An upswing in sales of bargain books and mass-market paperbacks is helping retailers and publishers during the economic slowdown.

Dwight Baker, president of Baker Publishing Group, has noticed the renewed interest in bargain books and said his company is consistently moving skids of product that were previously housed “for months.”

“There’s never been an easier time to sell bargain,” he told Christian Retailing. “All of the books we have in that category, we have accounts lining up, and we can’t produce them fast enough. It’s a very value-focused retail right now.”

As cash-strapped consumers continue to keep a tight check on their wallets in the sliding economy, several Christian suppliers, publishers and distributors have launched promotions designed to “offer help” to bookstores.

Retailers welcomed the special offers, which they say have helped maintain and even boost sales in an uncertain economic climate.

John Gianotti, owner of Moments With Majesty Christian Books & Gifts in Pickerington, Ohio, told Christian Retailing that “the offer was too good to pass up” for apparel company Gardenfire’s “Bailout Package”—a promotion that plays off the government’s much-publicized financial rescue effort for troubled corporations.

Retailers can purchase Gardenfire’s entire adult line—featuring more than 70 designs—at $4.95 per shirt, which they then sell for $9.99 a piece.

“It’s a very good offer because the shirts typically retail for $14.99 and up,” Gianotti said. “What I’m seeing is the discounted shirts are flying off the shelf. People are more price-conscious.”

Michael Brink, apparel and music buyer for Arrowhead Parable Christian Store in Johnson City, N.Y., said the Gardenfire promotion had “definitely helped boost sales.”

“It has gotten traffic from our customers in the store,” he said. “In this economy, being able to offer something that strikes as a good deal makes people more willing to buy something that day.”

Gardenfire owner Jayme Brandt said he came up with the Bailout Package idea after hearing about the tough economic climate facing Christian bookstores.

“As we spoke more and more with independent stores during this economic crisis, we decided to offer help,” said Brandt, who started Eureka Springs, Ark.-based Gardenfire in 2007 after serving as a designer for several years for Kerusso and Red Letter 9. “We’ve had great response. It is opening new accounts for us.”

Crossway Books & Bibles recently launched an initiative to help retailers stimulate and drive sales in the year’s first quarter.

“We recognize that things have been very difficult for many CBA retailers,” said Crossway Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing Geoff Dennis. “Crossway wants to do what we can to help relieve some of the pressure Christian retailers are feeling.”

The Retailer Recession Relief Program, which runs through April 15, was offered to all independent retailers and church bookstores. The components of the initiative include a 55% discount on all Crossway backlist titles and a delayed payment due date for all orders (May 15).

Thomas Nelson Vice President of Independent Retail/Direct to Church Sales Tom Knight said the company offers promotions—although not new because of the economy—“that drive traffic and offer great value” for retailers.

“This includes our ‘Best-seller of the Month’ promotion, which offers top titles at a significant discount,” Knight said. “We also offer deep discount promotions in areas such as reference products, which allow Christian retailers to showcase the depth of their inventory selection. … In some cases, our retail partners have been pleasantly surprised to hear the news that their sales with us has grown in such a difficult (economic) environment.”

Ruth Ann Page, book buyer for Cedar Springs Christian Stores in Knoxville, Tenn., said the stores’ three locations “appreciate the opportunity to pass on savings” from the Best-seller of the Month promotion.

“We make displays highlighting their best-sellers at 40% off,” said Page, noting Zondervan also offers a similar promotion. “We have a separate display for the $5 deals, particularly the fiction. We often select one of the $5 deals to display at the cash register for an impulse buy.”

The Nelson and Zondervan promotions help retailers, according to Page. “We have customers who are watching the bottom line closely,” she said. “It is nice to be able to offer them new, undated books on a great deal.”

Meanwhile, Joanna Price, director of marketing and promotions for New Day Christian Distributors, said the company’s free freight offer for any order of $300 or more had become more attractive for retailers in light of the economy.

“Money is tight and everyone is looking for ways to save money and time,” she said. “Making one call, fax, e-mail or electronic order to a distributor is much faster than calling several labels, receiving several invoices and writing several checks. When we can offer them convenience and save them money, it’s a win-win for them.”

Nola Haney, sales manager for Barbour Publishing, said 400 to 500 stores typically take advantage of the company’s “Super Christmas Sale” promotion—featuring free freight to retailers if they purchase the promotion’s nine different Christmas products, including a fiction title, CD and recipe books.

Two Christian bookstores with a combined ministry of more than 80 years have made local headlines, while journalists have also been exploring how the economic downturn has led to a spike of interest in Christian fiction.

These and more reports on how other media is covering the Christian products industry can be found in our "Industry Radar" round-up, at Christian Retailing's Web site.

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