In a low-key show that left many wondering where the action was, CBA Expo, the Christian booksellers' winter convention, met in Indianapolis, Ind., January 30-February 1. Weather fears came to naught, and there was general agreement about the convenience of the facilities, with hotels clustered close together downtown and some connected to the convention center and a mall by enclosed. elevated walkways. Yet while the numbers of exhibitors overall (274) and exhibiting publishers (123, compared to 100 last year and 101 the year before) were up this year, attendance was down--5,002, compared to last year's 5,249 in Louisville, Ky. (In 2000--the last time the show was held in Nashville, its location since the first Expo in 1994--attendance was 6,499.) Stores represented this year numbered 1,495 compared to 1,570 last year and 1,727 in 2000.
CBA president Bill Anderson cited the economy and the mood of the country post September 11 for the lower turnout: "Everybody was more selective about who they brought. There were 200 300 fewer staff among the exhibitors, and the same was true of retailers." Commenting on the three-year downward trend, he said, "Nashville was a better draw. It's home to so many of these companies, and that makes it easier for them to send lots of people." Then why leave? "The idea was always to move the show around. We outgrew the downtown facilities and moved it out to Opryland, but when they raised their price we hurried to decide on other locations." Anderson said the show would be held in Indianapolis again next year (January 27 31), but that the location for 2004 was still undecided, with both Indianapolis and Charlotte, N.C., under consideration.
While publishers complained that bookseller traffic was down at Expo, Becky Gorczyca, executive director of the Logos Bookstore Association, told PW that Logos stores were as much a force there as in past years. "We had as many stores as ever attending, and the Midwest location was really convenient for a lot of them," she said. "Often in January, the stores are so busy doing inventory that it's hard to get away," she noted. She said that although some people have begun to view Expo more as a networking show than a buying show, Logos stores still go to see the new product and place orders.
No single spring title generated notable enthusiasm at Expo, although a summer memoir from Tyndale House and a fall book to be copublished by Putnam and Christian media conglomerate Strang Communications did spark some buzz. In Holding On to Hope: A Pathway Through Suffering That Leads to the Heart of God, Nancy Guthrie tells the story of her family's anguish at losing two children to Zellweger syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder. The Guthrie family's ordeal was featured last summer in a Time magazine cover story, and Tyndale expects the book to generate significant media attention.
In a new partnership, Putnam and Strang will team up to publish The Father I Never Knew by Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. The book is planned for release in late September or early October. Joel Fotinos, director of religion publishing at Putnam, and Strang publisher Stephen Strang believe the book can succeed in both the CBA and ABA markets. Larry Bregel, v-p of marketing and circulation for Strang, said, "We want to get it into the hands of the most people possible," noting that King like her father, a preacher already has a strong reputation as a speaker and media personality, having appeared on Oprah and other national programs.
Signed on the Dotted Line
Just before Expo, W Publishing Group announced that Max Lucado, one of the industry's superstar authors, with more than 25 million copies of his books in print, signed a contract with the house for another three titles to be published through 2006. This past fall, Lucado's Traveling Light appeared on the New York Times advice bestseller list, a first for the author. David Moberg, executive v-p and COO for W (formerly known as Word Publishing), said that the house intends to "maximize the momentum" generated by its recent success in the mainstream market. Lucado has also agreed to the creation of accessory products to promote the books, following W's success with various licensing partnerships for Lucado's He Chose the Nails, published in 2000.
In another notable deal, Larry Boy and Bob the Tomato, those improbable organic heroes of Christian video, will soon appear in print, based on a partnership between Big Idea Productions and Zonderkidz that was announced at Expo. The children's division of Zondervan will produce 11 VeggieTales books in 2002, beginning in August with three Jonah-related titles geared for the eight-and-under set.
Issues for the Industry
Although the Lucado signing is good news for W, and other Christian houses continue to churn out bestsellers by staple authors such as Tim LaHaye, Beverly Lewis and Janette Oke, there was a growing feeling at Expo that the CBA author pool needs some new blood. Evangelical Christian Publishers Association president Doug Ross identified finding fresh and younger voices as one of the major challenges facing Christian publishing. "We need to replenish the author supply, and be prepared that 10 years down the road some of our key authors won't be key authors [anymore]."
Distribution continues to be an active arena, with the top three companies generally agreed to be Ingram's Spring Arbor division, Appalachian and Riverside vying for the number one spot, and several smaller, newer players jockeying for position. At Expo, Riverside celebrated the one-year anniversary of a management buyout of the company and announced the March 1 relocation of its purchasing department to Nashville, to be headed by former Spring Arbor executive Dick Malone as v-p of product purchasing. Meanwhile, Appalachian president Tom Torbett was celebrating the success of its new Western distribution center in the Reno-Sparks area of Nevada. "Having a fully stocked warehouse out there eliminates the need for us to do costly completion orders to our Western accounts," he noted, adding that business continues to grow for the home-schooling segment, which the distributor specializes in.
After reporting its membership last year variously at 2,300 (in a pre-show press release) and 2,550 (according to Anderson), CBA gives its current membership as 2,355 (it was reported as 2,443 in 2000). Commenting on the discrepancy, Anderson said, "The current number represents our membership stateside. Last year, I was including internationals." The number of Christian bookstores continues to be a matter of some debate, with some placing the number as high as 5,000, but many placing it closer to 2,000. (One industry insider said off the record that 90% of CBA book sales flow through fewer than 1,000 stores.)
ECPA Regionals Grow
While attendance slipped at Expo, attendance continues to grow at the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's regional shows, held each January for the past nine years. Organized in response to CBA's abandonment of regionals in favor of the centralized Expo, ECPA's stripped-down, table-top meetings drew a total of 653 buyers this year, up from last year's 583. (Buyer attendance is partially subsidized by exhibitors.) Asked whether the ECPA regionals might be siphoning buyers especially from smaller stores away from Expo, ECPA's Ross responded, "No, I don't think so. Stores that don't go to Expo are too small to afford it. Our shows are an affordable option for them. That doesn't hurt CBA attendance, though it might impact orders."
