The buzzword was "bilingual" at the ninth annual Expolit 2001 in Miami, May 17—22, which attracted retailers, vendors, distributors and the general public to displays on Christian books, Bibles and music products geared toward the Hispanic market. The show, held at the Radisson Mart Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, attracted about 7,407 people, according to Marie Tamayo, program director for Expolit. Attendees came from around the globe, including Central and South America, Canada and Spain. More than 400 booksellers participated in the convention.
"We're definitely challenged by the growth," said Larry A. Downs, v-p of sales and marketing at Editorial Unilit, whose president, David Ecklebarger, is also president of Expolit. Editorial Unilit, based in Miami, co-sponsors the show with the Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association. Sales were brisk for several vendors who spoke with PW. "We sold more in the first two days of Expolit than the entire CBA Expo," said Victor Cruz, sales and marketing director for Hensley Publishing.
It was the first Expolit for Jim Seybert, v-p of business development for the Parable Group, a 300-member marketing organization for evangelical Christian booksellers, and Seybert said the show was a valuable experience. "My primary reason for attending was to meet people who are active in the Spanish products arena and begin to establish relationships with them toward the objective of better serving the Hispanic American and Latin American market," Seybert said. "I can say that I achieved my goals beyond my wildest imagination."
Relationship building was also important to publishers. "[Doing business] is not a matter of a phone call or an e-mail; you've got to meet people, sit down with them and have café con leche," Cruz said. Verne Kenney, v-p of national accounts for Zondervan and liaison for Vida, Zondervan's Spanish division, agreed. "This is a culture with a high degree of value for relationships," Kenney noted, adding that he met with customers from Chile, Argentina, Panama, Mexico and other countries in Latin America. "Meeting these customers face to face is very important."
Being bilingual was also a plus. "If you want to reach the Latin Christian community, you have to know English and Spanish," Cruz said. Many of the Latin retailers purchased English-language as well as Spanish-language products for their stores, Cruz noted.
The trends emerging in the Hispanic market include interest in youth-oriented books, home-schooling materials, bilingual Bibles and theological and seminary-oriented titles, according to Rick Mendoza, national sales manager for Nueva Vida distributors. The Spanish market is "desperate" for solid biblical material, noted Cathy Stepanovich, supervisor of sales and marketing for Editorial Portavoz, a division of Kregel Publications. Kregel is exploring options for the future of Editorial Portavoz, including its sale. "We are talking to some interested parties and looking for a like-minded buyer that will embrace the mission of Portavoz and help to bring Portavoz to the next level," said Jerry Kregel, v-p of operations.
Novels and gift books, which have been largely ignored by Latin Christians in the past, were in demand this year. Two megaselling Christian titles—one fiction, one nonfiction—were seen as particularly successful: Dejado Atrás (Left Behind) has sold more than 300,000 copies in 28 countries, and La Oración Jabes (The Prayer of Jabez) has more than 290,000 copies in print in the first three months of publication.
Because of difficulties many Central Americans have in attending Expolit, Downs said convention organizers plan to add their first regional conference, Expolit Latin America, in San Salvador, El Salvador, September 18—21, 2002. Downs said 50% of Central Americans are refused visas to come to Miami, and the costs of transportation and lodging are often prohibitive. "We want to show booksellers in Central America that we're supportive of them," Downs said. He told PW that he expects about 500 to 700 people to attend the first Expolit Latin America.
