Americans like their religion with a heaping portion of practical application. That makes self-help with a religious or spiritual slant enduringly popular. These books tend to rack up substantial sales, so publishers are willing to gamble by paying big money for "brand" authors, or authors with brand potential.
To make those gambles pay off, sophisticated and costly marketing campaigns have become the norm. In this issue of Religion Update, we look at promotional plans for fall books from some of the top authors in the genre. And as The Secret continues its bestselling run, we examine the effects of its success as they ripple through publishing.
Topics in self-help rise and fall, mirroring the concerns not just of people of faith, but of society at large. That's reflected in new books for Christians on home organization and parenting tech-savvy teens. As long as readers look to books for guidance, they will find it.
