As publishers find their way through the digital wilderness, one sector is leading the rest toward a land where revenue from e-books might someday flow like milk and honey: Christian fiction.

Robert Liparulo: Knocking Down a Wall

These days it doesn’t take long to change the face of marketing. According to Tom Dean, senior marketing director in the trade book division at Zondervan, “The game has changed dramatically in the past 18 to 24 months.” That change comes thanks to the power of social spaces that allow authors to interact with thousands of readers quickly and easily. Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and new avenues such as Pinterest put authors in direct contact with both established and potential fan bases.

The more things change, the more they stay the same”—the old saw describes the state of Christian fiction in 2012. Try to spot inspirational fiction trends for spring, and you could get run over by an Amish buggy. But could the bonnet craze be cooling off? As PW looks at the category at the start of a new year, it appears the appetite for all things Lancaster County, while still healthy, may be spawning new, perhaps smaller, trends. Romance and the longing for a simpler life, along with nostalgia for the pioneer spirit, are fueling the imaginations of authors and the acquisitions of publishers.

How much money is a book really worth? Is it the $25 to $30 publishers typically ask for the hardcover edition? Is it the discounted price plus shipping that an online retailer charges? What if there’s only a Kindle edition you can buy, for 99 cents? Is that same book worth nothing on days when it’s given away free? Is it even correct to call such a digital entity “a book”? The easy answer is that a book is whatever readers decide is a book, and it’s worth whatever they’re willing to pay for it.

For many Christians, Lent is a time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. For religion publishers, it’s a time to release new titles aimed at helping the spiritually minded gain a new perspective on the liturgical season. Five new books—from Catholic, Episcopal, mainline Protestant, and general trade publishers—help readers to reflect on the meaning of this solemn season and prepare for the joy of Easter.

RBL catches up with bestselling author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (Kosher Sex) as he releases the newest installment in his Kosher series: Kosher Jesus. The noted lecturer and TV and radio host tells why this controversial new book that reevaluates the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth will promote religious goodwill even as it has stimulated intense debate across religious lines.

When Jen Hatmaker started writing her latest book, she had 327 pieces of clothing in her closet, and more in drawers. By the time she completed 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess (B&H, Jan.), Hatmaker, an author (Interrupted), speaker, and mother of five, had eliminated more than two-thirds of her wardrobe. And she didn’t miss a single item. The purge was part of a one-month project of eliminating excess from each of seven areas in her life: food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, and stress.

Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts always knew she had a remarkable mother--what she didn’t know was how much more there was to learn from her. My Story, My Song: Mother-Daughter Reflections on Life and Faith by Lucimarian Roberts as told to Missy Buchanan, with reflections from Robin Roberts (Upper Room, April) is a memoir that is a tribute to hope, grace under fire, and the power of faith. The book follows the challenges and triumphs of Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts, whose grandfather was a sharecropper, and her late husband Lawrence, a Tuskegee Airman. Born in 1924, she experienced the seismic shifts of the past century including the Great Depression, World War II, segregation, and the civil rights movement.

Thomas Nelson publishes two new children’s Bibles, one for boys and another for girls, using the International Children’s Bible translation; Counterpoint’s Dogen’s Genjo Koan: Three Commentaries, contains three separate translations and commentaries on the first chapter of The Shobogenzo by Eihei Dogen Zenji, considered the founder of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism; DK Publishing throws the book at biblical illiteracy with The Illustrated Bible Story by Story , retelling key stories, adding maps, notes, and full-color photographs; Zondervan partners with Glo Bible and producer Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey (Touched by An Angel) to create interactive Bible app; the Common English Bible translation is adopted on multiple Web sites.