Although a record number of exhibitors and booksellers were registered for the CBA Expo over the week of January 24 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, many attendees apparently were caught without their snowmobiles, leaving attendance somewhat sparser than had been expected. Nevertheless, the general consensus indicated that business was booming. Several publishers reported a record number of sales and others were pleasantly surprised by booksellers’ upbeat enthusiasm.
Amid flurries of order-taking, the floor was abuzz with conversation about two recent acquisitions — Thomas Nelson of Rutledge Hill and Doubleday/Waterbrook of Harold Shaw Publishers — leading to the usual speculation about mergers and their merits. Generally, both deals were seen as a positive step for small publishers to gain strength in the increasingly competitive world of 21st-century publishing. As a case in point, Rutledge will become Nelson’s main avenue for reaching the general trade market, giving Nelson presence in the secular publishing arena. Larry Stone of Rutledge Hill will continue to head up the division. In related personnel moves, it was announced that Dave Moberg of Garborgs will head up Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson. He will report to Lee Gessner, former publisher of Word who will now be responsible for imprints including Word and Rutledge Hill.
Speaking of the 21st century, nobody could fail to notice the hoopla surrounding the launch of iBelieve.com, which was unveiled during the expo. As has been reported elsewhere, the site, which sucked up a $30 million private equity infusion and partnered with e-commerce gurus at Andersen Consulting, is a sister to Family Christian Stores, a chain of 346 Christian retail outlets in 39 states. President Jef Fite brazenly placed himself among the AOLs and Amazons of the world, noting in a press release that the site would be positioned as a “true life destination site” serving an estimated 40 million cybersurfing Christians. That number, some observers predict, will grow by an additional five million in the coming year. However the market gets sliced, iBelieve should get a jump on the game by leveraging FCS’s six-million member Family Perks frequent shopper program to promote the Internet venture. In-store kiosks are also planned for the bricks-and-mortar retailer, as a large number of Christian shoppers have not yet warmed to the Internet as a source of information about matters of faith.
Christian booksellers may be a bit behind the Internet curve, but as Expo attendees kept telling one another, you’ve got sales. Religious bookstores are expected to post 1999 sales of some $3 billion, a record nudged upward by everything from Y2K-mania to a boost in faith following the Columbine shootings. Even the end of the world, it seems, has its retail upside.
