Few Christians would deny the importance of reading Christian books. They can help us grow in knowledge, strengthen our faith and broaden our perspective. However, not everything released is edifying.
Your.Sydneyanglicans.net has spoken to Christian book publishers and sellers to find out what Christians are reading now, what concerns them and what reading trends we are likely to see in 2008.
To find out what Christians were reading in 2007 and what the trends are likely to be for Christian books in 2008, Your.Sydneyanglicans.net spoke to two Christian book publishers and three Christian booksellers.
Why Christians read: The publisher’s perspective
In asking book publishers what they believe the purpose of Christian books to be, there was some variance in response.
Matthias Media's Publishing Director Tony Payne, who has been in the role for 20 years, describes Matthias Media as "Reformed-Evangelical'. He says gospel growth is a priority over book publishing for the Sydney-based company, which also publishes monthly magazine The Briefing.-
"We’ve never been in operation for publishing books. Our mission has always been to produce resources that support, promote and facilitate gospel growth," Mr Payne says.
"With only a few exceptions, the books we choose to publish are those which will be directly useful in ministry."
A newer Christian publisher is Sydney-based Ark House Press, a division of Media Inc who also publish Alive Magazine. Title manager at Ark House Press for almost a year now, Renee Satchell says the three-year-old publisher aims to be "a non-denominational company who provides Christians with relevant resources'.
"We also aim to have all our books distributed throughout secular bookstores. We want to equip Christians and take the good news to non-believers through different avenues," Miss Satchell says.
Why Christians read: The seller’s perspective
In asking booksellers what they thought the purpose of Christian books was, there was general uniformity in opinion.
Moore Books store manager Adam Tierney, who has worked at the store for nine-and-a-half years says Christian books have great value for Christians.
"Christian books help equip and inspire Christians to think and to serve. They can help Christians clarify certain points or bring clarity to a certain issue and to grow and understand their faith."
Paula Boardman, who has been the store manager at Word Bookstore in Sydney's CBD for two years says reading Christian books, especially those relating to faith and personal growth as Christians, "can be extremely powerful tools that we can use in shaping our lives'.
"We can be mentored by people that we'll most probably never meet. Books can open up worlds to us that we never knew existed and they can show you life from a completely different perspective," she says.
What Christians want: The seller's perspective
Julianne Giovanelli, the general books buyer at Koorong, has been a part of the organisation for 22 years and says the books that sell best at Koorong are practical books on Christian living, biographies, devotionals and fiction.
"Christians can gain from the experience of other Christians. I’m sure that’s why we sell so many biographies."
Mrs Giovanelli believes sales of Christian fiction are continuing to grow quickly as Christians turn away from the violent or immoral themes on offer in general bookstores.
Other popular themes include books about the end times and Zionism, books by charismatic authors who have toured Australia and titles explaining the differences between Christianity and Islam.
Given the clientele of Moore Books " typically College students and clergy " it is unsurprising that what is classed as reformed Biblical theology sells best.
Mr Tierney says Moore students primarily buy books essential for their studies but occasionally make purchases that follow popular trends.
"The students buy the textbooks that they need for their courses but what sells well does depend on if there's a current theological debate on topics such as NT Wright, Da Vinci Code, Philip Pullman and so on," he says.
"Our range tends to be geared towards the "thinking Christian'."
While all 17 Word Bookstores across Australia carry the same product lines, Miss Boardman says she has the flexibility to adapt product to better serve the customers local to our stores.
"For example, our two Sydney stores are now carrying a comprehensive range of titles from Matthias Media and Aquila press, as these are very popular in Sydney," she says.
Authors consistently popular at all three stores were Sydney Anglican John Dickson and Narnia author CS Lewis. The chains Koorong and Word agreed that Phillip Yancey, Joyce Meyer, and Rick Warren were authors that readers keep coming back for.
What Christians want: The publisher's perspective
The best-selling books for Matthias Media in 2007 were John Chapman’s evangelistic book for seniors, Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life and Ray Galea’s Nothing In My Hand I Bring which details the differences between Protestant and Roman Catholic beliefs.
Mr Payne says the current trends in popular books are towards "shorter, snappier books that get down to business' faster and are "readily useful in ministry'.
"Both Chappo’s and Ray Galea’s books were relatively short, written in a warm, clear, straightforward way, addressing important questions that go straight to the heart of the gospel," he says.
"They were books that people bought and read and then gave away in quantity to friends and family."
Ark House's best selling titles to date have been Daniel's Diet and Daniel’s Diet Lifestyle. Top-selling titles in 2007 were My Seventh Monsoon and Win in Business by Peter Irvine, co-founder of Gloria Jean's Coffees.
Miss Satchel says self-help books are currently doing the best in the Christian market.
"People want books that help them deal with certain situations that they may face in life whether it be dealing with certain addictions or deepening your relationship with Christ," she says.
The challenge to stay faithful
Christian bookselling in Australia is a "fragile industry' according to Mr Tierney.
"As more and more smaller shops disappear, the larger players will more and more set the agenda," he says.
"Diversity is difficult to maintain when the market is controlled by one or two large players. This makes it essential that we support smaller local bookshops."
However, Mr Tierney says he doesn't have to wrestle with what is appropriate to sell.
"We're always being asked to keep new age, flaky spirituality and things that fall outside what we believe the Diocese would consider appropriate. I'm fairly clear-cut in knowing what I want to sell in the store," he says.
On a larger scale, Mr Payne believes the economics of publishing and the changing reading habits of the Christian public are having detrimental effects on what is published worldwide.
"It's been pushing most Christian publishers away from solid, Bible-centred, ministry-promoting books and towards bland, compromised, problem-solving books that can be produced easily and sold in quantity," Mr Payne says.
"From what I’ve seen, I don’t see that trend abating. That’s not to say, of course, that there aren’t good books published each year. It’s just that you wade through a lot of dross to find the gold."
What publishers produce
As the head of Matthias Media's book publishing, Mr Payne says book publishing comes second to providing useful ministry resources.
Matthias Media publishes around 20 new resources each year, of which four or five are books.
"We spend quite a lot of time working out what ministry resources are most needed and most viable for us to publish, then figure out ways to get them done either by writing them in-house or by commissioning others to do the writing," My Payne explains.
In 2007, Ark House published 16 new book titles.
In deciding what to publish, Miss Satchell says she looks for content, first and foremost.
"We try to look for relative content that is biblically correct, inspiring, encouraging and a tool that can be used for personal, business or ministry growth," she says.
"We also look for authors who are willing to get out there and promote themselves and their books."
My Payne says there are four questions Matthias Media asks of any potential new book: Is it biblically faithful? Is it well written? Will it facilitate or support gospel ministry? Is publishing it likely to be economically viable?
"That last question is not always decisive, but the first three are," he says.
Ark House increasingly branched into publishing fiction in 2007.
"We had previously published two fiction titles but since have added a further four fiction titles to our catalogue," Miss Satchell says.
Of the more than 200 resources Matthias Media currently have in print Mr Payne says only Islam In Our Backyard, which he authored and Kel Richards’s Gumtree Gully have any fictional elements.
"This is not because we are theologically opposed to fiction! It’s just that the relatively small number of fiction manuscripts we receive don’t tend to pass the four questions I mentioned above," Mr Payne explains.
What writers write
Mr Payne estimates Matthias Media receives at least one unsolicited manuscript submission a week on average.
"It's increasing and that probably says something about the state of Christian publishing in Australia, that is, there aren’t many other avenues," he says.
Ark House receives up to four manuscripts a week, with autobiographies being the most common.
"I have noticed that more people want to tell their life stories. In the past manuscripts were often written by people educated in a specific area, but now people’s experience is their education," Miss Satchell says.
Future trends: The seller's perspective
Mrs Giovanelli believes the trend in Christian books is moving beyond focusing on oneself to looking at the bigger picture.
"I think the books published reflect contemporary society and the problems Christians face living in today’s world. Christians want to equip themselves to live in this society and have a world view based on Christian principles," she says.
"There are a lot of new books being published concerning the environment and social justice. Interest seems to be moving away from self-help to what we can do as Christians to help solve these global problems."
Miss Boardman agrees that titles being purchased often reflect what's currently going on in the world.
"With the current unrest in the Middle East, people are now becoming interested in seeing how this fits in to the Bible and possible repercussions this may cause," she says.
However, Mrs Giovanelli says every publisher still presents a new book on marriage every three or four months.
"There is also more Christian fiction being published than we could possibly find room for."
Miss Boardman says Christian living titles that teach and encourage are still very popular, as are books focusing on relationships.
Future trends: The publisher's perspective
In 2008 and beyond, Miss Satchell believes there will be an increase in the volume and popularity of testimony and biography-based books.
"Christians always want to hear how God has done the impossible through people," Miss Satchell says.
"I believe that personal testimony is a far greater witnessing tool than we give credit. I think they are powerful and everyone loves to read a real life story of triumph."
Books coming from Ark Hose this year include a ‘History Makers' series which will include interviews with famous Christians. There will be a business book collaboration between Peter Irvine and Tony Gattari. There is also a book about self-harm planned.
"We believe will be a powerful tool for youth leaders, parents and people caught in self-harming," Miss Satchell says.
In 2008 Mr Payne says Matthias Media will push the title Nothing In My Hand I Bring and Peter Bolt's new book Living With The Underworld.
"Nothing In My Hand I Bring will continue to be a focus during 2008, given the attention that World Youth Day will bring to the issue. We also have high hopes for Peter Bolt’s new book which deals with our questions about Satan and demons and spiritual evil in a refreshing and encouraging way."
