Christian Retailing

Todd Starnes launches nationwide book tour in ‘God Less America’ bus Print Email
Written by Jeremy Burns   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 04:06 PM America/New_York

FOX News commentator and Charisma House author mobilizes culture warriors for religious liberty in U.S.

GodLessAmericaBusLifeWayFOX News Radio host Todd Starnes visited top stores, including Christian retailers, on his nationwide book tour, making his way from city to city in a bus adorned with an advertisement for the newly released God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values (FrontLine/Charisma House).

The bus tour included book signings at stores including LifeWay Christian Stores in Missouri, Georgia and California, and Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C. God Less America sold out at a number of stores.

On the tour, Starnes hosted speaking engagements and town hall events at various city centers in North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and California.

Starnes’ book raises the alarm about the war on Christian and traditional values in America. He uses recent news stories and compelling interviews with today’s top conservative leaders to bring to light the brewing storm in the United States. Among the issues he cites are the White House waging an all-out assault on religious liberty and public schools indoctrinating children with the gospel of secularism.

“Together we are a mighty force,” Starnes said. “We need men and women willing to stand firm in the faith. We need patriots willing to defend religious liberty. They may spy on our phone lines. They may throw us in jail. They may take away our shops and bakeries. They may demand to know the content of our prayers. But we will not be bullied. We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced.”

LifeWay’s Bridgeton, Missouri, store hosted Starnes for the second time.
“The people that came loved him,” said Francine Evans, manager of the Bridgeton store. “They went wild that he was here.”

Local media covered the tour in various cities with print and radio reports. Supporters showed up in droves to meet Starnes and voice their concerns about waning religious liberties. Fans also took to social media with tour pictures and encouraging words via #godlessamerica and @toddstarnes. —Burns

 
HarperCollins Christian buys Olive Tree Bible Software Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 04:04 PM America/New_York

Publisher views e-commerce company acquisition as ‘significant addition’ to digital portfolio

OliveTree_200HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) has announced its acquisition of Olive Tree Bible Software.

Olive Tree (olivetree.com) is a leading online and mobile Bible resource and e-commerce company with software accessible on desktop, tablets and mobile devices across all major platforms. The company focuses on providing e-only products to facilitate how consumers read and interact with content.

The acquisition of Olive Tree directly aligns with HCCP’s mission and digital growth strategy. 

“Olive Tree’s product and technology expertise, combined with HCCP’s resources, will better equip us in the digital Bible study resources market,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HCCP. “Our business objective is to continue delivering content to our readers in the format that best fits their lives. Olive Tree offers its customers incredible value through its apps and software, and this acquisition, although relatively small and strategically different than content acquisitions, provides our business with the opportunity to enhance our technical capabilities and create unique experiences for our consumers.”

Rachel Barach, currently general manager of HCCP’s Bible Gateway, will oversee Olive Tree’s operations.  

“I am thrilled to lead these two groups,” Barach said. “Olive Tree’s focus on high quality, educational Bible experiences will complement Bible Gateway’s mission to provide easy access to Scripture. Together, they will help grow biblical knowledge and engagement worldwide.

“We are committed to upholding the integrity of Olive Tree with its operating partners, publishers and consumers,” she added. “We believe that these relationships are, and will continue to be, an integral part of our strategy moving forward.”
HCCP has long experienced the value Olive Tree Bible Software brings as a retailing partner. 

“Olive Tree has always had a positive impact on the discoverability of our products,” Schoenwald said. “We believe this is a significant addition to our digital portfolio, but we are also committed to maintaining and growing relationships with all of our current online retailer and Bible software companies.”

Schoenwald believes such partnerships are “vital” to business.

“We could not fulfill our mission without their support,” he said.

Olive Tree is based in Spokane, Washington. Company founder Drew Haninger will move immediately into an advisory role during the transition period. —Johnson

 
News Corp to acquire Harlequin Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 04:03 PM America/New_York

News Corp announced May 2 that it has agreed to acquire Harlequin Enterprises from media company Torstar Corp. Harlequin will become a division of HarperCollins Publishers, a News Corp subsidiary, and will remain headquartered in Toronto.

As a leading publisher of women’s fiction, Harlequin has issued titles in 34 languages and in over 100 international markets. The acquisition will extend HarperCollins’ global platform, particularly in Europe and Asia Pacific, and is expected to accelerate the digital evolution of both companies.

Harlequin publishes the work of more than 1,300 authors and releases more than 110 titles monthly.

HarlequinWithTagline_200“Harlequin is a perfect fit for the new News Corp, vastly expanding our digital platform, extending our reach across borders and languages, and is expected to provide an immediate lift to earnings,” said Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp. “Harlequin has a devoted audience around the globe and an empathetic insight into contemporary cultures, which is itself a remarkable resource. This acquisition will broaden the boundaries of both HarperCollins and Harlequin, and is a significant step in our strategy to establish a network of digital properties in the growth regions of the world.”

Craig Swinwood, publisher and CEO of Harlequin is “excited to be joining HarperCollins Publishers,” he said. “This transaction will allow Harlequin to continue to operate as a distinct and successful brand within a larger publishing company. We’re excited to be able to take full advantage of HarperCollins’ robust resources, scale and capabilities to expand the reach of our books and grow our business.”

The purchase price of the acquisition is C$455 million (US $415 million) in cash. Closing is anticipated by the end of the third quarter of calendar year 2014.

Literary agent Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency noted that a large part of Harlequin’s sales is through direct-to-consumer mailing.

“While some titles make it to the shelves, they stay in the retail environment for only a month until the next books in the line take their place,” Laube said on his agency’s website.

He added that Harlequin’s Love Inspired and Heartsong Presents lines release about 20 new titles each month. and called Harlequin “the single largest publisher of Christian fiction in the industry” by number of titles. —Johnson

 
Barbour Publishing launches Shiloh Kidz imprint Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 04:02 PM America/New_York

Company partners with Twin Sisters on Christian, children’s educational titles

ShilohKidz-Vertical_200Barbour Publishing has announced the launch of its new children’s imprint, Shiloh Kidz, in partnership with Twin Sisters. With initial releases coming in November, the imprint will offer a wide range of educational products with formats that include boxed games, stickers and board books as well as books—devotionals, Bible stories, Bible reference and fiction—for children ages 3 to 12.

“Our vision for Shiloh Kidz is to develop kids’ products rooted in biblical truth, and it’s important that those products also teach, encourage, inspire—and if they entertain along the way, even better,” said Kelly McIntosh, Barbour’s vice president editorial.

Twin Sisters is well-known in the Christian and educational markets, and has been in business nearly 30 years.

“Being the Christian content-provider for Barbour Publishing’s newly launched Shiloh Kidz brand is an honor,” said Kim Thompson, president of Twin Sisters. “It allows us to focus on creating products that share the message of Christ.”

First titles from this new partnership include My First Bible Color and Trace Book and My First Memory Match Game: Noah’s Ark. 

Barbour’s McIntosh said she is “looking forward” to working with Twin Sisters.

“Adding their experience for already proven titles to the Shiloh Kidz catalog is really exciting for us—and nicely rounds out our mix of kids’ product offerings,” she added.

“We have been impressed with Barbour Publishing’s business and dedication to the Christian market,” said Karen Hilderbrand, CEO of Twin Sisters. “This strategic partnership will allow our Christian music and educational content to continue to impact teachers, children and families.”

Barbour also will be taking on the distribution and production of 71 Twin Sisters titles already available in Christian retail outlets. As titles go to reprint, they’ll be rebranded as Shiloh Kidz products. Customers currently ordering these products will be transitioned to Barbour and will be contacted by their sales reps so there is no interruption of service.

The company recently adopted a strategic publishing strategy that includes a number of imprints as a way to brand titles that are not part of its longtime value publishing program. Along with Shiloh Kidz, imprints include Barbour Bibles, Daymaker, Barbour Books, Value Books and Spanish-language imprint Casa Promesa.

In addition, earlier this year, Barbour launched Shiloh Run Press, a new imprint for the company’s original full-length fiction and Christian Living titles, which include Thank You, Billy Graham, compiled by three of Graham’s grandchildren. —Christine D. Johnson

 
Legacy project to highlight Dr. Dobson’s work Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 04:00 PM America/New_York

New DVD series harks back to his groundbreaking film series

YourLegacyDVDSeriesPoster._200tifFamily Talk’s Dr. James Dobson is introducing a new DVD series, “Building a Family Legacy,” that builds on highlights from his historic first film series, “Your Legacy.” Accompanying the series are a number of new and repackaged books and study guides in support of Dobson’s life work. Each trade book relates to a series’ DVD  from Provident Distribution and its own curriculum through LifeWay.

“Unchanging biblical principles change who we are, and we can pass that to our children, grandchildren and beyond,” said the child psychologist who built Focus on the Family and now Family Talk. “ ‘Building a Family Legacy’ can help every generation be all a family can be.”

The series (buildingafamilylegacy.com) adds new footage from Dobson’s lifetime of experience and learning. Eight DVDs—supported by books and study guides—bring intergenerational advice from Dobson, his wife, Shirley, daughter Danae and son Ryan. Along with bonus features, the titles are: Your Legacy; Bringing up Boys; Bringing up Girls; Love for a Lifetime; The Strong-Willed Child; Dare to Discipline; Straight Talk to Men; and Wanting to Believe With Ryan Dobson.

Audience numbers for the original films—shown mostly in church settings in a pre-DVD era—soared past 80 million. When Ryan Dobson, now a parent, viewed the old films on DVD in 2008, he asked his father about reworking them for today’s moms and dads.

“The first thing I did was laugh at my dad’s glasses and clothes, but I realized quickly how valuable and timeless this information was,” he said. “I picked up the phone and said, ‘Dad, my friends and I need this!’ ”

Produced and directed by David Nixon, the updated series will be available on DVD in October through Christian stores and online. A simulcast—available in churches Oct. 1-5—is expected to introduce the series to 1 million people.

“I’m at a place where I could have just retired,” said Dobson, now head of the Family Talk ministry and radio broadcast. “But God told me the job’s not finished.”

Provident’s vice president of sales believes the new DVD series will speak to this generation.

“What classic children’s films are to kids, Dobson videos are to parents,” Davis told Christian Retailing. “The ‘Legacy’ videos will be new again—and timeless—with each new generation.”

FaithWords is releasing Your Legacy: The Greatest Gift by Dr. Dobson on Sept. 2, and B&H Publishing Group is releasing Wanting to Believe: Faith, Family, & Finding an Exceptional Life by Ryan Dobson in September.

In addition to the DVDs, Tyndale House Publishers, has five titles that will be repackaged and released in September. Tyndale’s five titles are: Bringing Up Boys, Bringing Up Girls, The New Strong-Willed Child, The New Dare to Discipline and Straight Talk to Men.

Jan Long Harris, publisher of Tyndale Momentum titles, is aware of the need for such materials for parents.“During the past 12 months, Tyndale’s sales of Dr. Dobson’s books grew 16.8% compared to the previous 12-month period,” Harris said. “There is a hunger on the part of parents and families for sound Bible-based advice. Dr. Dobson’s ‘Building a Family Legacy’ project will speak into this need, and we are delighted to support the effort with the publication of special editions of Dr. Dobson’s timeless best-selling books.” —Johnson

 
Art & SoulWorks introduces Prince of Peace calendars Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 03:49 PM America/New_York

ArtSoulWorks-PrinceOfPeaceWallCalendar-webHeaven Is for Real is making its mark as a No. 1 New York Times best-selling book and as a box-office movie hit. With Akiane painting a portrait of Jesus in the film, new attention has been drawn to the artist’s work, including related Art & SoulWorks gift products.

The company is releasing a 2015 Prince of Peace Fine Art Wall Calendar with Akiane’s famed portrait of Christ along with her other inspirational art and related encouraging scriptures.

Read more...
 
Munce Group to host second CPE at AmericasMart Atlanta Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 03:06 PM America/New_York

CPE-AmericasMart-webMunce Group is inviting all Christian retailers to its second CPE at AmericasMart. Although the debut event in January was held mid-week, the July CPE will be held on a Saturday as there is greater traffic to AmericasMart on the weekend.

“One of the great ‘constants’ of working in this industry is newness of opportunities as we continue to see changes in the way we do business,” said Kirk Blank, president of Munce Group. “Several publishers and retailers asked the Munce Group to host a day at AmericasMart in Atlanta in January and July. Retailers who are going to AmericasMart in July can stop by Building 1, Room 1004 at AmericasMart on Saturday, July 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.”

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Munce Group to host second CPE at AmericasMart Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 03:06 PM America/New_York

CPE-AmericasMart-webMunce Group is inviting all Christian retailers to its second CPE at AmericasMart. Although the debut event in January was held mid-week, the July CPE will be held on a Saturday as there is greater traffic to AmericasMart on the weekend.

“One of the great ‘constants’ of working in this industry is newness of opportunities as we continue to see changes in the way we do business,” said Kirk Blank, president of Munce Group. “Several publishers and retailers asked the Munce Group to host a day at AmericasMart in Atlanta in January and July. Retailers who are going to AmericasMart in July can stop by Building 1, Room 1004 at AmericasMart on Saturday, July 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.”

Read more...