Christian publishers have reported increased sales for March over the same month last year and also showed an increase in net sales for the first three months of 2010, according to the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

Publishers saw a gross sales increase of more than 1% in March, a net sales increase of 8% for the month and 2% for the quarter. It was the first time the association had seen a positive change in net sales in more than year, ECPA said.

"This news is a welcome sign that we may be seeing the end of a very difficult economic climate that has had a major impact on Christian publishing," ECPA President Mark Kuyper said. "While publishers will need to continue to work toward changes necessary in a new media world, an upward trend in traditional book sales shows the continuing demand from consumers for Christian content."

Fifteen ECPA member publishers reported sales in January. Each month's aggregate sales and returns totals are forwarded for inclusion in the monthly Association of American Publishers (AAP) report and tracked under the religious books category.

"By collecting and then forwarding our members' data in partnership with the AAP, we are able to get a more accurate read on the sales trends of publishers engaged in selling Christian books exclusively," said ECPA Information and Education Director Michael Covington.

Sales of religious books dipped slightly in February, the latest available report from AAP. The month's sales for religious books declined 1.7% to $46 million, and were down by 8.9% for the year.

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