Over the last five years, more and more trademark holders are pitching spiritually themed properties to Christian and mainstream publishers. More Christian houses, meanwhile, are licensing out their own brands.
Licensing activity in this market has some short history. Thomas Nelson has sold more than 10 million Precious Moments Bibles since 1984; the property's licensing agent, United Media, estimates publishers collectively have sold more than 25 million Precious Moments books in North America. "It's just a really sweet and simple and nonoffensive way for [customers] to share their faith with people who may not have a relationship with Christ," said Dana Long, Nelson Bibles' Precious Moments and inspirational products brand manager.
Nelson also publishes Thomas Kinkade Bibles, mostly in the New King James version. "It's a wonderful, wonderful brand for us," said Long. "It's a big part of why the New King James continues to be a favorite translation."
Nowhere has Christian sector licensing risen more than in children's titles. Tommy Nelson, the children's division of Thomas Nelson, for example, publishes The Prayer of Jabez and Secrets of the Vine children's books, licensed from Multnomah. "It's cooled off, but for a while it was hotter than hot," said Dan Lynch, Tommy Nelson's senior v-p and publisher, noting that customers purchased more than one million Prayer of Jabez children's books in less than a year.
Tommy Nelson also holds Christian-market rights for Porchlight Entertainment's Jay Jay the Jet Plane, a public television series for preschoolers (Penguin is the general-market licensee). The company's top license is artist Thomas Kinkade: juvenile Bibles, journals and other titles tied to the "Painter of Light" have sold more than 2.5 million copies.
A good fit between licensee and licensor, an important success factor in any licensing relationship, is critical in the Christian market. "We're very picky and choosy," said Lynch. "We want [licenses] that specialize in carrying Christian content and we don't want to be an afterthought."
In fall 2001, ZonderKidz, a long-time licensee of Performance Unlimited's The Beginner's Bible, acquired the license for VeggieTales, Big Idea Productions' decade-old Christian video series. ZonderKidz released an initial 10 titles in August 2002 and plans to publish eight to 12 board, picture and chapter books per year, according to senior director of marketing Kathy Needham. One of its top-performing titles, God Made You Special, has sold more than 246,000 copies. "The number-one thing that appealed to us [about VeggieTales]," Needham said, "is that our missions and core values are in alignment."
Licensing activity beyond the children's and Bible segments includes Thomas Nelson division Rutledge Hill's recent coffee-table book Life Lessons from Davey & Goliath. The book is based on the clay-animated 1960s television series produced by Gumby creator Art Clokey, financed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and licensed by Heat Licensing.
Expanding the Good Word's Reach
Christian publishers also have been authorizing the use of their brands for other product categories. "We licensed Prayer of Jabez products [in fall 2001] to extend the impact of the book's message," said Kyle Cummings, Multnomah's senior v-p. Tactics included translating books into different languages and new formatting "to extend the reader's experience with the book or to reach a customer who hasn't read the core book product," said Cummings. "While there may be a financial motivation, most licensing activity is looked at as an ancillary effort." Multnomah donates licensing royalties to ministry organizations or relief funds.
Tyndale House is offering Little Blessings, an art-based preschool license with a half dozen manufacturers on board so far. "We want to get more name recognition for Little Blessings. It's not just to get the money from licensing, it's to drive more sales of books," said Dan Balow, executive director of Tyndale International Publishing Services, who reported that two million Little Blessings books have been sold to date. "We feel like it's a renewable market, so it's possible to take it much further." Tyndale's other major property is its Left Behind series, which is marketed under the Left Behind Inspirations brand, focusing on the phrase "The Promise of Heaven."
Last fall, ZonderKidz began licensing 2:52 Soul Gear, a brand based on its 2:52 series for tween boys, and forged a deal with LeapFrog for Leap Pad products based on its ZonderKidz and Read with Me Bible brands. Tommy Nelson plans to license out some of its proprietary properties, including Max Lucado's Hermie: A Common Caterpillar, for which it has developed a brand called Hermie & Friends. Lucado has licensed several of his properties, according to Leslie Nunn Reed, president of marketing and publishing consultancy Nunn Communications (which works with Lucado and Multnomah), notably He Chose the Nails and Traveling Light, both released by Nelson division W Publishing.
The Beginner's Bible, introduced in 1989 and having 52 licensees on its roster at its peak in the mid-1990s, plans a relaunch in late 2003 or early 2004. It has worked with several publishers over the years, including McGraw-Hill and Random House, as well as ZonderKidz, the licensee for "the mother book." All told, consumers have purchased 11 million Beginner's Bible books, including 4.2 million of the core Bible, according to Don Wise, president of Performance Unlimited.
Why the Growth?
Many observers credit the success of VeggieTales, which has shown that inspirational licensing can work in CBA and mass channels, as a catalyst for the recent rise in activity. Religion-based properties also fit with trends within the licensing business, where many licensees and retailers desire long-term franchises rather than riskier short-term properties.
At the same time, Christian publishers are emphasizing branding. "More publishers in general are creating brands, and the natural extension of that is licensing," said Balow. "That's a fairly recent thing in the Christian market. VeggieTales got people thinking about line extension, brand management and trademarking." He believes much of the activity will be between publishers, such as for journals, study guides or gift books.
Nunn Reed noted that many scripture-heavy Christian books contain public-domain content, meaning that anyone can create products, sometimes shoddy, that appear to be tied to that title. Creating a brand image and licensing high-quality merchandise allows publishers "to protect the look and feel of the product and create products appropriate to the book," she said. "Licensing gives them creative control and direction."
An increased interest in Christian properties on the part of some mainstream licensees and retailers has also boosted licensing activity. Balow noted that Jerry Leigh, the apparel manufacturer for Left Behind and Little Blessings, is a Disney licensee and major supplier to Wal-Mart. "There's an interest from major general-market companies to look at Christian properties," he explained. "They're all taking a look at what this market could mean."
General trade publishers are among those demonstrating interest in Christian properties. Modern Publishing has sold coloring and activity books based on The Illustrated Word's Noah's Park for four years, and also holds the Jay Jay license. "We're paying a lot of attention to that market as we've seen it grow," said president Andrew Steinberg.
Dalmatian Press shipped its first four VeggieTales books in April and plans to release additional coloring, sticker and novelty titles, as well as a new format, an 8"x8" color-and-read-along book, later this year. "There have never been any [VeggieTale] coloring books," said Chris Hilicki, vice-chairman. "[Retailers have] been asking Big Idea for them for years." Dalmatian also holds the license for inspirational comedian Andy Andrews's Never Give Up and Go for It! brand.
Crossing Boundaries
Books and merchandise based on properties such as The Beginner's Bible, Precious Moments, The Prayer of Jabez and VeggieTales have been successful on mass merchants' shelves as well as in the CBA chains, although they tend to cycle in and out of the former. Needham reported that a significant percentage of ZonderKidz' VeggieTales books are sold through mainstream channels, ranging from grocery stores to Barnes & Noble outlets. Over a quarter of some titles' print runs end up in chains such as Meijer, Sam's Club and Target through the independent distributor Chas Levy.
Some properties are attractive to publishers and retailers largely because they appeal—or can be tailored—to both the Christian and general markets. Jay Jay, which is wholesome, but not scripture-based, is one of these. "It has strong moral stories and what we call biblical values, so it was very easy to adapt," said Lynch. Tommy Nelson added scriptural references to its Jay Jay videos and books but didn't have to alter the underlying story.
Since 1998, Dutton Children's Books has published gift titles based on Holly Pond Hill, a greeting card property with a mix of Christian and nonreligious designs by artist Susan Wheeler, licensed by i Licensing (formerly Interart). Dutton has released nine books, including Holly Pond Hill: A Child's Book of Prayers, a gold-edged, padded board book that has generated sales of more than 175,000 copies.
"The intricate artwork is what appealed to us," said Stephanie Lurie, Dutton's publisher and president. "We felt that it would have great appeal for the children's gift market, as well as to the Christian market, which was becoming quite a buying force in the late '90s." Lurie added that the property's messages aren't heavy-handed. "They appeal to a wide range of Christian buyers—those who shop in B&N and independent bookstores, as well as those who might shop regularly in Christian bookstores. The combination of secular and religious books seems to have worked well for his license, but we definitely feel that the Christian market holds the widest fan base for Holly Pond Hill."
Another crossover property is The Swamp Critters of Lost Lagoon, a family-friendly, music-based TV show created by singer Bobby Goldsboro, which has aired on cable and public television stations. Goldsboro has added Bible references to half of the 52 episodes, and these Christian versions currently air on the Inspirational Network.
Goldsboro recently regained all rights to the property and is pitching publishers and other licensees for both general and Christian products. "It can go either way," he explained. "That's one of the plusses of the property." (A range of Swamp Critter products, including books, is available on Goldsboro's Web site.) Swamp Critters caught the attention of New Canaan Publishing, which this year is releasing two books based on new inspirational property from Goldsboro, The Adventures of Cheze and Kwackers.
Market Challenges
Christian properties compete against high-profile, intensely marketed entertainment properties for licensees' and retailers' attention. Meanwhile, in independent stores, resistance to licensing can spring from a perception that licensed products are inherently commercial and without literary or spiritual value (although this is changing as more family-friendly and Christian properties succeed). In addition, CBA stores, especially independents, are not as well-versed in licensed product merchandising techniques (such as in-store boutiques) as many general-market retailers are, according to licensors.
Kimberly Sullivan, president of licensing agency Z Strategies, has been involved with Christian properties—including Left Behind, Little Blessings, and artist Bill Attinger's Wee Witness and Realfaith Baby—for seven years. She noted that general-market retailers often consider Christian product to be a niche category, despite the fact that close to 90% of Americans say they believe in a higher power. "Christian brands are not as mainstream as licensees think," Sullivan said. "[Mainstream] retailers are wary of Christian product."
Despite the challenges, licensing can be beneficial to publishers when the fit is right between licensee and licenser. "Working with a licensing company can be very disciplined work," Long concluded. "There are lots of rules and regulations. But it is very rewarding and can help increase your sales and increase exposure for your company. It's a great way to introduce someone to the scriptures in a friendly and inviting way."
