Southern Baptists oppose ‘inaccurate translation,’ but update of best-selling Bible is ‘being received well’ by others

Zondervan has defended its updated New International Version (NIV) following criticism of the revision of the world’s best-selling Bible translation by a Southern Baptists forum.  

The censure came during the denomination’s annual meeting in June in Phoenix, when a debate on the 2011 translation was brought forward by a delegate rather than church leadership. 

Passed overwhelmingly, the resolution faulted the new NIV, which combines the 1984 NIV and the controversial Today’s New International Version (TNIV), replacing both versions. 

Calling the revision an “inaccurate translation,” the resolution said the new NIV changes the meaning of hundreds of verses, erasing gender-specific details that appear in the original language.

“We are disappointed that delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution opposing the updated NIV against the wishes of the SBC resolution committee, who affirmed the transparency of the NIV translation process,” Zondervan said in a statement.

Also in a statement, the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), comprised of the global biblical scholars who translated the NIV and TNIV, decried the accusation that “the 2011 NIV has gone beyond acceptable translation standards.”

“Our concern is always ... to represent God’s unchanging Word accurately and naturally in modern English,” CBT said.

The resolution encouraged that the Bible not be carried by LifeWay Christian Stores, which are affiliated with the SBC. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said that he regretted that the resolution addressed the chain so directly, according to Baptist Press.

However, LifeWay stores “continue to sell the 2011 NIV, while working through the process of review with our board of trustees,” LifeWay Christian Resources Director of Communications Micah Carter told Christian Retailing.

Family Christian Stores officials declined to comment, but the nation’s largest Christian retail  chain’s Web site did not feature the updated NIV. 

Parable Group Sales and Marketing Manager Randy Maricle told Christian Retailing that the 2011 translation has had “good sell-through.” 

“The NIV continues to hold a steady 30%-plus market share,” he said. “We have not seen a variance in that since the transition to the new SKUs. … We have not heard any complaints from customers or Parable store owners. The product transition was as seamless as could be expected.

"The NIV has been a trusted brand for a long time, and we don’t see any indication of that shifting," he added. 

David Rooker, manager of The Scroll Discount Christian Store in Tyler, Texas, said that the new NIV was “being received well.”

“As far as sales and customer response, it is being accepted,” he told Christian Retailing. “We’ve done pretty well with them so far. … We accepted Zondervan’s original buy-in, which gave us extra terms and discount. It also gave us a much deeper selection of NIV in our Bible department than we had previously. The result has been encouraging. … The new NIV criticism is much ado about nothing in the wider scheme of things.”

Supported by a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, the new NIV debuted in March with the first of more than 150 SKUs. Zondervan was “humbled” by demand warranting a first print run of 1.4 million, said Senior Vice President and Publisher for Bibles Chip Brown. 

The NIV update was announced in September 2009, when it was also revealed that the controversial TNIV was to be phased out after the revision. 

A previous effort to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences was dogged by controversy. Zondervan released a New Testament of the TNIV in 2002 and the complete Bible in 2005, although critics—including the SBC—decried it for changing gender-specific pronouns in some references. 

The 2011 NIV was updated by the CBT to reflect changes in English usage and advances in biblical scholarship. In the NIV update, the CBT’s approach to gender language “has simply been to faithfully reflect the intentions of the original authors,” Zondervan said. “(It) … reflects widely accepted best practices for translation and mirrors the approach taken by many other well-respected Bible translations and commentaries.”

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based publisher has sold more than 50 million copies of the NIV since its debut in 1978, including more than 3 million copies last year.

CHURCH CONNECTIONS: Mark Hutchinson, president of Canada’s Blessings chain, encouraged retailers to find ways to serve local churches better. Presenting retail ideas at a retailing panel event, he told how Blessings had sold 1.6 million communion cups in nine months. “Think outside the box,” he said.

E-BOOK OPTIONS: David Amster of Integra Interactive announced that the company’s e-books option will be called MyBooks To Go. Planned for launch 

March 1, the program will enable Christian stores to sell branded “eebo” e-readers, with the commission on all future digital purchases by the device buyer going to the retailer.

GIFT BUYERS: More than 55% of shoppers at Chuck Wallington’s Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C., go to the store to buy something for someone else, according to customer surveys at the store, he said in a panel discussion. “The gift potential of this industry is huge.”

CREATIVE THINKING:  The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Christian bookselling, said Munce Group founder Bob Munce. At the marketing group’s 20th-anniversary breakfast, he told of stores dabbling with other businesses to keep their doors open, from wigs and a pharmacy to even pest control. “Whatever it takes, these folks are doing,” Munce said. 

EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITOR: 

T-shirt company Gardenfire’s faux storefront booth—which won it a best-of-show award—was created to give retailers practical ideas on how to display and merchandise apparel. “The reason we went overboard is that we wanted to show how much we believe in T-shirts and Christian retail,” said owner Jayme Brandt.

 CBA GROWTH: The retailers’ trade association has seen an uptick in membership, reported Executive Director Curtis Riskey at the annual members’ breakfast. The association has more than 1,100 retail members and more than 500 Christian products company members, with two goals: “To make Jesus Christ known and to see Him glorified.”

 MOVIE FOCUS: Inspirational films featured prominently again, with almost a dozen special screenings—including two showings of DreamWorks Pictures' August release of The Help, based on the best-selling general market novel by Kathryn Stockett, set in the early days of the Civil Rights movement.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: Among suppliers celebrating anniversaries at the show were Anchor Wallace Publishers (50 years); DaySpring and Gregg Gift Co. (both 40 years); Barbour Publishing, New Day Christian Distributors and WinePress Publishing (each 30 years); CNI Distribution (20 years); and FaithWords (10 years).

 CHRISTIAN STORE WEEK: World Vision will be the beneficiary of funds raised through the Oct. 1-10 promotion of Christian stores. A benefit CD will be released as part of the special offers available during the CBA campaign.

GOOD GRIEF!: Snoopy’s dog house at the DaySpring booth was a big draw for the company, which introduced the first greeting card line in the 60-year history of the iconic comic-strip brand to feature scripture.

 ICRS 2012: The Christian products industry will convene for next year’s show, July 15-19, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

 GLOBAL THANKS: Jim Powell, retiring president of Christian Trade Association International, was acknowledged for his work in founding the global organization at its International Vision Celebration & Luncheon. A tribute to his work was led by Kim Pettit, former CTAI chief operating officer, who has taken over at the helm of the group. 

In-store printing service may get Christian retail trial if publishers back drive to offer wide backlist

Christian retailers could be among the first booksellers in the country to offer instant-print titles to 

customers.

An in-store printer that can produce a book in just a few minutes, reducing the need for tying up money in inventory and offering access to extensive backlist, drew considerable interest at the show.

Appearing at ICRS in a cooperative presentation with CBA, On Demand Books (ODB) demonstrated its Espresso Book Machine (EBM), which Vice President of Sales Jason Beatty said “adds new sources of revenues to stores.”

Producing around 175 sample copies of public domain titles to avoid royalty issues, the Espresso was called into real service when author Michelle Lesley used it to print copies of her book Jacob: Journaling the Journey (Journey Press) for a signing she staged in front of the machine.

Around 50 Espresso machines are currently in use, mostly in larger general market or university bookstores. Priced at around $165,000 for a high-speed version and $105,000 for a mid-speed model, the machines can also be leased and typically earn out in about 18 months, Beatty told Christian Retailing.

The Espresso lends itself particularly to adoption in the Christian retail market because of consumers’ greater loyalty to their local stores, added ODB President Peter Turner. In addition, there were opportunities for stores to use the system to print books for local Christian authors.

Mardel Christian & Education President Jason Green said that his chain was looking into the possibility of testing the EBM system. “It is an interesting opportunity,” he said. “We always have to be looking at what is coming down the pike.”

Baker Publishing Group Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing David Lewis was enthusiastic about the potential for stores. If they did not have a title in stock, “rather than lose the sale to an online retailer, they could print the book and retain the sale, even if they make a smaller margin,” he said.

Lewis said he hoped some Christian stores would test the Espresso and that he would be encouraging other publishers to join the company in making their older titles available through the system. “Stores need access to the full range if it is going to have a chance.” 

Meanwhile, CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey revealed that an industry-wide platform for selling e-books now seems unlikely. The association had announced efforts to bring retailers, publishers and service providers together in talks to come up with a potential collaborative program at last year’s ICRS.

“We are starting to see a number of folks going other directions and I’m not sure that an industry-wide platform will come together,” said Riskey, “but there will be options for stores.” CBA plans to publish its research and findings as a white paper to help stores find an e-book option that would work for them, he said.

Nelson names e-book leader; audiobook supplier adds print

Recognizing the growth of e-books, Thomas Nelson has named Eric Shanfelt to the new position of senior vice president of e-media. Meanwhile, audiobook supplier eChristian—recently rebranded from Christianaudio—has announced plans to launch two book imprints, eChristianBooks and Mission Books.

A veteran digital and online media strategist, Shanfelt is to be responsible for developing and implementing an electronic strategy that integrates Nelson’s publishing and live events segments, company officials said.

Shanfelt has more than 20 years of experience in digital and online media, serving in executive roles with Penton Media, Virgo Publishing and Interweave. Most recently, he has consulted with numerous businesses and consumer media companies. 

“The digital revolution is upon us,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of Thomas Nelson. “We need someone focused on casting the vision and leading the charge.”

The move by eChristian was part of the newly formed  eC Publishing Group, consisting of eChristian’s two current audio imprints—Christianaudio and Mission Audio.

Company co-founder and President Cory Verner said that publishing books was “a natural extension” for the company. “We are book lovers who in the past have only focused on audio,” he said. “Now, we will add this new publishing effort and take the company several steps further in content development and marketing.”

Christian publishing veteran Dan Balow will lead eC Publishing Group. He joined eChristian a year ago, and will serve as publisher for the audio and print divisions at the company’s Wheaton, Ill., office.  

“Is this the right time for a new publishing model?” Balow asked. “We think so. With all the changing realities of publishing, it seems like the entire industry is on shifting sand. It is much easier to start a new company with a future mindset.”

The first titles of eChristianBooks and Mission Books will come out in the fall with a variety of nonfiction and fiction books available in both print and digital versions. Titles will include eChristianBooks’ The Disciplines of the Christian Life by Eric Liddell—the Olympic runner who was depicted in the 1981 Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire—and Mission Books’ The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the 19th-century Russian writer.

Christianaudio began in 2004, with the company changing its name earlier this year and launching eChristian.com—an e-book and digital retailing site. Earlier this year, in April, eChristian signed an agreement with digital marketing services company Innovative to make e-book downloads available for Christian stores.

Church bookstore leader Rose Seeley is confident of brick-and-mortar retail’s future

Bookstore manager Rose Seeley is undaunted by the rise of e-book sales and wants to help other retailers embrace the changes coming to the industry with the same kind of optimism.

“When you come into a bookstore you can browse and you will find things you will never find online,” says the manager of the bookstore at Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos, Calif. “There will always be a place for Christian retail. Yes, the product mix may change a little, but if people are willing to change, e-publishing shouldn’t be a threat to us.”

The store serving the growing Orange County church—which 
attracts around 8,000 people each weekend—has seen an increase in revenues despite the sluggish economy. With no independent Christian store within a 20-mile radius, it draws some customers from the surrounding community though its focus is on resourcing church members.

Cottonwood is to host Retailing ReBoot West, a repeat of Christian Retailing’s successful Retailing ReBoot event in Orlando, in April, for those who were unable to attend then. 

“I believe we serve the Creator of the universe and we should be at the forefront of retail, not always trying to catch up,” Seeley said of her hopes for the Oct. 17-18 event that will combine education sessions, exhibitor hours and fellowship. “I believe we can get there together—but the key is that we need to do it together.”

Seeley credits the help and encouragement she got from other retailers and suppliers when she took on the running of the bookstore in 2007 for much of her success. Coming from the high-tech industry, she knew about the likes of inventory management, cash flow and 
margin but was unfamiliar with the Christian products world.

With a strong emphasis on Bible teaching from senior pastors Bayless and Janet Conley, the bookstore majors on book and Bible sales. The leaders have at times spotlighted resources available in the bookstore, though there is “not a lot of promotion, per se,” said Seeley. “It’s not about being a billboard or making sales, it’s more about having resources available for people.”

“My life has been changed by reading good books. As a leader, I am continually seeking to grow in knowledge and to develop the gifts God has given me,” said Bayless Conley. “Others have pioneered, fought, struggled, discovered and walked with God before me ... and recorded their journey and the lessons they have learned. It would be foolish not to learn what we can from them. 

“I consider the bookstore on our campus an indispensable aid in helping to equip the members of our congregation for their journey with God.”

Although initially reluctant, Seeley has added gifts to the mix in the last couple of years in response to demand and to help with keeping things in the store looking fresh. “I thought that gifts and e-books might affect our book sales, but they have remained steady, if not grown a bit,” she said.

The store offers sermon CD and DVD recordings within minutes of the end of services and also has an in-store burning system. Seeley hopes to add e-book sales to the store’s Web site. But while she anticipates growth in that area, “there are still so many of us that still like holding a book our hands, and who pick out a Bible by looking at it and feeling it.”

In addition to two paid staff, the bookstore is run by a group of around 160 volunteers who each serve a couple of times a month. On top of regular opening hours six days a week and around Sunday service times, the store is also open for conferences and special events that the church hosts.

Seeley said that she thrived on “the sense that we are offering resources to people who need them. We offer prayer for people that come into the store. We want to be a blessing to the church, and part of that is running the bookstore in an efficient and business-like manner, that we are good stewards of what God gives us.”

Popular event to be repeated in California in October

For church bookstore manager Rose Seeley, Christian Retailing’s Retailing ReBoot event in April gave her “more practical information and ideas than I have ever got from any one show I have been to.”

The event was so popular that we are going to offer another opportunity for people who missed out, this time on the West Coast.

Retailing ReBoot West will be held Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 17-18 at Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos, Calif. The church is home to Seeley’s 
Cottonwood Bookstore.

Others who attended Retailing ReBoot in April with Seeley echoed her appreciation of the mix of presentations, discussions, networking sessions and business meetings:

“I came away greatly encouraged—I was about to give up, so thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“It was awesome! I enjoyed everything about it. All of your team’s hard work and care was evident. I learned much, was inspired and got to spend time with some wonderful people.” 

Retailers from independent and church stores and suppliers came together to discuss trends and challenges, share insights and ideas, and explore new products and opportunities in an informal, cooperative spirit.

The focus was on how to help “reboot” stores for the future, as the industry continues to change.

At Retailing ReBoot West , we will again be digging into some of the key issues facing Christian stores. The industry is at a place where just doing what worked in the past is not enough. How should stores respond to the growing e-book market? What can they do to really set themselves apart from other channels? Where are the category growth 
opportunities? 

 As in Orlando, we expect some of the answers to come from our presentations and panel discussions—and also in the informal times of fellowship and conversation.

In addition, there will be time to connect with suppliers, find out about new products and look at preparations for the important Christmas season.

“I love ReBoot because of its size and atmosphere. It’s intimate and therefore conducive to connecting and collaborating with others,” said Seeley. “And I’m so excited that Cottonwood Church is hosting the first Retail ReBoot West because that opportunity will be made more available to churches and other stores in the West. 

“It’s part of Cottonwood’s DNA to help and empower people in ministry in order to see them succeed and flourish, so the partnership is an ideal one. Retailing ReBoot West is an opportunity not to be missed.”

Worship music pioneer adapts to ‘monumental shifts in the marketplace’ with sale of flagship label just ahead of silver anniversary

In a move to expand its reach in music, David C. Cook has acquired Integrity Music, whose artists include Israel Houghton, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Lincoln Brewster and Paul Baloche.

C. Ryan Dunham, formerly Cook’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, will serve as president of Integrity Music.

Finalized in June, the acquisition of Integrity Media’s flagship label “makes sense from both a ministry as well as a business standpoint,” Dunham said. “Both organizations are widely respected for their international reach and their worship music catalogs.” Dunham added that Cook was “no newcomer to the worship music ministry.” 

In 1993, the nonprofit organization acquired Kingsway, a worship music company in Eastbourne, England, whose artists include Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Brenton Brown and The City Harmonic. Cook also partnered with EMI Christian Music Group to produce the Thank You Music song catalog.  

“As Integrity Music prepares to celebrate 25 years in ministry, I look forward to seeing the expanding impact of Integrity songs and products around the world,” said Integrity co-founder and CEO Michael Coleman.

Begun as a direct-to-consumer music club in 1987, the Mobile, Ala.-based business changed its name to Integrity Media in 2002 to better reflect the company’s growth and development. 

In a statement, Coleman noted that music sales last year were less than half of what they had been in 2000. “Music sales in the U.S. alone dropped from $14.6 billion to $6.3 billion between 1999 and 2009, and the decline has continued into 2011,” he said. 

“And on top of the general economic downturn, music companies are facing challenges like digital piracy and a shift in consumer thinking from ‘ownership’ to ‘access.’ ” he added.

Integrity Music had been making changes to try to adapt to “monumental shifts in the marketplace, but it has been quite a challenge,” Coleman added. “An earlier staff reduction and the listing of our property in Mobile were part of the most recent changes. This combined with the sale of our music assets will help us address a number of issues as we navigate this changing landscape.”

Integrity Music will operate independently within Cook as “a strategic ministry unit,” relocating to the company headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., after a transition period of three months. Distribution of Integrity Music products in the U.S. will continue through Provident-Integrity Distribution, Columbia Records and Sony Music Distribution. 

Integrity Media plans to sell its international companies in the U.K., South Africa and Singapore, but will continue to operate its remaining divisions from Mobile, including the Integrity Worship Institute training division, Integrity Direct distribution arm and Integrity Notes greeting cards, Coleman said.

Mitchell Solarek, the new chairman of the Gospel Music Association, told Christian Retailing that the acquisition was “a positive thing.” “We look forward to watching Cook build on a very good foundation built by Integrity, and hope the artists benefit from these new recourses,” he said.

Highly anticipated movie and Bible-reading releases are widely welcomed at CBA’s ‘best show in years’

The International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) for 2011 may have ended, but retailers and suppliers are hoping that its theme will live on and drive the industry to a strong fourth quarter.

They are looking for the banner of “Celebrate the Word, Impact the Culture,” under which they gathered in Atlanta, July 10-13, to define the important Christmas sales season.

The ICRS focus was spotlighted in the launch of two major projects that drew the largest turnouts and some of the most enthusiastic responses at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Singers Mark Hall, Natalie Grant and Francesca Battistelli joined authors Max Lucado and Randy Frazee in introducing The Story to several hundred applauding attendees at a breakfast presentation sponsored by Zondervan.

Centered on the publisher’s chronological reorganizing of the Bible in 31 episodes to show the overarching themes of God’s Word, the project is to be promoted for use in church-wide campaigns. A fall tour to around a dozen cities will launch the initiative, whose associated products include a children’s Bible storybook, book, inspired-by CD of new music and video curriculum.

There was warm appreciation, too, for Courageous, the follow-up movie from the makers of hit film Fireproof—whose DVD and tie-in book, The Love Dare, were credited with helping some stores survive in 2009. Due to release in more than 1,000 theaters nationwide Sept. 30, Courageous premiered in two showings at ICRS.

Though the film will not come out on DVD until early next year, its arrival in theaters will be accompanied by a wide range of associated products, including a novelization and other books relating to men’s call to leadership in their families, the theme of the police drama. The creators are hoping that the film will spark a nationwide movement responding to the crisis caused by widespread 
fatherlessness.

Workshop sessions ranging from sales-floor evangelism to customer loyalty were well attended, while attendees were recruited to help assemble 100 bicycles to be given to local charities at the close of ICRS, as part of a focus on stores’ ministry orientation. 

The effort reflected how Christian stores’ support of similar ministry efforts in their local communities underscores that they had been involved in “cause marketing” before the term became popular, said CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey.

In addition to scores of author signings, there were celebrity visitors to ICRS. Among them was the 21-strong Duggar family—subject of Howard Books’ new title A Love That Multiplies, trailed by a film crew for their TLC reality television series. Teen surfer Bethany Hamilton was there also, to promote the DVD release of her biopic, Soul Surfer.

Rich Peluso, vice president of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Affirm Films, which produced the Hamilton movie, was one of three industry leaders honored at the first annual Champions of the Faith event co-presented by CBA and the Premier Foundation. Also recognized were gift suppliers Peter Dunn, founder of wall art company P. Graham Dunn, and Aurelio Barreto, founder of the Not of This World apparel company and C28 stores.

Among companies celebrating anniversaries at ICRS was gift supplier Carpentree, which marked 35 years of its wall art by honoring four longtime retail accounts in a reception at its booth.

Marketing Manager Sherry Morris said that the company had seen strong interest in its new series of Jesus portraits from child artist Akiane Kramarik, debuted in Atlanta. The picture—in a range of sizes and frames that retail from $20 to $150—is referenced in the best-seller Heaven is for Real, in which Todd Burpo tells of his young son’s account of heaven.

STL Distribution North America (STLD) President Glenn Bailey revealed at the show that the wholesaler could be under new ownership before too long. The business was put up for sale by Bible distribution ministry owner Biblica soon after ICRS last year in the hopes of finding a better fit for the wholesale division.

“We are in the due-diligence stage with an exclusive purchaser,” said Bailey, declining to name the prospective purchaser, but describing the company as “not a part of the ICRS world.”

One of STLD’s talking points at the show was its new print-on-demand service giving stores access to extended “virtual” inventory. How technology is changing the industry was echoed throughout the event, with several presentations and discussions on e-book sales strategies.

“There’s so much change taking place so rapidly that I need to be on the cutting edge,” said Joey Mello-Gruber, who traveled to Atlanta from Hawaii, where she manages Hidden Treasures bookstore at North Shore Christian Fellowship in Haleiwa on the island of Oahu. “It’s been great. I have got a lot of insights.”

For Jonathan Merkh, vice president and publisher at Howard Books, “this has been one of the best shows I have experienced in almost 10 years as far as being busy and the response. ... I’m walking away very pleased.”

  The positive reviews for the event from attendees were reflected in the show’s numbers. Professional attendance was 1,748, almost 10% on last year, while total attendance numbered 4,918, a near-6% rise over 2010. International attendance was up by 16% to 431 from 61 countries. The number of exhibitors and the booth spaces they took were the same as last year, at 230 and 593, respectively.

 Given the economy and other factors affecting retailing in general, “I’m very encouraged that so many retailers found this show to be beneficial because this is a time when you need to go to this type of event to challenge yourself,” said Riskey. There was “much optimism among many retailers for the coming year,” said CBA in its close-of-show announcement.

Christian retail channel ministry exclusive, best-seller acquisition and a new imprint emphasize opportunities in core categories

 While there was a lot of talk at ICRS about the industry’s changing face, there was also an emphasis on its unchanging foundation.

Panel discussion participant Jason Green, president of Mardel Christian & Education, said that while new technology and retail practices needed to be explored, it was important to remember that Christian publishing’s core product was 2,000 years old. 

As part of the event’s theme, ICRS featured a Celebrate the Word Bible Legacy Exhibit of artifacts in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. The ribbon-cutting ceremony saw Thomas Nelson unveil its God’s Word in Action “Buy a Bible, Help a Child” promotion that will see donations made to World Vision for each of the company’s Bibles bought at Christian stores through March 31, 2012.

With a minimum donation of $75,000 pledged, a higher goal set by Nelson’s Bible team and matching funds could see the Christian retail channel-exclusive campaign raise more than $1.4 million to help needy children around the world through the effort, said Gary Davidson, Nelson’s senior vice president and Bible group publisher.

Meanwhile, the newest Bible version had a positive reception at the show, according to Paul Franklyn, associate publisher of Abingdon Press’ Common English Bible (CEB)—launched with a 70,000-copy print run. “We’re very pleased,” he said, adding that demand had required a second print run of 50,000 copies.

Speaking at a press conference about Bible translation approaches, Franklyn said that a third of the 120 scholars who had worked on the CEB were wom+en. “With most Bibles being bought by women—between 75% and 85%—they deserve a place at the table, since all translation is interpretative,” he said.

Zondervan announced the purchase of longtime best-seller The Beginner’s Bible from Mission City Press, for which it has published the title since 2004.

Zondervan President and CEO Scott Macdonald said that the acquisition was reflective of the renewed focus on the company’s core publishing. The children’s edition was “a great brand, and we have a great opportunity to exploit and expand it with digital technology,” he added.

Since releasing 177 new SKUs with the updated New International Version (NIV) earlier this year—with another 180 to follow soon—Zondervan has seen a 5% increase in sales, Macdonald said. 

At Baker Publishing Group, President Dwight Baker said that the company had strong expectations for its forthcoming Names of God Bible, drawing from author Ann Spangler’s books and featuring the publisher’s God’s Word Translation.

Fiction was another focus at ICRS, with Moody Publishers unveiling its new imprint, River North Fiction. It launches with the September release of A Marriage Carol by Gary Chapman and Chris Fabry. The renewed focus on fiction is part of a reorganizing of the company’s publishing teams, said Sales Administrative Coordinator Michele Forrider. 

Tyndale House Publishers was giving away advance copies of novella The Touch, a September release from filmmaker Randall Wallace, marking the Braveheart scriptwriter and Secretariat director’s debut in the Christian marketplace. 

Wallace spoke of his inspiration in writing stories about courage and honor during the 12th annual Christy Awards, honoring the best in Christian fiction.

Christian retailing’s core constituency—those identified as “active Christians,” by their personal devotional habits and church activity—account for more than half of all Christian fiction sales, according to data from R.R. Bowker’s Pubtrack Consumer analysis of book readers’ habits.

The statistics were presented at a press conference spotlighting Christian fiction, which saw leading novelists Randy Alcorn, DiAnn Mills and Terri Blackstock talk about how they were able to share spiritual truths through their stories. Christian novelists were farmers because “we plant seeds,” Mills said.

The finalists for this year’s American Christian Fiction Writers’ (ACFW) Carol Awards also were announced during ICRS. The winners are to be named at ACFW’s annual conference, to be held Sept. 22-25 in St. Louis.

Reporting a busy debut at the show was Influence, the new imprint created under the umbrella of the Assemblies of God’s Gospel Publishing House (GPH). 

Officially launching Aug. 1 with 25 releases in print and digital format, the first books and comic books had seen a “phenomenal” response, said Publisher Susan Blount.

Influence was launched after GPH realized that with its sales going down at a time when the denomination itself was growing, something needed to be done, said Blount. “What we are finding is that there is a place in the market for someone who is willing to do things in a new way,” she added.

Fewer companies but more staff; store emphasis ‘very encouraging’

Signaling a positive outlook on the economy, Christian publishers increased personnel for the U.S. book world’s biggest event, held May 23-26 in New York City. Like last year, Book Expo America (BEA) drew about 17 Christian publishers to the event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Baker Publishing Group Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing David Lewis told Christian Retailing that the company added staff for BEA. “We had more appointments and needed help keeping a person free to interact with walk-up traffic,” he said. “After cutting back on staff during the recession, we once again fully staffed the booth for the show this year.”

Mary Katharine Hunt, vice president of marketing for B&H Publishing Group, said that the company also increased its staff. The highlight of BEA was “seeing what is happening across the publishing industry, especially the big focus on digital publishing trends,” she said.

Harry Helm, vice president and associate publisher of marketing for Hachette Book Group, said that the company “maintained its usual strong presence” at BEA. Hachette brought Jay Bakker to promote his fall FaithWords book, Falling to Grace, at the show.

Other Christian publishers who exhibited at BEA included Zondervan, Tyndale House Publishers, Regal Books, Moody Publishers, Harvest House Publishers, Charisma Media, Kingstone Media Group and Barbour Publishing. There were fewer Christian publishers than in previous years.

CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey and CBA Business Development Manager Eric Grimm attended their first BEA. “It was encouraging to hear publishers recognize the value of bookstores in the publishing marketplace system,” Riskey told Christian Retailing. 

“While there is great concern, hysteria and hype about creating digital content and selling it through new technologies, there is also a real concern that without stores, the publishing industry will be squeezed and cash starved,” Riskey added. “The loss of ‘showrooms’—as stores were called in several presentations—could mean a greater loss of publishers’ sales and profitability. … The call for new business models that enable brick-and-mortar stores to compete was very encouraging.”

Despite a return to a three-day format compared to the two-day 2010 show, BEA saw a decline in the total number of professionals in attendance, from 21,664 versus 21,919 last year, according to organizers.

The 2012 BEA show is scheduled for June 5-7 in New York City.