American Christian Fiction Writers Meet Amid Strong Reader Interest

A crowded American Christian Fiction Writers conference Sept. 22-24 in St. Louis attested to the continuing robustness of the Christian fiction category. Attendance this year was 652, up 9 percent over last year; this is the group’s tenth annual conference. Writers and aspiring writers gathered for professional development, for meetings with editors and agents, for the annual Carol Awards for excellence, and for networking with fellow authors. Major evangelical Christian publishing houses were among the sponsors of the event, and their editors heard pitches for two days.

Publishers Court Media at Religion Journalists Conference

Publishers and authors fed the nation’s religion journalists food, drink, and victuals for thought at the 62nd annual Religion Newswriters Association annual meeting, held Sept. 16-17 in Durham, N.C. Even as economic pressure and media evolution hammer at the ranks of religion journalism, attendance at the annual conference grew. More than 260 people--journalists, exhibitors, and speakers--attended this year, up over last year’s 190. “We were delighted to exceed last year's conference attendance significantly,” said Debra Mason, executive director of the association. “This is the largest gathering of religion reporters anywhere in the world.” Book connections abounded at the conference, and several religion publishers were in attendance to promote their titles to this influential group.

After Years of Loss, Only the Strong Christian Stores Survive

A saving grace for Christian stores may be that books are only one among many products they sell. Said Bartow, “We are lifestyle stores—our inventory goes beyond books, to gifts, apparel, decor.” He also said customers tend to have a special relationship with their local Christian store. “They come in with a specific need—to grow in their faith, share that faith with others, deal with grief and other life milestones. They often don’t know how to find what they need, so that personal relationship is key. And it’s hard to shop for certain things online.”

Editor’s Note

Publishers always look forward to fall with anticipation (and some trepidation) as the biggest season for releasing new books. These days all of us might be longing for fall, if it gives a respite from this summer’s wild weather and plethora of natural disasters. With e-book sales continue to rocket up, and the pervasive uncertainty in the publishing industry, no one can tell what the new publishing year (which, like school, starts in September) will bring. All that is certain is that more innovation and the continuing dogged pursuit of good books will be at the top of everyone’s to-do list.

Short Takes

Moody promotes Thornton to a new position for media strategy; Nelson produces its first enhanced e-book; Raised Right author writes about Christianity and politics on CNN’s Belief Blog; Creation by Design is recognized for kids’ books; American Bible Society and the Salvation Army bring out the Freedom Bible to mark 9/11.

Religion in Review

Yvonne Haddad on being Muslim in America; examining Twilight through a Christian lens; a concise look at African-American Christianity; a murderer turned monk; Charles Colson on these turbulent times; more encouragement from Joel Osteen; a sociologist’s study of why people leave religion; the triumph of an autistic girl; how to flunk sainthood; Brennan Manning ruminates on grace and suffering. And for kids: inviting a princess to Shabbat; children around the world thank God; Manning again on being in the middle of God’s love; plus Web Exclusive adult book reviews.

August 2011 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers

Throw It Down moves up; Tebow also rises; Charles Stanley comes in at #9; Gene Chizik is All In; Francis Chan takes three spots in paperback; Tim LaHaye returns.

John Eldredge: Revealing the True Jesus

Best-selling author John Eldredge sometimes finds it ironic to be speaking to large audiences about Jesus and the Christian faith. "It's sort of like sending Paul to the Gentiles," he says. "Why would you send [a guy who grew up] unchurched to church?" Eldredge's new book, Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus (Hachette/FaithWords, Oct.) focuses on restoration and recovery, like his earlier books, but also seeks to illuminate the personality of a Jesus who has been lost in religious images of him as a kind of "girly ghost," an effeminate phantom haunting the halls of most churches but not found in the pages of the Gospels. "I couldn't take anymore of the distortions of Jesus Christ that the Christian churches present,” Eldredge says. “This book grew out a deep passion to set the record straight about Jesus."

Joe Lieberman: Embracing the Sabbath

Joe Lieberman, U.S. Senator from Connecticut, has successfully interwoven his religious traditions as an orthodox Jew with his obligations as a high-profile elected official. In his new book, The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath (Howard Books, Aug.; with David Klinghoffer), Lieberman offers an ode to the Sabbath, expressing his hopes that the day of rest will be a source of peace and renewal to people of all faiths, just as it has been for him.

9/11: Honor the Day First, Then Sell Books

As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 looms, religion publishers are promoting books by everyone from survivors and first responders to theologians and novelists. No matter the approach, their purpose is simple--to find meaning in an incomprehensible act. But publishers note there are few author appearances at memorials and observances on the actual day. They must strike a balance between promoting these new titles and honoring the day’s dead.

“It is about honoring and remembering,” says Jennifer Smith, director of publicity for Simon & Schuster. “It is not just about the promotion of the book, it is about telling the story.”

Bible and Sacred Texts Column to Launch

With the next issue of Religion BookLine, we’ll be launching a dedicated column for news about Bibles, Torahs, Qu’rans, and other sacred texts. Send your news about product launches, line expansions, new translations and versions, special marketing and promotional campaigns, media coverage, etc., to Lynn Garrett at lgarrett@publishersweekly.com. Please submit press materials via e-mail only (no print materials), and do not send galleys or books unless they are specifically requested. We look forward to giving this central category in religion the expanded coverage it deserves.

John Stott, Towering Figure of Evangelical Christianity, Dies

John Stott, British evangelist, pastor, Bible expositor, author, and teacher, died July 27 England. He was 90 years old. Stott influenced generations of evangelical Christians with his writing and teaching, and with his passion for evangelism combined with a trademark humility. Today’s evangelicals have recently become far more engaged in social issues, but Stott recognized the need for revitalization in that area decades earlier.

Restored Jefferson Bible Published by Smithsonian Books

The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson, will be released November 1 by Smithsonian Books. It is the first complete full-color version of the Bible to be published, an exact facsimile of Jefferson’s famous (or in some quarters, infamous) handmade Bible, in which he pasted together his favorite passages from six versions of the Bible, two each in English, French, Latin, and Greek. Jefferson compiled verses from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in chronological order and excluded material he believed had been added by the evangelists, specifically all mentions of miracles and other accounts he called “contrary to reason.”

Religion Update Fall 2011: In Profile

Conversations with four religious YA authors.

Children's Religion Books for Fall

Our listings of upcoming religious titles for fall 2011.

Books for Jewish Children Nurture Joy in the Faith

There is an old Jewish joke, but only the punch line applies to publishing books for Jewish children: ask two rabbis a question and you get three opinions. That is true of the five Jewish publishers who do trade books for children, who spoke with PW about the current state of the changing market.

From Bible Stories to Buddha Mind

If the Bible is the dairy section of religion publishing, then Bible stories for children are milk cartons sized for kid consumption. Children’s religion publishing sells a lot of those cartons, but it also offers a wide variety of books on topics beyond the Bible, such as good manners, mindfulness, and dystopia. Publishers agree that the children’s market is a challenging one. It’s sensitive to price points, has different gatekeepers than the adult market, requires its own kind of marketing, and is broad enough to accommodate lots of niches and needs.

Short Takes

David C. Cook reshuffles top staffers, celebrates Francis Chan’s bestselling success; Revell author wins coveted RITA Award; Tommy Nelson relaunches Hermie & Friends™ line; Deepak Chopra introduces real-time video workshops; NavPress author honored by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Editor’s Note

While Christian booksellers and their association, CBA, continue to struggle in the face of tough general-market competition and trade show troubles, there were some encouraging signs at the recent International Christian Retail Show. Attendance was up, as was international participation, and while stores continue to go out of business CBA also gained some new members in the past year. Despite the challenges, hopeful prospective retailers still follow their hearts into the business, and, like all booksellers, clearly for love and not (just) money. Bookstores don’t sell products—they sell ideas and they serve communities, and I’m thankful there are still brave people who enter the fray.

Religion in Review

Harold Bloom’s admiration of the King James Bible; John Townsend moves Beyond Boundaries; Rohr leads readers through the 12 Steps; A Marriage Carol illuminates the power of small choices ; Girzone is back with a tale of being poor in America; Thich Nhat Hanh retells a Buddhist classic; soulful stories from Mark Nepo; a young evangelical re-examines faith and politics; why religion can and should be funny; Parker Palmer on healing our politics; four reviews of books for Jewish and Christian kids; plus Web exclusive reviews.