Not long ago I was talking with a friend who described the impact that reading The Shack had had on his life. I have been thinking about this and the amazing response the public has had to this fiction book. How is it that this self-published work could have such a profound impact on the Christian book market? Here is a review of The Shack you might want to take a look at. Also Christianity Today has a very good article on the book. The Shack is controversial. People are divided in their opinion about it. Some scratch their heads and wonder why anyone would take the time to read such a book. Others have bought multiple copies to give to their friends and family! So help me with this: What makes this book so unique? Why are so many captivated by it? What does this tell us about Christian fiction and its future in the publishing world? I have more questions on this topic than I seem to have answers. Help!

The ECPA 2008 bestseller list features a very interesting collection of books. Studying this list can be very helpful in understanding the reading preferences of those individuals who purchase Christian books in Christian retail stores. But what I want to discuss for a moment is what is missing from this bestseller list. I am not criticizing anyone or other publishers for their work--I just think it is important to pause and reflect on the kind of resources that didn't make the list. The 2008 top ten does not include any spiritual biographies of significant leaders from the Christian world. Nor do we find any books that focus on Christianity and cultural issues, such as social injustice, poverty, and other important issues related to living in our world. What is also significant is that only one of the top ten is a devotional guide to the study of the scriptures. So do these books replace Bible study or enhance it? These are some of my thoughts. What do you think is missing from the top ten list?

In this post I want to discuss the reading preferences of those people who buy Christian books at Christian retail stores by looking at the ECPA top ten bestseller list. The question I want to answer is . . . What does the ECPA top ten bestseller list tell us about those who bought books in Christian retail stores? This ECPA list consists of 10 books representing several distinct categories, including marriage, fiction, Bible characters, parenting, general devotionals, women, men, and prophecy. Of the titles on the list, six are 2008 releases, two are from 2004, one is from 2007, and one is from 2006. Two of the books deal with marriage, one title focuses on women's issues while another discusses men's issues. One book is a devotional, another deals with biblical characters, and one book looks at biblical prophecy and the end times. After studying this list, the biggest takeaway for me is that readers bought these Christian books based on personal needs and interests. This certainly isn't the only way to interpret why these books made it onto the bestseller list, but it is what stood out to me. What do you think? Do you see anything else that I am missing?

As we begin 2009, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the top 10 ECPA best sellers for 2008 in light of the following questions:

• What does this top 10 list tell us about the reading preferences of those who buy Christian books?

• What subject categories are not included in this list?

• Do these books represent what the body of Christ wants to share with the world?

Over the next few blog posts, I want to look at each question in detail. I'd like your insights and reactions as well. So let me know your thoughts as we start this new year in publishing.

Since we have been trying to think out of the box and how the idea of Freemium can help us reach new audiences with the messages of NavPress, we have decided to launch a bloggers review program. In the bloggers review program, we will give away copies of NavPress books that cover a variety of topics and ask people to blog about the book in return. This is a way for us to get our books in the hands of people who will talk about them and pass along their feedback. We have selected a few books that have recently released in order to get this program going. As this program continues, we will be adding new titles. Some of the books we choose will be fiction, but many of them will be titles that are specific to needs that our customers struggle with, such as finances or spiritual growth. Sometimes we will ask our reviewers to try out our Bible studies or give us feedback on new ideas using The Message Bible. In the upcoming months, we are looking forward to seeing how this program expands. And here are the first few titles we are offering to those who are interested: To sign up just click here. Money, Purpose, Joy by Matt Bell The Summer the Wind Whispered My Name by Don Locke How Can a Good God Let Bad Things Happen? by Mark Tabb Coffeehouse Theology by Ed Cyzewski If this is something you are interested in participating in, please visit our website for more information.

Life is a story. If we take the time, all of us can connect our experiences into a set of short stories. These life stories can range from the height of happiness to the depth of despair. There is something about our individual story that helps others understand who we are and why we act as we do. Jonathan Harris has developed the website we feel fine.org. Since 2005 he has been capturing the written feelings of bloggers from the web. Over the past few years he has captured millions of feelings, averaging 15,000-20,000 a day. These are all illustrated in several formats on the website. As I viewed the site it was clear that our world is multi-emotional, filled with stories of triumph and tragedy. As a follower of Jesus I am reminded of the importance again of life stories. I hope you will not be offended by what you read or see. It is real, raw life experience! These are life stories. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAvNlh2Z0GI]

It's time to get out of the book publishing box! I recently came on a fascinating blog post asking a very good question. What if the book publishing industry folded tomorrow? Can you imagine a world with without books, bookstores? How would our world be different? Would it even make a difference? We have all read the concerns about publishing.... The retail model is undergoing change so quickly that it is hard for publishers to know what is happening as well as retailers! The importance of the book which has been a staple for multiple generations is suffering from other technologies. The list goes on and on... Christian publishing has a responsibility to distribute spiritual messages. Regardless of the forms through which the information is transmitted. I am optimistic. Publisher's are starting to wake up and get out of the book box!  Days of opportunity are ahead for those who take advantage of these times! What do you think?

Over the past three years, University of California at Irvine researchers have interviewed more than 800 youth and young adults and conducted more than 5,000 hours of online observations as part of an extensive U.S study concerning youth media use. Several interesting findings have emerged from the research: 1. The digital world is creating new opportunities for youth to grapple with social norms. Web destinations such as Facebook and MySpace are a big part of this trend. 2. The digital world is providing youth the chance to explore interests. 3. The digital world is a place to develop technical skills. 4. The digital world allows youth a place for new forms of self-expression. I would encourage you to go to the site and download the research information; it is helpful to any organization or group working with young people. The research also raises some questions about the incredible impact of the digital world on learning among millennials.

Here is my latest question: Is it cool again to read as a teenager or is it a passing fad? The success of Twilight and earlier the Harry Potter series has raised the issue among some who study reading trends. Is there a rise and return to reading among the younger crowd? A new Swedish publisher, Bombadli, has connected youth authors with youth readers, providing a linkage for the two groups to share and collaborate on the development of new stories to the market. This publisher believes that "young people read more than ever and want to have a greater say in and influence over what they read." They have created a new genre of material they call "fairasy," which is a combination of fairy tales and fantasy in a new story form. The publisher believes that this connection between authors and readers will increase reading and writing for a new generation. Do you agree? Considering the amazing successes of Twilight and Harry Potter, are these books appealing to a niched group or is there a change in reading habits among the young?

In 2007 some friends were talking about how to give ancient texts, like the Bible a new read from secular and contemporary people. As they talked they believed that the Bible would be better understood if it were "illuminated," or I might add, "illustrated." The team, led by Dag Soderberg, first published an innovative and unique new Bible version called “The Illuminated Bible: The Book” in two volumes, New Testament and Old Testament, in Sweden during spring and fall of 2007 respectively. Remarkably, the new Illuminated Bible reached unprecedented sales in Sweden. Illuminated World increased the market for Bibles by almost 50 percent without affecting normal Bible sales. Does the use of editorially selected images detract or enhance the understanding of the Bible? When you add images to the text of the Bible, are you adding to the Bible in ways that God never intended? Does the Bible need to be illuminated? What are your thoughts?