An almighty market
God is a big business in the publishing world, as long as writers steer clear of any forbidden territory

Despite early predictions that the religious book market was just a flash-in-the-pan literary phenomenon, the growth of Christian books outpaced the adult trade category in 2004, with sales expected to soar in coming years.

"People kept asking themselves, 'Is this a bubble? A temporary trend?"' said Albert Greco, a consultant with the Book Industry Study Group who has tracked the book business for 20 years. "No, it is a significant trend in the marketplace."

It is a marketplace that will be much discussed as the Christian Booksellers Association holds its International Christian Retail Show today through Thursday at the Colorado Convention Center. The show features training, workshops and exhibitors. It is not open to the public.

In 2004, religious books represented 7 percent of all book sales, with $1.95 billion in net revenues. The book industry overall totaled $26.45 billion in net revenues, according to the Book Industry Study Group. Translated into consumer spending, readers spent $3.7 billion on religious books, a category that includes Christian books. That is an increase of nearly 285 percent from 1983.

Article: http://www.denverpost.com/books/ci_2845659