Virtual winter show highlights ‘what’s new and hot’ from leading suppliers with ‘unique platform’

Christian Retailing magazine is helping stores set themselves well for the new year with its fifth online exhibition.

The Virtual Christian Retailing Winter Show, running Jan. 1 through March 15, 2011, highlights some of the key new and backlist products from around 30 leading suppliers. 

“Many retailers cannot afford the expense of traveling to regional trade shows,” said Christian Retailing Publisher Dave Condiff. “But they all still want to know what’s new, what’s hot and what’s on sale, so this offers retailers the opportunity to discover this information without leaving their home or office. ”

The parent company of Zondervan, HarperCollins will publish the inspirational memoir of Tim Tebow, an outspoken Christian considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. Slated to be released April 19, Through My Eyes will tell the story of  the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, two-time national champion at the University of Florida and now a rookie with the Denver Broncos.   ?

Third Day’s “Follow Me There”—a song from the GRAMMY-winning band’s latest album—was selected as the theme music for Sarah Palin’s Alaska, a new documentary-style series that premiered in November on TLC. The song is from Third Day’s 11th studio release, Move, released Oct. 19 by Essential Records/Provident Label Group. TLC and Provident Label Group agreed to cross-promote the series to Third Day fans and the group to the network’s viewers.   

 A movie telling the inspirational life story of surfer Bethany Hamilton—a Christian teen who had her left arm bitten off by a tiger shark—will be released in theaters April 15. 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, the film, also called Soul Surfer, stars AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany; Dennis Quaid; Helen Hunt; and Carrie Underwood as church youth leader Sarah Hill.

Drummer for Seattle-based Christian band The Myriad, Randy Miller died Nov. 5 after battling chondrosarcoma—a form of bone cancer—since 2008. He was 39. Miller founded and ran a construction company before joining The Myriad in 2006. The band—whose albums include You Can’t Trust A Ladder (Floodgate Records) and With Arrows, With Poise (Koch Records)—is currently working on its new album, to be released in early 2011. Miller is survived by his wife, Kristyn, and two children, Conner, 11, and Gillian, 9.

Catholic edition sees a major distribution switch for award-winning producer

 A third major dramatized audio Bible just released features a change of characters in front of the microphone and also behind the scenes.

The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible New Testament for a Catholic audience was co-produced by Carl Amari, the man behind Thomas Nelson’s 2007 The Word of Promise dramatized audio Bible, which featured the New King James Version.

Efforts aim to address ‘worrying’ lack of understanding

Publishers in two countries with rich Bible heritages are involved in campaigns to encourage more reading of the Scriptures.

In Germany, a new magazine aims to address what it considers a growing lack of knowledge of the Bible, while in England two, year-long efforts have been launched to spur Christians to get to know God’s Word better.

Suppliers, retailers identify business emphases for ‘signature’ year

New technology and old-fashioned charm are the two big needs if the Christian retail industry is to see business blossom in the coming year.

That is the consensus from a wide range of suppliers, retailers and service providers who reflected on the state of the industry and highlighted the importance of digital delivery and customer service excellence for its future, for Christian Retailing.

Stores must secure a place in the growing market for e-books, many agreed—though some expressed concern that a proposed industry-wide digital delivery platform had still not been announced, almost six months after it was identified as top priority by CBA, at the International Christian Retail Show.

QR links help increase ‘awareness’ of books and authors

Industry leaders, publishers, marketing groups and retailers are welcoming a high-tech tool that is popping up everywhere as a tech-savvy way to engage consumers, increase sales and raise awareness of Christian books and authors.

Regarded as the more sophisticated cousin of traditional bar codes, QR (Quick Response) codes are small black graphical squares on white background—encoded with information, which can be text, a Web site address, video or other data.

It may have been the year of the golden tiger on the Chinese calendar, but for the Christian products industry, 2010 was the year of digital books. 

That is the assessment of Christian Retailing editors as they look back on the past 12 months, spotlighting major trends and events in a review of the year for the January 2011 edition of the magazine.