Good News from a Trade Show

That was the heading of yesterday's email from PW Daily, a daily digested version of Publishers Weekly.

What? Good news? In publishing?

I'll admit that as I (Sandra, here) prepared for and traveled to ICRS this year, I was hoping for a more upbeat experience than last year's episode of gloom and doom.  Not expecting, necessarily, but hoping.

I was relieved to find that my optimism was rewarded. Attendance on the floor seemed up from last year despite a report from PW of a 20% drop in attendance from 2008. Maybe it was because there were fewer exhibitors. Or maybe it was because the overall exhibit space was smaller. But, it at least gave the impression of increased activity and attendance. And at events such as this, impressions matter.

I recall a dismal scene from the show floor last year when I rounded a corner and saw one of CBA's most noted authors sitting at his signing table ... doodling.  I happened upon this scene at time when I was wandering the floor, seriously praying about the future of CBA, and wondering what had compelled me to enter the industry just as a tsunami was threatening to hit.

A good sign this year, though, was that signings seemed steady and well attended. There were lots of lines, a few even snaking around the aisle-ways. One of my authors was there at the invitation of her publisher and they had to pull books from the shelves to meet demand. One house intentionally held four signings at one time; one on each corner of their booth - an example of the kind of new thinking which probably helped in giving the show a more upbeat and positive feeling.

Most industry professionals I talked with sounded authentically hopeful about the show's survival - even in spite of lower retail customers in attendance. The handful of sales people I spoke with reported they were taking modest but steady orders. Lean times call for modest expectations, and I think, for the most part, this is how publishers approached the show. They sent fewer staff, kept their expenses down, brought less product with them in the first place.

As far as meetings with editors (always my favorite part of any industry event) most expressed that publishing spots are still fewer and pushed out, and that decisions are still taking longer to make with far more deliberation than ever before. But, a majority of the folks I met with said they are actively looking for fresh approaches to perennial topics and strong voices in fiction to lead the way by taking our message of hope and invitation into the general readership.

This is strictly from my gut (and I've not had breakfast yet at the time of writing this, so consider yourselves warned) but I think the tide of CBA is shifting away from being dominated by the Bible Belt sentiment of what's acceptable material for Christians and what's not.  (Please read carefully that I said Bible Belt, not Bible!)

This was perhaps forecasted by my agreement with a June 4th Newsweek article by Lisa Miller in which she noted "evangelical Christians are less willing to identify themselves as a coherent group embodying one set of values."

If that's the way the tide is turning, I'm glad I dived in. Hooray and Hallelujah! Change is coming and I, for one, think embracing it instead of fighting it always brings good news!

Comments

[Jenny B. Jones]

Very encouraging news! Glad you didn't come away from ICRS wanting to step in front of oncoming traffic or anything. ; ) Thanks for the great info, Sandra!!!

[Sharon A Lavy]

It is always nice to hear good news of the industry. Nice is a wimpy word, but didn't want to use good twice in the same sentence. =)

[Carla Stewart]

So glad for the affirmation about the CBA in general and you in particular.
A couple of my friends from a church-based book store attended and thought this year's show was much improved--good deals for store managers and more interaction w/ authors and vendors. Hopefully it's a "new" win-win for everyone.
Thanks so much, Sandra, for encouraging news today.

[N. J. Lindquist]

Encouraging post, Sandra. Esp. the last part. :)

N. J.

[Robin Archibald]

Hooray and hallelujah indeed. Though I’m firmly Christian and a fiction writer, the “Bible belt sentiment/one set of values” criteria for Christian publishing has given me the heebie-jeebies--so much so that I’ve doubted I could write for the Christian market. Thanks, Sandra, for your words forecasting a change. The term “redemptive literature” was used at a writers’ conference I attended last summer, and I thrilled to hear it.

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[Heather]

I'm excited to see the interest in publishing work for the general public. My ideal for CBA would be to create works not just for Christians (although not abandon this either) but to be a presence in the world. To put it another way: I'd love to see CBA as a Christian patron (of sorts) of art for the world.

[Lynn Rush]

Thanks for this post. Glad to hear about your hopeful outlook. Bummer about the attendance being down, but your positive attitude is refreshing.

[Jennifer Griffith]

That's for sharing such optimism at this time!!! Much needed.

[Sandra Bishop]

Thanks for your comments, all. I'm especially glad to know our information has been evaluated by ipsupermarket. Wonder if they sell spam there?

Hey, that gives me an idea. Spam for Jesus! Someone could package and sell it at ICRS next year. Plus, it'd be a huge hit in Hawaii...

Sorry.

Seriously, I'm happy to have shared some positive news. Call me an optimist if you must, but I think we're all going to be okay.

[Courtney Walsh]

Oh, I hope you're right about the tides turning that way. I would love to see a little more realism in Christian fiction. I've been reading secular novels the past few weeks and really see an authenticity there that lots of Christian novels lack. Don't get me wrong, I am not looking for swear words or anything too graphic but we're all human... and we all mess up. It's those imperfections that make us interesting and flawed and in need of a Savior.

Very interesting post, Sandra! Thanks for sharing!