Monthly Archives: September 2011

HMV gets @worshipcentral’s Spirit Break Out – at £7.99

Posted on September 27, 2011 by | 109 Comments

Update, 29/09/2011
“Somehow we have to deal with this or we will be torn apart by it” - Eddie Olliffe reflects on the current situation: Book Trade – Pricing policy, discounts and the deepening sense of unease

THE SCREENSHOT BELOW shows Kingsway’s announcement telling everyone on their mailing lists to “check out your local HMV” for Worship Central’s Spirit Break Out, where people will be getting “a dose of God-soaked, Spirit-powered, Jesus-centered live worship” — and that’s what it’s all about, right?

“All about Jesus”, in the words of Tim Hughes.

Kingsway Announcement: HMV Gets Spirit Break Out

Kingsway Announcement: HMV Gets Spirit Break Out

I’d love to echo Kingsway’s enthusiasm, I really would. But what I see isn’t so much an opportunity as a missed opportunity — because the truth is that HMV don’t get Spirit Break Out: HMV don’t get it at all. To HMV, it’s just another money-spinner, another chance to rake in the £££s and set their tills ringing, just like iTunes.

And the people who do get it, the people who genuinely understand what it’s all about? The people for whom it really is all about Jesus, namely Christian retailers? They’re left out in the cold with a standard trade discount from Kingsway of 35% 33%* against Kingsway’s £12.99 RRP (apart from a few who may have secured more favourable terms through advance orders). That’s a retailer buy-in price of £8.44 £8.70*, which compares to the real market pricing as follows:

I ask quite simply: how can this in any sense be fair? Yes, it’s great that at least one bricks & mortar retailer can match the iTunes/Amazon price… but imagine how much better it could be: imagine not only the impact upon the UK’s struggling Christian retailers but also the outreach potential if Kingsway dropped the artificial RRP and used their own selling price as the starting point — then went a step further and declared that they’re making the album available to retail at £7.99 across the board!

Imagine a Christian publisher operating their business on a level-playing-field basis!

How about it, Kingsway? Is it all about Jesus? Or is it really all about the price?

And last but not least: I know since last year’s discussions you’re no longer comparing your actual selling prices with your own RRPs publicly on your website, and that’s great: thank you. But you are still doing so behind the scenes in your direct mailings. I’m sure that’s just an oversight, and no doubt now that you’re aware of the matter you’ll straighten things out in your one-to-one dealings too, so thanks again.


* Updated 28/09/2011 following Melanie’s comment - thanks Melanie!

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So you want to be published? First, you need to be able to write: Ali Hull explains how not to be rejected…

Posted on September 14, 2011 by | 6 Comments
Ali Hull

Ali Hull

IF YOU’VE BEEN in the Christian book trade for any length of time, odds are you’ve heard of Ali Hull; you may even know her. But if not, that’s not surprising: she’s one of those remarkable people who work away in the background, helping authors turn their ideas into books, one of the unsung heroes without whom the book trade as we know it today simply wouldn’t exist.

Ali is a Commissioning Editor who has been commissioning books since 1999, and is currently working for Lion Hudson. She has edited over one hundred titles, and worked with most of the leading UK Christian authors, including Jeff Lucas, Nick Page and Adrian Plass. She has also been running (and speaking on) writers’ courses since 2003 and is an active member of the ACW (Association of Christian Writers) facebook group. In this post she explains to would-be authors…

How not to be rejected

One of my favourite jobs, as a Commissioning Editor, is going through the slush pile. There are two reasons for this – the first is the hope of striking gold, in the form of an excellent manuscript or idea: well presented, clearly written, properly thought through, and ideal for our market.

A girl can dream …

And the other reason? Sheer amusement.

I have a file on my laptop labelled ‘Insane proposals’. And while it is not full, it should be, and would be, if more of these arrived by email, rather than by post.

Most of those that do come by post come without that simplest of accompaniment – the SAE. Our website specifies that we need one, and won’t respond without one: people do not send them. Having ignored the guidelines – and most publishers do put these onto their websites – what else do writers do that ensures their work hits the bin in a matter of seconds?

They don’t look at what we publish: they don’t look at what anyone publishes. They send novels that are 200,000 words long. They send the Bible, in rhyming couplets. They send short stories. None of these fit our list.

No matter how often you tell me, I do not believe that God dictated your book to you.

Their writing is poor. Their stories have no shape (I don’t deal with fiction, but see memoir and autobiography – and this needs to be as well structured as a good novel). Their characters are two-dimensional at best: their dialogue lacks credibility. Most of us hate being bored, but we are quick to bore others. Their descriptions rely heavily on adjectives and adverbs; they don’t know when to show, when to tell, or what I mean by showing not telling. They wouldn’t go near a GP who hadn’t studied, yet want to let their writing loose on the world without ever having thought about honing their writing skills. They don’t understand how language works. They often don’t want to write – they want to be published. You have to love writing for its own sake.

They have no idea why their books should be picked up and bought, or read. They have a completely misguided belief – make that a delusion – that, as soon as their books hit the shelves, the bookshop will be surrounded and the shop assistants crushed in the rush to seize their precious title.

Finally, no matter how often you tell me, I do not believe that God dictated your book to you. What I do find interesting is the good writers – who could perhaps be forgiven for thinking that He had a hand in their work – never claim it. The poorer the writing, the more likely it that God is apparently responsible for every inappropriate word and misplaced comma.

Whatever you do, take your writing seriously, and make it the best writing it can possibly be.

What remedy? Waterstone’s stocks quite a few books on writing and being published: and my three current favourites are Write to be published by Nicola Morgan: Creative Writing, edited by Linda Anderson, and How to Write, edited by Philip Oltermann. Join the Association of Christian Writers. Read, read, analyse and read. And there are courses out there, and if you want one that will give you access to a commissioning editor, as well as the former Publishing Director at Authentic media, check out www.lakesSchool.com

But whatever you do, take your writing seriously, and make it the best writing it can possibly be.

Links Revisited (and more)

Last but not least: all of the books Ali mentions should be available to order from most bookshops, not just Waterstone’s, including any Christian bookshop with a mainstream wholesaler’s account such as those signed up to Gardners’ Hive. Any Christian booksellers reading, please feel free to shout out for your shop if you can supply these books…

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News Roundup: The New Beginnings Edition

Posted on September 1, 2011 by | 2 Comments

NEW BEGINNINGS: they’re what following Jesus is all about, from life through death and back to life again, and to get the month of September off to a good start we have a series of new beginnings to celebrate — but each has come at a cost. As I prepare this post, I’m listening to Coldplay’s latest single, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, and one line seems to stand out especially: “I’d rather be a comma than a full stop” — it seems to sum up our calling as Christians, to be commas rather than full stops in God’s purposes, ready for whatever comes next. But the role of a comma, like a grain of wheat, is far from easy: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,” said Jesus, “it remains only a single grain—”

Enough of my ramblings for now, however; on to the stories:

In Brief…

Christian Marketplace reports on the Altar Missals shenanigans with CTS: An unholy row over Missals

Glenn Myers, author of June’s Guest Post, Why I started telling stories to tell the truth, is now twittering with the rest of us @Glenn_Myers

Janet Wilson of Dernier Publishing fame has entered the blogosphere: head over there for the latest info on all Dernier’s books for children & teenagers.

What is the future for Christian bookselling? Clem Jackson reflects on the current state of the UK Christian book trade: join the conversation on facebook.

Cornerstone Clapham survives Riots

CORNERSTONE CHRISTIAN BOOKSHOP, CLAPHAM, had a narrow escape in London’s riots as windows were smashed and a fire started, causing some £4,000 worth of damage — fortunately, however, one of the rioters had a change of heart and returned to put the fire out. A report posted by the Barnabas Fund, Christian Bookshop at Centre of Riots Saved, describes another rioter about to set fire to the premises but being dissuaded by someone, whom the shop’s owners believe was an angel, shouting, “No, don’t do that, I live upstairs!”

Whatever you make of the supposed angelic intervention, the good news is that the shop was able to resume trading after only one day. Please pray for owners Brian and Ulrike Warner as they continue to pick up the pieces…

GLO Motherwell Relaunched

CONGRATULATIONS to Andrew Lacey and the team at GLO, Motherwell, on Monday’s rededication and relaunch of the shop following a comprehensive refit and re-merchandising. Andrew explains on their facebook event page:

Given the significant changes in the Book market, we have decided to re-allocate our floor area and completely re-merchandise the store. We have ‘reversed’ the shop layout to bring Card & Gift product to the front of the store, and moved the ‘Printed Page’ product to the back of the store. We continue to give God’s Word, the Bible, the ‘prime’ trading position in the store, and the popular Children’s area remains unchanged.

A summary of the benefits of the recent re-merchandise of the store

  • By moving Gift and Card products to the front of the store, we hope to encourage more friends from the local community to browse these products.
  • The range of DVDs and other media titles has been significantly increased, and a wide range of audio-books has been brought in.
  • We continue to carry a huge range of books and this has been re-merchandised to the back of the store. This area of the shop now includes a coffee machine and reading tables. Comfy chairs have been placed to enable customers to relax and browse the wide range of titles. This has created a lovely relaxed atmosphere, and DVD players and computer systems have been provided to allow customers to sample some of the resources on show.
  • Space is being created to allow a relevant range of second hand books to be sold. We are currently appealing for donations of books.
  • In response to customer requests, we are developing a suitable selection of local interest and general books.
  • The GLO Bookshop is now part of the ‘HIVE’ network of local independent bookshops. This give us the ability to retail e-Books (see the link below). The HIVE network also provides access to over 4.5 million general book and DVD titles at very competitive prices. We would encourage friends of GLO to use this facility if they require ‘general’ books, rather than Amazon! If you order from HIVE, GLO will benefit from a commission on each sale. Your items can either be delivered FREE to the GLO Bookshop in Motherwell, or delivered direct to your home for a small charge. In either case, GLO will benefit from your custom.

Photos of the new-look shop are available on facebook:

GLO Relaunch

GLO Relaunch

Goodbye LST Books & Resources: Hello Maranatha

LST BOOKS AND RESOURCES, the first shop to be listed in the UK Christian Bookshops Directory and where yours truly cut his teeth in this strange but wonderful world of Christian bookselling/retailing, is no more. The shop closed on Friday August 26th with a brief announcement on facebook:

LST Books and Resources is no more ;-( However there will be a bookshop at LST opening 30/8/2011 :-) Good Luck to Geoff and Jan. So Ciao for now

The Geoff and Jan mentioned are none other than Geoff and Jan Wallace of Maranatha Christian Bookshop, Uxbridge, fame, and I personally can think of no better hands into which the future of bookselling at LST could be entrusted. Maranatha, as it happens, was the second shop to be listed in UKCBD, which makes them an even more apt successor to the shop at LST. Geoff and Jan, I salute you and wish you every success in this new venture: may the Lord bless you as richly as he blessed me during my tenure as LST’s bookshop manager.

Please pray for Geoff and Jan, especially Jan as she manages the shop on a daily basis, pray for the LST community to fully embrace this new opportunity, and pray for my former colleague, Nick, who took on the mantle after my departure last year, as he moves on to pursue further studies.

Maranatha Uxbridge announce new branch at London School of Theology

Maranatha Uxbridge announce new branch at London School of Theology

Living Oasis…

NO NEW INFORMATION but simply a reminder to keep praying for everyone struggling after the collapse of NCT: those who have lost jobs and livelihoods; suppliers seeking redress for NCT’s debts; and those who are pressing on with the vision, for whom one of the biggest challenges will no doubt be the question of rebuilding trust with suppliers and other business partners after yet another Christian company defaults on its debts.

We’ve already seen one new beginning at Weston-super-Mare, of course, and discussions are still underway in Liverpool over the lease — if you missed it last time, see Phil Jump’s facebook note from 12th August, Living Oasis Liverpool UPDATE.

For latest news on…

and keep an eye on the various facebook pages and groups…

New Christian Bookshop in Bedford

Via twitter; further details to follow. The shop is about a 15 minute walk from the town centre, just a couple of streets away from the Jaffa Orchard café and gift shop, run by a group of people from Russell Park Baptist Church where the new shop’s owners are members:

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