Posted by admin on Apr 22, 2009 in
Bestsellers,
books 
The #1 Bestseller in Christian Books
Here are the Christian bestsellers for April 2009 according to Publishers Weekly:
The Top 10 Fiction
1. The Shack.
William P. Young. Windblown.
2. Take One.
Karen Kingsbury. Zondervan.
3.Fireproof.
Eric Wilson. Thomas Nelson.
4. A Cousin’s Promise.
Wanda E. Brunstetter. Barbour.
5. Double Minds.
Terri Blackstock. Zondervan.
6. This Side of Heaven.
Karen Kingsbury. Hachette/Center Street.
7. Kiss.
Ted Dekker/Erin Healy. Thomas Nelson.
8. Blink of an Eye.
Ted Dekker. Thomas Nelson.
9. The Centurion’s Wife.
Davis Bunn/Janette Oke. Bethany House.
10. Against All Odds.
Irene Hannon. Revell.
Tags: Bestsellers, books, Christian book, Christian books, Christian writer, Religious books
Posted by admin on Apr 21, 2009 in
Authors,
Marketing,
Resources Christian author Adam Blumer recently held a book launch. It wasn’t at a local coffee shop or bookstore– it was on Facebook. According to his blog, nearly 150 people turned out and here’s what Adam wrote about the event:
Here’s a big thank you to many who attended my online book release party yesterday! I was pleasantly surprised when 147 of you participated and entered the book drawing. You wrote such kind words of encouragement. Thank you! Sorry we ran out of salsa, and my assistant who was supposed to buy more cake ran off with it.
It sounds like Adam and his Facebook visitors had a great time celebrating the release of Meaningful Suspense. So here’s how you can create a book launch party on Facebook:
1. Create a Facebook Page. As long as you already have a Facebook account, you can create a fan page. Put your name or your book’s name in the title so people can easily search for it. Here are some guidelines to follow when setting up a Facebook Fan Page.
2. Pick a Time. You can either set up your book launch like Adam did with a specific date, or you can make it more general. Either way, encourage your fans to visit your page often to stay up-to-date about book signings and events.
3. Promote your Fan Page. Send messages to your Facebook friends and encourage them to become your fan. Ask them to recruit more fans for you. You can also use paid advertising to get the word out about your event.
4. Put a Badge on Your Blog. Facebook makes promoting your fan page easy by creating badges. This will let visitors to your blog know about your Facebook page. You can learn how to create a badge for your Page from the ‘Promotion Guidelines’ link. This can be found under the communications section when you are editing your Page.
5. Host a Giveaway. Encourage visitors to stop by your Facebook Page by holding a giveaway like Adam did. Promote the giveaway on your blog as well.
6. Communicate with Your Fans. As long as you don’t go over 5000 fans, you can easily communicate with the entire group and keep the up-to-date about events and happenings surrounding your book. The update will appear in their Facebook inbox.
Are you planning a Facebook book launch party? Or have you held one in the past? Tell us about it!
Tags: Authors, book launch, book marketing, book promotion, Christian books, Christian writer, Facebook, Marketing, sales, selling books, social media
Posted by admin on Apr 20, 2009 in
Awards,
News,
books,
publishers Small publishers step into the spotlight for the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year awards. The awards are designed to promote small publishers and bring recognition to great Christian books. Check out the 2009 winners.
Want to be considered for this award? Enter now! The deadline is November 15, 2009 for titles published in 2008 or 2009. Christian book readers and retailers will be allowed to vote on the books they love in February and March of 2010.
There are eight categories for the award including Nonfiction Biography, Fiction, Nonfiction General and Children’s. To qualify the publisher must have annual revenues of $350,000 or less. The books must be Christian in nature and published for the Christian marketplace. Here are the full guidelines and here is a nomination form.
Tags: book award, book awards, Christian book, Christian books, Christian publishing, contest, prizes, publisher
Posted by admin on Apr 16, 2009 in
Authors,
Marketing,
books If you’re a first-time author, self-published author or just starting out, you may not have the budget for a website. But it’s easy to see that a website is a very important part of marketing your book and connecting with readers. Thankfully there are several options for free websites for authors. They probably won’t have the professional design and expanded capabilities that a professional web designer could create for you, but it’s a good start!
AuthorTree.com
Your just a few minutes away from a website with AuthorTree.com. The website is very basic and any upgrades require money, but if you need something fast– this could be a good option.
Webs.com
Webs.com offers free websites with lots of features. They provide all the tools necessary for creating a professional site and you don’t have to know any code to make it happen. You can even add a blog, forum, and photo gallery. Webs also gives you the option to create a social network on your site where you can add members and allow them to create personal profiles.
WritersOwnWords.com
WritersOwnWords.com is a site that offers free web pages for authors. Your site can include a blog, image galleries, events section, about the author page and more. Plus, you can update your site as often as you like.
Weebly.com
If you’re looking for a a clean looking site with a blog check out Weebly.com. Wondering just how easy it is? Try the live demo and you can quickly create a sample site.
Tags: author, author website, Authors, book marketing, book promotion, free websites, freebies, Marketing, sales, selling books
Posted by admin on Apr 6, 2009 in
News,
publishers There are two newsworthy stories in Christian Publishing from the past few days. According to World Net Daily, Salem Communications isn’t doing so hot. The company owns a publishing arm and nearly 100 Christian radio stations around the country. Moody’s Investors Service branded Salem a “bottom rung” company because it is operating with $320 million in debt. Salem owns Christian Self-Publisher Xulon Press.
Pray! Magazine Ending
Another Christian publishing company going through difficult times is NavPress. According to KKTV, the company will stop publishing two of its magazines: Pray! and Discipleship Journal. More information is expected to be released today.
Tags: books publishing, Christian book, Christian books, Christian publishing, Economy, NavPress, selling books, Xulon Press
