With more than 2.1 million copies of its 22-book Cup of Comfort series in print since 2001, Adams Media, an F+W Publications company, decided to freshen up the package with a new cover design and a larger format (5 7/8”×7½”). The series, which competes with HCI's Chicken Soup for the Soul, brings together upbeat essays and stories on particular themes, from teaching to mothers and daughters.
The remake came as a result of suggestions from buyers at the bookstore chains who requested an “up-spec” trade package, said publicity director Beth Gissinger. Starting this fall, as each book is reprinted and new books are added to the series, they will have the new cover treatment and size, among them the very first book in the series, A Cup of Comfort, edited by Colleen Sell, which has sold more than 350,000 copies alone. The series will continue to add six to eight new books a year, including three inspirational volumes this season: for writers and dog lovers and on prayer.
Both Barnes & Noble and Borders will promote the new line of Cup of Comfort titles, which includes eight reissues. According to newly appointed sales director Phil Sexton, both of the major chains have front-table displays up now and will keep the books in the spotlight through the end of the year. Books-A-Million will launch a promotion in November.
