Christian Retailing

Dekker, publishers energized by ‘Gathering’ Print Email
Written by Eric Tiansay   
Monday, 08 June 2009 02:27 PM America/New_York

Representing what some say could be the future of Christian book shows, a sold-out crowd of 500 Ted Dekker fans packed themselves into a theater in Franklin, Tenn., for the 2009 Gathering at the weekend--an event named after celebrations described in Dekker's "The Circle Trilogy."

Held June 6 at The Factory, the third annual Gathering was sponsored by Dekker's management firm, Creative Trust, with additional backing from the author's two publishers‬--Thomas Nelson and Center Street/Hachette Book Group (HBG) USA.

The event featured dramatic presentations and choreographed dance inspired by Dekker's "Circle" series as well as two Q-and-A sessions with Dekker, a keynote speech from Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt, illusionist Brock Gill, a book signing and prizes.

Attendees, who began lining up at 6:45 a.m., came from Indonesia, California, Oklahoma, Tennessee and the northeast region of the country as well as media brought in for the event.

Kevin Kaiser, brand manager for Creative Trust, said the ticket prices were doubled this year to $99 to help create a better experience for attendees. Attendance also doubled from last year's turnout, which seemed to energize all parties involved that the event will continue to grow, he added. "I really feel like the beginning of something that will continue for years to come," Dekker told Christian Retailing. "It's like the edge of a new form of entertainment."

In his speech, Hyatt spoke about the power of story, a concept he said he believed was behind the overall success of the Gathering--launched through the online community of Dekker's Web site.

"I think that what we're seeing is communities developing spontaneously around great books," he told Christian Retailing. "Social networking has made that possible. The Internet has made that possible. I think we're going to see more of this kind of thing. People can't get enough."

Harry Helm--vice president and associate publisher for HBG, which published Dekker's BoneMan's Daughters--said Hachette plans a "bigger, bolder" marketing strategy for the author's future titles. "I am overwhelmed with the community and the passion that his readers have for everything he writes and their willingness to put it in the hands of other people," he said.