The men behind one of the unlikeliest Christian publishing successes of recent times has spoken about how the title just named Christian Book of the Year for 2011 came to fruition.

Eric Metaxas' 600-page biography, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, had drawn interest from other publishers, including one who thought that it needed to be shortened, but the project had run into delays when it came to Thomas Nelson, said Senior Vice President and Group Publisher for Nonfiction David Moberg. He was introduced to Metaxas by a mutual friend.

On reading the manuscript, Moberg felt that it needed to be published in full. "I thought it was fantastically written, a marvelously told story." The book was released less than a year later, in April 2010, with an initial print run of 20,000—a sizeable laydown for a hardcover retailing at $29.99.

The book went on to garner media interest and positive reviews, hit the best-seller charts and win Christian Retailing's Retailers Choice Award for Autobiography/Biography and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Nonfiction Christian Book Award and Christian Book of the Year. Total sales to date are more than 200,000, with the paperback edition due to release Aug. 30 for $19.99.

Metaxas said that he has been surprised by the book's success. "But the Lord had made it clear to me that this was His book, and so I knew by faith that He had plans for it," he told Christian Retailing. "But honestly, I had absolutely no idea it would be a best-seller and that it would have the impact that it has had. It is all a tremendous blessing from the Lord, and I have absolutely no confusion about who the author of this book's success is."

Metaxas attributed part of Bonhoeffer's impact to the fact that "Christians and non-Christians alike are hungering for authenticity," he said. "They want to see and hear about people who really live their faith, and Bonhoeffer is someone who is obviously the real deal, all the way to the bottom. We need to hear such stories, and I know that God has been using it to inspire and encourage His people."

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