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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.