Christian publishing professionals from the United States and Brazil convened for the first time at the U.S./Brazil Publishers Summit Conference, held May 27-28 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The meeting attracted approximately 20 American members of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and 50 members of Brazil's Associacao Brasileira de Editores Cristaos (ABEC) and was jointly sponsored by both groups. Their objective was to explore the Brazilian Christian market with an eye on working together toward industry growth.
"Our goal was to provide a forum for discussion," said Mark Carpenter, conference organizer, president of Editora Mundo Cristao and v-p of ABEC. "Americans want to expand, and Brazilians are ready for international publishing partnerships." One such partnership was launched at the event with the announcement of R.R. Donnelley's acquisition of Grafica Hamburg, a major Brazilian printer. The nascent company will print Portuguese Bibles for the Brazilian market.
Doug Ross, president of ECPA, pointed out that the size of the U.S. Christian publishing industry and the rapid expansion of its Brazilian equivalent make professionals from both countries suitable partners. In annual sales, Ross estimates the American evangelical Christian publishing industry at $2 billion and its Brazilian counterpart at $110 million.
