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October 2011 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers
FaithWords titles dominate the hardcover list, unseating Sarah Young from the top spot, with debuts for the new books by John Eldredge and David Jeremiah; Heaven Is for Real stays at #1 on the paperback list; Courageous moves up; a new book for men, another memoir of heaven, fiction, and two superstar pastors round out the top sellers.
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Jana Riess: Embracing Imperfection
Former PW religion reviews editor Jana Riess' Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor (starred review in PW, September 12) was just published by Paraclete Press.
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Have a Novel Christmas
Ho-ho-ho, what’s inside Santa’s bag? A stack of warm Christmas novels, with nary a zombie in them.
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Publishers Move Into App World
Christian publishers are making their way into the vast world of apps, looking to get content to consumers through this ever-changing gateway. Some publishers are moving forward quickly, while others are taking things more slowly.
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Faith and Inspiration Go Mobile, Along with Book Trailers
Multi-faith, multimedia, multi-platform--that’s Odyssey Networks, and a new app the media organization has developed is mobilizing its message. Call on Faith, an inspirational app it launched in January, now has 10,000 subscribers. The Call on Faith app works on smart phones, the Nook reader, and the iPad. Multiple channels provide short videos featuring spiritual leaders, prayers, and personal faith journeys. One channel, ON Page, is devoted to book coverage, and features short videos about books and authors.
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Bibles and Sacred Texts 2011: In the Kids’ Corner
Gather the little children and their publishers for a look at Bibles and other sacred texts new and forthcoming for kids.
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Bibles and Sacred Texts 2011
On any given day, more people are downloading the Bible than the wildly popular Angry Birds app. Still others are downloading the Qur’an: Qur’an Majeed even comes with audio recitations. The top-selling LDS Scriptures for Mac conveniently contains both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
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Religion Update Fall 2011: Academic Publishers Are Hopeful—and Busy
Christmas comes early every year for academic religion publishers. At the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL)—held annually the weekend before Thanksgiving—authors come bearing gifts of unpublished manuscripts and proposals to acquisitions editors, and scores of professors and graduate students haul away books at deep discounts. These are book people, and between the excitement on the exhibit floor and the lively discussions in nearby cafes and bars, everyone leaves the conference in high spirits about the future of scholarly religion books.
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Biblical Studies: An Old Field Takes Some New Turns
Prognosticators of trends in biblical studies had it easy for the past year. They could "know for a certainty" that the field would be dominated by books about the King James Version, which caused "no small stir" in its day and, since its publication 400 years ago, has "turned the world upside down" (all quotes courtesy of that venerable Bible). But this fall's publishing season brings some new directions.
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Referencing the Bible: What's New
The Bible is the Bible; it never changes. But of new books about the Bible there seems to be no end, and this fall brings emerging trends and reflects a changing scene. The offerings lend a new and broader approach for biblical exploration, an integration of diverse disciplines, an elevated regard for the informed curiosity and knowledge of the average reader, and some bold explorations.
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IN Profile: Miroslav Volf
Miroslav Volf's faith in Christianity and allegiance to Jesus' message has landed him in the public square and made him into a political pluralist, too. These affinities are behind his newest book, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (Brazos, Aug.).
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Editor’s Note
This issue brings another new feature to Religion BookLine, the debut of the "News in Scriptures and Sacred Texts" column. The holy books of each tradition are central to religion publishing—and in fact to the history of publishing itself, beginning with Gutenberg. Each month we’ll take a look at what’s new and different in the texts that matter most to every faith. Added to our recently ramped up coverage of children’s religion books, this is another example of PW’s mission to continuously expand its coverage of religion books and the business of publishing them, cementing our place as the authoritative source for comprehensive information about this important category.
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News in Scriptures and Sacred Texts
Johnny Cash reading of the New Testament re-released; sixth Zohar volume out; Codex facsimile published by Hendrickson; Zondervan has new editions of top Bibles with updated NIV text.
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Short Takes
Tyndale title promotes family meal times; Christian Writer’s Market Guide now by Jerry Jenkins; Marcus Buckingham’s newest makes bestsellers lists; John Townsend launches new Boundaries with live Webcast; Nautilus Awards open for entries; Kregel hires academic market manager; Korean Christian publishers meet; Gary Smalley receives Christian Counselors award.
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September 2011 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers
The hardcover top ten reshuffles, but Young is still on top; new fiction populates the paperback list, but Heaven Is for Real still rules the roost.
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Religion in Review
The saints as spiritual mentors for Catholic mothers; exploring intimacy with God; the ethical vision of Clint Eastwood’s films; relying on God in trying times; a look at why the young are leaving Christian churches; the spirit of the Iroquois; the Dalai Lama on being Beyond Religion; examining interfaith relations; analyzing the First Crusade; Clarissa Pinkola Estés on the Blessed Mother; a “three cups” book for children; two new YA novels; plus Web Exclusive reviews.
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Stephen Rossetti: A Priest Crunches the Data on Why Priests Are Happy
In the mid-1970s, while serving in the military, Stephen Rossetti met a group of priests and nuns in Taiwan. He was struck by their lifestyle and attitude. “They had basically nothing,” Rossetti recalls, “but they were happier than most other people I saw. They were in a life of simplicity.” A short while later, Rossetti decided he wanted that lifestyle, too. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1984. Three decades later, he decided to explore the topic by surveying priests across the United States to plumb their thoughts and feelings about their lives.
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Cathleen Falsani: Believing in Justin Bieber
On September 27, Worthy Publishing released Cathleen Falsani's Belieber: Fame, Faith, and the Heart of Justin Bieber. Falsani, author of The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers (Zondervan). Said Falsani of Bieber, “I was struck by the way that Justin talked about God and his family; he was very nuanced in his comments and didn't sound at all scripted. What really struck me was Justin's sincerity and thoughtfulness.”
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The Jewish High Holy Days: Extraordinary Time, Dearth of New Books for Kids
The shofar has sounded, the honey dish is prepared, and children are singing their favorite Rosh Hashanah songs. The only things missing at this year’s Jewish New Year tables are new books. The only publisher taking the plunge for the High Holy Days is Kar-Ben, with three new titles on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.
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Evangelicals Left and Right in October New York Forum
Two evangelical Christian authors with divergent political views will discuss their new book, Left, Right & Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics (Russell Media, Oct.) in a forum at James Chapel, Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway (at 121st St.) in New York City on Thursday, October 6, at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Lisa Sharon Harper, director of mobilizing at Sojourners, a progressive evangelical organization that advocates social justice, and D.C. Innes, associate professor politics at The King’s College, will discuss the book in a conversation moderated by Kirsten Powers of Fox News and The Daily Beast. A panel discussion will follow with Jim Wallis (God’s Politics), president and CEO of Sojourners, and Richard Land (The Divided States of America), president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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