July 2, 2011

News Roundup: 4th July is UK Independents’ Day | Cambridge Bibles publish first English Language flipback® | and much, much more…

Posted by Phil Groom under Bookshop Ramblings | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
[3] Comments 
Holiday time...

Holiday time...

JULY ALREADY: the sun is shining, Wimbledon is over for Andy Murray, and the holiday season is upon us, oh yes, but there’s still plenty happening in and around the Christian book trade. Don’t forget to shout out with your news if you’d like to be included in the next news roundup… and if you’d like to keep up to speed with the news as it emerges, follow the UKCBD twitter feed:

Independents' Day: Your High Street Needs You! Click through for more info and poster download options...

Independents' Day: Your High Street Needs You! Click through for more info and poster download options...

4th July is UK Independents’ Day

ARE YOU READY? Have you put a poster up? If not, now’s the time to grab one because Monday 4th July is Independents’ Day — atrocious wordplay but a superb initiative from Skillsmart Retail to try to bring some footfall back to the UK’s indie retailers. Anne Seaman, Skillsmart Retail’s Chief Executive, explains the thinking behind the campaign:

We are delighted to lead this campaign and support small retailers. Raising awareness amongst the public is one of the biggest challenges smaller retailers face and our message is about encouraging the public to use their local high street and understand how important a diverse retail sector is.

It’s also essential that local retailers understand that to compete today they need to be top of their game. The time for sitting back has passed and action is required: Your high street needs you!

Find out more and get involved:


h/t Amanda Taylor, Cambridge Bibles

Cambridge Bibles publish first English Language flipback®

The Transetto Bible

The Transetto Bible

CONGRATULATIONS to Cambridge Bibles on becoming the publisher of the first English language flipback®, the Transetto: a new, ultra-compact edition of the King James Version Bible that breaks with tradition by opening vertically rather than horizontally. Published, of course, with the much-publicised 400th KJV Anniversary in mind, the Transetto is available in special trade packs of nine copies plus one free if you request the POS display tower: orders via Lion Hudson.

For those who are beginning to feel that they’ve already seen more editions of the KJV this year than their sanity can handle, don’t panic: more English language flipbacks have just emerged hot off the press from Hodder:

Christian Marketplace news roundup

The latest Christian Marketplace news roundup is out, along with a report detailing all the Christian Resources Together 2011 Award Winners: Stott wins Book of the Year award. Congratulations especially to CLC London and Quench Maidenhead, Large and Small Retailers of the Year respectively.

From Mental Illness to Christian Bookshop Owner: Paul Slennett’s Story

PAUL SLENNETT’S REMARKABLE STORY has made local headlines in the Yellow Advertiser, Bookseller marks 40 years in the business:

A BOOKSHOP owner celebrated 40 years in the business with a message of hope.
Paul Slennett, who runs Christian bookshops in Southend, Chelmsford and Brentwood, said: “I put my trust in God and he helped me turn my life around. He can do the same for anyone.”
The 64-year-old has come a long way from the youngster who ended up in a psychiatric ward, confused and depressed.
Now, as well as the shops, Mr Slennett is behind the Jesus is Alive Mission, which supports overseas aid work, is an author and happily married with four grown-up children who all work with charities.
He said: “I was troubled as a child and teenager. But that all changed when I was in the mental hospital.
“God came to me and said he would be my father and guide, as long as I did what he asked.
“I have done that, and have had a fantastic life as a result.”
After he was made redundant from a job at a ships’ chandlers ‘which was taking up far too much of my time’, God told Mr Slennett that he wanted him to open a Christian bookshop in Southend…

IVP Summer Reading Sale Now On!

IVP’S SUMMER SALE has started, with up to 50% trade discount off selected biography and fiction titles from 1st July to 31st August. To qualify, place an initial order for any mix of 20 or more of the offer titles: download the trade flyer (pdf) for details.

Living Oasis Update: Julie Jowett leaves Harrogate for Spain; and Liverpool plans September Opening

El Palmeral

Mike and Julie Jowett at El Palmeral

IT’S NOT ONLY farewell to Nottingham and Worthing today, but also farewell to Julie Jowett, who has now left Living Oasis Harrogate and her role as the company’s National Sales Manager for what looks very much like a real oasis as she joins her husband at El Palmeral, a retreat/guest house for the over-25s in Spain, tried and tested by none other than Mike Norbury. Congratulations, Julie, and very best wishes for the new venture.

Meanwhile Living Oasis Liverpool have posted photos of the shop’s interior on facebook, announced a proposed opening date of some time in September and now have their own dedicated website, livingoasisliverpool.co.uk. At present they’re still facing £20k budget deficit but remain optimistic and are advertising for investors to help meet the shortfall:

We need to raise just 20,000 pounds more and we have the finance to complete phase 1. If you would like to contribute please contact the store.

There’s optimism and there’s optimism, however: the who we are page describes the shop as being “one of a growing, national chain of stores” — an interesting claim, given the last 6 months of store closures; but unlike the stores that have closed, Liverpool does seem to have solid backing from the local Christian community:

The Liverpool store has its own steering group, chaired by Baptist Regional Minister Revd. Phil Jump and comprises representatives from NCT, local churches, representatives of groups and organisations already working in the city centre, and local Christians with a business background

Here’s to September and beyond!

The Accidental Pilgrim

The Accidental Pilgrim

Maggi Dawn on the move

CONGRATULATIONS to Maggi Dawn, author of a number of books — latest, The Accidental Pilgrim, due out in July — who is on the move to pastures new in the USA to take up an appointment as Dean of Marquand Chapel and Associate Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School.

Hope they allow you plenty of time for your writing, Maggi!

Scam Warning from Sovereign World

PAUL STANIER of Sovereign World tells me that they had a close call with a scammer, but forewarned was forearmed and they avoided the pitfall. Paul writes:

I wondered if you could use your blog to warn Christian publishers and the trade in general over a scam that was successfully used against another Christian company and has been tried against Sovereign World (which failed, as we were pre-warned).

They use card details to pay for books, which appear to be authorised when processed (but it actually later fails in transaction at the bank end, as the card is usually reported stolen). You think you have their trust, so when they ask you to pay for their shipping cost via Western Union to the shipping company that they allocate (their shipping company won’t accept cards) it seems legitimate. The buyer pays for the shipping to you via card, and you then think you are safe to pay on the buyers behalf the shipping company via Western Union. But no… you are not safe because the credit card payment never makes it to your account, and you pay a stranger about £1500 (not a legit shipping company) to Western Union, which is not traceable. They take the Western Union money, disappear and your card payments don’t go through… You lose £1500.

I am wanting to warn the Christian trade, as they appear to be targeting us.

Social Media Update: Look who’s tweeting (and more)

A BRIEF SNAPSHOT: if you haven’t already found them, you can now:

Last but not least: don’t miss the Quench Bookshops blog: a superb example of a Christian bookshop using WordPress.

Twitter, Facebook, Issuu and WordPress are all free services — if you’re not using them to engage with your customers and boost your shop’s online profile, it’s time to get up to speed. If you don’t understand why, pay a visit to Vicky Beeching’s new blog, CyberSoul. For more and more people, the supposed distinction between the “real” and “virtual” worlds is becoming an increasingly false dichotomy — head on over there today and join the conversation where spirituality meets technology … or collides with it, as the case may be…

 

April 8, 2011

News Roundup: Baker Academic move to SPCK | Hodder titles now available from IVP | Letchworth Christian Bookshop hold Bible Reading Marathon | Living Oasis Phase 2 Openings Delayed | and more…

Posted by Phil Groom under Christian Publishers, Christian Suppliers, Lion Hudson, News, SPCK, STL | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
[21] Comments 

Baker Academic move to SPCK

AS ANNOUNCED IN DECMBER LAST YEAR following their acquisition of 200 titles from Hendrickson, Baker have now moved their range of academic titles (Baker Academic and Brazos Press) from Lion Hudson to SPCK. Commenting on the move, Dwight Baker, President of Baker Publishing Group, said:

While Lion Hudson has been doing an excellent job in selling these titles into the trade, Baker felt the need to move their Academic titles to a firm that has had a long history of publishing and selling to the academy in the United Kingdom.  The purchase of over 200 academic titles from Hendrickson Publishers this past October was the tipping point for this decision.

Baker’s other imprints, including Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books and Chosen, remain with Lion Hudson whilst Alban Books continue to represent all other Hendrickson lines to the UK.

Hodder titles now available from IVP

Hodder titles now available from IVP

Hodder titles now available from IVP

IVP HAVE ADDED Hodder Faith to their distributed titles list, bringing NIV Bibles and top selling authors such as Tim Keller and Philip Yancey into their portfolio. The announcement was made in the March edition of their monthly e-Bookmark trade newsletter, with further details in a separate trade announcement (pdf, 2.6MB).

Adding the NIV to their list alongside the full range of the ESV from Crossway as well as the NRSV, Good News Bible and range of Greek/Hebrew texts already available via HarperCollins Religious and Bible Society respectively makes IVP an increasingly important player in UK Bible distribution.

The full range of ESV and Crossway titles are also available from STL (pdf, 3.1MB) with 90 day payment terms and higher discounts on initial orders.

The Comet 24: Letchworth bookshop celebrate The Bible with reading marathon

The Comet 24: Letchworth bookshop celebrate The Bible with reading marathon

Letchworth Christian Bookshop hold Bible Reading Marathon

THIS SATURDAY, 9th April, sees Letchworth Christian Bookshop — winners of STL’s Golden Ticket in October last year — launch a Bible reading marathon as part of its celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible.

The project, which runs for two weeks with readings by volunteers in 15 minute slots during shop opening hours, has already made local headlines in The Comet (pictured).

Full details are available on a dedicated website, www.wordaloud.webeden.co.uk. Anyone wishing to take part is invited to check the schedule posted via Google Docs then contact the shop to book a slot.

Living Oasis Phase 2 Openings Delayed

LIVING OASIS LEEDS have apologised on facebook and in a letter posted at Network Leeds (4th April 2011) for the further delay to opening at their new location, advising prospective customers to contact the Harrogate store. Previously billed at Network Leeds as “the first Living Oasis shop to realise the full vision the Nationwide Christian Trust had when taking over 19 former Wesley Owen stores in early 2010″, the new Leeds store was originally expected to open by late January/early February this year but has run into financial difficulties.

A series of prayer meetings is being held, next meeting 14th April 2011, with a fundraising meal scheduled for 6th May 2011. The actual opening date for the new store remains unknown.

The new Liverpool store — originally expected to open within “a couple of months” of the old store’s closure (facebook announcement 29/12/2010) — appears to be facing similar difficulties with no updates to their facebook page since 22nd March when a series of weekly prayer meetings was announced. As of the date of this report, no indication of when the store will open has been given.

Unicorn Tree Books flood claim declined

CITY OF LINCOLN COUNCIL SOLICITORS, Hill Dickinson, have declined the flood claims submitted by Unicorn Tree Books and other retailers based in Lincoln Central Market following damage caused when the duty caretaker was unable to find the stop cock after a pipe burst during harsh weather in November last year (reported here 02/12/2010).

In a letter dated 25 March 2011 claiming to have “fully investigated the matter” Hill Dickinson state that “our client’s duty to maintain is one of reasonableness” and conclude that “the incident was caused solely by the extreme temperatures experienced at the time” — a conclusion that completely disregards the Council’s failure to follow its own published advice to householders who may be concerned about the possibility of burst pipes in their homes:

Preventing frozen and burst pipes

  • Make sure you know where your stop tap is and that it is working.

One can only wonder quite what is going on in the mind of someone who regards such gross negligence as “reasonable”…

Web Shops for Churches

Premier Church Insight: Endis Inspire Shop

Premier Church Insight: Endis Inspire Shop

PREMIER CHRISTIAN MEDIA, publishers of Christian Marketplace magazine, have joined forces with Endis in partnership with STL Distribution to deliver online shops direct to churches via a custom-branded, fully integrated web service. Orders, returns and refunds will all be processed by STL in Carlisle — identified only by their address on the demo shop Contact Us and Returns pages — backed up by a dedicated telephone support line.

Full details of the service may be found on the Premier Church Insight > Endis Inspire Shop introductory page.

Reactions from retailers have ranged from a sense of outrage through concern about the implications for church bookstall services to cautious optimism at the possibility that the service could conceivably form the basis for a Christian version of Gardners’ Hive.

STL have emphasised that Endis are simply another trade customer and STL’s involvement with the scheme is solely order fulfilment. They are, however, currently investigating options to provide a comprehensive web solution for retailers: STL remain 100% committed to supporting and working with their retail partners, including amongst other initiatives the development of a Church Resources training programme designed to equip shop managers with the expertise needed and a sales kit that will enable them to pull local churches together and present new or existing product that will enhance church life.

Women in Christian Publishing Inaugural Event

WOMEN IN CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING, a new group created by the Publishers Association, held its inaugural event on 1st April 2011 with a visit to the Houses of Parliament hosted by the Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who was appointed as Speaker’s Chaplain in June last year.

Those present included Victoria Beech (Beech Publishing/Christian Education) and Janet Evans (Dernier Publishing), who has published some photographs of the event on facebook:

Dernier Publishing > Facebook Photos > Women in Christian Publishing

Dernier Publishing's Facebook Photos: Women in Christian Publishing Inaugural Event

 

March 21, 2011

News Roundup: Behind the Pages with Lion Hudson | Christian Marketplace “is not going away” | Eddie Olliffe at Christian Resources Together | Customer Care | and more…

Posted by Phil Groom under Author Interviews, News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
[2] Comments 
5 Quid for Life: A Mental Health Safety Net

5 Quid for Life

HAVING BEEN RATHER BUSY with 5 Quid for Life last week, preparing for our inaugural meeting on Saturday 19th March, as well as updating our church website, it proved impossible to post this roundup at the end of last week, so this time around, for a change, a news roundup to start the week.

Thank you to everyone who has provided information for these updates: if you have news you’d like to see featured in the next roundup, please get in touch.

Behind the Pages with Lion Hudson

ON FRIDAY 18th MARCH Lion launched a live facebook interview with Andrea Skevington and Sophy Williams, author and illustrator respectively, to celebrate publication of The Lion Classic Bible, providing a fascinating insight into life behind the pages:

The Lion Classic Bible: A facebook interview with Andrea Skevington and Sophy Williams

The Lion Classic Bible: a facebook interview with Andrea Skevington, author, and Sophy Williams, illustrator

Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite:

LCB: Sophy, the stories are full of action and drama and I think the illustrations work really well with them, bringing them to life in colour. Which was your favourite illustration to work on? And Andrea, which was your favourite story to tell?

SW: Funnily enough it was the image you have used for the cover! The original design had been approved but when I started drawing it up I thought it wasn’t exciting enough. I had drawn it with Jesus in the foreground looking out towards the fishing boat but spontaneously changed the whole composition. I liked the image of the leaping fish. The animals leaving the ark was fun to do too… and I enjoyed doing David and Goliath!

AS: Hmm, favourite story… there are so many wonderful ones to tell. Perhaps the Prodigal Son was my favourite. I found it very moving to write. Each of the three characters carries such a weight of emotion. I was inspired by a wonderful dance production of the story, by Springs Dance Company. I called my version The Running Father.

LCB: Andrea, you obviously love words! Where do you get your inspiration from? Is there anything you particularly enjoy reading? And Sophy, are you inspired by any other artists or illustrators? Have you always wanted to be an illustrator?

SW: I have always loved to draw and ended up doing what I love as my job, although it took a while to realize that illustration was where I fitted best. There are so many very talented illustrators but a particular favorite is Shaun Tan with The Red Tree being one that everyone should go and find if they don’t know it.

AS: Inspiration comes from many things, like the dance that helped me look again at the Prodigal Son. Most especially, I find inspiration comes outside, and from nature. I love being in the garden, and walking through the quiet beauty of the Suffolk countryside. I love reading and writing poetry. Just last week I discovered a wonderful book of poems in the library by Kerry Hardie, and a collection of Mary Oliver is usually close to hand in the house! Both of these poets see such depth in ordinary things. It’s hard to choose among so many loved writers, but lately I’ve read Home by Marilynne Robinson, Charlotte Grey by Sebastian Faulks, and reading anything by Alexander McCall Smith is like spending time with a kind and witty friend.

On facebook you’ll need to read the interview from bottom to top to follow it in chronological order; alternatively, there’s an easier to follow version in Lion’s own news section: Interview with the author and illustrator of The Lion Classic Bible.

If your shop is on facebook, why not hit that ‘Like’ button and add The Lion Classic Bible to your favourites? Then send the link to all your facebook friends and invite them in to buy it!

Christian Marketplace “is not going away”

ENCOURAGING FEEDBACK from Clem Jackson in his latest Christian Marketplace editorial (April 2011, p.4) responding to my recent observation about the magazine going from a monthly to a bi-monthly. Clem acknowledges that the “last couple of years have been challenging” but emphasises that

Christian Marketplace is not going away and the small team involved with its production will continue to provide a service to the Christian trade. I look forward to us journeying on together.

Sentiments with which I wholeheartedly concur — keep up the good work, Clem, and thank you.

Customer Care: Wise Words from Chris Jewell

CONTINUING WITH CHRISTIAN MARKETPLACE, Chris Jewell offers some wise words on customer service in his latest column, April 2011, p.18. Emphasising that every member of staff has a part to play in delivering “great customer care”, he writes:

If you don’t do this already, get together regularly with your staff, paying no attention to ‘rank’, and begin to brainstorm ideas and suggestions about practical ways of improving your customer care. This has the added benefit of all staff knowing they are working as a team with a common goal, not always apparent in larger organisations.

The failure to do this — to treat all staff with basic dignity and respect as human beings — is undoubtedly one of the factors that led to the collapse of the former SPCK bookshops under the Brewer brothers and which is causing ongoing difficulties elsewhere in the trade…

Eddie Olliffe at Christian Resources Together

EDDIE OLLIFFE, of CWR fame, a contributor to both this site and Christian Marketplace, is one of the speakers at this year’s Christian Resources Together event at High Leigh where, amongst other things, he’ll be continuing the conversation started on his own blog, Christian Book Trade; Facing four incontrovertible facts:

Life will most certainly not return to how it was. We have to move on and change – fast.

It seems to me that there are four incontrovertible facts that we must openly recognise and begin to accept;

  1. The UK has become increasingly secularised and less open to Christian forms of spirituality
  2. Delivery methods and channels – but not content – are changing almost on a daily basis
  3. Consumers, and especially younger people, are not buying as many physical books as in the past
  4. The Christian book trade is undergoing a serious and prolonged period of retrenchment

The mission and calling of distributing the word of God in various formats continues. We urgently need to develop positive conversations to determine how best to respond. By way of encouragement, I fully recognise that there are a good number of shops around the country doing a superb job and working against the odds. May God bless each one. As I’ve written elsewhere, we must provide encouragement and help to each other and eschew condemnation and recrimination wherever possible.

One respondent, Pete Slee, came back with four points of his own which the trade needs to get to grips with, finally posing this challenging question:

… do we need to take a deep breath and ask if, in 2011, the trade really understands how to communicate Good News to the present generation?

It’s a vital question, and the future of the trade hinges upon our response — not only upon our response now and at High Leigh when Eddie reiterates the question, but also upon our ability and willingness to keep the conversation going and develop practical outcomes from it. Last year there was a song and a dance to the tune of ‘Stronger Together, Weaker Apart’ but very little appears to have been done to follow that through as most booksellers and publishers, whether independents or parts of larger conglomerates, seem to have simply pressed ahead with doing their own thing, leading almost inevitably to the shop closures and job losses we’re now seeing.

If you’re going to High Leigh this year, why not make a pledge now, before you get there, to commit yourself and your company to exploring ways of keeping the conversations going afterwards? In the meantime, of course, irrespective of whether or not you can attend, you could join the conversation with Eddie, Pete, myself and several others…

STL do Comic Relief

MORE ENCOURAGING NEWS from STL: Customer Service staff were clearly determined that the company’s current difficulties wouldn’t be allowed to undermine their sense of fun as they joined in with Comic Relief on Friday. From the STL Blog, Today is a colourful day in Customer Services:

STL do Comic Relief 2011

Red Nose Day 2011: STL do Comic Relief

There’s a lot more than fun and games going on at STL as well, of course: make sure you keep an eye on their blog to keep yourself up to speed with latest news on stock availability, new supplier agreements and much, much more…

IVP Vacancies, March 2011

IVP Vacancies, March 2011

Vacancies at IVP

AND FINALLY, for the jobseekers amongst us: IVP have some new vacancies, full details of which should be available at ivpbooks.com/vacancies from tomorrow, 22nd March 2011:

  • Commissioning Editor (Full-time or Part-time)
  • Editorial Assistant
  • IT/Web Intern (Salaried)
  • Web/Marketing Intern (Salaried)

Applications for all four posts close in May (some early, some late) so there’s plenty of time to prepare if you’re interested…

 

March 5, 2011

News Roundup: 3 for 2 on Commentaries at Eden | Christian Focus enters the Blogosphere | Easter with IVP | Living Oasis: Where is the humanity? | St Andrew Press now with NBM

Posted by Phil Groom under Book Trade Ramblings, Christian Bookshops, News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
[2] Comments 

GOT NEWS? If you have news you’d like to see included in the next News Roundup, please get in touch.

Eden.co.uk: 3 for 2 Bible Commentaries Offer

Eden Commentaries Offer

3 for 2 on Commentaries at Eden

AFTER REPORTING Wesley Owen’s 25% off all commentaries last time around, I feel almost morally obliged to give Eden’s latest offer a mention too: 3 for 2 on selected commentaries; but it’s a fantastic offer in and of its own right, and if you go there and make a purchase via this link, you’ll help raise funds to support this site as well.

If you’re an independent bookseller/retailer wondering how you can possibly compete with this sort of offer, my suggestion is get together with a few other independents and form a buyers’ group: you are stronger together, weaker apart; but the only way to turn that into a reality is by actively doing something about it. Discuss…

Christian Focus enters the Blogosphere

LAUNCHED LAST MONTH and aptly named Christian Focus BookNotes, the new blog from Christian Focus is all about their books. It’s a blog worth watching:

Never a company to settle for half-measures, you’ll also find Christian Focus on facebook, twitter and, of course, YouTube. Go on, hit that facebook Like button: you know you want to!

IVP Easter Sale 2011

IVP Easter Sale 2011 (pdf download)

Easter with IVP

IF THERE’S ONE THING you can always rely on in the UK Christian book trade, it’s outstanding seasonal offers from IVP, and their latest Easter offering doesn’t disappoint.

The offer runs from 1st March to 30th April 2011: take any mix of 20 or more titles from a selection of Easter bestsellers and benefit from special trade prices set to allow you to offer your customers reduced prices (ranging from £2 to £8 off) whilst still retaining a standard trade margin. Full details available from the trade section of their website: pdf download.

Living Oasis: Where is the humanity?

THIS COMMENT, left late on Thursday evening by Mrs Diane Hellyer, seems to epitomise everything that’s gone wrong with Living Oasis:

I have been associated with the Christian book trade for over fifteen years and have worked as a volunteer in five different shops in that time, most recently in Sutton Living Oasis. From what I understand of the situation, it is totally shocking how this closure has been handled by the Chairman and the Trustees. That no HR support was offered and no face to face meeting arranged, but that staff were informed of the impending closure by telephone is surely a lack of care and an undervaluing of the staff, the company’s greatest resource. It may not have been commercially viable to maintain a Christian witness in the high street, but under any circumstances the manner of the closure could, and should, have given a clear Christian witness as to the value placed upon the individual.

For the record, I have already raised similar concerns directly with both Andy Twilley and Simon Hole, Nationwide Christian Trust’s Resource Manager, and have now forwarded this comment personally to Ray George himself. As yet I have received no reply…

Newcastle Cathedral Gift Shop Closure

Also on a sad note, the demise of Newcastle Cathedral’s gift shop. I’m told that the shop had just begun to extend its range of books but alas, financial constraints win out yet again. The closure does seem, however, to have been much better handled than the recent Living Oasis closures, with public tribute paid to the shop staff and volunteers. From the Dean’s February newsletter:

There is on the other hand a great deal of sadness over the closure of the Gift Shop. I would want to pay tribute to the staff and volunteers who over the years have shown enormous commitment to this enterprise, played an important part in welcoming visitors to the Cathedral and done their level best to make it work. However the sad fact is that the Shop has been losing money for many years and Chapter felt such a situation was no longer sustainable. The move to Mosley Street certainly did nothing to revive the Shop’s fortunes but was not the cause of its demise. Chapter is not ruling out re-opening a shop in the future. The issue is what, when and where? We will keep the situation under review and assess the feasibility of any new enterprise in the light of the success of the wider development programme. In the meanwhile there will be sale of stock and any shop furnishings that can’t be used will be “mothballed” . Some souvenirs and small items will continue to be sold in the cafe. Meanwhile there will be a party to celebrate the hard work of our shop volunteers and all that the shop has done on February 18th.

St Andrew Press now with Norwich Books & Music

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: if you’ve been used to ordering St Andrew Press (Church of Scotland) titles from Marston, those days are over. St Andrew Press is now part of the Hymns Ancient & Modern stable of church publishing houses and stock needs to be ordered from Norwich Books & Music.

 

July 7, 2010

Time to get on board with the IVP Summer Sale!

Posted by Phil Groom under Bookshop Ramblings, Christian Publishers | Tags: , , |
1 Comment 
The IVP Summer Sale 2010

The IVP Summer Sale 2010

The IVP Summer Sale is underway with some great offers including ten titles at half-price or better with lots more at between £2 to £4 off normal prices — all available to us as trade customers less our normal trade discount.

The sale started June 28th and runs through to August 31st this year, whilst stocks last.

A5 flyers — which fold out to make a great A3 poster — are available, with space to put your shop stamp on the back. Order direct from IVP:

Whilst you’re over there be sure to check out their new Equip website, which includes details of distributed titles from Bible Society, The Good Book Company, HarperCollins, NavPress and more, along with their special offers (£2 off the C S Lewis ‘Signature Classics’ series and up to 40% off selected titles from the Good Book Co, for instance), also available to us as trade customers.

… and don’t forget check your listing in their Find a Store section: it’s linked from the sidebar on every page of the main site, so well worth making sure your entry is up to date. Unfortunately the  Find a Store section hasn’t been integrated into the new Equip site *sob* — I’m sure it’s just an oversight :)

As yet there’s no online trade ordering or payment system, but I gather the trade section is under development. If you’d like to see online ordering via PubEasy.com, why not contact IVP and let them know? The more feedback we can give them at this early stage the better to ensure that the trade ordering service they come up with is something we want and can work with. And if you’d like to see online payments via batch.co.uk from IVP, contact the good folk at batch and they’ll supply you with some bright, friendly stickers that you can slap all over your IVP statements to help encourage them in the right direction.

 

May 27, 2010

Service, promotion and commitment: IVP’s new trade partnership scheme

Posted by Phil Groom under Bookshop Ramblings, Christian Suppliers | Tags: , , , , |
Leave a Comment 
IVP e-Bookmark May 2010

IVP e-Bookmark May 2010

IVP’s latest trade bulletin, e-Bookmark, introduces their updated trade partnership scheme, launched at the Christian Resources Together Retailers and Suppliers Retreat earlier this month, along with details of several new promotions and new/forthcoming titles.

The buzzwords for the new scheme are service, promotion and commitment, and from my perspective as a retailer I have to say that (apart from a brief hiccup back in 2007/08) there’s never been any doubt about IVP’s ability to deliver in all three areas.

Like many other publishers, IVP do run their own online shop — but unlike Kingsway, IVP don’t undermine their retail partners by selling below their own RRP, and any promotions they run online are also available to retailers, fully supported by a range of POS materials: flyers, posters and shelf-talkers, for instance.

IVP Partnership: Strengthening ministry together

IVP Partnership - download the flyer (pdf, 3.4MB)

With a growing portfolio of publishers alongside their own titles, no minimum order requirement, free carriage on all shipments and next-day delivery on orders placed before 12 noon, IVP — as I’ve said before — provide a vital link in the evangelical supply chain.

There’s definite room for improvement, however, as IVP still do not provide an online stock check and ordering service and have yet to join batch.co.uk (@batch_services) for online invoice processing and payments.

My message to IVP, then, is thank you for all that you are doing to work together with us as retailers — we really are “stronger together – weaker apart.” But please don’t stop where you are now; and please remember there’s no need to reinvent the wheel by creating your own online trade ordering and/or payment services: just join Pubeasy.com and batch.co.uk.

If you’d like to see IVP on PubEasy and batch, please let them know.

IVP’s partnership scheme is, of course, just one of several out there being offered by our many and various suppliers: Lion Hudson have their Alliance and Candle Scheme, Kingsway and Evangelical Press both run stockist schemes, and STL are currently fine-tuning their new retail partnership. If you could only sign up for one, which would it be, and why? And which, dare I ask, would you avoid — and why?

What’s the problem with Kingsway?

If you’re unfamiliar with the problems with Kingsway, see this post and its comments thread from last week: Kingsway, Cross Rhythms and the cost of Christian music: are retailers being priced out of the market?

If you think Kingsway’s practice of offering “discounts” by comparing their own prices to their own RRPs is immoral, please let them know too.

 

February 27, 2010

Christian Suppliers Update: Alban Books, Kingsway, Norwich Books & Music and Scripture Union

Posted by Phil Groom under Announcements, Book Trade Ramblings, Christian Publishers, Christian Suppliers, Musings..., News, STL | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
[3] Comments 

Despite the new STL UK’s best efforts to become a one stop shop for retailers, it seems that not all publishers want to play ball. The latest to jump ship is Scripture Union, who have now signed up Marston Book Services as their trade distributor. Distribution moves from STL to Marston with effect from Monday, 1st March 2010, although STL will continue to stock Scripture Union product as a wholesaler: full announcement below, courtesy of  Michael Welch.

It’s a more sensible move, it must be said, than Kingsway‘s attempt to manage their own distribution: a number of retailers have reported various problems with Kingsway, including delays, shortages and incorrect discounts. Hopefully we’ll begin to see some improvements soon now that they have James Batterbee (former branch manager at Wesley Owen, Croydon) on board as Customer Services Manager.

Kingsway say that trade orders are currently being turned around within 72 hours, carriage-free until the end of March; the aim, I believe, is 24 hour turnaround. Authentic UK product — acquired from the old STL — should be available next week. The company have also taken on UK distribution for Joseph Prince, Moody and Navpress and are reportedly planning — a little prematurely, perhaps, given the recent collapse of STL’s global ambitions? — to expand operations into the USA: UK Christian Music Giant, Kingsway, Establishes North American Presence. You can find Kingsway’s USA owners on twitter @David_C_Cook and on facebook; Kingsway appear on facebook as Mission Worship.

In the meantime, Alban Books — UK distributors (also with Marston) for a number of USA publishers including Abingdon Press, Augsburg-Fortress, Eerdmans and Westminster John Knox, to name but some — have announced that following Kate Dennis’s departure last year, they’ve decided that a full-time Sales Rep is no longer necessary and are switching to a telesales system, expected to launch mid-March this year. Any concerns or comments may be addressed to Nigel Parkinson, Sales Manager: contact details here. You can also find Alban Books on facebook.

Finally for now, Norwich Books & Music (distributors for SCM, Canterbury Press, Church House Publishing, Darton Longman & Todd and HarperCollins Religious, amongst others) have upped their game to match IVP and are now offering 24-hour delivery service as standard to the UK book trade, with same day despatch for orders placed by 12 noon and no small order surcharge. With comprehensive online search and ordering across Norwich’s entire list available via PubEasy.com, this in fact gives Norwich a distinct edge on IVP, whose trade list is only available as pdf downloads.

All we need next is for Marston, Norwich and IVP to get their invoicing systems up to speed with batch.co.uk…

Related Posts (most recent first)

Editor’s note: email addresses in the following announcement have been split as a spam prevention measure.

IMPORTANT TRADE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SCRIPTURE UNION

Scripture Union is pleased to announce the appointment of Marston Book Services as its distributor.

Distribution provision will move from STL-D to Marston Book Services as of the 1st March 2010

All orders for Scripture Union titles including dated resource should be directed to Marston from the 1st March. Orders can be placed using your existing Marston trading account.

All orders for the April-June dated quarter and/or Submerge March-April should also be placed with Marston after this date – including top-up orders. If you have a SU dated standing order with STL-D we ask that you cancel and transfer it to Marston ASAP thereafter.

All returns for credit including dated should be sent to Marston Book Services. Any other claim – for damage goods, mix see/safe order etc should be returned to STL-D.

All orders and customer enquiries should be sent to:

Marston Book Services Ltd
160 Milton Park
P O Box 269
Abingdon
Oxon OX14 4SD
Tel: 01235 465576
Fax: 01235 465555
Email Orders: trade.orders AT marston.co.uk
Enquiries: trade.enquiry AT marston.co.uk

Any queries regarding this change please contact Scripture Union’s retail support – telephone Tracy on 01908 856182
fax 01908 856030
email retailsupport AT scriptureunion.org.uk

STL-D will continue to offer our wide range of titles as a wholesaler.

 

December 16, 2009

Publishers and Suppliers Supporting Retailers

Posted by Phil Groom under Christian Bookshops, Christian Publishers, Christian Suppliers, Info | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
[3] Comments 

Several publishers and suppliers have been in touch recently with details of action they’re taking to offer retailers extra support through the current period of uncertainty with STL and/or during the run up to Christmas. This post provides a round up of the information I’ve gleaned or received so far; it is, of course, far from a comprehensive list: comments are open for anyone who’d like to add to it. My apologies for the length of time it has taken to prepare this post.

Starting with STL themselves, STL UK have, as has been their habit for several years now, reduced their carriage-free minimum order level from £75 trade value ex-VAT to £50 from 1st – 22nd December. Full details in their trade email 01/12/2009 and on the STL Blog, Reduced FREE Carriage Offer. Daily cut off points remain at 2.30pm for email, fax and telephone orders or 4.00pm via stldistribution.co.uk (don’t be misled by their “4pm Electronic Orders”: STL do not regard email as electronic).

STL USA have upped their game in an attempt to fill in the gaps resulting from their divorce-in-progress from STL UK and are now offering free carriage to the UK with direct delivery to bookshops rather than transhipment via Carlisle, subject to a minimum order of 15 items. Basic info on the STL UK blog, more details from STL USA. Feedback on the service has been mixed.

Other Suppliers (A – Z)

Caritas Music Publishing offer a wide range of CDs and DVDs with no minimum order requirement and no charge for carriage. Normally new customers would be required to open a Trade Account first before placing orders, but at present customers may place their orders direct with Katharine Douglas and open a Trade Account later, subject to agreement to the company’s trade terms. Many order forms can be downloaded from the website, others can be supplied electronically or by post. See the Trade Customers / Agents and Dealers page or the Caritas Blog for more details.

Gardners have been reviewing their religious stock range and establishing direct links with publishers previously supplied via STL. SPCK and Zondervan, for example, are both well represented, and some hard-to-find Thomas Nelson titles (such as Ian MacNair’s Teach Yourself New Testament Greek) can be supplied Print-on-Demand. Their recently updated Religious Books Catalogue (pdf, 1.5MB) lists over 8,000 titles.

Gates of Praise have reduced their carriage free minimum order value from £50 to £30 throughout December. Publishers distributed include Charisma House, Creation House and Destiny Image.

IVP continue to offer one of the best delivery services to the UK Christian book trade, with no  minimum order level or small-order surcharges and in-stock items on orders placed before 12 noon despatched same day for next day delivery. With HarperCollins now added to their portfolio alongside Bible Society, Crossway, IVP USA, the Good Book Company and Piquant — to name just some of the publishers they represent — IVP provide a vital link in the evangelical supply chain. Download their trade flyer or visit their trade section for more info.

Lindisfarne Scriptorium is offering weekly specials to both trade and retail. Recent offers include cards at half-price, down to 75p each, selected books at reduced prices and their key book and music by Iona’s Dave Bainbridge and David Fitzgerald available together for £19.99 instead of £29.98. Standard trade discounts are 30%-38%, 2% extra for pro-forma/card payments. For several trade outlets they offer 40% discount across the full range of products and if there is sufficient interest then a special card / print offer just for trade as well as generous discounts on the Life Journey range and Life in Christ range is available. To find out more, visit their Trade Enquiries page.

Norwich Books and Music: Like IVP, NBM offer an excellent service, with no  minimum order level or small-order surcharges and in-stock items on orders placed before 12 noon despatched same day — but not for next day delivery: delivery tends to take 3 to 4 working days. With HarperCollins now added to their portfolio alongside their own imprints (Canterbury Press and SCM), Church House Publishing, Darton, Longman & Todd and Epworth — amongst others — NBM provide an important link in the wider Christian supply chain.

Others out there include CLC Wholesale , Integrity-Provident Distribution and Ritchie Christian Media Supplies, of whom we’ll no doubt be hearing more in due course. All parties welcome to leave further details via the comments…

And finally, the Bible Society’s plans to gather the Christian book trade in January seem to be taking shape. The following information was sent out to the trade by email from Steve Briars earlier this month:

Stronger Together – Weaker Apart

… is a consultation and presentation day being organised by CRE/CBC in association with the Booksellers Association Christian Booksellers Group (BACBG), the Publishers Association Christian Suppliers Group and Christian Marketplace magazine.

  • Tuesday 12 January 2010
  • St Paul’s Church, Robert Adam Street, London, W1U 3HW
  • 10.30am for 11.00am – including buffet lunch – concluding by 2.00pm

Topics on the agenda include:

  • An Introduction to the new ChristianResourcesTogether Partnership
  • A Retailers and Suppliers Conference at the High Leigh Conference Centre
  • A Retailers Day at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park

Personal  invitations should be sent out before Christmas: responses are requested no later than Thursday 7th Jan 2010. Contact Steve or Mandy Briars at CRE for more information.

 

December 10, 2009

New Trade Distribution Arrangements for HarperCollins (Updated)

Posted by Phil Groom under Announcements, Christian Bookshops, Christian Publishers, Christian Suppliers, News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
[4] Comments 

Press Release: HarperCollins New Trade Distribution Arrangements

Bringing a longstanding exclusive distribution arrangement with STL to an end, HarperCollins have today announced new distribution arrangements to the UK Christian book trade. In a press release (pdf, 70kb) issued on Thursday, December 10, 2009, Sam Richardson, Head of Religious Publishing at HarperCollins, advised that new agreements had been reached with IVP and Norwich Books and Music, both of which will now carry the HarperCollins religious titles range. Stock is expected to be supplied to both distributors early next week.

Both IVP and Norwich Books and Music offer same day despatch for in-stock items on orders placed before 12 noon on weekdays, with no minimum order quantity or small order surcharge. Both companies accept orders by phone, fax or email. IVP offer a freephone order line, 0800 622968; Norwich offer online ordering via PubEasy.com. Disappointingly, however, unlike HarperCollins themselves, neither company currently offers online invoice payment via batch.co.uk.
Download pdf or read on for the full press release…

 

September 13, 2009

From Eden to the New Jerusalem

Posted by Phil Groom under Book Reviews | Tags: , |
Leave a Comment 
UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Biblical Studies > From Eden to the New Jerusalem

From Eden to the New JerusalemFrom Eden to the New Jerusalem
Exploring God’s Plan for Life on Earth

T Desmond Alexander
ISBN 978144742851 (1844742857)
IVP, 2008 (208pp)
£7.99

Category: Biblical Studies
Reviewed by: Jeremy Kirby

The author of this book is on a mission: He believes that “biblical scholarship as a whole has not articulated clearly the major themes that run throughout Scripture” (p.11)- and he intends to put this right. The fact that he has succeeded in doing this to a significant degree in a book of under 200 pages aimed at a popular audience, while incorporating solid scholarship, is a measure of the remarkable achievement this book represents. UsingRevelation 21-22 as a starting point, the book picks up several themes contained there and a takes a rapid panoramic view of their significance through Scripture. This does not mean, however, that the book is merely a compendium of Bible passages, despite the considerable amount of Scripture quoted. Rather, the themes chosen work well together to produce a book that feels coherent and insightful — almost a mini-’biblical theology’.

After a brief introduction there is a longish chapter (around a third of the book) that traces the theme of God’s presence on earth, paying particular attention to the tabernacle/temple as the key biblical symbol for this concept. The biblical narrative is presented as being essentially God’s project to re-establish his dwelling place on earth, framed by Eden as the unperturbed original state and the New Jerusalem as its final restoration and enhancement. This is really the key chapter in the book, since much of what follows is related to the concept of God’s presence in the world. Subsequent chapters look at how God’s sovereignty is actualised through human ‘vicegerency’, both in the Israelite theocracy and in the New Testament conception of the kingdom of God (chapter 3); at the cosmic battle raging between God and the forces of evil, again in both Old and New Testament aspects (chapter 4); at the death of Christ as a sacrifice for sin, projecting the concepts of atonement, purification and sanctification back onto the Passover event (chapter 5); and at holiness of life, looking from the Old Testament forwards to the promised social and ecological transformation of the eschaton (chapter 6).

Heaven on EarthT. D. Alexander is well known as an author, editor and Old Testament scholar and this scholarship is evident here, notwithstanding the book’s popular approach. The author’s own expertise in the area of the Pentateuch forms the background to much of it, while in other areas he draws extensively on a collection of essays he co-edited: Heaven on Earth: The Temple in Biblical Theology. Another key source is G K Beale’s The Temple and the Church’s Mission, with which he shares the interesting and slightly unusual conception of the tabernacle/temple being a microcosm of the created universe, and a picture of God’s planned new creation. This is actually a good example of how the book often lifts itself well above a mere catalogue of biblical references to be a stimulating and even provocative read. It is perhaps in the nature of a book like this that builds on a commitment to the consistency and unity of the biblical canon that the author himself displays a clear conservative evangelical stance. Actually I can’t imagine that most potential readers will have a problem with this, even if there are occasional giveaways.

In the penultimate chapter there is a distinct sense of Christian mission and ethics, as a contrast between the ‘two cities’ of Babylon and the New Jerusalem turns into a pointed critique of modern consumerism. This, together with a brief reference to the evils of racism in a previous chapter, enhances the book quite considerably, since it demonstrates that biblical theology, while an academic discipline, has clear practical implications. Anything that builds an effective bridge between solid theology and pastoral ministry is potentially a great blessing to the church. I was just left wishing that Alexander had perhaps done a little more of this.

Of course, a book of this size is limited in what it can achieve. The approach all the way through is to give pointers rather than exhaust the subject. But these pointers, often in the form of references in the copious footnotes and bibliography, are just what the interested reader needs in order to go further. The only place the abbreviated treatment left me feeling really frustrated was in the chapter on Christ’s death. Perhaps it was the author’s concern to draw out the parallels with the Passover that resulted in my feeling that something about the central significance of the cross and the resurrection for God’s whole new creation project had been strangely under-emphasised. Indeed, resurrection — a cornerstone of new creation — is almost absent from the treatment. Did the author perhaps feel that others had already covered this particular area quite adequately?

Despite these criticisms, the book does a good job of presenting a bird’s-eye, meta-level view of key themes in the biblical narrative. A wide range of readers — lay Christians, theology students, and practising ministers who wish to strengthen their grasp on the overall shape of the Bible’s story — will profit from reading it.

Jeremy Kirby, September 2009

Jeremy Kirby teaches at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Siegen, Germany, and is a Distance Learning student on London School of Theology’s MA course in Hermeneutics. He is married with three young sons.

Publisher’s Info | IVP

Authors | Categories | Publishers | Reviewers | Titles

 

Next Page »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,305 other followers