… and so another trade missive emerges from STL UK in another attempt to lay to rest the rumours of… of what exactly? Whatever the rumours may be, I haven’t heard them. What I do know is that all too often I’m having to place orders elsewhere for items that I’d normally expect to be able to obtain from STL UK.
Credit where it’s due, however, and thanks to those at STL who have gone the extra mile recently to obtain some of those items, and to their customer service team who remain unfailingly polite and helpful.
Please continue to pray for all concerned, for wisdom, grace and whatever other virtues may be called for; and maybe for a friendly millionaire to come along and help them out…
The missive itself:
COMMUNICATION UPDATE
Over the last few days there have been a number of rumours circulating about the current position of IBS-STL UK in regard to its future. This communication is to inform you of the current position.
Over the last few weeks the charity has been in discussion with its bankers and creditors, with a view to determining the best way forward. As with any charity or company going through financial difficulties, we have to be careful with regard to the interests of the creditors, as well as the ongoing work of the charity and ministry, about which we are passionate.
The period of our bank facility has been extended to enable us to carry out further work with appropriate consultants, looking at the various business models that the IBS-STL UK Management Team and Trustees have been considering. When this work has been completed, we will be in a position to decide and communicate on how we see the future.
Until then we are very appreciative of the patience shown and help given by many of our suppliers and ministry partners. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our Retail customers through our distribution operations.
We will keep you informed as and when there is something to add.
Unless you’ve been living in the dark ages, you must have heard of Glo by now: it’s the Bible for a digital age, a dramatic multimedia presentation of the Bible supplied on 3 DVDs which — if it lives up to the hype — promises to change the way we read the Bible for ever.
Already released in the USA by Zondervan, it officially hits UK bookstores courtesy of Hodder Faith on 12th November 2009 at a special introductory price of £49.99, regular price to be £59.99. USA stock apparently sold out within two weeks, and at LST we’ve already pre-sold our initial stock order and reordered: if you plan to stock it and haven’t already placed your orders, now is the time! As I write, the introductory price on single units only seems to be available when placing orders direct with Hodder/Bookpoint: STL UK list it at £59.99, but offer the 4-copy counterpack with LCD screen at £199.96 retail. Demo CDs are also available in packs of 15, free of charge.
From what I’ve seen and the feedback I’ve heard so far from those who attended the launch event at LICC earlier this week, the hype has not been overdone: this looks like a corker of a package that — to those who can afford it — will be well worth the asking price:
All that said, however — and you just knew this was coming — I have my reservations about it, starting with the simple fact that it’s yet another edition of the Bible for those who already have more versions, translations and special editions than they know what to do with, for whom Bibles have become hardly anything more than fashion accessories: the rich continue to get richer whilst the poor continue to struggle and do without; and that, gentle reader, is plain wrong.
Yes, I’m back on my favourite hobby horse: what exactly is going on in the English speaking world — what exactly is wrong with the church, the body of Christ in this part of the world — that makes it invest so much time and energy in producing still more English versions and hi-falutin’ editions of the Bible when there are millions of people who do not yet have the Bible available in their language?
Let’s face it: the ‘digital generation’ being targeted by Glo is not exactly deprived or needy, is it? Anyone with a mouse and a bit of nouse is perfectly capable of doing their own research and discovering most if not all of what they’ll be spoon-fed by Glo.
Then we have the unfortunate fact that it’s based on the NIV, a “demonstrably flawed translation” (Tom Wright) that really ought to be consigned to history, not recycled electronically. A longer quote:
When the New International Version was published in 1980 [sic], I was one of those who hailed it with delight. I believed its own claim about itself, that it was determined to translate exactly what was there, and inject no extra paraphrasing or interpretative glosses. [...] Disillusion set in over the next two years, as I lectured verse by verse through several of Paul’s letters, not least Galatians and Romans. Again and again, with the Greek text in front of me and the NIV beside it, I discovered that the translators had had another principle, considerably higher than the stated one: to make sure that Paul should say what the broadly Protestant and evangelical tradition said he said. [...] if a church only, or mainly, relies on the NIV it will, quite simply, never understand what Paul was talking about. [...] those blown along by this wind may well come to forget that they are reading a visibly and demonstrably flawed translation…
Glo is undoubtedly an excellent resource and I do not doubt the good intentions of those who have invested so much money, time and effort in developing it. But I do think that all of that money, time and effort would have been far better spent in working with an organisation such as Wycliffe, in helping them towards their Vision 2025.
As Coldplay sing so evocatively, we live in a beautiful world: all of us are done for … because we also live in a profoundly unjust world, and we as the church — including Bible publishers — should surely be working to counter that injustice, not propagate it by widening the rift between the haves and the have-nots. It seems more than a tad ironic that the very Scriptures that frequently cry out so powerfully on behalf of the poor have now become yet another rich person’s plaything; and as for me, stocking and selling it: the word ‘hypocrite’ comes to mind…
After only two years of trading, the Kevin Mayhew online initiative Anglicanshop.com is now closing down with a half-price sale in a bid to clear all remaining stock.
In an email announcement sent out to customers and Anglican clergy this afternoon, Abbie Goldberg, the shop’s manager, writes:
It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Anglicanshop.com.
We have compiled all currently held stock into our sale categories and are offering a clearance sale discount of 50% off the marked product price while stocks last – just add the product to your basket to see the savings deducted.
We thank you for all your support and custom over the 2 years we have been open. If you have any queries please contact our friendly sales team on 01449 737978.
Best wishes.
Abbie Goldberg
Manager of Anglicanshop.com
Somewhat ironically, this announcement comes on the same day as The Bookseller reports on Amazon “fighting off the recessionary blues” with profits swelling by 68% and international sales up by 33%.
Whereas Anglicanshop.com sought to specialise in a niche marketplace, Amazon have continued to diversify, offering an ever increasing product range with books barely even featured on their front page. Is this what we as Christian booksellers also need to do, not simply to survive but to serve our customers to the best of our ability?
It has been brought to my attention that some shops’ opening times — in particular, those of some CLC Bookshops — in the Directory are incorrect. Those that I have been told about will be updated as soon as possible, but in the meantime, my sincere apologies to anyone inconvenienced by this.
Please remember, however, that this is a purely voluntary project, one of several that I am involved with, and with more than 600 Christian bookshops and retailers listed, it isn’t always possible to update things as rapidly as everyone would like. In the ideal world, I’d update everything instantly; in the real world, dependent upon other commitments, it can take anything from 24 hours to several weeks.
If you’re a retailer, please take this opportunity to check your entry’s accuracy andlet me know if any changes are needed; if you’re a prospective customer, please remember that it’s always wise to check directly with the shop concerned before you visit: even when the opening times given are correct, it’s possible that the shop may be short staffed or temporarily closed for some other reason…
Looking for work in Christian publishing? Then perhaps this could be the opportunity for you: a vacancy in the marketing department at Darton, Longman & Todd, publishers of — amongst many others — Paul Kercal‘s excellent and innovative book for teenagers, Messenger.
We’re looking for for a creative, ethusiastic first or second jobber with a real interest in marketing religious books who wants to break into publishing. Although it’s a marketing role, the successful candidate will get plenty of experience in all departments.
DLT is owned and run by the staff so anyone who works here soon learns about all aspects of publishing. And we’re a fun, friendly bunch to work with. The job is being advertised in The Guardian on Monday 12th and Saturday 17th October. Deadline for applications is 27th October. Interviews 5th November. Applicants should apply with a CV and covering letter to: Aude Pasquier audep AT darton-longman-todd.co.uk
Experience with Quark/InDesign would be an advantage…
This time last year Eden.co.uk threw down a gauntlet to the rest of the Christian book trade by claiming that their customers were more interested in range, availability and convenience than price. Their latest marketing ploy seems to mark something of a U-turn in attitude: a £15,000 gift voucher giveaway to church leaders to “encourage [their congregations] to read and/or share more Christian literature, music or resources.”
In a message sent to selected customers, Gareth Mullholland writes:
As a customer of Eden.co.uk Christian Bookshop I wondered whether you would like to receive a pack of £3 Gift Vouchers to give out to your congregation at [name of church]?
We have 5,000 x £3 gift vouchers to give away and would be happy to send you a few packs if you think it would encourage your congregation to read and/or share more Christian literature, music or resources.
If so, please reply to let me know:
how many voucher you would like (packs of 50)
a delivery address for the voucher packs
With kind regards,
Gareth Mulholland
It’s a great idea that could certainly generate significant sales for Eden, but will do little to help generate footfall in local Christian bookshops — unless we rise to the challenge as I have done at LST: We will accept Eden’s £3 Gift Vouchers. Ultimately it’s our call: do we allow Eden to dominate the market or do we seize the day? Any other suggestions out there?
I just feel that this whole issue raises a number of rather awkward underlying questions. What, in principle, is the difference between the rapid growth of eden.co.uk and the growth of a firm such as Wal-mart in the US, which is well documented as being destructive of local community and putting local stores out of business as soon as it puts up a new concrete block? Undoubtedly, at the end of the day, the rise of internet suppliers has caused bookshops to improve or die, to become leaner and fitter, to be shaken out of our complacency and so on, which is no bad thing. But the closure of a local bookshop always represents some kind of loss to the local community, which will become poorer as a result. And what is eden.co.uk giving back into those local communities? Range, availability and convenience? That’s great if all you want to define yourself as is a consumer, but if you prefer to be a relational being made in the image of God, it seems to me that local community becomes rather more important.
The logical (and I mean logical, in market terms) conclusion of the inexorable advance of eden.co.uk is presumably to close down all other competitors and dominate the market entirely. But having said all this, eden.co.uk is a Christian company, undergirded by Christian values. So, eden.co.uk, what is your plan to replace these losses to the Christian community? What is your commitment to local incarnational presence? What is your message to the elderly ladies on low incomes who like to buy their Christmas cards from their local Christian bookshops?
Are these real questions that need answers, or should we just bow to the market and await the inevitable?
RT @notbovvered: Storehouse, Watford's Christian Bookshop, is looking for a new manager: details on the Christian Gateway Watford... htt ... 2 days ago
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