Christian Booksellers Face Crisis Of Faith
Religious Publishing's Move To the Mainstream Has Invited Mainstream Competition
By Dale Hanson
BourkeReligion News Service
Saturday, July 14, 2007

ATLANTA -- Here at the International Christian Retail Show it is, to borrow a phrase from Charles Dickens, the best of times or the worst of times, depending on whom you ask.

Two years ago organizers stopped calling this expo the Christian Booksellers Convention. Book and Bible publishers are no longer the dominant force. They now share the exhibit floor with a dizzying array of T-shirt manufacturers, greeting card companies and even Christian candymakers.

Book publishers point out that Christian retailers are no longer their primary sales channel. Online sellers such as Amazon.com, and such "big box" stores as Wal-Mart, account for an increasing percentage of their profits -- and their attention. the rest