The holiday shopping season is in full swing with Christmas-themed and inspirational gift books taking up the top 10 slots on PW’s Religion Nonfiction Bestsellers chart for November. Bob Goff— whose Love Does has sold nearly one million copies across all formats, according to Thomas Nelson—takes #2 with his newly released Live in Grace, Walk in Love. In addition to a sweepstakes promotion, marketing and publicity for the year-long devotional included digital advertising and social media promotions, a launch team, and pre-order offers featuring a free 12-month downloadable study guide and more.
Additional devotionals also charted, including Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling at #3 as well as her Jesus Calling for Christmas at #8, while Max Lucado came in at #6 with Because of Bethlehem. The book presents modern Christmas traditions along with the biblical account of Christ’s birth in what Lucado called a contribution toward soothing the nation’s spirit during an interview with PW. "Nothing calms the spirit like the message of Christmas, and I think our country needs to be calmed,” he said.
Finally, Take the Day Off by Robert Morris takes #10 in Religion Nonfiction following digital and print advertising on Pastoral Resources, Charisma Media, and YouTube as well as a five-city book tour at major churches. The book argues for the importance of the Sabbath and why, as one of the Ten Commandments, rest should be prioritized.
In Religion Fiction, Francine Rivers takes three spots. Redeeming Love (WaterBrook), first published in 1991, was #4, while The Masterpiece (Tyndale, 2018) lands at #7, followed by A Lineage of Grace (Tyndale, 2002) at #10. Karen Watson, publisher of Tyndale Fiction, tells PW that Rivers has strong backlist sales that are heightened by the release of each of her new books, including new editions. “Lineage of Grace continues as one of her most evergreen backlist titles,” Watson says. “The hardcover edition has renewed interest in the novella collection and is a great fourth quarter gift item.”
