A reader desperate to devour the latest installment in the blockbuster Left Behind fiction series decided to telephone the publisher directly. But this wasn't just a local call -- this eager fan was ringing up Tyndale all the way from England. International publishing manager Fred Parsons assured the woman that copies of Assassins were "already on the boat and on their way over there" -- this only one week after the book's August 5 street date in the U.S. Still, the British bibliophile was so anxious that she asked to have the newest novel overnighted to her.

Apocalyptic fervor might have played a part in this woman's enthusiasm, but the episode also illustrates the importance of international markets for U.S. religion houses. The burgeoning interest in books on religion and spirituality is not an exclusively American phenomenon: those who have long been doing business overseas are seeing encouraging growth, and increasing numbers of religion publishers are tapping into worldwide markets with international sales for their U.S. editions, as well as expanding rights sales and copublishing deals.

One of Baker Book House's largest accounts -- anywhere -- is Koorong Books in Australia, a retailer and cataloguer of Christian products that also owns a distribution division called Crossroad. In fact, international sales and rights account for roughly 5% of Baker's business -- a figure that is growing by about 1% each year, said international sales director Max Eerdmans. Baker also d s a lot of business with Word Books (no relation to the U.S. company Word Publishing) and the Open Book in Australia, both retailers and cataloguers. "The orders can be quite large and they're all nonreturnable, of course," said Eerdmans. He noted that Christian books can be a tough sell Down Under, where only 10% of the population claims church affiliation. "But Australians are voracious readers," Eerdmans added, "and they're really looking for spiritual titles."

Australia is also the largest foreign market for Zondervan, although its fastest-growing ones are in Asia, especially in such English-speaking countries as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Indonesia. According to international sales v-p Paul Van Duinen, "The majority of the English-speaking countries we deal with do not have a mature Christian publishing organization, so they rely on the United States and the United Kingdom for the majority of their products." The overseas demand for U.S. religion books -- in English and in other languages -- is also fueled by big-name authors who are willing to travel internationally to promote their books.

In the past seven years, Zondervan has seen its international sales double, "and we see an even greater potential," said Van Duinen. The company owns its own Spanish-language publisher -- Miami-based Vida -- but sells other foreign-language rights to its books in dozens of countries. Germany and South Korea are strong markets, with Scandinavia pegged as up-and-coming, according to Carolyn Weidmayer, Zondervan's manager of international and subsidiary rights. "And we're all looking toward China," she said. That country's Communist government has limited the publication and sales of religious materials, but U.S. Christian publishers are hopeful the situation will change soon. Said Weidmayer, "We want to get the books translated into Chinese so when the political situation changes we can get the books into mainland China."

Marilyn Gordon, subsidiary rights manager at Baker Book House, also expects growth in Asia, especially South Korea, where recent changes in copyright law should limit piracy and make that country a more lucrative and attractive market for foreign rights. "That area of Baker's business has grown in the past five years, with signed contracts up 30% and revenues up 22%," she said. Foreign-language rights are a relatively easy sell, she noted, especially for children's books, such as Ruth Bell Graham's One Wintry Night, which has been translated into 14 languages.

Thomas Nelson Inc. -- with titles from its Thomas Nelson, Tommy Nelson and Word Publishing divisions -- also d s a brisk business in sales of both English-language editions and foreign-language rights, with its books now published in 31 languages, including two Chinese scripts, Turkish, Thai and some Indian dialects. Spanish is the most popular language for translations, and Nelson owns its own Spanish-language publisher, Caribe/Betania in Nashville, which sells to both U.S. and foreign Spanish-language markets. After German, Portuguese is the third most common language for Nelson products, not surprising since South America -- particularly Brazil -- is seen as a growing market by most Christian publishers. Last May, a first-ever summit for members of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and Brazil's Associacao Brasileira de Editores Cristaos was convened in São Paulo to explore growth in the Brazilian market for Christian books. (ECPA now has its own 31-member International Rights Managers Association; it held a second annual rights forum last March in Grand Rapids, Mich.) Terry Draughon, Nelson's v-p of international development, sees sales in Australia leveling off, with rights business in Germany still strong and Asia as "the glowing star" for both English-language sales and foreign-language rights. "I think we're on the cusp of something very big," he told PW.

Face-to-Face Is Vital

Any international business deal requires good communication, but religion publishers say relationship building is even more crucial when dealing with ideas about such sensitive subjects as God, religion and spirituality. In fact, Tyndale House d sn't even use the phrase "selling rights" for foreign-language editions of its books. "We 'contract products,' which is not just selling rights," explained Parsons. "It's a subtle difference, but an important one. We dialogue a lot more with the overseas publishers, and really try to get to know who they are. We don't just ask for royalty and advance payments -- we want to know how they're going to market and present the book."

Certainly, many Christian publishers have long considered penetrating worldwide markets part of their mission, in addition to being just plain good business. "It's a fine line between ministry and business," said Tyndale House's Parsons. In fact, some evangelical publishers say they lower royalty fees to make books more affordable in foreign countries. Others see their role as "planters," helping Christian publishers in Third World countries to grow.

Integrity of translation is critical, especially with biblical text, making the choice of foreign publishers often a delicate matter, Parsons said. "If you have a product that fits a certain denominational or theological niche, you have to make sure it's placed with the correct publisher," he said. "That's why relationship building is so important. The more you know the person, the higher your confidence and trust." Many of these relationships are solidified during visits and at the key international book fairs: Frankfurt, Jerusalem and the Christian Booksellers Convention in England. Max Eerdmans of Baker Book House said face-to-face contact pays off. "Our sales are up 200 to 300% since my visits to Australia and New Zealand," he noted.

Being Over There

The more mainline Protestant, Catholic and Jewish publishers also see the value -- and profit -- in having their books read by seminarians in South Africa, young mothers in Malaysia and children in China. One way to decrease the number of frequent-flyer miles while increasing an overseas publishing presence is by opening a foreign office. Westminster John Knox Press calls its new London office, which opened in May, a win-win situation for authors, readers and booksellers, as well as for the publisher. "We now have instant access to the largest English-speaking readership of religious books in the world," said Philip Law, manager and acquisitions editor of Westminster's U.K. office. "Also, the economies of scale produced by combined U.K./U.S. printings will mean more competitive pricing, and in turn more sales." The savings in both initial production costs as well as reprint costs from joint U.K./U.S. releases translate into more generous advances on royalties for authors and an ability to keep titles in print much longer, Law said. WJK director Richard E. Brown admits the London office is a significant long-term investment, but believes it will pay off not only through improved distribution and sales, but also in acquisitions, with Law being able to meet face-to-face with British authors and professors. "Our thinking is that academic ideas travel very well over the ocean," said Brown. "You've got to think globally," he added. "Publishers ignore that at their peril."

Meeting Financial Challenges

The many costs of international business -- from translation fees to value-added taxes and to shipping -- are a constant challenge for small religion publishers. Cooperation across denominational and company lines can help minimize the often prohibitive costs of international business for smaller houses, and one innovative approach bears that out. Three years ago, five U.S. religious publishers banded together to create their own European distribution company for English-language products. Called Alban Books, it is owned collectively by Eerdmans Publishing, Abingdon and Augsburg Fortress -- all mainline-affiliated or independent Protestant houses -- and Crossroad and Orbis -- both Catholic publishers. "We've been pleased with the results," said Sam Eerdmans, v-p of sales and marketing at Eerdmans, one of Alban's five directors and one of the originators of the idea. Overall, Alban has posted good growth percentages: 27% its first year, 31% last year and 22% for the first half of 1999, according to Sheridan Swinson, managing director in London. "We now account for between 1/2 to 2/3 of 1% of all U.S. book exports to the U.K.," Swinson said.

Although it's difficult to prove, Swinson suspects that the consortium has meant the member companies have done better than they could have individually. "The fact is that no one could afford the sales force we have -- two full-time representatives and another seven agents -- or the number of marketing personnel," he said. "By banding together, we have also been able to obtain the services of one of the largest book distributors. Individually each company would have been too small for them to bother with."

Alban enjoys solid sales in the academic market, which is especially strong in England, said Sam Eerdmans, and all five publishers do a lot of academic titles. "That's our biggest growth area, but we've also shown great inroads in the trade, getting our books into Waterstones, and with book clubs and libraries." Swinson runs Alban across the Atlantic while the five directors coordinate things back in the States. "It calls for a great deal of trust and collegiality," said Swinson. "It's a lot of work," added Eerdmans, but there are advantages for the publishers, such as setting their own prices and directing their own advertising.

Two Jewish Approaches

Jewish Lights, whose books cross over into Catholic and mainline Protestant markets in the United States, also travels over oceans and borders with its titles. In fact, in Canada, Jewish Lights sells through Novalis, a Catholic distributor. "We're their only non-Christian client publisher, but it's still a good match," said Jon Sweeney, associate publisher. "We're trying to get at the liturgical market." Although the international side is a small part of Jewish Lights' business ("probably less than 5%," said Sweeney), the company d s expect future growth. Costs will probably prevent a dramatic increase in direct international sales of English-language books, but publisher Stuart Matlins predicts burgeoning sales of foreign-language rights: "We see that as an important and growing part of our revenue stream." Internationally, traditional Jewish sales channels have not been all that successful for Jewish Lights, said Matlins. "Outside the United States, the Jewish community is overwhelmingly Orthodox, and they have little or no interest in our books. Our books tend to appeal to the New Age or spiritual-seeker market in other countries."

Although Jewish Lights d sn't do much business with Israel, other Jewish publishers see it as a major market. The Jewish Publication Society distributes its books in English in Israel, sells foreign-language rights to Hebrew-language publishers and acquires rights to do English versions of books by Israeli publishers. "We see that as integral to our mission -- to make contemporary Israeli works in English available here," said Ellen Frankel, CEO and editor-in-chief at JPS. In the past few years, JPS has entered into more and more copublishing or partnership deals with Israeli houses. For example, last fall JPS copublished Documenters of the Dream, a book of early photography in pre-independence Israel and Palestine, with Hebrew University's Magnes Press in Jerusalem. "We're going to do three more such partnerships next year," Frankel told PW. Copublishing can be a solution to the problem of international business costs, she explained. "As a small publisher we can't afford lavish art books, and neither can smaller presses overseas. It takes two to have enough volume to make it worth doing the book."

The Shifting World

The economic challenges of doing business overseas aren't limited to the costs of long-distance phone calls, plane tickets and overseas shipping. U.S. publishers have to consider the often fragile economies and currency exchange rates in some countries -- especially those hit by the Asian economic crisis -- and potential competition from online book sales. "We have to make the product affordable," said Draughon of Thomas Nelson, where international sales of books and rights already make up 12% of the company's business, with further growth expected. One way Nelson brings prices down for foreign markets is with international trade paperback editions of its most popular English-language hardcovers. Released about six months after the U.S. editions, they sell at roughly half the price. "We've had our greatest success with that," said Draughon.

Internet Opportunities

Although the Internet hasn't made a substantial impact yet, most U.S. religion publishers expect it will eventually affect international sales significantly. A certain type of customer appreciates the speed and convenience of ordering U.S. books from Amazon.com, rather than waiting for local stores to stock them, although others might find the cost of shipping prohibitive. "The Internet is going to have a huge impact," predicted Van Duinen of Zondervan. "It's going to revise dramatically how things are purchased." Parsons of Tyndale agreed. "The Internet is a fact of life," he said, and in the future, the sale will go to "wh ver provides the best service to the customer at the best price."

Already, online book sales have all but eliminated the concept of exclusive territorial rights. "The Internet has liquidated exclusivity with English-language products," said Draughon. "We have pretty much done away with exclusive contracts." On the other hand, the technology has made life easier for U.S. publishers pursuing foreign-language rights sales around the globe. "E-mail makes the world close," said Gordon of Baker. "Instead of it taking weeks, you can close a deal in an hour."