BEA 2008: Good News for Religion
by Lynn Garrett, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 6/4/2008
BookExpo America wrapped up this past Sunday (June 1) at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The consensus among religion/spirituality publishers who spoke with Publishers Weekly was that it was a good show, if quieter than last year's crowded BEA in New York.
Though all publishers are feeling the pressure from higher paper and fuel costs and contemplating higher book prices because of it, no one seemed poised to follow Thomas Nelson's lead and bail out of the industry's largest domestic trade event. "We still feel it's important to be here," said Janis Backing, publicity director for Moody Publishers, an evangelical Christian house based in Chicago. Her company, like many other religion presses, exhibited in the South Hall on the main exhibit floor. Some religion houses were also scattered throughout the smaller West Hall, but there is no longer a specified religion section there as in recent years.
Positive Projections for the Category
Publishers in the category once again got good news at the Book Industry Study Group Trends 2008 session on Friday. After a banner 2007 for religion, with gains of 6.3% in net sales and 4.2% in units sold—compared to 4.4% net sales and 0.9 for units for adult trade overall—the category is projected to see growth of 5.6%, 5.3%, 5.5% and 5.6% in the next four years (compared to 2.8%-3.3% for adult trade overall). "This is not a bubble," said Albert Greco, principal with the Institute for Publishing Research. "Historically this has been a category that has seen very good annual increases." He noted "we are seeing a slight softening in the market reflected in dollars and units," but that after the phenomenal numbers of the past 15 years or so, that had to happen eventually. "The momentum is just starting to slow down, but this is still a very important category." (For a fuller report on the BISG data, see the June 2 issue of PW.)
Zondervan's New Direction
Agreeing with this positive outlook were Jane Friedman and new Zondervan president Maureen "Moe" Girkins, who sat down with PW at the show to discuss that unit's new direction. Just before BEA, Zondervan announced its reorganization into eight business units and the elimination of 18 positions, among them five top executives (PW Daily, May 28). Girkins and Friedman explained the realignment was designed to make Zondervan a faster and more nimble company, and that the marketing focus would shift from emphasizing the Zondervan brand to promoting the brands of its authors. "They are our most important asset," said Girkins.
Among the areas that Friedman said would receive special attention are jacket design and pricing. ("Prices are much too low in the Christian market," she noted.) Asked about title output and staffing, Friedman and Girkins took pains to correct the impression that the company was cutting back. "We are still planning to publish 500 titles this year, and I am bringing in 25 new people, so we are more than replacing the positions that were lost," Girkins said. (Zondervan currently has 362 staffers.) Friedman said she sees religion as an important growth category, and noted that HarperOne is adding positions and ramping up its title output.
