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."

The emphasis on value has also caused a shift to mass-market paperbacks at the expense of trade paperbacks, said Michael Covington, director of information and education for the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). "In my mind, that would indicate a change toward a more sensitive price point," he said.

Cherie Gregory, owner of The Potter's House Parable Christian Store in Valdosta, Ga., said she considers value-conscious customers when seeking out vendors with "reasonable prices." She reported increased sales of Thomas Nelson's $5 fiction program as well as bargain bin products from SAS & Associates.

Read the full report in the April 6 issue of Christian Retailing.

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