Retailers and their families got into the spirit of St. Louis yesterday as Standard Publishing's Sneak Peak Product Party offered a taste of foods from the Gateway City.

Held in the spacious Crystal Room on the 20th floor of the historic Renaissance Grand Hotel, the reception featured standard appetizers such as sliced fruits and vegetables as well as must-try fare for St. Louis visitors such as toasted ravioli, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and Fitz's Root Beer.

"I wasn't expecting it (the party) this time because of the economy," said Marie Palmer, owner of IHS Christian Books, Gifts & More in Livonia, Mich., who attended Standard's Sneak Peak Product Party last year. "I thought they would be downsizing. Standard is a real trooper. This is an absolute special treat."

Audiobooks experienced a 4.7% unit sales increase, though like much of the publishing industry, the audio sector experienced a drop in revenue in 2009, according to the Audio Publishers Association (APA). The association recently released the results of the Survey of 2009 Sales, with independent research firm Lewis&Clark surveying audiobook publishers.

Audiobook publishers met the recession by selectively reducing prices on audiobooks in 2009, which contributed to a 12% decline in revenues, but sales increased to nearly 20 million units in 2009.

Revenue reported by the 29 member companies for 2009 was $291 million. The APA estimates that the total size of the audiobook industry, based on dollars spent by consumers and libraries, is approximately $900 million.

"The good news is more people are experiencing audio as a result of having value-priced options available, both in the traditional CD format and the growing digital download market," said Janet Benson, APA president. "It is wonderful to see that the popularity of audiobooks is still holding strong."

"Many businesses and industries saw sales drop in 2009. The fact that we saw an increase in the number of audiobooks sold indicates that consumers appreciate the value audiobooks," said Beth Anderson, chair of the APA Research Committee.

The study found that CDs represented 65% of audio revenue and 46% of units sold, while digital downloads represented 29% of audio revenue and 49% of units sold.

The survey also revealed an expected boost in fiction sales and a slight drop in nonfiction sales-a typical occurrence for a non-presidential election year.

For more information, visit www.audiopub.org.

The company expects to award the winning customer the gift certificate before the end of July, when the milestone is expected to be achieved.

"We are ecstatic to have reached this significant point in christianaudio's history," said co-founder Cory Verner. "With 100% plus year-over-year growth for four years running, we anticipate the one-millionth order in the next 18 months."

For more information, click here.

The July issue of Christian Retailing's digital edition with extra content is now online. The issue features articles on the magazine's newest Vital Signs industry survey and production of the new father-focus film Courageous from the creators of the best-selling Fireproof movie.

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may soon deport Mosab back to the West Bank, where he very well could be assassinated," Rosenberg wrote on his blog. "He is scheduled for a DHS hearing on June 30 that could decide his fate. U.S. officials believe his previous leadership role in Hamas is too great a risk to give him political asylum here in the States. But they are not properly assessing the totality of his story and the situation."

Williams' hardcover book features photos he took from the International Space Station (ISS). Williams, a committed Christian and colonel who has taken more photos from space than any astronaut in history, visited St. Louis on June 17 with his wife, Anna-Marie.