Publisher Honors KJV 400th at Religious Broadcasters Meeting

Thomas Nelson, the leading publisher of King James Version Bibles, will mark the 400th anniversary of the KJV with an exhibit of historic Bibles and artifacts at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. “The Living Legacy of the Bible” will be on display Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

One Year After: New Books Deal with the Haiti Disaster

How do you sell books about a cataclysm that left 300,000 dead and one million people homeless? One year after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, religion publishers with books on the quake and its aftermath are highlighting the stories of hope, resilience and faith that emerged from the rubble. The books call readers to compassion and action for the poor made even poorer by the events of Jan. 12, 2010, while reminding them that suffering unites us all. Zondervan has landed major national media for Unshaken: Rising From the Ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana by Dan Woolley with Jennifer Schuchmann (Zondervan, Jan.). The book tells parallel stories, of Woolley’s three days trapped in the rubble of a Port au Prince Hotel and of his wife's torment with not knowing his fate.

A Plethora of Chesterton for a New Era

British writer G.K. Chesterton struck a chord with readers in his day, authoring some 80 books and thousands of essays before his death in 1936. Now publishers in the United States are ready for him to be popular again, especially in Christian circles. Today’s readers will find no shortage of new releases by and about Chesterton, who’s perhaps best known for his classic of Christian apologetics, Orthodoxy. In January, Thomas Nelson published Kevin Belmonte’s Defiant Joy, a biographical look at Chesterton as a prolific Christian who shaped public discourse and society. A simultaneous release, The Quotable Chesterton (Thomas Nelson), serves up a selection of brief, witty insights on topics from academia to Emile Zola, culled from Belmonte’s research. Others are helping seed what they hope will be a Chesterton revival.

Joseph Lowery: From King to Obama, A Witness to History

When the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery gave the inaugural benediction at Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony, he saw himself performing a role in a national drama that began 45 years earlier when he stood alongside Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial. Gazing out at the masses assembled on the mall as he listened to King’s 1963 speech, Lowery says, “I was participating in the nation’s response to that call.” Now 89, the Methodist preacher and civil rights leader is capping a career full of historic moments with a book of collected sermons and speeches. Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land (Abingdon Press; reviewed in this issue) reflects Lowery’s unquenchable thirst for justice as he calls the nation to fulfill God’s vision for society.

Corrections

Religion in Review

Brian McLaren offers more unconventional ideas in Naked Spirituality (HarperOne); in Valley of the Shadow (Free Press) James L. Kugel meditates on facing terminal illness; civil rights pioneer Joseph Lowery collects his thoughts in Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land (Abingdon); James D. Davidson and Ralph E. Pyle write about social class and religion in Ranking Faiths (Rowman & Littlefield); James C. Burkee offers his account of the shift toward conservativism in a Lutheran Church denomination in Power, Politics, and the Missouri Synod (Fortress); marathoner Ryan Hall writes about Running with Joy (Harvest House); plus sneak peeks at surprising books on the Bible from Bart Ehrman and Israeli columnist Meir Shalev; and a starred review of James Carroll’s newest from the Feb. 14 PW reviews.

February 2011 Catholic Marketplace Bestsellers

James Martin climbs to #1; Scott Hahn wins three spots; The Rite sells well as the movie is set to release; C.S. Lewis and Henri Nouwen are enduring favorites.

February 2011 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers

Sarah Young is a fixture at #1; Thomas Nelson’s Bonhoeffer bio makes the list; George W. Bush takes a spot; Francis Chan continues his winning run.

Short Takes

Religion books show an encouraging uptick in the November AAP report; Joel Osteen signs a multi-book deal with Hachette’s FaithWords; Abingdon appoints a new executive director of marketing; the Religion Newswriters Association launches a new nonfiction book award; Worthy Publishing debuts; the Nautilus Book Awards extends the deadline for entry; Baker adds three new staffers; Novalis strikes distribution deal with the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada; Zondervan reports on its NIV Bible e-book sales; Made to Crave author holds webinars; Somersault Group marks 22 publishing anniversaries in 2011; Upper Room partners with the Henri Nouwen Society for a new series; Thomas Nelson’s Heaven Is for Real climbs the bestsellers lists; exorcism movie based on Doubleday Religion’s The Rite opens this Friday; The View hosts choose their favorite Christian books.

Digital Distributor Offers Christian Publishers Another e-Book Option

As sales of e-books soar, publishers are doing all they can to multiply the platforms on which their titles are available, as well as to maximize digital distribution. NOVO Ink, a new digital distributor for the Christian market, aims to help by offering digitization and distribution for books and periodicals, using the device-neutral Zinio platform. The Colorado Springs-based company also sells titles—many exclusively--on its own Web site, www.novoink.com , which the company calls “family-friendly,” since customers will not find any material they might find offensive there. NOVO Ink CEO and President Devlin Donaldson told RBL, “Publishers are asking themselves, how do we move forward into the digital world? The frontlist is there, but the struggle is finding the time and resources to convert titles,” especially backlist.

Editor's Note

As the economy stumbles into the light (we hope), religion publishers got some good news from the Association of American Publishers November sales report (see Short Takes in this issue). The category bested adult trade overall both month over month and for all of last year. Some big new books should help keep the momentum going as they climb both religion and general bestsellers lists. New ventures should also bolster the health of the category and bring fresh ideas to the business. All of us are looking forward to a better year in 2011, and in its first month there are reasons to be encouraged.

New Jewish Children's Books Line Launching This Fall

Marshall Cavendish, a New York-area publisher of adult trade, reference and children's books, as well as curriculum and digital research resources, is partnering with The PJ Library, a Jewish literacy program in Massachusetts, to launch a line of Jewish children's books. The first titles under the new Shofar Books imprint will release this fall.

Short Takes

Four new books look at sex and religion; this month brings a graphic novel version of The Alchemist; Zondervan and Baker win INSPY awards from book bloggers; next month’s book and gift shows in Atlanta draw international buyers; Tyndale House publishes an MVP and FaithWords the Sportsman of the Year; Tyndale takes Booklist fiction honors; first Christian Store Day raises more than $60,000 for Haiti relief; Crazy Love is Family Christian Stores Book of the Year; Focus on the Family president and author Jim Daly featured in Newsweek; Swedenborg seeks winning book proposals in new contest; Lucado on GMA on Christmas Day; Baker changes U.K. sales for academic titles; new managing editor for Paulist; Kregel named Vendor of the Year by marketing group.

Signs of Happy Holidays for Book Sales

Early indicators point to a Merry Christmas for religion publishers and booksellers, with strong sales in November helping improve the seasonal outlook. In mid-December, the National Retail Federation revised its holiday sales growth forecast upward to 3.3 percent. The federation cited a number of economic improvements giving consumers more spending power, in addition to strong sales numbers from the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Thomas Nelson Offers Social Media Aids for Retailers

Evangelical Christian publisher Thomas Nelson has developed two social media tools to help independent Christian retailers sell its products. An app can be downloaded by local retail accounts. The app will supply updates on breaking news in the marketplace that retailers need to know to effectively promote and sell Thomas Nelson titles. It will also send notices of upcoming Nelson author appearances.

Editor's Note

Happy holidays to all, and thanks for being faithful Religion BookLine readers in 2010! You can look forward to some exciting changes and expanded coverage in 2011, as we broaden our content and launch some new departments and features. So stay tuned.

New Books for Catholics

America’s 75 million Catholics claim a tradition steeped in mystery. But if book sales are any indication, many are ready to have their tradition demystified, and publishers stand eager to help, with new books from Pope Benedict, a guide to life from a Jesuit point of view, and a weighty biography of 20th-century theologian Avery Cardinal Dulles.

Finding Guidance from God the Ignatian Way

Reaching into the past to glean modern lessons from spiritual masters can be inspiring and useful. But what is a seeker to do when the ancient master has the wisdom and the message, but his writing style doesn’t easily translate across the centuries?Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th-century mystic and founder of the vast Jesuit religious order and private school system of the Catholic Church, is just such a spiritual source, according to Mark E. Thibodeaux, a Jesuit priest, teacher, and author who lives and works in Grand Coteau, La. Thibodeaux’s new book, God’s Voice Within: The Ignatian Way to Discover God’s Will (Loyola Press, Dec.) aims to present Ignatius’s ideas on discernment, or prayerful decision making, in a modern light.

December 2010 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers

Old favorites like Max Lucado, Jan Karon, and Joyce Meyer rule the roost, but new stars Sarah Young, Francis Chan, and David Platt keep them company on a list that ranges across fiction, spiritual self-help, current events, and more.

Religion in Review

John Fea asks Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? (Westminster John Knox); Abby Johnson makes an Unplanned change (Tyndale); Carolyn Call on Spiritually Healthy Divorce (SkyLight Paths); David Mandel and David Pelcovitz are Breaking the Silence about sexual abuse in the Jewish community (KTAV); mega-church pastor Sergio De La Mora calls for a Heart Revolution (Baker); father and son authors Thom and Jess Rainer look at The Millennials and their attitudes toward the church (B&H Publishing); plus sneak peeks at vampires, Vatican II, and an unexpected history of the Bible from the Jan. 10 PW reviews.