Despite efforts to attract attendees by lowering registration rates and offering seminars on financial management to address an unstable music environment, attendance was significantly down at this year’s Gospel Music Association (GMA) Music Week. But the annual gathering was “very beneficial” for retailers and music professionals, GMA officials said.

Held April 18-22 and culminating with the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards in Nashville, the five-day festival—part industry convention, part celebration of Christian music—had a 30% decrease in turnout from 2008, although the event still attracted more than 2,000 people.

CBA COO Dorothy Gore has been let go as part of a restructuring intended to “reset” the retail trade association for the future.

The elimination of Gore’s position, along with the departure of Director of Finance Becky Kennedy, was announced last month by CBA President and CEO Bill Anderson. Other than Anderson, Gore was the longest-serving member of staff at CBA. She joined the organization in 1981 as assistant to Anderson in his then-role as convention manager.

With the economy continuing in a tailspin, a growing number of Christians retailers are stepping up their efforts on the Internet to generate sales.

Embracing the cyberspace commerce that has been partly blamed for the demise of many mom-and-pop bookstores, some brick-and-mortar stores have converted to an online presence in order to stay in business.

The Christian products industry needs a theological renewal if it is to play its part in ensuring the health of the evangelical church in the coming years.

That’s the concern of CBA President Bill Anderson, who said that such a change “can only come as we as publishers and record companies and gift manufacturers and retailers give prominence and promotion to that which is sound and solid, refusing to capitulate to the pressure to promote what will sell.

“Let’s be biblically accurate and culturally relevant—without compromise.”

Chuck Wallington, owner of one of the Christian retail industry’s beacon independent stores, has told how help and encouragement from colleagues and competitors has enabled his business to claw its way back from near-financial ruin.

Wallington was shocked last August to find that Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C.—founded by his father 55 years ago—was missing almost $1 million, allegedly embezzled by a long-time employee. The woman was indicted on three federal accounts of bank fraud, last month.

With the economy and consumer discretionary spending continuing to decline, used books departments are on the rise in Christian stores as retailers seek ways to generate sales and increase foot traffic.

They say selling secondhand titles makes sense as customers alter their book-buying habits during the recession.

Publishers, retailers and distributors are cutting back for CBA’s annual summer show in light of the tough economy.

The International Christian Retail Show (ICRS)—marking its 60th anniversary in Denver, July 12-15—could also be hit by publishers’ investment in the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) inaugural, consumer-oriented Christian Book Expo (CBE)—which produced a disappointing turnout in Dallas in March.

Citing the economic slowdown, Christian publishers are skipping or scaling back on their presence at the U.S. book world’s biggest event this month.

At press time, 140 religious publishing companies were confirmed for Book Expo America (BEA), which will take place in New York City, May 28-31.

Steven Rosato, director of strategic accounts, sales and industry development for BEA, told Christian Retailing that 50 religious publishers exhibited at last year’s event.

Following disappointing returns at the first-ever Christian Book Expo, publishers are counting their financial losses—leaving a question mark over the event’s future.

Sponsored by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and designed for consumers, the show attracted more than 60 publishers and suppliers. Participants prepared for estimated crowds upward of 10,000, but were greeted by around 1,500 registered attendees—including 275 children who were admitted free.

Held at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, the March 20-22 event boasted more than 220 Christian authors participating in a range of activities intended to generate exposure for Christian books.

Although evening sessions were geared to what was expected to be the biggest audiences, with seating set up for more than 5,000 seats, it was the event’s daytime panel discussions which drew the highest attendance and attention. Evening session attendance was around 200-400 for each night.

Booth space alone cost some publishers around $9,000 before factoring in expenditure on displays, advertising and product shipments as well as travel and hotel costs for leadership, staff, publicists and authors.

Mark Taylor, president of Tyndale House Publishers, said his company’s plans were to split its resources between CBE and this summer’s International Christian Retail Show, using a smaller booth and fewer staff. Staff travel and expenses, he added, were the most expensive elements of participation.

Rick Lewis, whose Logos of Dallas store was commissioned by InterVarsity Press (IVP) to handle the company’s sales at its CBE booth, said the book fair was “an apparent failure.” He estimated total sales of around $3,000, despite IVP’s large, prominent booth and discount pricing.

Marilyn Largent, senior director of trade sales for David C. Cook, said the company ended up “giving away more books than we sold.”

ECPA President Mark Kuyper, who said he was “hugely disappointed” with the turnout, told Christian Retailing that CBE’s future was to be discussed during the organization’s Executive Leadership Summit in Carlsbad, Calif., in late April. Some ECPA board members had responded positively to him during CBE that it should continue, with a shift in marketing and possibly other “smaller” areas like a venue change or registration costs.

Kuyper also said some publishers, who had expressed disappointment with the turnout, would wait until the show became “more established” before participating again.

If the ECPA board does go forward with another CBE event, Kuyper said, a major area that would need to be re-thought was the marketing plan, which had relied more on publishers’ relationships with consumers to drive the attendance rather than a budget for event advertising.

Thomas Nelson decided last year to redirect some of its marketing strategy away from trade shows and to the new consumer show model. President and CEO Mike Hyatt, chairman of ECPA, said he was “disappointed” with the turnout, but remained “very enthusiastic” about the concept.

“Depending on what my fellow publishers say, I would be for moving ahead with this, perhaps in a smaller venue,” he told Christian Retailing.

Historic truths and modern technology converged when the ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible, Crossway Books & Bible’s best-selling new release, took home top honors at the 31st Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) Christian Book Awards.

The Bible, which won Book of the Year and Bible of the Year, was hailed for its blending of Scripture and commentary from a traditional Calvinist perspective with online exclusive content and digital versions—among the first study Bibles to do so. Nearing a sell-out of its third printing, the Bible has also hit the top spot in Kindle sales, Amazon.com’s E-book format. The Bible has also been ranked in the top 10 best-seller lists of CBA and the ECPA.

Crossway President Lane Dennis, who called the recognition “stunning,” said the reaction to the Bible—published in October—had been remarkable, and he credited the “tremendous” team at the Wheaton, Ill.-based company for its development.

“It’s amazing to think about the impact it’s having worldwide, that especially during challenging times, people are turning to God’s Word,” he told Christian Retailing. “It’s His gift—what an honor it is to publish it.”

The awards were presented before an audience of around 150 on the eve of the official opening of ECPA’s inaugural Christian Book Expo.

“This was a memorable evening in many respects,” said Mark Kuyper, president of ECPA. “It was the first time a study Bible earned top honors and the first time we’ve opened the awards presentation to the public.”

The awards were also noteworthy in that top Christian publishers Thomas Nelson, Zondervan and Tyndale House Publishers, all with products nominated and consistent winners, went home empty handed. Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt remarked on his blog that “this was definitely the year for small presses.”

Another Crossway title, John Piper’s Spectacular Sins, was recognized as the winner in the Christian Life category. Titles from The WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group were honored in two categories—Children & Youth: For Young Men Only by Jeff Feldhahn and Eric Rice with Shaunti Feldhahn, and Fiction: The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner.

Winners in other categories were: Bible Reference & Study: Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings by Tremper Longman and Peter Enns (InterVarsity Press); and Inspiration & Gift: Holiness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges (NavPress).

The new 2009 awards’ dinner format allowed “time to unpack” the content of the titles, Kuyper said. Students from the Media Arts department of the Dallas Theological Seminary performed dramatic readings of the titles prior to the winners being announced by presenters that included Jerry B. Jenkins, Janette Oke and Don Piper.

The Christian Book Awards winners were selected from 218 products submitted by ECPA member publishers in 2008.

AUTHORS STAR AT NEW BOOK FAIR

Consumers who turned out for the first-ever Christian Book Expo (CBE) came face-to-face with their favorite Christian authors in a variety of settings, including informal book signings, workshops, concert-style events and panel discussions.

“For many years, I’ve gone to trade shows and this is similar to that, except it’s opened its doors to the public,” said author Max Lucado, who gave a keynote address during a CBE general session. “For that, I’m really excited about it.”

Authors also conducted and participated in dozens of workshops throughout the weekend on a wide range of topics such as writing, leadership, youth ministry, marriage, creationism and finances.

Fiction was a top draw, most notably at the Joint Publisher Fiction Showcase. Sponsored by the Christy Awards, a panel of best-selling authors explained their craft to a full room of more than 100 participants and answered questions from the audience. Panelists included Terri Blackstock, T. Davis Bunn, Mindy Starns Clark, Jerry Jenkins, Beverly Lewis, Robert Liparulo, Bill Myers and Janette Oke. Liz Curtis Higgs served as moderator.

Donald Miller, best-selling author of Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What (both Thomas Nelson), said he enjoyed participating in the event because it allowed him interaction with his readers.

“I think it’s a terrific idea and it’s been a great experience to be here,” he said. “One of the great things about the experience—this sounds terrible—but there’s not many people here, you can talk to a lot of people.”

Michael Busch, a Dallas resident and college student, said that as an aspiring writer, the workshops and “culture” provoked his interest. “I came here to observe the culture, hang out and get a feel for the community,” he said. “I went to the workshop by Mindy Starns Clark and it was very good.”

Kristy Allen, a staff member at Dallas’ Concord Baptist Church, told Christian Retailing that her weekend highlights included meeting authors and attending a workshop featuring Lee Strobel.