Hispanic Faith Leader’s First Book Taps Growing Market
By Kimberly Winston -- Publishers Weekly, 4/20/2009 11:36:00 AM
The greatest of diamonds are found in the darkest of mines. That is the message of Path of Miracles: The Seven Life-Changing Principles That Lead to Purpose and Fulfillment by Rev. Samuel Rodriguez with Carlos Harrison (Celebra, Apr.). As president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Rodriguez is among the most prominent Hispanic evangelicals in the United States. Path of Miracles is his first book, one he feels is particularly timely.
“These are very difficult times,” Rodriguez said. “As Americans, we are asking ourselves, who are we? What does it mean to be an American Christian? I want to revitalize people who are looking for a faith experience, and this is a book that tells you that there is something beyond us. We cannot do all things by ourselves. For that, we need God.”
But don't confuse this book with Rev. Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life (Zondervan, 2002) or Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now (FaithWords, 2006), Rodriguez counsels. “What distinguishes me from some of my friends — Joel and Rick — is they tell you what is going to happen,” he said. “I tell you how to get there through the seven principles that were executed on the day Christ was resurrected.”
Those principles include such precepts as opportunity arises out of adversity; faith and fear are usually partners; and transformation brings recognition. Rodriguez traces each of these principles to the New Testament and illustrates them in the lives of Jesus and his first followers.
Path of Miracles is the most recent offering of Penguin’s Celebra imprint, which debuted in March 2008 and features nonfiction celebrity-penned titles like Deep Drive by Mike Lowell (Apr.) and Estefan Kitchen by Emilio and Gloria Estefan (2008). Around 30% of Celebra’s books are translated into Spanish, said editor Raymond Garcia, a mix that he said matches the Hispanic book-buying market. “Spanish-language book publishing is still very much an underserved market with booming potential,” Garcia said.
Rodriguez has the opportunity to benefit from that potential. As president of the NHCLC, he travels constantly, meeting with lawmakers and politicians and speaking before large gatherings of Christians. He will tour with the book across the country throughout the spring, taking its message to all his appearances.
“You can excavate heaven on earth right now,” he said. “We can change the world.”
