Revenues for Christian retail stores have recently fallen, according to leading consumer researcher Britt Beemer.

His America’s Research Group (ARG) found just 5.8% of the population visited a Christian bookstore in a survey for its bimonthly Consumer Mind Reader report for March. That was slightly down on the figure for January, and compared to 7.6% for the same period last year.

The publishing newcomers behind Christian fiction phenomenon The Shack are hoping for a repeat success in the music world.

Windblown Records, a new division of Windblown Media—the company formed to publish William P. Young’s novel after it was turned down by more than 20 established publishers—has released My Beautiful One. The 12-track CD features instrumental arrangements of worship songs by Chris DuPré.

Big Idea Inc. has changed hands again. Boomerang Media LLC and GTCR—one of the leading private equity firms in the country—recently announced the acquisition of the principal U.K. and U.S. subsidiaries of Entertainment Rights, including Big Idea and Classic Media Inc.

U.K.-based Entertainment Rights purchased U.S.-based Classic Media in 2007, which bought Big Idea after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2003.

In partnership with GTCR, Boomerang Media plans to invest up to $200 million to build its franchises, with VeggieTales as a key brand in its global portfolio, company officials said.

Two leading charismatic publishers have restructured their operations to ensure their long-term viability.

Six months after filing voluntary bankruptcy, Harrison House Publishers in April announced “a new beginning” for the Tulsa, Okla.-based company.

John Howard—who continued to serve as vice president and publisher after Christian publishing veteran Jonathan Merkh recently joined Howard Books—has left the company founded by his father.

Howard announced his resignation, effective May 1, in mid-April as Simon & Schuster revealed plans to move Howard Books—its Christian imprint—to Nashville from West Monroe, La.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has decided not to repeat its consumer-focused Christian Book Expo (CBE)—for now, at least.

Following dismal attendance for the March 20-22 event at the Dallas Convention Center—where registrations were a tenth the 15,000 that had been projected—the publishers group has canceled its provisional 2010 booking of the venue.

But interest in the idea—intended to help raise awareness of Christian books—remains strong among some publishers who participated, said ECPA President Mark Kuyper, who announced the no-go at the association’s Executive Leadership Summit (ELS) and Annual Member Meeting at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., in April.

Steven Curtis Chapman collected two trophies during the 40th Annual Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards, capping an emotional year for the most decorated singer and songwriter in Christian music.

Chapman, who was named Songwriter of the Year as well as Artist of the Year for the seventh time, has collected five GRAMMY Awards and 56 Doves in his two-decade career. His 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue, was killed in May 2008 when she was accidentally hit by a vehicle driven by her older brother in the driveway of the family’s home in Nashville.