Religion Update: Relatively Speaking

By Angie Kiesling -- Publishers Weekly, 7/2/2001

Where religion-and-relationship books are concerned, we've come a long way, baby. Topics once considered taboo are now lettered in bold fonts across dust jackets. Changing approaches in pop psychology and ministry have spilled over to the printed page.

Twila Bennett, marketing manager for Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Book House, cites a story she's heard around the halls of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company for years. "Our reps tell us that when Intended for Pleasure first came out in 1977, it was a behind-the-counter book, and you had to ask for it by name in Christian bookstores," Bennett says. The classic sex book, written by Ed Wheat, M.D., and Gaye Wheat, is now in its third edition and remains a perennial seller for Revell.

Today those once-shy evangelical book buyers can choose from titles such as Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by William Cutrer, M.D., and Sandra Glahn (Kregel, July) or What's Love Got to Do With It?: Love, Power, Sex & God by Frank A. Thomas (Judson Press, Apr.). Thomas Nelson also took the direct approach with Avoiding Mr. Wrong (And What to Do if You Didn't)--ouch!--by Stephen Arterburn and Dr. Meg J. Rinck (Sept.).

Outside of the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) market, titles get even more adventurous. Take, for example, Same-Sex Dynamics Among 19th-Century Americans: A Mormon Example by D. Michael Quinn, releasing in paperback from University of Illinois Press in July. On a similar topic, a September title from Pilgrim Press, Our Daughter Martha: A Family Struggles with Coming Out by Marcy Clements Hendrikson, tells the story of one mother's journey "to find God's will in the crucible of... faith" after learning that her teenage daughter was a lesbian. The book is a companion title to My Son Eric by Mary V. Borhek, a 1979 Pilgrim release that marketing manager Elaine Shelly calls a "groundbreaking book" for its time. Pilgrim plans to release a revised and expanded edition of My Son Eric in September.

No matter who you talk to in the religion book industry, a common theme emerges: The church at large, and religion publishers in particular, are talking quite candidly about "plain brown wrapper" issues. And everyone agrees it's about time.

If there's one "relationship" category that's broken out in the last few years, it's books for singles. Most sources PW talked to credit one author for jump-starting the engine: Joshua Harris, whose I Kissed Dating Goodbye (Multnomah, 1997) catapulted to the top of bestseller lists as word-of-mouth marketing kicked in. Barnes & Noble cited it as a top seller for the chain.

"It was a huge trendsetter," Steve Shepherd, marketing director for Multnomah, says. "Before it came out, there weren't any books on the topic of purposeful dating and courtship. He's almost created his own genre." So much so, in fact, that many publishers have tried to "copycat" Harris's book, Shepherd adds. "The outgrowth has been a variety of responses"--pro and con--"on the whole issue of Christian dating."

Multnomah's own response to the Joshua Harris phenomenon was a second title by the author, Boy Meets Girl (Oct. 2000), which tells the story of how Harris met, courted and married his wife. At press time, the book had sold 250,000 copies . The Oregon publisher, whose The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson was the fastest-selling book in the country in late May, also plans to release Keepin' It Real: What I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Married by Kay Coles James in September.

Mike Leming, director of sales for Kregel Publications, says the explosion of the singles category is such that stores are starting to dedicate whole sections to it. "We've taken heed to that trend and in the past 10 months put out five books targeted to singles," Leming says. Another trend Kregel heeded was the need for frank discussions of real-life issues, such as premarital sex--even among the faithful. "One statistic we use says that 80% of Americans, including Christians, weren't virgins when they got married," Leming says. "The subject matter of sexuality is getting more comfortable to talk about. It's not so closeted anymore." A March release from Kregel, Reclaiming Intimacy by Heather Jamison, makes that point dramatically. The book examines the impact of premarital sex on a couple's emotional and physical relationship after marriage, outlining the author's own story of "Playing House Before You Say 'I Do,'" as one chapter calls it. Another singles title that did well for Kregel--and went back to press sooner than expected--spotlights a third trend in the singles subgenre. The title says it all: Living Whole Without a Better Half by Wendy Widder (May 2000).

"The shift in singles books came about four or five years ago," says Debra Farrington, editorial director of Morehouse Publishing. "Up until that time, the focus was on how to survive till you met somebody. It used to be we thought single people were miserable. Now the focus is more on how to enjoy the single life." A single herself who has published on the topic (One Like Jesus: Conversations on the Single Life, Loyola Press), Farrington believes television caught on to the singles issue long before publishers did. "Fifty percent of the population is single. The publishing industry has been behind the curve on this one, but it's coming up," she says.

Other front-runner titles aimed at the singles market in 2001 include A New Dating Attitude: Getting Ready for the Mate God Has for You by Suzan Johnson Cook (Zondervan, June), The Birth-Order Connection: Finding and Keeping the Love of Your Life by Dr. Kevin Leman (Revell, Sept.) and Finding Mr. Right: And How to Know When You Have by Stephen Arterburn and Dr. Meg J. Rinck (Thomas Nelson, Sept.).

Perhaps no other category of relationship titles is as densely populated as that of marriage and sexuality. While people are waiting until later in life to get married, they nonetheless prove to have an insatiable appetite for the age-old mystery of male and female. The category is as far-reaching as human perceptions, ranging from the esoteric and mystical to the practical and mundane.

In November, Blackwell Publishers will bring out two thought-provoking titles: The Ethics of Gender by Susan F. Parsons and The Ethics of Sex by Mark Jordan, the latter of which promises to stir up controversy with its stated attempt to "reconceptualize Christian theology from non-heterosexual, marginal perspectives." August will see the release of Blackwell's Theology and Sexuality: Classic and Contemporary Readings, edited by Eugene S. Rogers.

Meanwhile, Jason Aronson Publishers will bring out Kabbalistic Writings on the Nature of Masculine and Feminine by Sarah Idit Schneider, in July. Like John Gray's evergreen "Mars and Venus" titles, the book takes a metaphorical look at the roles of men and women, based on a Talmudic tale about the sun and moon.

Offering a sneak peek at things to come, Multnomah's Shepherd says the publisher recently signed a six-book contract with renowned "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade. The first title, due out in early 2002, is by Kinkade and his wife, called The Many Loves of Marriage.

Rodale plans a 25,000-copy first printing for The Book of Sex by Christian Millman (Nov.). Described as a man's "bedside Bible," the book boasts that men who read it will never be "at a loss for words--or actions--again." Kregel likewise hopes to cut through the fog of myth and partial truth surrounding sexuality with its rerelease of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by Cutrer and Glahn (July). Originally published in 1998, the book draws on examples from the biblical Song of Solomon.

Revell has stacked its fall list with two promising releases from two heavyweight authors. Willard F. Harley Jr. is a clinical psychologist best known for his 1986 blockbuster His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage (Revell), which has sold over one million in hardcover and been translated into 12 languages. His Fall in Love, Stay in Love (Sept.) is the first book that combines all of his marriage counseling advice, according to Bennett. "If you stepped into his office and had marriage problems, this is what you'd encounter from him," she says. In March Revell published a 15th-anniversary edition of Harley's His Needs, Her Needs. Florence Littauer's Personality Plus for Couples: Understanding Yourself and the One You Love (Oct.) applies her popular teaching on the four personality types to the task of creating a working marriage.

Delving into male-female complexities, Pilgrim Press released Omnigender: A Trans-religious Approach by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott in May. The book analyzes the concepts of gender in Christianity and other world religions, offering new ways to define male and female. Jason Aronson picks up the same topic in Heartstrings: Jewish Tales of Men and Women by Hava Ben-Zvi (Aug.). The collection of stories, taken from the Israel Folktale Archives at the University of Haifa, explores the male-female mystery from classical Jewish sources and experiences.

In a more mainstream approach, Broadman & Holman tapped the editors of Marriage Partnership magazine to produce The Healthy Marriage Handbook (Sept.). Arranged into 200 questions and answers on seven broad issues, the book dispenses advice from a contributor list that includes popular evangelical authors Ron Blue, Bill Hybels, Charles Swindoll and Philip Yancey.

Thomas Nelson targets women readers with its April release, Making Sense Out of the Men in Your Life by Kevin Leman. The hardcover book takes an honest look at what makes men tick and how women can develop more satisfying relationships with husbands, sons, father, coworkers and other men in their lives. Tyndale House touched on the same theme in Men: Some Assembly Required by Chuck Snyder (Mar.).

In recent months, at least two publishers have brought out marriage titles aimed specifically at the African-American market. Last November, Wiley released The Ties That Bind: Timeless Values for African American Families by Joyce Ladner, while December saw the release of Pilgrim's A Loving Home: Caring for African American Marriage and Families by Lee H. Butler Jr.

Other marriage/sexuality titles debuting in 2001 include 38 Values to Live By (Word, Mar.) by James Dobson, Because I Said Forever by Debbie Kalmbach and Heather Kopp (Multnomah, Aug.), How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong by Leslie Vernick (WaterBrook, Oct.) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Interfaith Relationships by Laurie E. Rosakis (Alpha Books, Jan.)

Lyn Cryderman, v-p and associate publisher of Zondervan, says that while relationship titles are strong sellers for them, "it's a crowded market when you start talking about marriage and parenting." To combat market fatigue, the publisher has tried to pinpoint areas of new interest within a niche, Cryderman says. "And one of those right now--even fairly recently in the CBA--is books dealing with divorce and remarriage. Unfortunately, there's a huge trend within the church of divorce and remarriage."

Hoping to meet that need, Zondervan will release Saving Your Second Marriage Before It Starts by Les and Leslie Parrott this fall. The book is a follow-up to the couple's bestselling Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (1995) and aims to curb the high number of failed second marriages, a statistic Cryderman cites at 60%. Taking a similar tack, Zondervan published When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages, also by the Parrotts, in March. "Again, we tried to approach a familiar topic from a different angle," Cryderman says.

But marriage isn't the only topic for which publishers have tried to narrow the niches. Parenting, for one, is always ripe for refocusing.

Parents today, regardless of their religious affiliation, seem quick to pick up books on the tricky art of child-rearing, notes Revell's Bennett. Perhaps a more educated bunch than their predecessors, "they read everything they can get their hands on," she adds. And they want particulars--which may be why one recent trend in parenting books is to go gender-specific, clueing parents in on how to raise boys vs. girls.

Books like Ballantine's Speaking of Boys, cowritten by Michael Thompson, and Raising Cain by Daniel J. Kindlon and Thompson make solid cases for the success of that trend, and religion publishers--not to mention gift book packagers ad infinitum--have scrambled on board the publishing wagon.

Notable additions to the 2001 lineup include Celebrating Your New Jewish Daughter: Creating Jewish Ways to Welcome Baby Girls into the Covenant by Debra Nussbaum Cohen et al., a March release from Jewish Lights; Hugs for Daughters and Heartlifters for Sisters from Howard Publishing (Sept./Oct.); and Mom, I Feel Fat by Sharon Hersh, releasing from WaterBrook Press in November.

In the general parenting category, Cook Communications plans to bring out Pre-Hysteric Parenting by Norm Wright--targeted to "today's frazzled parents"--in July (see Books in Brief, this issue). Wiley released Team Spirited Parenting: 8 Essential Principles for Parenting Success by Darlene Powell-Hopson and Derek S. Hopson in March. And Baker will pinpoint parents of teens with the August title And Then I Had Teenagers by Susan Alexander Yates.

Upper Room Books brought out Growing Compassionate Kids: Helping Kids See Beyond Their Backyard by Jan Johnson in February. The title offers practical ways for parents to nurture a servant's heart in their children. Thomas Nelson's A Thousand Goodbyes by Jim Huber (Aug.) will explore the unique--and often perplexing--bond between fathers and sons. Another Thomas Nelson author, one-man publishing phenom Kevin Leman, delivered three relationship titles for the publisher in May: What a Difference a Daddy Makes, Living in a Step-Family Without Getting Stepped On and Bringing Up Kids Without Tearing Them Down.

Several parenting titles in the religion market zeroed in on mothers or fathers--and even grandparents. J. Countryman delivered Dads, Walking Faithful, Standing Strong by Steve Farrar in May; White Cloud Press published The Garden of Life: A Father's Book of Wisdom by Stephen Mason in May; Howard Publishing focused on the maternal with The Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd in March and Thomas Nelson follows suit with its September title Mothering: An Expert Guide to Succeeding in Your Most Important Role by Grace Ketterman, M.D.

Tyndale has three parenting titles on its summer docket: 1001 Things Your Mother Told You by Croft M. Pentz (June), Fatherhood Aborted by Guy Condon and David Hazard (July) and The Gift of Grandparenting by Eric Wiggin (July). Westminster John Knox, under its Geneva Books imprint, also targeted grandparents with the spring title Games Grandmas Play: Life Lessons on Christian Faith and Grandchildren by Joan Jacobs. Rodale put parenting high on its list this year with Try and Make Me! by Ray Levy et al. (Jan.) and Parents Magazine's The Best Advice I Ever Got by the editors of Parents magazine, edited by Sally Lee (May). Another Rodale release, The Mother's Guide to the Meaning of Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Apr.), offered a subtitle that says it all: "What I've Learned in My Never-Ending Quest to Become a Dalai Mama."

Under the generic category of "Life: How to Deal" (i.e., with all those other people in your life), publishers have also taken care not to scrimp on books. Noteworthy releases from Loyola Press include My Monastery Is a Minivan: 35 Stories from a Real Life by Denise Roy (Sept.) and Good People: From an Author's Life by Jon Hassler (Aug.).

Our Sunday Visitor broadens the scope of its relationship title lineup for 2001 with Beyond the Birds and the Bees by Gregory Popcak (Sept.), help for parents to discuss sex; and When a Loved One Leaves the Church by Lorene Hanley Duquin (Feb.), for people who have had a loved one abandon the Catholic Church.

Every publisher's dream is to stay one step ahead of the trends--and their competitors. Pinpointing trends before they sink to the bottom of an oversaturated market is a task that keeps acquisitions editors up nights. Zondervan's Cryderman, for one, is glad to see the trend toward more openness in the once closed-mouthed religion market. "Life is hard, and Christians experience the same problems in their relationships as non-Christians," he tells PW. "Where better to find help for that than in Christian books and bookstores? It's an acceptance of reality. I think it indicates the church is very healthy when it can acknowledge there are problems and seek help for them, rather than pretend they don't exist."

One touchy subject--at least for the CBA crowd--that will need addressing in the near future, Cryderman says, is "the very validity of marriage for the generation coming along behind us"--the children of baby boomers. "We're seeing research that a fair percentage of them are opting to cohabit rather than get married, and that represents a huge issue for parents and the church," Cryderman says. "Nobody quite knows what to do with it, but it presents an opportunity for teaching the Christian subculture how to be agents of grace."

Sounds like a good topic for a book.