universalism—a dirty word in Christian circles."

In a pre-publication video promoting the book on his Web site, www.robbell.com, Bell asked: "Will only a few, select people make it to heaven and will billions and billions of people burn forever in hell?" 

Founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., Bell denied during the live streamed event that he espoused universalism—the belief that all humans end up in heaven and that hell is not a physical place.

"If by universalist we mean love doesn't win and God sort of co-opts the human heart and says, 'Well, you're coming here and you're gonna like it,' that violates the laws of love and love is about freedom," he said. "It's about choice. It's about, do you want to be here? Because that's what would make it heaven."

Bell was also vague when pressed on whether he believes there is a hell. "We see hell on earth all around us all the time," he said. "We actually see lots of people choosing hell. ... We see oppression, we see tyranny, dictators using their power." 

Tara Powers—spokesperson for Zondervan, with whom Bell has published four books, including Velvet Elvis, and the "Nooma" series—said that the company had not been offered the opportunity to publish Love Wins, which debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice & Miscellaneous best-seller list. "However, if the promotional video for the book accurately reflects its contents, it is highly unlikely that Zondervan would have accepted Love Wins for publication," she added.

Zondervan published Bell's other books and videos "because we believed they were consistent with Zondervan's mission statement and publishing philosophy," Powers said. "We still believe these titles are impactful with their message and positive contribution and intend to continue to publish them."

HarperOne Senior Vice President and Publisher Mark Tauber said
that HarperCollins expected the controversy surrounding Love Wins to help sales. 

However, LifeWay Christian Stores would "not offer" the book, according to LifeWay Christian Resources Director of Communications Micah Carter. Family Christian Stores officials declined to comment, but the chain's Web site did not feature Love Wins at pressing time.

Located within 20 miles of Bell's church, Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Mich., ordered almost 500 copies of the book to meet the expected demand. "The proximity alone is sufficient reason to carry a couple of hundred, but now with the increased attention, we anticipate even larger sales," Sue Smith, manager of Baker Book House, said.

"We have a history of strong sales with Rob's books and the Noomas," she added. "We've sold over 500 copies of Sex God, 345 copies of Velvet Elvis and 320 copies of Jesus Wants to Save Christians. These are great sales figures, yet none of these had the Web presence and commotion that Love Wins is bringing."

Berean Christian Stores had not ordered any copies of Love Wins for its 18 locations, according to Director of Merchandising Greg Moore. "However, we have it available in our system for any of our customers that would want to place a special order," he said. "Once our management team has had a chance to read and discuss the book, we will make a decision as to whether that policy will change."

Munce Group President Kirk Blank said that Love Wins "seems to signal a departure from biblical Christianity." Munce Group would not promote the book in any of its catalogs, he said. "As always, stores can carry anything that they chose to." 

Parable Group Sales and Marketing Manager Randy Maricle said that Love Wins would not be promoted in any of the marketing group's catalogs. "We are not surprised with the controversy surrounding Love Wins," he said. "Rob Bell has always delivered his message in a very thought-provoking way, and that tends to create debate. … As independent owners, Parable franchise and Parable member stores make their own inventory decisions."

Summer show in Atlanta to open to the public for select concert events

CBA is making a shop window of its summer show this year. Atlanta-area church and community leaders are to be invited to attend select worship and concert events at the Inte rnational Christian Retail Show (ICRS) that will open to the public, said retail association Executive Director Curtis Riskey.

The move is part of a thrust at the event—which returns to Atlanta for the first time in four years, July 10-13—to promote the importance of Christian stores in their local communities. The theme: "Celebrate the Word—Impact the Culture."

"We are working diligently to use ICRS to tell churches, Christians and the general public about the role and ministry of Christian stores and the resources they carry," Riskey said. "Christian stores have a ministry role in their communities and we are helping tell that story."

By mid-February, when the event Web site—www.christianretailshow.com—went live, around 175 exhibitors were registered for the show, which will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center. When it last hosted ICRS in 2007, there were 386 exhibitors and almost 4,000 attendees.

The 2011 event will include new features to help the industry better understand where Christian retailing is going in the future, said Riskey. "All specialty retail stores, such as Christian stores, are trying to become not just stores, but local hubs for community. 

"Stores increasingly will need to define their niche in the marketplace and be a gathering center for like-minded people to offset the challenges of Internet-only competition and big-box discounters. Our new Town Center design will help demonstrate how that might happen in Christian stores."

In addition, Riskey said that CBA has been working on some other projects "that will make this ICRS one of the best ones in recent years."

Though Thomas Nelson will have international and remainder groups represented on the show floor again, the company "has no plans for a general booth presence on the trade show floor" for the third successive year, said Tom Knight, the company's senior vice president of Christian retail and ministry development group.

The world's largest Christian publisher will have a hospitality suite and "a small group of people attending" ICRS, he added. "We recognize that ICRS plays a central role as a meeting place for the industry, however, we have no plans to exhibit." 

The company "continues to support Christian retail," he told Christian Retailing, with Nelson recently hosting a contingent of store owners, buyers and managers at its spring sales conference.

Enhanced versions an effective way to attract new readers and boost sales from backlist titles

In the absence of blockbuster best-sellers, Christian publishers are repackaging and upgrading hits to help boost sales from backlist titles. 

Among the latest old favorites to get a fresh face are Tyndale House Publishers's "Left Behind" series and Zondervan's The Purpose-Driven Life. Publishers say re-releasing best-sellers has several benefits, including attracting new readers to a proven title and fans of an author who has multiple titles. Publishing houses say repackaging top-sellers is not "milking the cow dry." 

"New editions of best-sellers or classics from C.S. Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare to the Bible itself are enhanced and repackaged every year," said Jonathan Merkh, Howard Books' vice president and publisher. "This is how publishing survives. What if C.S. Lewis had never been repackaged or updated? Why should we let great works of literature stagnate in their original format?"

Last year, Howard Books released Father Fiction, a revised and expanded version of Donald Miller's To Own a Dragon. Released in 2006 by NavPress, the original book sold 81,000 copies, and Father Fiction has sold well, Howard officials said. 

"For publishing to survive, it will be a necessary practice—only the formats will be considerably different going forward," Merkh said. "It's actually a good and exciting opportunity."

Last year, Tyndale House also released four repackaged Omnibus editions of the "Left Behind" series—the blockbuster end-times thriller by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, which has sold more than 63 million copies since the first title came out in 1995. Starting in April, the Carol Stream, Ill.-based publisher again re-released the 12-book series individually with new covers that feature "imagery and composition with an eye for photojournalism rather than pure fictional drama," company officials said. 

"For many years, we've been talking about when is the right time to repackage the series," said Cheryl Kerwin, senior marketing manager for Tyndale House Publishers. "We felt there was a whole new audience of readers available to reach, so we asked ourselves, 'Can we reach these new readers with our current brand imaging?' 

"We knew this would be a risk because we created such a recognizable brand identity with 'Left Behind,' but we believe there comes a time in every successful brand you make a decision to create a new look or not," Kerwin added. "Never once did 'let's milk the cow dry' come up in our discussion, it was always, 'How can we make this series relevant to what's happening in current events and what readers are asking for?' " 

Kerwin said that final sell-through figures were not yet available for last year's Omnibus editions, but the four "Left Behind Collections" will be out of print this spring.

Tyndale has no plans to tie in the 12 repackaged titles—which are being released starting this month—with a new, improved movie version of Left Behind—due to start production later this year, Kerwin told Christian Retailing.

Meanwhile, Zondervan released in January an "enhanced" e-book of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life (PDL)—the best-selling hardcover nonfiction title in publishing history with more than 30 million copies sold since it was originally published in 2002. The enhanced digital-only version features added content and videos "based on eight years of reader interaction and personal reflection," company officials said. 

"It provides a fresh new perspective to a perennial best-seller," said Verne Kenney, Zondervan's executive vice president of sales. "We see this as an opportunity to reach those who love PDL, and are interested in hearing new content from pastor Warren, as well as a whole new audience of e-book readers."

At Thomas Nelson—which released Fathered by God in 2009, a repackage and revision of John Eldredge's The Way of the Wild Heart from 2006—repackaging best-sellers provides a way to "deliver real value to consumers," said Brian Hampton, Thomas Nelson's senior vice president and publisher. "Some readers simply want the opportunity to buy a more affordable version of the content, and that's great," he said. "But we strive to give them something more."

Nelson has also released revised and repackaged versions of Billy Graham's Storm Warning, (100,000-plus total units sold); Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What (more than 450,000 total copies sold); Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (more than 3 million total copies sold); and William Bennett and John Cribb's The American Patriot's Almanac (more than 180,000 total copies sold).

"There is definitely a market for enhanced/repackaged editions of best-sellers (if) done the right way," Hampton said. "Partnering with authors to create compelling new editions of best-sellers is an effective way to introduce more readers to life-changing content. Those readers may resonate in a particular way with the updated configuration of the content, and for them, the book is brand new."

Berean Christian Stores Director of Operations David Jordan agreed. "The benefit of re-releasing a best-seller is to possibly attract a new customer or to get a customer tied into an author who has multiple titles in print," he said. "If there is margin to be gained or marketing dollars to be had, we would participate—knowing that the purchase is always returnable."

Jordan added that the 18-strong chain would stock the repackaged "Left Behind" series. "It won't really be any more of an investment for us," he said. "We will simply return all of the old editions and replace with the new editions."

Evangelical Christian Publishers Association President and CEO Mark Kuyper said that mega-sellers such as the "Left Behind" series and PDL "have not exhausted their potential." 

"I still contend we are reaching a fraction of the audience that would be interested in reading our content," he said. "If publishers can find ways to enhance and support backlist, I think it is prudent to do so. It is also more profitable for publishers and retailers to build on something they already have."

Thomas Nelson releases self-published 'little books'

'Eat Your Peas' series has sold more 700,000 copies in specialty markets 

Thomas Nelson has brought out a gift book series whose author has already sold more 700,000 copies on her own.

Last month, Nelson released the first three titles of the "Eat Your Peas" series—"3-minute forever books," quick reads written by Cheryl Karpen that offer "a promise to be there for a loved one throughout life's hilarities and heartaches." An entrepreneur and president of Gently Spoken Communications, Karpen has produced 21 self-published titles since 2001, selling nearly a million copies in general market and specialty markets.

"We loved the books when we saw them," said Laura Minchew, Nelson's vice president and publisher of specialty books. "To sell 700,000 copies through independent bookstores means these little books really touched a desire by buyers. If this many people responded through the limited distribution of independent gift stores, we know these books will do well when offered through to the larger market."

Minchew told Christian Retailing that Karpen is a Christian and all of the books "come from that mindset." "Each book includes quotes about blessings, praying for you. We did create two books with a much heavier percent of Christian content—Eat Your Peas Faithfully and Eat Your Peas Faithfully, Love Mom," she said.

Following the April publication of Eat Your Peas, Daughter; Eat Your Peas Faithfully; and Eat Your Peas, Mom, Nelson will release Eat Your Peas Faithfully, Love Mom; Eat Your Peas, Girlfriend; and Eat Your Peas, New Mom in July. Each 80-page hardcover book retails for $12.99. 

Karpen chose the title of the series because her mother had always told her that eating peas would do her good. "And they could make you strong, just as support and encouragement from a loved one can," she said.