Corner Books, the bookstore at Houston’s First Baptist Church, sponsored a visit to the church by New York Times best-selling author Joel C. Rosenberg during which he introduced his latest novel, The Twelfth Imam, and shared his thoughts on what he believes will happen next in the Middle East.

Following his presentation, Rosenberg took questions from the audience of nearly 1,500 and signed books.

Corner Books opened its doors in August 2009 after an extensive remodeling of what was the church’s dedicated library space. Now a blend of bookstore and library, Corner Books offers “books to borrow and books to buy” along with coffee, Wi-Fi access, messages by church Senior Pastor Gregg Matte and more.

In its first year of operations, merchandise sales were double the projected amount, and circulation among the library’s collection of more than 12,000 titles also increased dramatically.

“The mission of Corner Books is to extend the message, ministry and mission of Houston’s First,” said Jenea King, Corner Books director. “The evening with Joel Rosenberg was a perfect example of how this ministry lives that out, and we look forward to bringing in other authors who are in line with what we believe and value as a church.”

Author praises Florida church for ‘raising the bar’ in signing sessions

A church bookstore has been singled out as a model for hosting author events.

Diane Moody sang the praises of Charis Christian Bookstore after visiting the outlet at First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Fla., to promote her first book, Confessions of a Prayer Slacker (Sheaf House).

Moody contrasted the stellar effort of the store with the reception she had received elsewhere, including at a “major bookseller” in her Nashville hometown where her name was misspelled on the last-minute sign put up to promote her visit.

For most areas of the country, January tends to be a bleak weather month. So why is it that it is in this same month we must begin looking at things like taxes, yearly sales reports and the like? It just doesn’t seem fair.

The Church Bookstore Network does not have financial reports to consider, but we do try to be aware of what is happening in this channel of Christian retail. To collect some current information, I have been making hundreds of calls across the U.S., including Hawaii and Alaska. Mostly I am attempting to locate those churches with stores that are open and functioning as retail outlets.

Christian Trade Association International’s (CTAI) Marketsquare Europe 2010 drew 50 Eastern European publishers, including representatives from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Ukraine. 

Held Oct. 1-2 in Oradea, Romania, the event took place just prior to the Frankfurt Book Fair for the convenience of American and other publishers who were in Europe at the time. 

Vasile Gabrian, publisher of Editura Casa Cartii, said the event “was the first international translation rights fair for Christian books ever held here.”  The event “challenged us to continue strengthening our publications,” he added. 

CTAI’s fourth Marketsquare Europe featured the 2010 European Christian Book of the Year, which recognized Redeeming Our Memory: The Story of the Romanian Pentecostals Under Communism by Vasilica Croitor, a Romanian pastor and the founder of Succeed Publishing.

Shipping containers used to start Christian stores

A missionary group has launched an innovative program of planting Christian bookstores in Africa using shipping containers—dubbed a “bookshop in a box.”

Founded in England in 1941 as Christian Literature Crusade, CLC International runs around 200 bookstores in 60 countries. CLC works with Christian Booklink—a ministry in the U.K., U.S. and Australia—which collects new and used Bibles, Christian books and other materials that are donated by publishers, churches and individuals. 

‘Persevering’ Dutch organization makes changes, welcomes cooperation in the face of  economy and challenges

BCB—the primary association of Dutch Christian retailers and suppliers—has revamped its consumer fair, while dropping a planned Christian Bookstore Day.

The organization, which has run trade shows for 35 years, changed the name of its Christian Book & Music Festival in 2010 to Lees & Luisterbeurs or Read & Listen Fair. Additionally, the location of the annual fall consumers’ fair—BCB’s highest-attended event with approximately 3,000 visitors—was switched to a new location from IJsselhallen in Zwolle to Reehorst in Ede. 

Filling a ‘vital role’ in the Middle East, the Bible Society caters to the needs of diversified communities

Despite the global economic crunch, the head of the only Christian publishing organization in the Persian Gulf says the group is “more than surviving.”

The Bible Society in the Gulf has 16 bookstores—called Christian resource centers—in Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar as well as a Bible warehouse in Yemen. In 2003, the organization had eight centers, according to General Secretary Hrayr Jebejian.