The economy may have cooled, but it was hard to tell that either by the weather or the mood of retailers at the 52nd annual Christian Booksellers Association international convention, held July 7—12 at Atlanta's World Congress Center. In contrast to recent years—when exhibitors complained that the convention had become less a buying show than a PR and networking event—many buyers this time apparently came with their checkbooks open. Jeff Crosby, director of sales and marketing for InterVarsity Press, reported that the first two days of this CBA were the press's "best-ever" for sales. Bruce Ryskamp, CEO and publisher of Zondervan, said, "Monday was a bit slow, but it picked up, and we did write orders." Even those who didn't order at the show found it a valuable experience. Mary Lodien, a second-generation Christian bookseller and owner of Christian Book Supply Inc. in Kalispell, Mont., told PW, "I come to talk to companies I don't hear from during the year. For me, it's a real connecting time. And I think it feels more upbeat this year—everybody's heart is lighter." First-timer Gail Pitt, assistant manager of Atlanta's Cathedral Bookstore, called the convention a "real joy," citing its broad theological spectrum and greater variety than the Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit, the show she usually attends.

Unlike last year in New Orleans, there were no complaints about the show's location or logistics, and attendance was up, with 14,239 registered, besting last year's 12,107 and just under 1999's record attendance of 14,694 in Orlando. Representatives from 2,687 stores (up slightly from last year's 2,629) perused products and services from 515 exhibitors, down from last year's 525. International attendance was up significantly this year, with 863 international representatives, compared to last year's 623 and 852 in 1999.

Measuring the Industry

Just before the show, CBA released the results of its survey of member suppliers, which showed sales through all retail channels at just over $4 billion, compared to the estimates of $3 billion to $3.5 billion that CBA has been using for the past several years. Data from 539 companies was used to arrive at this new "size of the industry"; CBA called the new figure "a reliable sales number which has been elusive in the past." The survey data shows $2.5 billion of the total being sold through Christian retailers; $1 billion through general retailers; and $500 million direct to consumer and through ministry channels. The breakdown by product category is $1.77 billion for books and Bibles; $822 million for gifts; $747 million for music; and $661 million for other items (stationery, apparel, church supplies, curriculum, software and miscellaneous).

Although a press release sent out before the convention said there were 2,300 CBA members—down from 2,443 the year before—CBA president Bill Anderson told PW that member numbers were actually up slightly, to 2,550. Asked what will happen to the association as consolidation continues, Anderson pointed out, "CBA and ABA are considerably different, because our members include chains, franchises [with each store location counted in both cases] and independents. Independents represent about 72% of our membership, though I don't know what that translates to in sales. We're trying to strengthen the independents so they can run solid businesses." He added, "Some have been hurt quite significantly by the economic downturn, with decreases of 5%-7%, even some down in the double digits. But others are experiencing growth in the same proportions." CBA reported a 4.4% annual sales gain for the industry in 2000.

An Event-Full Week

Zondervan kicked off CBA week with a one-day junket from Atlanta to New York City's Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sunday, bringing 65 retailers, media representatives and staff to the church that is pastored by Zondervan author Jim Cymbala (Fresh Faith; Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire). "We wanted our retailers to understand the uniqueness of Jim Cymbala and his ministry," explained Chris Doornbos, executive v-p of sales. "Judging from the feedback we've gotten, this trip was a very, very good investment for Zondervan." In September, the publisher will release Cymbala's The Life God Blesses, as well as a book by his wife, Carol Cymbala, the director of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, entitled He's Been Faithful. Zondervan had other reasons to celebrate. At Saturday's Gold Medallion Awards banquet, the publisher took five awards, including the top fiction prize for Walter Wangerin's Paul: A Novel. Zondervan also formally debuted its new branding initiative, which involves internal and external efforts to eliminate the different ways in which the house has referred to itself over the years—ZPH, Zondervan's, Zondervan Publishing House—in favor of the simpler Zondervan. Last year the publishing house brought seven different media kits to CBA; this year, there was one kit sporting the sleek new logo.

Zondervan also hosted a high-profile CBA first-timer: HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman spent a day at the show and told PW, "It's rather remarkable I'd never come before, and I decided this would be the year. Zondervan is such a focused company and such a significant part of HarperCollins, and it's important for me to see all of the different aspects of our business." She added, "I was completely impressed by the sophistication of the show, and especially by the branding of the publishers and how important that is in the Christian community. Those branding efforts are more readily successful in that focused market."

Applause, Applause

Thomas Nelson Inc.'s various divisions—Thomas Nelson, Tommy Nelson and the newly renamed W Publishing Group (formerly Word)—also took five Gold Medallions this year, winning in the Bible study (Anne Graham Lotz's Just Give Me Jesus), theology/doctrine, elementary children's and inspirational (Max Lucado's He Chose the Nails) categories. Pamela Clements, v-p of marketing at Nelson, expressed excitement about two new authors who, as she put it, "have been flying under the radar and deserve more attention." Nelson is mounting an aggressive "The Best Author You've Never Read" promotional campaign for historical romance writer Stephanie Grace Whitson, author of the Prairie Winds and Keepsake Legacies series. The other author is John Eldredge, whose Sacred Romance, published two years ago, has sold 300,000 copies for Nelson; his new title, Wild at Heart (Mar.) has already sold 43,000. (On July 10, Amazon ranked Wild at Heart #5 on its Christian bestsellers list; Sacred Romance took the #9 spot.)

The Christy Awards— presented at last year's CBA International for the first time—were established to recognize high-quality Christian fiction. At a Friday night banquet, prizes went to nine books in seven categories. Tyndale House and Multnomah—publishers of the Left Behind series and The Prayer of Jabez, and thus the two most visible Christian houses these days—each took two awards, for A Touch of Betrayal by Catherine Palmer and Unashamed by Francine Rivers (Tyndale) and Home to Harmony by Philip Gulley and Passing by Samaria by Sharon Ewell Foster (Multnomah).

Jabez Mania

Jabez was the talk of the show. The phenomenally successful little book won the Kip Jordan Book of the Year (awarded to Christian retailers' favorite handsell) at the Gold Medallions. At a Tuesday morning press conference, author Bruce Wilkinson defended the book against its critics, insisting it has been mis-characterized in the media: "It doesn't promise money; it only teaches that God enjoys saying yes to prayer." Multnomah publisher Don Jacobson called Jabez "a book that promises something and delivers." As usual in publishing, success has spawned both critics and imitators. At least three fall books (from Harper SF, W and Barbour) are entitled The Prayer of Jesus, and one new exhibitor at CBA, Canon Press, drew crowds to its booth with a giveaway of its spoof, The Mantra of Jabez (the jacket copy reads, "Soon you too will feel the adrenaline rush that you can call the Holy Spirit and use it to justify any fool thing you want to say. It's, it's, it's like Harry Potter for modern Evangelicals!"). Canon publisher Douglas Jones said, "The comments have been 98% positive," and all the copies had been snatched up long before the show ended. (Canon also has a satire of Left Behind entitled Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days Goofiness).

Despite (or perhaps because of) the controversy Jabez has stirred, all agreed it has "enlarged the territory" of Christian bookselling in recent months. "Having a big book going into a show is always good—it drives people into stores," noted CBA board chairman Ernie Martin, manager of Whittemore's in Needham, Mass. CBA's Anderson said, "Jabez has done for the industry what Tiger Woods does for golf. It creates buzz and interest."

Harry Potter, too, made a mark at CBA. A Tuesday evening panel on what was termed "the escalating phenomenon" was moderated by PW's Jana Riess and featured Richard Abanes, author of Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick (Christian Publications/Horizon), and Connie Neal, author of What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? (WaterBrook). Abanes charges that the J.K. Rowling novels "glamorize real-world occult practices" and reflect a dangerous moral relativism. But Neal urged members of the Christian community to examine both the Harry Potter books and the anti-Potter allegations for themselves, noting that misconceptions about the books abound and adding that the extreme (and often unfounded) responses to Harry Potter have had a polarizing effect. Neal said she had tried in her book to offer Christian parents tools to help their children analyze the complex moral and religious messages in the Potter books.

Distribution Scramble

An even bigger story than Potter or Jabez at the show was the continuing scramble in distribution. Although Spring Arbor had its usual presence, and president Steve Arthur said the house had a good and active show, many who spoke with PW—and preferred not to be quoted—said there was a perception that Spring Arbor has lost its place in this market, leaving plenty of room for others to fill the gaps. Appalachian Distributors announced it would open a Reno, Nev., facility this fall to service its west-of-the-Mississippi customers, which is where the company has seen the greatest growth. The 52,000-sq.-ft. warehouse is Appalachian's "most significant expansion in history," according to president Tom Torbett Sr. One-day delivery to California is the goal, and the new facility will be managed by Appalachian's director of operations, Tommy Torbett. The senior Torbett emphasized that the move had not been spurred by recent closures of two Ingram facilities. "This has been a long time in planning," he said. Another distributor with news to announce was Riverside, which debuted its new partnership with UPS to offer two-day nationwide delivery. The company also achieved its goal of stocking 75,000 SKUs by CBA time, with the eventual goal of 100,000 by this fall. Other distributors at CBA included Anchor, which claims the number-four slot, and two newer players, FaithWorks, staffed by former Spring Arborites Larry Carpenter and David Troutman and allied with NBN, and Christian Distribution Services, a unit of BookWorld.

Doug Ross, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (which sponsors the Gold Medallions) told PW, "This is the best show in years. Sales are up, and I have yet to hear any grumbling about anything. The suppliers are optimistic." Yet Ross admitted that returns are "awful. Some small suppliers could soon be out of business." He added, "One publisher told me returns were higher than sales during one period."

ECPA and its members decided not to participate in Bookscan—citing cost as the primary factor—and the association has its own project, STATS (Sales Tracking Analysis Trends Summary). Asked about the possible effects of Christian book sales data not feeding into the Bookscan system, Ross said, "Bestsellers will always be a reflection of what sells in certain marketplaces. Christian books make the New York Times list when they sell in general-market stores, not when they sell in Christian stores. Those separate lists are useful barometers of the two major book markets in this country." Others are not so sure. CBA's Anderson said simply, "That is a concern." And one publishing executive who spoke off the record called STATS "a mistake," noting that "it will only further ghettoize CBA product. And why re-create the wheel?"

Next year's CBA international convention will be held in Anaheim, Calif., July 13—18.